Daily Liturgy and Scripture

The raising of a believer named Tabitha would have been a pretty big deal among the early Church. Not only because it was quite a thing to see, but because God’s purpose must have surely been in it. She was certainly not the first to die, so it wasn’t regular practice to bring everyone back from the dead. In this, though, God shows himself faithful to his Church. As Ananias and Sapphira had their lives taken for working against the Spirit, so did this believing woman have her life returned for working with the Spirit. God desires wholeness, and both of those actions were for the wholeness of the Church.

Sometimes, God seems to have a real sense of humor. Take Paul (called "Saul" at this point) and his hunting down Christians. God could have struck him dead and removed him from the picture as a threat, but there was a different purpose for Paul. God wanted to make an enemy into an apostle, and that is just what God did. Perhaps he could see that, in Paul's heart, there was a genuine zeal for God that could turn the world upside down if it was channeled in a better way. Indeed, that is exactly what happened.

The baptizing of the Ethiopian is fantastic news for all of us. He was about as much an outsider as you could have been during this time. Ethiopia was far away, he certainly was not Jewish, and he only had part of the scriptures. But he was also a sincere seeker of God, and God honored that seeking by sending Phillip (not the apostle) to help steer him in the right direction. If an outsider like this is important to God, so are we.

Simon the Sorcerer is a good example of what NOT to do. Don’t think that the Spirit of God is yours to control or use for your own fame. Don’t think that you can buy your way into being an apostle. And perhaps most importantly of all, DON’T think so little of God that you put yourself ahead of him. The church was growing through persecution during this period, and God wasn’t going to change course and suddenly start pouring his Spirit out on the most powerful. Following the way of Jesus was still critical, and his way was one of humility and suffering. (Just don’t suffer because of your own stupidity!)

Stephen’s sermon ends almost abruptly by mentioning Jesus, probably because he knew that bringing up the topic would abruptly end his speech. This is certainly what happened. Before this Jewish audience, though, he has laid out more of what Jesus is than most of them probably realize. He is the new temple, he is the new priest. He is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, and he is the answer to the prayers of the people from captivity.

As Stephen boldly continues his speech, he comes to the time of Moses and the Exodus. This is not by mistake. God said that he would set the people free, and this initiative was of God's doing. Moses was an important part, but it was still God's work. Not to spoil the next point in Stephen's sermon, but what Jesus did was the same: God came to do the work of redemption, and it was God's own work to do.

When Stephen begins his defense of the Gospel, it starts in the story of the Old Testament. While that was essential to address his high-profile Jewish audience, the same is true today. The story God has been creating did not start in the Gospels. God created a world and set in in motion with a plan, and God’s plan has not been derailed.

God’s challenge to Ezekiel and the call of the apostles in the face of the Sanhedrin are very much aligned. When God gives us an assignment, we are never working alone. Along with the body of Christ which is the Church, the Spirit is with us just as it was with Ezekiel and Peter. Don’t take that lightly, and let it encourage you. God has a plan, and it includes us.

Was it necessary for these two stingy givers to… die? It seems a little excessive, but remember where we are. God is doing something new. It’s a new era, and it centers around a humble Savior. There is no room for puffery or pretending, and God is building his Church strong from the beginning. That’s no comfort for the family of this couple, but it let the early believers know that God was among them, and that God was sovereign.

We combine the passage from Hebrews with a passage from Luke today for a very good reason: Luke reminds us that Jesus ascended, and Hebrews reminds us what he is now doing. When Jesus ascended, he didn’t do it for a fun trick. He did it to sit at the right hand if the Father, serving forever as our High Priest. He is familiar with our struggle, and there is no greater ally than someone who knows what you’re going through.