57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
When I first look at this section I automatically think about how amazing it is that this man, Stephen, is standing up for what he believes in. The part that I tend to miss is how these people react to his words. Now that I take a closer look the part that sticks out the most to me is how it says that they closed their ears. I look back at the times that people have pulled me aside and told me about something that I did or said that was wrong. To often I have closed my ears and come up with reasons why their claims are invalid. I close my ears just like these people did and the people that are talking to me are talking to me out of love and for my own good. Proverbs 27:5 says "better is open rebuke then hidden love" My application is to remember the point of this verse day to day.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Acts 7:56
56 And he said, "Behold, I see the Heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
Stephen, in the midst of his trial which will soon lead to his death, has a vision of the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. If I were to put myself in Stephens shoes I would be stressed out and praying asking God to let this be as quick and painless as possible. This vision however, is so powerful to Stephen that it would appear that it is the only thing that he cares about. This verse reminds me of a time when God made himself known in my life. When I look back at this I tend to take it for granted and in fact even think that God owed it to me. I believe that God is all knowing, all powerful and in fact King of the Universe. The fact that this King would make Himself known in my life in such a peronal and powerful way should be something that I remember day to day.
Stephen, in the midst of his trial which will soon lead to his death, has a vision of the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. If I were to put myself in Stephens shoes I would be stressed out and praying asking God to let this be as quick and painless as possible. This vision however, is so powerful to Stephen that it would appear that it is the only thing that he cares about. This verse reminds me of a time when God made himself known in my life. When I look back at this I tend to take it for granted and in fact even think that God owed it to me. I believe that God is all knowing, all powerful and in fact King of the Universe. The fact that this King would make Himself known in my life in such a peronal and powerful way should be something that I remember day to day.
Acts 7:55
55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
In this verse I see hope. You see that stephen is on trial, and he has made these people so angry that they are ready to kill him. In the middle of this, the verse mentions that he looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. I can not even imagine how much hope and peace this gave Stephen. When I go through trials I always want to fix everything on my own. This almost always ends up with me getting angry and frustrated with the fact that I can not fix it, which usually makes the problem even worse. What I instead need to do is look to Jesus with all problems and rest in the hope that he promises.
In this verse I see hope. You see that stephen is on trial, and he has made these people so angry that they are ready to kill him. In the middle of this, the verse mentions that he looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. I can not even imagine how much hope and peace this gave Stephen. When I go through trials I always want to fix everything on my own. This almost always ends up with me getting angry and frustrated with the fact that I can not fix it, which usually makes the problem even worse. What I instead need to do is look to Jesus with all problems and rest in the hope that he promises.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
acts 2:46
Acts 2:46
Way back when I lived in vancouver Washington a group of friends decided to start something called family dinners. It was a once a week occasion where we would all get together to make food, eat it and enjoy each others company. This time each week was something that I looked forward to, it was a time to relax and just enjoy each others company. This is the picture that I picture acts 2:46 is describing. When I get back home I would like to make more occasions for these family dinners.
Way back when I lived in vancouver Washington a group of friends decided to start something called family dinners. It was a once a week occasion where we would all get together to make food, eat it and enjoy each others company. This time each week was something that I looked forward to, it was a time to relax and just enjoy each others company. This is the picture that I picture acts 2:46 is describing. When I get back home I would like to make more occasions for these family dinners.
acts 2:45
Acts 2:45
When I read this verse the main word that sticks out to me are "to all, as any had need." This shows me that this group of believers were doing everything they could to help the people they need. When I look at my life after reading this verse I realize how silly it was that I used to go help the homeless once every couple weeks and think that my duty was done. An application I get from this is that I need to see others as higher then my self, not once a week but every day.
When I read this verse the main word that sticks out to me are "to all, as any had need." This shows me that this group of believers were doing everything they could to help the people they need. When I look at my life after reading this verse I realize how silly it was that I used to go help the homeless once every couple weeks and think that my duty was done. An application I get from this is that I need to see others as higher then my self, not once a week but every day.
Acts 2:44
Acts 2:44
In this verse you have a simple picture with a big meaning. You see a group of believers together enjoying each others company. Before I came to ignite I had an oppurtunity to go to a close friends wedding. Weddings often seem to be this scene, you have a group of people together, all there for a purpose of celebration. I think that as a believer I should set up more oppurtunities like this. I find it to be really relieving.
In this verse you have a simple picture with a big meaning. You see a group of believers together enjoying each others company. Before I came to ignite I had an oppurtunity to go to a close friends wedding. Weddings often seem to be this scene, you have a group of people together, all there for a purpose of celebration. I think that as a believer I should set up more oppurtunities like this. I find it to be really relieving.
Acts 2:43
Acts 2:43
In this this verse there is a description of how the 3000 people reacted to how God was moving. In this verse it says that "awe came upon every soul. When I think of the word awe it does not mean something that is being taken lightly but it makes me think that they were so amazed by what was happening that it was something that they never forgot. This really stands out to me because there have been times that God has moved in my life that I have forgotten about a week later. I think that comes from a lot of things like simply not taking the time to realize how important God speaking or moving is. I think that the application to this is actualy listening more to what God says and actually caring about these times that he does move.
In this this verse there is a description of how the 3000 people reacted to how God was moving. In this verse it says that "awe came upon every soul. When I think of the word awe it does not mean something that is being taken lightly but it makes me think that they were so amazed by what was happening that it was something that they never forgot. This really stands out to me because there have been times that God has moved in my life that I have forgotten about a week later. I think that comes from a lot of things like simply not taking the time to realize how important God speaking or moving is. I think that the application to this is actualy listening more to what God says and actually caring about these times that he does move.
Acts 2:42
Acts 2:42
In this verse you have a group of 3000 people getting saved and immediately commiting themselves to the apostles teaching. I find it interesting that the people automatically devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. Out of these four things the thing that stuck out to me the most is prayer was foundational. It was not that I did not know this before but that i didn't actually have a strong foundation in prayer.
In this verse you have a group of 3000 people getting saved and immediately commiting themselves to the apostles teaching. I find it interesting that the people automatically devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. Out of these four things the thing that stuck out to me the most is prayer was foundational. It was not that I did not know this before but that i didn't actually have a strong foundation in prayer.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
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