Shifting Tides: The lives of Stephen and Paul
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The imagery of a Tide
There is a force
There is a direction
There is a system or framework from which it flows.
While one area has high tide another will have low tide
You functionally can’t have high and low tide together
The framework for high tide is different than that of low tide
Similarity
Though high tide and low tide cannot coexist there are similarities/shared properties
moon
gravitation
water
What allows for power and potential of the tide is the framework
Yes there are moving parts in the framework, but the framework sets the boundaries for how it functions
Tides of life
Tides of life
In our own life, we have a certain rhythm, power and flow that governs our life.
work, service, family, relationships, social life etc.
Inevitably, we find ourselves in ruts or seasons without much significance in anything we do.
We look for activities with more meaning and significance, which can help but often time it doesn’t last BECAUSE the internal framework/paradigm has changed.
we re-arranged the chairs on the titanic but haven’t really dealt with the issues
Frequently, we think that situations like this are remedied with a total upheaval in order to reset things the right way.
The problem is that we don’t have the ability for a total transformation
We can’t easily change our jobs, move, find new friends
By virtue of living in this society and being the social beings that we are there are aspects we can’t avoid.
we will need jobs, social system/friends, service, family
Its how we approach these that will influence our experience of them
It is not just our attitude but our perspective, lens, paradigm or framework.
If we don’t address that even if we were to make a change in friends or work or service we will eventually find ourselves at square one, wanting things to change again.
“The grass is always greener...”
Often times while our minds are thinking we need a transformation, the reality might be that we are function from an incomplete frame work.
There are two individuals who shared a common background, but how they saw it made all the difference in the world.
St. Paul
Dcn. Stephen
Early Life of Paul
Early Life of Paul
Childhood/Tarsus
Jewish upbringing to wealthy parents who were tent makers
Saul was his Hebrew name and likely what he was called at home
Tarsus was a diverse city under the governance of Rome
Saul’s family purchased Roman citizenship, which is where he likely received the name Paul
Saul’s parents were pharisees
Pharisees were Jewish nationalist who lived out of strict obedience to the law of Moses.
They raised Saul in a bubble, squashing any Greek thought
Knew Greek as it was the common language, proficient in Latin and spoke Aramaic a derivative of Hebrew
Education/Study of Scripture/Excelling as a pharisee
School for a typical boy like Saul was extremely rigorous.
By his 13th birthday Paul mastered Jewish History, the poetry of the psalms and literature of the prophets
He learned at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the most famous Jewish priest and teachers of that time.
Learned the art of debate and was ready to prosecute anyone in violation of the law
Acts 8:3
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
Rise to power
Saul was Respected and Feared
Stephen
Stephen
Biographical data
little is known
In Jerusalem at a time where many were believing in Christ and there was a great need in the service to care for the widows
life of service
When the disciples found a solution they put for a criteria for those who would serve
Acts 6:3
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
ordination as a deacon
Stephen was an educated individual
Acts 6:5
5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.
Stephen was Respected and Loved
Paul and Stephen
Paul and Stephen
Setting the stage for the debate
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.
Stephen was clearly a unique individual
Endowed by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit to perform ‘wonders and signs’
caught the attention of an entire synagogue council
Highly educated in the OT scriptures...
Acts 6:10
10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
This was a public debate with high steaks!
The great Divide between Stephen and Paul
Both had a mastery of OT
Stephen saw the OT through the lens of Jesus Christ, The Messiah
In Stephens address he walks them through the essential OT characters highlighting the suffering they endured.
Abraham: left his land, no son, foreign land, Isaac and the sacrafice
Joseph: Sold by his brothers, trials of prison, famine
Moses: killing of babies, slavery of Egypt, Moses’ murder of egyptian, 40 years in the wilderness, plagues, exodus, wilderness again, struggles with the Israelites
Israelites: hardness of hearts and rejection of God…stubbornness
Present day pharisees/Jews: Continued hardness and resistance against God
Acts 7:51-53
51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
Acts 7:54-57
54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
Saul saw the OT differently
Everything Stephen said was nonsense to Saul, because from his framework, the Messiah hadn’t come.
The Messiah was to mighty and powerful…he couldn’t suffer, die and then proclaimed to be alive
The Messiah would come and rule
Saul and the council couldn’t refute Stephen…their framework was incomplete and Stephen had exposed that.
So they took the competition out.
Saul wanted to remain Respected and FEARED
Stephens Martyrdom
58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Tides flow from a Framework
Tides flow from a Framework
Stephens framework was different than Paul and evident by their output
Respected and Feared Vs. Respected and Loved
There was similarity in the information but the processing was different and so was the output
Saul would eventually turn the tides of his life
He would meet Christ on the road to Damascus
3 Days in silence, fasting and prayer
Baptism
Revelation of Jesus Christ
All this began to complete the framework for Saul
He would realize that suffering was a way chosen by God and for His servants as well as for His only-begotten Son Jesus Christ.
Paul realized that if he were to truly seek after the God of scriptures, suffering and sacrifice was part of it.
Acts 9:15-16
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
The output would be radically different…His life became more similar to Stephen
Paul would become Respected and loved
Turning the tides of my life
Turning the tides of my life
The output of my life is part of the the framework/paradigm from which I see the world.
As Christians our framework is centered on Jesus Christ.
There is a huge diversity among believers as to their understanding of and intimacy with Christ.
Understanding of and Intimacy with Christ are key components of building our frameworks
The overall health of our understanding and intimacy is gauged by an out that is not so easily measured.
“If you are a theologian you truly pray. If you truly pray you are a theologian.” ~Evagrius of Ponticus
The challenge for us all is live with a mindset that know my framework is always in a process of maturation. There is never a time when it is complete, for it is impossible for us to know the infinite God
Framework hangups
We are in a time where everything is challenged and questioned. Truth is proclaimed by every blogger and website. The end result is internal confusion, which means our framework is incomplete.
Areas where our framework tends to be stifled
Science and faith
Scripture
Social issues (LGBTQIA+, same sex marriages, discrimination, feminism)
Spiritual intimacy with God (Prayer, confession, spiritual reading)
There is no quick fix to any of these issues. But there is a mindset that we must have when approaching them. Its a mindset that is found less and less in society because our constant gravitation to what is new and easier.
We must become persistent and patient in the process of building up healthy frameworks. In time as we build healthy frameworks the tides of our life will change.
How we see and engage colleagues at work
How we nurture our marriages and raise our children
How we engage in difficult social topics and new discoveries in science will change.
we learn to speak from a place of security and calmness rather than defensiveness and aggressive
We approach our service with a receptivity to the struggle and sacrifice that is innate to service
Questions?
Questions?