As Paul says goodbye to the Ephesian elders, he leaves them with much encouragement and even a few warnings about what they can expect once he has moved on.
We've all been in situations where we needed rescued. Maybe your situation was dire, maybe it wasn't all that life-threatening. But either way, we know the thrill of deliverance; the joy of rescue. Psalm 40 celebrates the deliverance of God, even though the battle isn't yet won.
David observes that it is the fool who lives as if there is no God, and yet he also observes that 100% of us live that way. Yet, there is a group of people God calls "his own," a group he calls "righteous." So the question becomes, who are those people, why has God chosen them, and how do you move from "all have sinned" to "and are justified freely"?
Sometimes the things we "know" in our heads isn't how we see things actually work out in reality. And sometimes the Truth we read in the Bible isn't what we see (yet) in our reality. Psalm 9 and 10 are perfect Psalms to help us process through this.
Stephen is recognized publicly in the church as a man full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. He is put in a position of leadership, but becomes known more for the great wonders and signs he was doing among the people. He ends up on trial in front of the Sanhedrin, and this time they can't handle the truth, and he becomes the first Christian martyr.
Peter and the other apostles find themselves back in front of the Sanhedrin, this time as a full group, and they are in danger. The Sanhedrin has decided to kill all 12 of them because they continue to preach in Jesus’ name, even though they were told not to. The only thing that keeps them alive is a Pharisee named Gamaliel who has a better idea… do nothing.
Peter and John leave the Sanhedrin and head straight for the people who share their story. The entire group turns immediately to prayer. As they pray, they also reveal some markers for how we today can biblically make sense of persecution to this day.
On October 7, a terrorist group in the Gaza Strip moved into Israel and killed hundreds of civilians and soldiers, and kidnapped 200+ more. Israel almost immediately declared war on Hamas. But that has stirred movements from Turkey, Russia, Iran, Syria and more. This sermon is meant to give us a lens through which to view this war and why it matters that we pay attention to it.
Jesus had promised his Holy Spirit will come on the disciples, then he ascended, and now the disciples head back to Jerusalem to wait. What do you tend to do when you have to wait? These 120 disciples waited by praying and making a major decision about who replaces Judas.
Two different people can view the exact same information or data, and their imaginations take them in very opposite directions. Our imaginations are so often guided by either faith or fear. This Vision Sunday message encourages us to use a holy imagination, and instead of saying "we can't", to look at our future and say "God is with us."