Acts

So, I have to read Acts for a class, and so, late night lessons from the book of Acts:

7:17 God promised to fulfill his covenant with Abraham. When the promised time of fulfillment was coming closer, things only seemed to get worse in the eyes of the Israelites. They were welcomed guests in Egypt, and then they were slaves. As time went on, their slavery only became more oppressive. Stephen, in hindsight, saw that the promised time of God was coming closer. But slavery, oppression, things getting worse—these were the signs of God's promise coming closer?

7:22 Stephen described Moses as powerful in word and act when he was in Pharaoh's palace. I think we are all generally in agreement that God had to humble Moses. However, perhaps Moses was disillusioned when he told God that he couldn't speak. Perhaps he was saying, "I've been there—I've been powerful in word. Or at least I thought I was. Now I'm nothing. I failed at the word thing—I'm not going back there, I'm not going to risk failure again. I couldn't do it then, so obviously, I can't do it at all. I thought that was me, but obviously, that just is not me. You've got the wrong guy, God."

7:23 Moses had the desire to free the Israelites while he was still in Pharaoh's palace. I love the fact that God honored that desire—but in God's timing and in God's way.

Also, what impresses me the most is the ardent desire of the apostles and the early Christians to evangelize. It just seemed to bubble forth from them, from their sense of gratitude and love for the Lord. Freely you have given, freely you have received…