Complacency

Complacency is a serious sin not only because God hates it, but because it does so much damage to our spiritual health. “The word ‘complacency’ (Isaiah 32:11, NLT) refers to where we place our trust. Complacent people seek peace and security by trusting external things—possessions, titles, wealth, appearance, and so on—yet these are fleeting…Complacent people convince themselves they are immune from life’s challenges. Blinded by comfort, they live inattentive lives, oblivious to inevitable challenges and indifferent toward sin (Isaiah 32:10; Zephaniah 1:12)” (The Danger of Complacency and Smugness, The Spiritual Growth Bible, p. 766).

The complacency of the Israelites caused God to send them into captivity. It wasn’t that the Israelites didn’t know they had a problem, they did, but they refused to do anything about it. This was how my life was before I got divorced. My relationship with my ex-husband deteriorated slowly over the course of several years. By the time I realized we were in serious trouble, it was too late to change the course of our marriage or at least it seemed like it to me at the time.

Complacency began to take root in my life when my ex-husband and I no longer had to worry about whether or not we were going to have enough money to pay our bills each month. He was near the end of his career in the military, and I had a full-time job getting paid about the same amount of salary as he was. Our lives became very disconnected; we were busy and didn’t know what was going on in each other’s lives anymore. What I suspected was that he was cheating on me, but I could never prove anything because the lies kept getting more and more convincing and my sense of reality less and less stable.

The prophet Amos painted a very grim, but realistic picture of Israel’s sin of complacency when he told them:

You push away every thought of coming disaster,
    but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer.
How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds
    and lounge on your couches,
eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock
    and of choice calves fattened in the stall.
You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp
    and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David.
You drink wine by the bowlful
    and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions.
    You care nothing about the ruin of your nation.
Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives.
    Suddenly, all your parties will end. (Amos 6:3-7)

“The sin of complacency makes us spiritually dull and socially indifferent. We must replace complacency with faithful acts of righteousness” (The Sin of Complacency, The Spiritual Growth Bible, p. 1001).

The reason God doesn’t allow us to remain complacent is because our eternal well being is at stake. When Jeremiah complained to the Lord about the wicked prospering and those who are treacherous thriving, God asked him, “If you have raced with men on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5). Spiritual success does not come to the faint of heart. The Apostle Paul boasted that he had endured countless beatings, that he had been stoned, shipwrecked three times, had been in toil and hardship through many a sleepless night, and experienced daily pressure because of his anxiety for all the churches that he had planted (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).

When I finally accepted the fact that my marriage was a disaster and divorce was a real possibility for me, I was stunned and didn’t know how I was ever going to recover. Thankfully, the Lord provided a way for me to survive the storm, and I eventually came to believe that all was not lost. I started over with no job, no home, and $20,000 in debt. Three very difficult years later, I was rehired by my previous employer with a promotion and more than 50% increase in salary. Although I have fully recovered and in some ways my life is even better than it was before, I will never forget the important lesson I learned from being sent into my own personal exile.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:7-9)

A word of encouragement

The Apostle Paul was God’s chosen instrument to tell the non-Jewish people throughout the world that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for their sins (Acts 9:15). Initially, Paul was sent out by the Holy Spirit to the Island of Cyprus with Barnabus, a native of the island (Acts 4:36; 13:4-5). Later, Paul and Barnabus went to Antioch in Pisidia where Paul was asked to speak in the Jewish synagogue (Acts 13:14-15). Paul’s intent was to share a word of encouragement with his fellow Jews, “but when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him” (Acts 13:45-46).

The Jews’ attitude toward Paul caused him to leave Pisidia and travel farther into Asia on what is now thought of as his first missionary journey. Before he left Antioch, Paul preached the gospel to almost the whole city and we are told in Acts 13:48 that of the Gentiles, “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Paul’s success with the Gentile converts in Antioch of Pisidia was due to the word of encouragement that he shared with them from Isaiah 49:6. Paul told them:

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 13:47)

The fact that God wanted everyone to receive salvation (2 Peter 3:9) was a well-kept secret that the Jews didn’t want to get out (Romans 16:25). As long as Paul focused his good news on the Jews’ favored position with God (Acts 13:17-43), the Jewish people in Antioch were interested in hearing what he had to say. However, when Paul shifted his attention to the Gentiles and the world at large, the Jews “stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabus and drove them out of their district” (Acts 13:50).

Paul’s word of encouragement, which was meant for the Jews, but ended up turning them against him, was rooted in God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to raise them from the dead (Acts 26:6-8). Paul explained that God raising the dead was possible because through Christ, people were freed from the penalty of sin (Acts 13:39). The Greek word that is translated freed in Acts 13:39, dikaioo (dik-ah-yoˊ-o) is “spoken especially of the justification bestowed by God on men through Christ, in which he is said to regard and treat them as righteous, i.e. to absolve from the consequences of sin and admit to the enjoyment of the divine favor (Romans 3:26, 30; 4:5; 8:30, 33; Galatians 3:8)” (G1344).

Paul used what was likely a familiar passage from the prophecy of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 1:5) to jar the Jews into thinking about the word of encouragement that he was presenting to them. Paul reasoned with them, stating, “Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you” (Acts 13:41). Habakkuk’s prophecy went on to declare that the Chaldeans, “guilty men, whose own might is their God!,” (Habakkuk 1:11) were about to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. This message conveyed the fact that God didn’t need to save the Jews, he could give his gift of salvation to anyone he wanted to, even to the most undeserving among the godless Gentiles.

Realistic Expectations

Psalm 142 was written by King David at a time when he was deeply affected by the stress of being a fugitive (note on Psalm 142:7). Even though David was at a breaking point, he continued to pray for deliverance and was hopeful that his circumstances would change (Psalm 142:7).

Hundreds of years later, King Herod’s violence against the church caused many believers to go into hiding just like David and was particularly troubling to the twelve apostles because they were the primary targets of his rampage. It says in Acts 12:2 that Herod “killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.”

While Peter was being kept in prison, “earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:5). Peter himself was likely resigned to being killed by Herod, but on the night he was to go before Herod, Peter was rescued by an angel of the Lord. It says in Acts 12:11, “When Peter came to himself, he said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

The Jewish council had been warned to keep away from Peter and to let him and the other apostles alone because in the council’s effort to stop the spread of the gospel they might be found opposing God (Acts 5:35-39). In spite of this, the council used every means possible to control the growth of the church. The Jewish council’s effort escalated over time and eventually they had to rely on King Herod and the Roman government to accomplish what they could not accomplish themselves, get rid of Jesus’ twelve apostles. God’s deliverance of Peter demonstrated that not only were the Jewish people’s expectations false, but they were by that time actually fighting against God.

God wants his people to have realistic expectations. That’s why he usually tells us in advance when he’s planning to do something unexpected. Speaking through the prophet Habakkuk, God told the people of Judah that they were about to be destroyed by the wicked Babylonians (Habakkuk 1:12-2:4). God told Habakkuk, “Look among the nations and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told”

The prophet Amos was given the unpleasant task of warning the northern tribes of Israel that they were going to be judged by God, found guilty, and punished. Amos told the people of Israel, “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Amos’ “pleas to the people to repent and predictions of the destruction of Israel made him very unpopular because he ministered at the peek of Israel’s material and political success. They were enjoying a prosperous reign under Jeroboam II, who expanded Israel’s territory and secured it from external threats” (Introduction to Amos). The thought that God might be displeased with them never crossed the people of Israel’s minds.

“Amos demonstrated great rhetorical skill in the way he prepared his audience for the point of his message. He first declared judgment on the enemies of Israel who were not related to them: Damascus (Syria), Gaza (Philistia), and Tyre. He then pronounced judgments on the enemies of Israel who were descendants of Abraham: Edom, Ammon, and Moab, Next he mentioned the kingdom of Judah, Israel’s neighbor to the south. By this time, his audience was probably agreeing with him and feeling pleased with the way God was carrying out his judgment against these others. Then Amos prophesied the same judgment upon Israel (Amos 2:6-16)” (note on Amos 1:3-2:16).

“Israel falsely assumed God’s protection merely because they had the temple. The people were taking for granted that the ‘day of the Lord’ would be their day of triumph. Amos reminded them, however, that because of their unbelief and wickedness, it would be a day of judgment for them as well as the other nations” (note on Amos 5:18-20). Amos concluded his prophecy with a realistic look at what was going to happen to the people of Israel. Amos said, “Not one of them shall flee away. Not one of them shall escape” (Amos 9:1). Amos foretold of the complete destruction of Israel (Amos 9:1-10) and then, looked forward to the millennium when God will restore the nation of Israel. God promised, “’I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,’ says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:14-15).

The Day of the Lord

The brief, prophetic book of Joel contains one of the clearest descriptions of a future judgment that is referred to as the Day of the Lord. “The expression, common among the prophets, refers to a time of God’s intervention to judge his enemies and save his people. It is used of specific interventions in history but also of God’s final intervention at the end of the age, and it is equated in the New Testament with the day of Christ’s return (1 Thes 5:1-4; 2 Pet 3:8-13)” (Joel, The Spiritual Growth Bible, p. 985). Jesus told his disciples, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:36-39).

Joel’s message about the Day of the Lord had two parts to it. First Joel talked about the positive side of this important event. Joel 2:18-27 “speaks of God’s future work of restoring the land. The Lord will take pity on his people and will remove the plagues by which he punished them (v. 25, Is 40:1, 2). Then they, as well as the entire world, will know that God is in their midst (cf. Ezek. 48:35)” (note on Joel 2:18-27). Joel prophesied, “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you” (Joel 2:24-25). Joel’s description of the various types of locusts that would bring destruction upon the land as God’s great army coincided with the events that took place prior to the exiles of both Israel and Judah. God’s promise that he would restore their land meant that the people would have hope for the future even though they had to suffer temporarily.

Joel’s prophesy about God’s judgment of the nations revealed the dark side of the Day of the Lord. In this section of Joel’s prophecy we see the calling to arms of the nations and preparation for a war that will be led by Antichrist, “the future political ruler who will oppose God and those who follow him” (Revelation 13:6, 7). The location where the conflict will take place is referred to by Joel as the valley of decision. Joel prophesied:

Hasten and come,
    all you surrounding nations,
    and gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O Lord.
Let the nations stir themselves up
    and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
    all the surrounding nations.

Put in the sickle,
    for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
    for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
    for their evil is great.

Multitudes, multitudes,
    in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
    in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.

The Hebrew words that are translated valley of decision, suggest that this is a manmade trench where people have essentially dug their own graves through their rebellion against God. What we know from the book of Revelation is that those who follow Antichrist into the valley of decision have sworn allegiance to him in exchange for being able to buy and sell goods during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 13:16). These people will be cast into the lake of fire after they are judged according to what they have done (Revelation 14:9-11, 20:11-15).

“Since the prophets linked the Day of the Lord with the Messiah’s coming, it was natural for Jesus and the early church to associate it with his return at the end of the age (John 6:40; 1 Thes 5:4-10; 2 Tim 4:8; 2 Pet 3:10-13). The preoccupation of the New Testament is not, like so often today, with when that day will be but rather with the importance of being ready for it and being active in the Lord’s work in the meantime (Matt 24:42-25:46; 1 Thes 5:11; 2 Pet 3:10-14). Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) make it clear that not everyone who calls themselves a Christian will inherit the kingdom of heaven. In his depiction of the final judgment (Matthew 25-31-46), Jesus indicated there were two groups that were separated based on their actions. Those who did not identify themselves with Christ during the Great Tribulation by ministering to the needs of the 144,000 Jews tasked with preaching the gospel and those who did. This example shows us that actions speak louder than words when it comes to demonstrating our faith to those around us and when the Day of the Lord arrives, every action will matter (Matthew 25:45-46).

Acceptable to God

For thousands of years, the Jews thought being the chosen people of God meant that they would be the only ones that God would save through his Messiah. Jesus himself sent out his disciples to minister to the people with the instruction, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 10:5-6). In what initially seemed like an unusually harsh encounter with a Caananite women, Jesus made it clear that anyone who puts their faith in him is acceptable to God. Matthew 15:21-28 states:

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

The Caananite woman’s humble attitude toward Jesus enabled her to gain his affection and also demonstrated her belief that he was Israel’s Messiah. The woman’s statement, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,” (Matthew 15:27) revealed that she understood God’s grace, that it was an undeserved gift that she had no right to claim for herself, but something that was accessible to anyone who was willing to seek it out.

The conversion of Paul opened the door for the gospel to be spread to the Gentile nations. The Lord Jesus Christ said of Paul, “he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). In spite of Paul being selected to take the gospel to the Gentiles, Peter was the one who was given the first opportunity to preach to a Gentile audience.

Peter had a vision from God that perplexed him, followed by a command from the Holy Spirit to go with three men who were looking for him (Acts 10:17-21). Peter didn’t hesitate to go with these men even though they told him they were taking him to see a leader of the Roman army (Acts 10:22). When they arrived at the centurion’s home, we are told in Acts 10:34-35, “So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’” Peter’s insight into the purpose of his visit and the work that God wanted him to be a part of resulted in a major turning point for the spread of the gospel and the growth of the first century church. It was also an important first step in the launch of the Apostle Paul’s ministry.

Cornelius, the Gentile that Peter was sent to preach the gospel to, was described as “an upright and God-fearing man” (Acts 10:22). The Greek word that is translated upright, dikaios (dikˊ-ah-yos) is used “especially of those whose hearts are right with God” and is also “spoken in the highest and most perfect sense of God (Jn 17:25; Ro 3:26; 1 Jn 2:29)” (G1342). Dikaios is translated as righteous in Galatians 3:11 where it says, “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” From this statement we can infer that Cornelius was a man who lived by faith. Cornelius was also a God-fearing man. This meant that Cornelius worshipped God. Cornelius had an adoration of God that caused him to show God reverence, to stand in awe of him as a person (G5399).

Cornelius’ reputation as an upright and God-fearing man made him a likely candidate to receive the kingdom of God, but it wasn’t enough to save him. Cornelius still had to go through the process of being saved in order for him to have eternal life. Peter told Cornelius about who Jesus was and what he did on the cross so that Cornelius could believe and be saved. Peter concluded with the statement, “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (10:43). We are told in Acts 10:44, “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.” The Holy Spirit’s presence in Cornelius and the others who heard Peter’s message was tangible evidence that they were not only acceptable to God but had become members of his family. “Many believers received the Holy Spirit at the same time, which is similar to what had happened previously at Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4) and Samaria (Acts 8:14-17)…The special manifestation of the Holy Spirit that allowed these Gentiles to speak in tongues proved that God had given them the same ‘gift’ (Acts 10:45) as the Jews” (note on Acts 10:44-48).

A chosen instrument

The Apostle Paul was first introduced in the Bible as Saul, a young man who was present at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58). Paul admitted later when he was arrested in Jerusalem that he approved of the death of Stephen and was watching over the garments of those who killed him (Acts 22:20). While he was on his way to Damascus to bring believers there back to Jerusalem to be punished, Paul experienced a dramatic conversion. Acts 9:3-6 tells us, “Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city and you will be told what you are to do.’”

Paul recognized Jesus’ authority when he asked the question, “Who are you Lord” (Acts 9:5). The Greek word kurios (kooˊ-ree-os), which is translated Lord, refers to someone who is supreme in authority (G2962). Paul didn’t question Jesus’ authority, but rather did exactly as he was told to and began proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God immediately after his conversion (Acts 9:20).

Jesus told Ananias, the man who was tasked with restoring Paul’s sight and imparting to him the Holy Spirit, that Paul was a chosen instrument who would carry his name “before the Gentiles, and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15-16). Jesus considered Paul to be an asset to his ministry, even though he had been persecuting Christians and trying to stop the spread of the gospel up to the point of his conversion.

Paul became a chosen instrument of God through the process of divine election. “This means that God’s intention (prothesis [4286]) was according to the principle of election which is God’s free choice without being affected by any outside circumstances or the worth of the individuals concerned” (G1589). Paul later wrote about God’s sovereign choice in his letter to the Romans. Using the example of Jacob and Esau, Paul said, “For this is what the promise said: ‘About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated’” (Romans 9:9-13).

Paul’s usefulness as an instrument of God was proven out in the successful completion of his ministry, but Paul never took any credit for his success. In fact, Paul argued against his own qualification to be used by God in his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). Paul explained the purpose of God’s divine election in his letter to the Romans. Paul began by asking the question, “Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?” (Romans 9:21-24).

Paul went on to explain the reason for God’s rejection of Israel; their unbelief. The Jews thought they could attain a righteousness standing before God through their own effort of keeping the Mosaic Law. “They did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works” (Romans 9:32). Faith is a critical element in being used by God. It says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible for us to please God and that we must believe that God exists in order for him to reward those who seek him. As a chosen instrument of God, Paul went right to work proving that Jesus was the Christ (Acts 9:22) and as a result, “the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up” (Acts 9:31).

Living Water

Ezekiel’s prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem encouraged the Jewish exiles because it included details about God’s future blessing on Israel. One of the prominent aspects of God’s future blessing was a new temple and the restoration of daily sacrifices. The reason Ezekiel’s prophecy was likely misunderstood was because the temple in his vision was intended for the millennial reign of Christ, a future event that will take place after God’s judgment of the world during the great tribulation.

The new temple that Ezekiel saw in his vision had many of the same characteristics as the old temple except for the presence of a person referred to as the prince (Ezekiel 44:3) and water flowing from the temple that became a river that could not be passed through (Ezekiel 47:5). There is no additional information about the prince associated with the temple anywhere else in Scripture, so it makes sense that there would be confusion about his role and the timing of his entry on the scene. As for the river that flowed from the temple, it is referred to as the river of the water of life in Revelation 22:1 and Jesus told John, “To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Revelation 21:6-7).

Jesus talked about the spring of the water of life during his ministry on earth. In a conversation he had with a woman of Samaria, Jesus said anyone who drank living water would never be thirsty again (John 4:13). Jesus met the Samaritan woman at a well where she was drawing water. John 4:7 tells us the conversation started with Jesus asking the woman for a drink. John 4:9-14 states:

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that if she would have asked him, he would have given her living water (John 4:10). The connection Jesus made between the spring of water and eternal life (John 4:14) indicated that he was offering the Samaritan woman the gift of salvation, to be born again (The Samaritan Woman at the Well, The Spiritual Growth Bible, p. 1202).

John elaborated on Jesus’ teaching about living water in John 7:37-39. In this passage, John explained that the Holy Spirit was the living water that Jesus promised to those who believed in him. John said, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39). Jesus said whoever believed in him would have a river of living water flowing out of his heart (John 7:38). In terms of receiving the Holy Spirit, that meant believing in Jesus was the only thing that was necessary for a person to be saved.

Ezekiel’s vision of the water flowing from the temple provided some insight into the intended effects of believers being filled with the Holy Spirit. In his vision, Ezekiel saw that the farther the water flowed, the deeper it became. When believers walk with the Lord, the presence of the Holy Spirit should be more and more evident over time. In Ezekiel’s vision, the water emptied into the Dead Sea and purified it. Walking with the Lord should result in areas of the believer’s life that are broken (health, finances, relationships) being restored to a healthy state. The fruit trees on the banks of the river in Ezekiel’s vision represented the fruit of the Spirit which should be a constant source of spiritual nourishment to people around us. The living water in Ezekiel’s vision not only made the waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure (Ezekiel 47:8), wherever the water of the river flowed, life flourished (Ezekiel 37:9). This is a picture of believers having a positive influence on the people around us. Not only should the believer’s life be changing for the better as she walks with the Lord, but other people’s lives should be too.

A man of faith (part 2)

Stephen’s speech before the Jewish Council demonstrated his comprehensive knowledge of Scripture and his ability to convey the gospel in terms that were understandable to both religious experts and a person of faith. Stephen condensed the entire Old Testament into a speech that most likely took him no more than 15 minutes to deliver.

The central theme of Stephen’s speech was the Israelites’ rejection of their Messiah, Jesus Christ. Citing from Deuteronomy 18:15, Stephen said of Moses, “This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him’” (Acts 7:37-40). The identity of the unnamed prophet spoken of by Moses “is not revealed anywhere in the Old Testament. By Jesus’ day, the Jews had developed a clear expectation of a figure that would fulfill Moses’ words. Priests and Levites from Jerusalem asked John the Baptist if he was ‘the prophet,’ and he denied it (John 1:21). Peter identified ‘the prophet’ as a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 3:22, 23)” (note on Deuteronomy 18:15-19).

After reciting numerous details about God’s redemption of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Stephen abruptly concluded his speech with a reference to a passage in Psalm 11 that pointed to God’s judgment of the wicked (Acts 7:49-50). King David prophesied, “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup” (Psalm 11:4-6). Following this statement, Stephen delivered a crushing blow to the council members pride by accusing them of murder. Stephen said, “You stiffnecked 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, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it” (Acts 7:51-53).

It’s not surprising that the Jewish council members were enraged by Stephen’s comments and sought to kill him as he concluded his speech. The interesting thing to note about Stephen’s stoning was that his vision of the heavens being opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56) seemed to be the straw that broke the camels back. It says of the council members in Acts 7:57-58, “But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him.”

Stephen’s death instigated a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). The religious leaders were concerned about the effect that the death of this man of faith was having on the people and did everything they could to put an immediate stop to the church’s exponential growth. In particular, a man named Saul took it upon himself to stunt the church’s growth (Acts 8:3), but the gospel began to spread like wild fire, and Saul like Stephen soon became a man of faith after an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9).

A man of faith

The growing pains of the early church led to an expansion of leadership and the appointment of seven men that were tasked with caring for widows in the body of Christ. One of the qualifications for the position was that the men had to be of good repute or to have a testimony, to be a witness for Christ. The men also had to be full of the Spirit and of wisdom (Acts 6:3). It says in Acts 6:5 that the twelve apostles chose Stephen, “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”

Stephen’s faith was evident to everyone around him. When it says that Stephen was full of faith, it means that the presence of the Holy Spirit was visibly and consistently displayed in his actions. Stephens faith was abounding or you might say overflowing to those around him.

Hebrews chapter eleven gives us great examples of faith from Old Testament believers and frames these examples by first telling us, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT).

Luke said that Stephen was full of grace and power and was doing great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8). Grace and power are like the engine and fuel in a car that make it possible for you to get somewhere. Without these critical elements, our faith doesn’t involve action and as James pointed out, it is useless to us (James 2:14-17).

The Greek word that is translated grace in Acts 6:8, charis (kharˊ-ece) refers to “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life…particularly that which causes joy, pleasure, gratification” (G5485). Paul said in Ephesians 2:5 that it is by grace that we are saved and later explained that grace is a gift from God. Paul told the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

The fact that Stephen was full of grace didn’t have anything to do with him being a good person or a model Christian, but about him being open to the influence of the Holy Spirit and being willing to act on the things that he was prompted to do. Stephen spoke out boldly about his faith in Christ and wasn’t afraid of the religious leaders who wanted to silence him (Acts 7).

The power that fueled Stephen’s work was miraculous power. The Greek word that is translated power in Acts 6:8, dunamis (dooˊ-na-mis) refers to “a spirit of strength, meaning manly vigor in opposition to a spirit of cowardice” (G1411). Dunamis is also “spoken of God; the great power of God, meaning His almighty energy.” When God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) on the first day of creation, it was dunamis that caused the light to begin shining.

Stephen’s appearance before the council in Jerusalem was the result of jealousy and envy among the religious elite. It says in Acts 6:12-14 that the elders and scribes seized Stephen and brought him before the council and set up false witnesses to testify against him. We know that God was with Stephen during this encounter because it says in Acts 6:15, “And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (To be continued)

Growing pains

The exponential growth of the first century church during its early stages brought both positive and negative consequences to Jesus’ disciples. After Peter healed a lame beggar, five thousand of the people who heard him proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead believed his message and became members of the church. It says in Acts 4:32, “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” This radical, new lifestyle set the believers apart from the rest of society and called attention to the changes that were taking place in their lives. As a result, some people joined the church who were not true believers.

Ananias and his wife Sapphira pretended to sell their property and give all of the money to the church but lied and kept back part of the price of their land (Acts 5:3). Peter confronted Ananias asking him:

“Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God. (Acts 5:3-4)

The dire consequences that followed this act of sin (Acts 5:5-10) were intended to keep the church on course as the gospel spread quickly throughout Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. If left unchecked, “not only would dishonesty appear profitable, but the conclusion that the Spirit could be deceived would follow. It was important to set the course properly at the outset in order to leave no doubt that God will not tolerate such hypocrisy and deceit” (note on Acts 5:9, KJSB).

The high priest and all of the religious leaders who were loyal to him were filled with jealousy because of the success of the apostle’s ministry and the church’s sudden growth (Acts 5:17). Because of this, “they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison” (Acts 5:18). The next day, “they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought” (Acts 5:21), but an angel of the Lord had opened the prison doors and brought them out during the night (Acts 5:19). It says in Acts 5:26 that the captain of the officers went and brought the apostles back, “but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.”

Peter and the other apostles took advantage of the opportunity of appearing before the supreme Jewish court by proclaiming the gospel to the very men who were determined to stop them from teaching the people about Jesus (Acts 5:29-31). It says in Acts 5:33, when the men heard the apostles message, “they were enraged and wanted to kill them.” Gamaliel, one of the members of the council, cautioned the others about the possibility of them opposing God in their effort to stop the apostles from preaching the gospel. He told them, “if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it” (Acts 5:39).

Rather than killing the apostles, the Jewish council “beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go” (Acts 5:40). The effect of this severe beating, thirty-nine lashes with a whip (see note on Acts 5:40, KJSB), was that the apostles “left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus” (Acts 5:41-42).