Sticking Your Neck Out

“To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’”

Acts 7:2-3

If you read through the seventh chapter of the Book of Acts, you will discover that most of the chapter is Stephens’ recitation of God’s power at work in the history of the Nation of Israel.

He was speaking to the religious leaders who should already have been well versed in that history.

There was very little of what Stephen said that any of those leaders could have, would have or should have had issues with.  

But the last several verses of that chapter move from history to the current day (at that time) and the religious leaders rejection of what God had done through His Son Jesus and how those very same religious leaders had rejected Him.

History is fine as long as it speaks of the ‘good old days’!

In the church we recall the past moves of God with great fondness.

But very often we resist God in the ‘here and now’ because He may not move in the same way He has in the past.

The past seldom challenges our current status.

It allows us to relish the good things and to tell others we have learned valuable lessons from the bad thing that happened.

But current events don’t let us off so easily.

Current events have a way of drawing a line in the sand and bid us to make a choice.

We prefer indifference and would rather not stick our necks out.

Stephen challenged their status quo.

It was fine as long as he was reciting ancient historic facts they all could agree with but then he came to a point where he challenged those who challenged God and His ways.

That is why he was martyred.

Jesus still challenges people today.

Are you willing to stick your neck out?