WHERE DOES GOD
LIVE?
When Ruth Bell, who would later marry Billy Graham, was a
little girl, she had a passion for martyrdom. She grew up in China, where her
parents were missionaries. Ruth used to pray every night that the Lord would
let her be a martyr before the end of the year. She wanted bandits to capture
and behead her for Jesus’ sake. Her sister, Rosa, thought, “How horrid!” So
every night when Ruth prayed like that, Rosa would pray, “Lord, don’t you
listen to her.”[i]
I don’t
imagine any of us would pray to be a martyr for the gospel – that would be
unusual. But we do want to pray that we would have the bold witness of those
who have given their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. Dying for Jesus may be
a consequence of that witness. Stephen was the first to die for Christ because
of his witness.
Stephen,
you remember, was one of those “deacons” chosen by the church. He was a
brilliant and Spirit-filled man who taught in the Greek-speaking synagogues
about Jesus. Stephen’s debates caused a stir among the Greek-speaking Jews and
he ends up on trial. The charges had to do with speaking blasphemy against
Moses and God. Stephen’s response focused on the question: “Where does God
live?”
Stephen’s
message, the longest in all of Acts, gives us a powerful challenge to consider.
Where does God live?
The Sanhedrin accuses Stephen of blaspheming the temple
Stephen had been set apart for service in the church as a
man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (6:5). It is difficult to apply the term
deacon to Stephen because of our own understanding of what deacons do. Stephen
had the gift of speech and persuasion, something that went beyond the deacon
role.
Stephen,
a Hellenist, went specifically to the Hellenist synagogues to share the gospel
of Jesus Christ. It seems that no one in those gatherings could refute what he
said, including (we assume) Saul (aka Paul) who was likely a member of one of
those synagogues. So they resorted to false testimony against Stephen (sound
familiar?) and claimed that he blasphemed (spoke irreverently) about the temple
and Jewish custom. They said:
“This man never ceases to speak words
against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus
of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses
delivered to us” (6:13-14). Its possible this was partly true, since Jesus
himself said, “Destroy this temple, and
in three days I will raise it up” (Jn 2:19). But Jesus and Stephen were not
advocating a literal demolition.
For the
Jews, the temple and the customs of Moses were sacred. The temple represented
the religious center of their existence; it was the economic hub (like a
tourist attraction); it was a cultural focal point for what made them Jews.
Most importantly, having the temple was like having God’s presence among them.
To the Jew, the temple was where God lived and where he was worshiped.
In order
to silence Stephen, a charge of blasphemy against the temple was their most
potent weapon.
Stephen defends himself with Scripture
Forcibly, Stephen is taken to the Sanhedrin, the same
council that Peter and John faced, the same council that sent Jesus to the
cross. Here he is put on trial.
The High
Priest asks Stephen a simple question regarding the charge: “Are these things
so?” (7:1). Stephen could simply have answered “yes” or “no.” Instead, Stephen
saw an opportunity to present the gospel of Jesus to the council and launches
into a lengthy biblical defense.
Some
have wondered why Stephen recounts the history of Israel to a group that was
well-versed in its own history. Some have thought it to be a rambling, dull,
and conceited speech by a young upstart. I have often wondered myself what the
purpose of this message might have been. This week I saw the reason. Stephen
wasn’t just reciting boring history; he was telling the Sanhedrin where God
lives – and in style. It is a long defense, so allow me to give you the
highlights:
Abraham –
Stephen begins with the Father of Jewish faith: Abraham. The key verse is 7:2
(read). What we read here is the God of glory calling Abraham to step out in
faith and go to a land that God had set aside for Abraham and his offspring –
the Promised Land. The first thing to note is that there is no temple in
existence, but God still appears to Abraham. The second thing to note is that
Abraham was in Mesopotamia, or as we know it today – Iraq. Where does God live?
Joseph –
Stephen turns to Joseph and relates how the patriarchs, Joseph’s brothers
rejected him and sold him into slavery. The key verse is 7:9-10 (read). Two
phrases worth underlining in these verses are “God was with him” and “rescued
him out of all his afflictions.” The same God of glory that called Abraham was
working in and through Joseph. There is no temple in existence, but God appears
to Joseph…where? In Egypt – not Jerusalem. And the patriarchs rejected God’s
representative because their hearts were hard. Where does God live?
Moses –
Stephen spends a little more time on Moses. He explains Moses’ birth and
adoption and the benefits of growing up in Pharaoh’s palace. He was mighty in
words and deeds. Moses had a sense that he would deliver his people, but he
failed. He kills an Egyptian to defend an Israelite, but it backfires on him
and he flees to Midian. At the age of 80, Moses encounters the burning bush
(key verses 7:30, 33 READ). Again, there is no temple in existence, but God
appears to Moses in the middle of nowhere.
Stephen
highlights two important points in Moses’ story. One is that he prophesies that
God will raise up a prophet for them like Moses (Jesus). Second, the people
rebel against Moses’ teaching and leadership and turn to idols. This will be
important in a few minutes. But where does God live?
David/Solomon
– By the time of David, the Israelites had the tabernacle, the transportable
temple, but he wanted to build a permanent one. His Son Solomon builds the
first temple. The key verse is 7:48-50 (read). Stephen quotes the prophets who,
inspired by God, declare that God does not live in man-made buildings. God
cannot be contained or limited.
Counterpoint –
So what is Stephen saying? He throws the charge back in their faces. “You
stiff-necked people” (an OT expression used by Moses for stubbornness) you have
made the temple an idolatrous object, you have rejected Jesus Christ, the
prophet foretold by Moses, you are just like your forefathers who killed the
prophets and have now crucified Jesus Christ.
Stephen’s
argument is that God himself, through the prophet Isaiah, had predicted that
the temple would not be a permanent place to worship God. No building would
ever be adequate. God is bigger than buildings. God is the One who made all
things, God gives the material for building and the skilled people to do it,
and therefore God is greater than anything made by human hands. Isaiah said
this, not Stephen, so (take note) his argument is completely and totally
biblical.
Where
does God live? Does it bother any of you that a building can be called the
house of God? How can that be?
Friends
of mine had a running thread online about quotes that bug us regarding
“church.” We tell children not to “run in church.” We say to each other “Are
you going to church tonight?” We are talking about a building. But the building
is not sacred; it’s just a building. It is not the house of God. Where does God
live?
Stephen dies for Jesus Christ
Execution by stoning was a process. Jews could not
crucify but apparently they could stone someone to death. After a reasonable
trial, a condemned person was taken to a 12-foot drop and pushed over. If he
didn’t die, they dropped a rock on him. If he still lived, members of the
council would begin stoning him till he was dead. Stephen had so enraged the
council that they threw out process and rushed him, dragged him out and just
starting hucking rocks at him.
Stephen’s
death is a lesson in dying well. Someone even called it Spirit-filled dying.
This is how a believer should want to die.
Stephen,
full of the Holy Spirit, looks up into heaven and sees Jesus. He even tells his
murderers, “Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (7:56). The
right hand of God is reserved for the most favored person in the Father’s
sight. So Stephen boldly declares that Jesus is the Messiah and enjoys the
favor of God.
Stephen
calls Jesus “the Son of Man,” a reference to Daniel 7, and thus emphasizes that
Jesus also has dominion over creation. In all other references, the Son of Man
is sitting by the Father’s side. Here, the Son of Man is standing. Why? There’s
much debate over the meaning of this, but I think (along with others) that
Jesus is standing because a) he is affirming Stephen in his stand, and b) Jesus
is about to welcome Stephen into his eternal presence. Jesus stands to welcome
his beloved follower into his presence upon his or her death. When we die, the
first thing we will experience is Jesus himself.
This
declaration enrages the Jews even more. And as they set about to murder
Stephen, Stephen echoes Jesus own words: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” That is Spirit-filled dying.
Stephen’s Death Sparks World Evangelization
From a strictly human point of view, Stephen’s life comes
to a tragic conclusion. A bright young leader in the new church has his life
snuffed out by an insanely angry mob. What a waste of potential.
What
results from the death of the first Christian martyr is an even greater
tragedy. A people so steeped in tradition and extremely tied to the temple grew
so afraid of losing their precious holy place that they began an all-out
assault on the church of Christ. “And
there arose that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem”
(8:1b). Luke tells us in Greek that this was a brutal and violent attack. The
Church of Christ wanted simply to worship their Lord; they were innocent and
harmless. Truly a tragedy.
As the
violence and killings continued, the community of Christ under the apostles had
no choice but to evacuate Jerusalem. “…and
they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria…”
(8:1c). The Church could no longer meet together in Jerusalem and enjoy a
central place of worship. That is sad isn’t it?
But wait
a minute. We are looking at this from a human perspective. What does Stephen’s
death and the persecution of the church look like from a godly perspective?
At the
beginning of Dr. Luke’s book he recorded the words of Jesus: “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8b). Now
consider that Stephen stands before the Sanhedrin and risks his life for Jesus
because he believes Jesus is the Christ, the crucified and risen Lord. His life
is not wasted. Persecution breaks out and the church is scattered, yes, but
then Luke says this: “Now those who were
scattered went about preaching the word” (8:4).
The
gospel was never meant to be hoarded in one place; it was meant to spread
throughout the world. Everyone must know that Jesus saves. So God moves his
people out of Jerusalem and into the world.
Where
does God live?
Let me ask another question before I answer our main
question: Where in the world would we find the fastest growing church? Iran!
The
Iranian revolution of 1979 established a hard-line Islamic regime. Persecution
of the church threatened to wipe out what Christians there were in Iran.
Missionaries were kicked out; evangelism was outlawed; Bibles in Persian were
banned; pastors were killed. Many thought the church in Iran would disappear.
But the
exact opposite happened. The Church in Iran has become the fastest growing
church in the world, and it is influencing the entire Middle East for Christ.
How did this happen? First, violence in the name of Islam caused widespread
disillusionment with the regime. Second, many Iranian Christians have continued
to boldly tell others about Christ even in the face of persecution. As a
result, more Iranians have become Christians in the last 20 years than in the
previous 13 centuries. Some say there are as many as a million believers in
Iran today.
Kamran
was a violent man who used to sell drugs and weapons. One day, a friend gave
him a New Testament. After reading for five consecutive days, Kamran gave his
life to Jesus. When his family and friends saw his transformed life over the
next few months, many of them came to faith too. A church now meets in his
home.
Fatemah
was raped by her brothers when just a girl. At age 11, she was sold in marriage
to a young addict who abused her and divorced her when she was 17. On the streets
she heard the gospel preached and she trusted Jesus. She married a Christian
man, and as they were being trained for evangelistic work, Fatemah felt called
by God to go back to her family and witness to them. Her entire family repented
and gave their lives to Jesus. The first church Fatemah and her husband planted
was in her childhood home.[ii]
Where
does God live?
God
lives where Jesus Christ is preached and where hearts receive him as Lord.
What do
you love more than Jesus? Your job, your spouse, your children, yourself? These
may fail you and disappoint you, but Jesus never will. So if you commit to
loving Jesus more than anyone or anything, you can lose the whole world but you
will gain Christ.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are
God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16).
AMEN
[i]
John Pollock, A Foreign Devil in China
(World Wide Publications), p. 174.
[ii]
Mark Howard, “The Story of Iran’s Church in Two Sentences” July 30, 2016. http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-story-of-the
-irans-church-in-two-sentences
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