Monday 13th February - Acts 7
Today’s chapter is Acts 7
Tom writes:
He called them brothers and fathers. As they dragged him, yelled in his face and smashed him with rocks he prayed forgiveness on their ignorance. And - equally lovingly towards them - he called them stiff necked, uncircumcised in heart and murderers of God’s anointed. He did all of this to their faces. He pointed at their wickedness and error while simultaneously opening wide his affections. He imitated Jesus. He imitated the up front, truth-filled, crazily committed grace-filled love of his Lord. It’s a love I want so much. Even if it kills me. And, if I’m honest, the fact that it might kill me is what holds me back. I once heard an Anglican Bishop reflecting on how everywhere St Paul went he caused a riot and everywhere the Bishop went he had a cup of tea. Somewhere along the line I also learned to people-please. I learned the lop-sided lope of speaking affection without speaking correction. I learned to be the anaemic approver who made people feel OK about themselves when what they really needed was to repent and receive forgiveness.
It’s a prevalent disease in the middle class West; most of us curl up in the foetal position if we have to confront people over something small, let alone calling them to repent of being stiff-necked, betrayers and murderers. And so we fail to see heaven open. We serially fail to love people like Jesus did because we serially fail to diagnose their disorder. We think we are being nice but we are actually being like a GP who gives you a pat on the back when you need a new liver. And so Holy Spirit I ask that you will help me imitate Stephen as he imitated Jesus. Not so that I will get killed. Not so that I offend people. But so that I am willing to really love people - to generously embrace them and tell them how they must change. And I ask also that you bring people into my life who will do the same for me. Who will speak the truth in love, who will correct, rebuke and encourage me and help me really know God. Anaemic faith is dead to me now. I want heaven open. And so with both Stephen-like affection and Stephen-like confrontation we must step into the world.
Question for reflection
How could you confront someone in a way that also shows them staggering levels of affection?