Getting Stoned in the Spirit...

Suggested Reading: Acts 6:8-15, 7:55-60 or Acts 6:8-7:60 (the entire story)

I've read the story dozens, if not hundreds of times, and I didn't notice the connection until recently.

"But Stephen, filled by the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw God’s glory, with Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, 56 “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they screamed at the top of their voices….and began to stone him" (Acts 7:55-58).

I don't know how I missed it. Maybe, I just wasn't ready for it. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit. Four different times within the story of Acts 6-7, scripture tells us that Stephen was filled by the Holy Spirit. We're told his face looked like that of an angel. We're told the Spirit moved so powerfully through his words that no one could even argue with him, that they had to resort to lying. We're told that he was able to look up into heaven and see Jesus standing at God's right hand. In the middle of being stoned, we're told that he knelt down and asked God to forgive the people who were stoning him, just like Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified and mocked him. Stephen was filled by the Holy Spirit.

It got Stephen killed.

It is easy to think that if we are filled with the Spirit, that everything will go easy for us. It is easy to believe that everything will always work out for our benefit if we just trust God. But that isn't always the case. Sometimes, following the will and Spirit of God will lead us directly into the lion's mouth. The same thing has happened with others - Peter, Paul, Jim Elliot, thousands of martyred and persecuted believers since the time of Jesus and in closed countries today. But how does that make any sense? How can being filled by the Holy Spirit ever bring you to a place where you are stoned, persecuted or killed? Why would God lead Stephen to such a place?

When we keep reading, we see that Stephen's death started a massive persecution for the church in Jerusalem. It was so bad that all the believers but the Apostles fled for their lives. And when they fled, they took the Gospel with them.

You see, up to this point, the Gospel hadn't really moved beyond the walls of Jerusalem and it certainly hadn't been shared with the Gentiles on any large scale. When Stephen died and the persecution began, the Gospel spread like wildfire across the region and eventually around the world. All because Stephen was willing to listen to and follow the lead of the Spirit regardless of where it led him.

The Spirit does not lead us down paths that make us happy. The Spirit leads us down paths that build up the Kingdom, down paths that we will want to walk more and more once we actually begin the journey. Following the Spirit won't always lead us to peaceful, pleasant places but it will lead us to the heart of God's Kingdom. Stephen was willing to follow the Spirit's lead wherever it took him. Are we?

Public Shootings, Gun Control Debates and Salvation Sources

Suggested Reading: Luke 2:8-20

One of the things I hate about moving is having to learn where everything belongs all over again. For weeks, sometimes for months, finding what we need will take two to three times as long as normal. Where do the measuring cups go? Where did we store the bandaids? What did we do with the tub of craft supplies? Why can't I find my winter coat? For quite a while after a move we are looking in the wrong places for the things we need. We think we know where to find things but quite often have no clue.

I have found the same thing to be true in other areas of life. Responses to public shootings are one example of this. I have heard people cry out for the government to take away people's guns to prevent criminals from getting their hands on them. I have heard other people cry out for the need for more guns in public places to discourage criminals from attempting anything. But it seems to me that both solutions are only attempting to deal with symptoms rather than the solution. Why? We're looking in the wrong place for salvation. We argue over whether we should have less guns or more guns as if those are the only two options available to us and forget about the much more powerful solution waiting for us on our knees.

When Jesus took on flesh and was born into the world as our savior, God announced the news to a group of shepherds through angels. They were told, "The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign:You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:11-12, NLT). Why did God chose to send his son to be born into apparent poverty and need a feeding trough for a bed? In part, to remind us that salvation doesn't come through worldly power. Without the angels' directions, the obvious place for the Messiah, the Son of David, to be born would have been the palace. But God wants us to look to the places where we are weak, where we must depend entirely upon God for our salvation.

When we look to places of earthly power to save us, whether it is to the government, to the barrel of a gun, or to wealth, we have looked in the wrong place for salvation. Salvation comes from admitting our weakness and depending on God, whether it is personally or nationally. As a nation, we must stop pretending that we can pass laws or gather enough ammunition to bring peace. Peace comes when people encounter the Prince of Peace. So we must strive to draw people into his presence, through both word and deed. We must look in the right place for our salvation.