The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Ministry on earth is sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes ugly, but the ultimate outcome is eternal rewards from the Lord forevermore. Take for example, Stephen in Acts 6!

“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing.” – That is good.

The Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. – That is bad.

So, the Twelve gathered all the disciples together… - That is good!

They said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” – That is bad.

“Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” This proposal pleased the whole group. – That is good.

They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also… [six others]. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. – That is good.

So, the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and many priests became obedient to the faith. – That is good.

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. – That is good.

Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen… they began to argue with Stephen. – That is bad.

But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. – That is good.

Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” – That is ugly.

So, they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. – That is ugly.

They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. – That is bad.

They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” – That is ugly.

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. – That is good.

Jesus Christ Son of God and Man

Throughout the Old Testament there are prophecies that speak of a Son, a descendant of King David, whose reign will last forever. In the New Testament, Jesus called God His Father and He referred to Himself as the Son. He also descended from King David’s line.

“When your days are over and you (David) go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish His kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for Me, and I will establish His throne forever. I will be His Father, and He will be My Son. I will never take My love away from Him, as I took it away from your predecessor (Saul). I will set Him over My house and My kingdom forever. His throne will be established forever.’ Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.”

1 Chronicles 17:11-15

Stop Shedding Innocent Blood

“The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against him (King Jehoiakim) to destroy Judah, in accordance with the Word of the Lord proclaimed by His servants the prophets. Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood and the Lord was not willing to forgive.” [1]

King Manasseh filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. He led the people to sacrifice their babies to idols. Even though a good king after him (Josiah) stopped this evil practice, this sin was so grievous to God that the Lord was not willing to forgive it. There had to be a consequence.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” [2]

The majority of people in a nation can believe and give their support to the belief that sin does not matter, but that does not change the truth. God says that sin condemns any people. If we do not repent of murdering the unborn and ask God to forgive us and change us, it will condemn us.

“The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.” [3]

Who was it that prompted Judas to betray Jesus? Who prompts people today to betray Jesus? Who prompts us to betray the unborn child in the womb? The answer is the devil.

Let us pray that the nations which are shedding innocent blood will repent, and seek God's forgiveness, and start aligning themselves with God's laws of love for one another.

[1] 2 Kings 24:2-4
[2] Proverbs 14:34
[3] John 13:2

Remember The Poor

“The Lord brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him shall you fear, and Him shall you worship, and to Him shall you do sacrifice.” [1]

We believers in Christ have received a greater deliverance than the slaves of Egypt. We have received eternal deliverance from the evil of this world, and a promise of paradise with God in the life to come.

“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” [2]

We can show forth our gratitude to God by remembering the poor and needy. But more than that, the poor and needy are vulnerable to being exploited by evil people, The Lord Jesus wants us to continue His ministry of rescuing them from evil.

In addition to leading souls to faith in Christ, and teaching disciples, Paul cared for the poor. James, Cephas, and John wanted Paul to remember the poor; which he was eager to do. [3]

“Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your heart for the poor. Thank You for demonstrating Your heart for the needy through Your Son Jesus Christ. Please grant us hearts and hands like Yours to remember the poor. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”

[1] 2 Kings 17:36
[2] Psalm 82:3-4
[3] Galatians 2:9-10