In God's Will

Today I did something that I honestly never thought I would be asked to do - I delivered a sermon. Actually, I told everyone in the beginning that I am not a pastor. I am a Bible teacher. So my teaching was probably going to be a little bit different than most Sunday sermons.

We started by singing a few hymns that coincided with the message I believe God brought me to deliver. One of the hymns was "It is Well with my Soul," one that we would also sing at the end.

We began by talking about what happens when we follow the will of God. Sometimes we lose things or even people that are important to us. I told them I originally titled this teaching "How to be a Heretic in Three Easy Steps" because sometimes that is what we are labeled when we follow God's will. I modified that teaching, and what they would hear today was the end result.

We began by reading Acts 6. Actually, we began by talking about the history in Acts 6:1 - because I believe it is important to study the Bible while knowing the history that has surrounded that event. We discussed the early church, and the overwhelming grace that the early Christians felt - to the point that, whether they were rich or poor or somewhere in between, they gave everything they had to one another. But, as generally happens in groups of people, disputes and complaints and concerns arose. This is what we see in Verse one of Acts 6.

The Hellenistic or Greek Jews were concerned that their widows were not receiving the correct allotment of food when compared to the Hebrew widows. The disciples agreed this was an issue, and so they said that there should be seven men selected to be sure that everyone received their fair share. There were six men listed together who were chosen - and then there was Stephen, who stood apart. Stephen is called full of the Holy Spirit.

Step 1 is surrender to God.

So Stephen did what he was supposed to do. He did the work he was appointed to do. But then Stephen did something more. He began working great signs and wonders among the people. He didn't ask for permission. He just surrendered himself to God and followed whatever God told him to do - and that was teaching and preaching.

Therefore, we see that surrendering our will to God's will is Step One in following God's will (or in being a heretic, which sometimes means the same thing).

Of course, as generally happens when we surrender to God's will, opposition came against Stephen. It came in the form of the religious leaders. But, according to Verse 10 of Acts 6, these naysayers were unable to cope with Stephen and his teaching.

The Greek word for cope in this Verse is anthistemi, which means "to oppose or withstand or rebel against or resist." These religious leaders could not oppose Stephen, because he was within the will of God. He had surrendered his will to God.

However, these opposers did not stop (they never do). They brought false witnesses who brought similar charges against Stephen as Jesus' own accusers had brought against Him. They were accusations that he was defying the Law of Moses and Jewish history. This leads to our next step of knowing we are in the will of God.

Step 2 is confidence and boldness.

First of all, God put his stamp of approval on Stephen, as is evident in Verse 15: "And fixing their gaze upon him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel" (NASB).

This is proof that Stephen was acting in God's will, and he knew it. He begins his defense in Chapter 7 by stating Jewish history - the history of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - the history of Moses, the history of Israel. I think he did this for two reasons. First of all, he stated his knowledge of Jewish history to prove himself as a Jew. He's saying, in short, "I am a Jew. I am not against anything in Hebrew Scripture or Hebrew culture."

But I think he's doing something more. I love that Stephen begins his defense in by explaining how Abraham left behind everything to follow God's plan - a plan that he had no proof was going to happen. I think Stephen was comparing himself to Abraham. Like Abraham, though people may not understand, he was doing what God had told him to do.

Stephen had confidence in God's plan, and now he's going to show his boldness. In Verses 51-53, he boldly accuses his accusers:

"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit, you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."

At this, Stephen's accusers gnashed their teeth at him, picked up stones, and stoned him.

Step 3 is forgiveness.

Stephen, like his Savior, did not hold a grudge against those who were murdering him. He forgave them.

When we follow God's will for our lives, we are going to meet obstacles and people who are against us. People are going to try to talk us out of what we are doing. But when we know we have surrendered and we are confident in what God is calling us to do, we forgive our accusers and those who turn against us.

This led us to the second person in our study - the one who, according to Verse 38 of Chapter 7, held the coats of those who stoned Stephen. He's the one who, according to the first Verses of 8, began a great persecution against the church.

And now for Saul.

Saul, at this point, is the antithesis of Stephen. We see Saul becoming adrenaline-fueled by being a part of the death of Stephen. Stephen's martyrdom put Saul in motion. He began doing everything he could to shut down the early church - to the point of imprisoning both men and women.

Then something amazing happened - something that not only got Saul's attention, but also set a precedent in his life. You see, I believe Stephen knew he was in God's will just by an innate feeling. He just knew, deep down, this is what he was supposed to do. That wouldn't have worked for Saul. He was too bad. He was doing things that he would mull over and over in his mind throughout his life, as we will see in a few moments.

That something amazing is the risen Christ met Saul on the road to Damascus. He, personally, hand-picked Saul as His disciple, His teacher and apostle to the Gentiles.

In order for Saul to reach his full potential in God's will, however, another man had to also surrender, proceed in confidence and boldness, and forgive. That man was Ananias, the one God called to go and pray for Saul. At first, Ananias questioned - "Uh, God, You do know who this guy is, right?" When God assured Ananias He did, indeed, know who Saul was - and, in fact, Saul was going to be his chosen vessel, Ananias put his doubts behind and obeyed.

The actions of God and those he used set Saul on the path to becoming the apostle Paul, the one who lived the rest of his life following God's call in surrender, confidence, and forgiveness - the point that Paul would also, we know from history, be martyred for his beliefs. He did not reject his fate, as Stephen did not. In fact, he went before the highest Roman ruler (probably Nero), knowing he would die.

However, as I mentioned a moment ago, I believe Paul struggled with his past. Even though he wrote in Philippians 3:13 we are to put behind our past and trudge ahead, I believe he struggled with this. His words in I Corinthians 15:8-10 show he had a difficult time coming to terms with his own actions:

"and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain, but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me."

Had it not been for God's dramatic encounter with Saul, I am not sure what have happened to him. But because God made it clear to him what his will was, Saul was able to move ahead. He was able to surrender, live in confidence, and forgive - even himself.

Contemporary Examples

To conclude our teaching today, we read about Richard Wurmdrend,, the founder of the organization The Voice of the Martyrs - one who has a testimony similar to these early Christian martyrs. We also discussed the story of Horatio Spafford, the author of the hymn we had sung together earlier - "It is Well with My Soul."

Spafford had lost a two-year old son in 1871 in the fires in Chicago. After economic hardships, he also lost four daughters in the sinking of a ship in 1873. After losing all of his children, he penned the words to this well-known and well-loved hymn, which we sang together again to conclude our study together.

The lesson

The lesson in all of this is that being in the will of God does not mean smooth sailing. In fact, it usually means opposition. It means pain. It means things that we would prefer to not go through. But that's okay, because we have surrendered our will to His. We have confidence in His will and His guidance. We forgive those who have hurt us and go on with our call.

Losses sometimes outweigh the gains, but that's okay. Christ is the only gain we need.