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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, March 21, 2019
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin [5] Bible Verse:Acts 7:44-52 "“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me,’ says the Lord, ‘or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?’ “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered. " Message:
Stephen has been arrested by the Sanhedrin for preaching the gospel in Jerusalem, after the apostles (and others) have been previously arrested, warned, and flogged. He is making his defense before them. In the previous verses, we have read a long speech he has made, summarizing the history of the Hebrews. Now, his speech begins to show some teeth.
First, he proves that God does not dwell in a building. (Something we might well remember!) This is a slap in the face to the Jewish authorities. The Sanhedrin is packed with Sadducees, the Jewish political/religious party that emphasizes worship in the great Temple, the Ark of the Covenant, and making the sacrifices demanded in the earliest parts of the Old Testament. They are very oriented toward “God in a building.” But Christ, like the Pharisees (to a degree), has taken God out of the Temple and put him into the hearts and lives of the people. The earthly city of Jerusalem—“the present Jerusalem,” as Paul terms it in Galatians 4—is no longer the city of God; it has become a city of slavery.
Then, he insults the Pharisees. The Jews, of course, circumcise male children as a symbol of their devotion to God. But it is only a symbol. By saying that they are not circumcised in their heart and ears, he is saying that they are hypocrites; they follow the outward ceremonies of worship, but do not have God in their hearts. Particularly, their “ears” are closed to the word of God. (Again, Paul, in Galatians 5, goes even further and states, “if you (non-Jews) receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”
Stephen then recounts the history of other such men, who have slain the prophets. In particular, they have killed the prophets who predicted the coming of a Messiah. The prophets delivered God’s message, but the Jewish authorities refused to listen.
This is quite a defense. Instead of offering a defense, in terms of seeking acquittal of the charges against him, he attacks the judges; it is they, not he, who will be judged under the laws by which they accuse him.
Meditation : [“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” ~ St. Augustine Prayer : Good shepherd, seek me out, and bring me home to your fold again. Deal favourably with me according to your good pleasure, until I may dwell in your house all the days of my life, and praise you forever and ever with them that are there.....Amen |
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