Word For The Day: Acts 6:8-15, NIV
Stephen Seized
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Those whom God has called are commanded to live by His every word and share that word with others: to live out the gospel in their lives and preach the gospel, to be a disciple of Christ and make disciples for Him (Matthew 4:4, Mark 1:17). He has instructed us to be a salt of the earth and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16) by living holy, righteous, and exemplary lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the course of obeying Him, we will encounter opposition. People are convicted by the words we speak and the way we live our lives. They will argue, become angry, and even become hostile. Sometimes they will use words that will cause pain long after those words have faded in memory.
We have to remember that God's word "is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, ESV). It forces people to examine their own lives, determine where they stand with their Creator, and change their worldview. This is the part they find so challenging. It is said that the only thing constant in life is change. I guess that is true of the physical world. The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time. This means that entropy only increases. Everything goes from an ordered to a disordered state. Simply put, everything breaks down from a complex to a simpler structure. The once marvelous monuments of the past becomes rubble. All monumental accomplishments are bound to be forgotten. But human nature is resilient. It has inertia. It is resistant to change. It takes the Holy Spirit to open their eyes, minds, and heart in order to appreciate the beauty, love, joy, and peace in God's Salvation. That is why Jesus said that with man this is impossible but not with God. For with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
So let's boldly proclaim the gospel despite the challenges. Let God's Spirit empower us as we pray for His guidance and direction. Our lives have been forever changed by His Word (both living and written). It behooves us to let God change others.