Big dreams don't come cheap

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen…

To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me!…

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him--you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 6:51-60).

We like to dream big.

When you were a teenager, what kind of vehicle did you dream of driving? It’s my guess that for most of you, the first car or truck you could afford was not the hot set of wheels that you had been dreaming of. No, in order to get the vehicle of your dreams, you would have to dedicate much time and energy to hard work in order to earn the kind of money that you needed to make such a purchase. Maybe even today that hot car or truck is still an unrealized goal for you.

We like to dream big, but the reality always comes with a cost. We see this played out in the early church as well; after Jesus had risen from the dead and returned to heaven, Jesus’ followers were excited. The Lord had given them an important mission—go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). He had promised them His continual oversight: I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20). And on Pentecost, Peter’s first sermon resulted in 3,000 new converts to the faith. So they were fired up, ready to take on the world for Christ. They were determined to see His Church continue to grow.

But it was not all smooth sailing. Stephen was challenged in his testimony of Christ by religious hard-liners who didn’t like what he had to say. Stephen didn’t back down—the truth of the message of salvation cannot be compromised. And the result? Stephen was murdered for his faith, the first martyr of Christ’s Church.

Stephen’s death at the hands of Christian-haters is a wake-up call, not only for the apostles but also for us. It is a sobering reminder that when we dream big, there will be a price to pay. As Christians, we have been given the Great Commission, to reach out to others and invite them to meet Jesus; but with that great responsibility comes the requirement to bear the cost of discipleship—a cost that can result in loss of friends, loss of respect, even loss of life.

Christians have four big dreams that cannot come true without cost. The first dream is to live lives untouched by the sin of the world surrounding us. In 2nd Corinthians chapter six Paul instructs us to avoid including unbelievers in our circle of friends: Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. But what results from such separation? Paul warned Timothy that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. The reason is simple. It is summed up by accusations like these: "You Christians think you’re so special, that you have all the answers. Well, let me tell you, no one has an exclusive claim on the truth!" The fact is, we are special—we have the most precious thing in the world for our very own, a saving relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. We do know what the truth is, because we know Jesus, and Jesus said: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

But unbelievers resent the truth claims of Jesus. They feel threatened by them, because to accept that Christ teaches the truth requires them to admit that their beliefs are wrong, and humans don’t like to admit that they are wrong. When an unbeliever is confronted with the truth of Christ, there are only three ways to respond: accept it, ignore it, or oppose it. Today’s reading shows us what opposition to the truth can look like—they tried to intimidate Stephen into silence, they screamed at the top of their lungs to drown out his words, and they finally shut him up permanently by killing him.

Yet in the face of persecution, we are reassured. Jesus said, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33). And James gives us this comfort: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). Just look at Stephen! As he was dying, he was given a wonderful vision: "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." Is enduring persecution worth it, to stand separate from the world as a Christian? Definitely!

Another big dream of Christians is that we will grow Christ’s Church by bringing unbelievers to meet Jesus. But this dream, too, comes at a price. Many Christians assume that outreach is the pastor’s job. But you know what? Often times, the pastor is the least effective member of the congregation when it comes to evangelizing. Unbelievers are prone to think something like this: "the only reason he’s talking to me about religion is because he’s paid to. If he wasn’t a minister, he wouldn’t give me the time of day." Now this conclusion is unfair and untrue, but notice what it implies. The unbeliever will be much more willing to accept as sincere your desire to speak with him or her about Jesus.

You may object to this thought by claiming that you are not good with words. Moses voiced this same concern to God, but listen to the Lord’s response: Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent…I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say" (Exodus 4:10-12). You might also claim that you don’t know your Bible well enough to be a witness—but listen to Jesus’ promise to His followers: do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit (Mark 13:11). Remember, the first Christian martyred was not one of the apostles; Stephen was just a man known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. His only qualification was his willingness to be a living house for the Spirit of God to reside in. Yet those who refused to believe saw his testimony as such a threat that they resorted to violence in order to silence him. Stephen had only the same spiritual gifts that the Lord is willing to share with you.

A third big dream of Jesus’ followers is that we can live our lives in service to Him. Of course, this too entails a cost for each of us. Jesus said, Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14). Living a life of grateful service to the Lord is hard work. Paul describes it in terms of athletic competition: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

How do we train for being a Christian? First, it involves a healthy diet. We must nourish our souls with God’s word through frequent worship, time regularly spent in devotion and Bible study. Through God’s word, the Holy Spirit strengthens our faith and our commitment to speak to others about their sins and Jesus’ forgiveness. In addition, we are to put our faith into practice. James warns: What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:14-17). To advance in our Christian life, we must resist the temptation to reserve spirituality for Sunday mornings only, and instead get off the couch and into the lives of those who need to experience Christ’s compassion.

Of course, the biggest dream of every Christian is that Jesus would take way our sins. But even forgiveness comes at a cost. That greatest cost was borne by Jesus Himself as He suffered and died on the cross; the torment that He endured was the agony that you and I have deserved for all the many ways in which we daily ignore God and break His laws. Jesus endured our sentence of hell for us, so that we might be forgiven and receive life in His name. But although Jesus paid the supreme price to free us from sin, He does expect something of us as well. He expects us to repent. Jesus said, unless you repent, you…will all perish (Luke 13:3).

What does it mean to repent? First, it requires that you take responsibility for your sins. You cannot be like Adam and Eve, both of whom tried to blame someone else for their mistake; instead, you must be like the tax collector in Jesus’ parable who cried: O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner (Luke 18:13). This is hard; as I said earlier, no one likes to admit that they are wrong. But John writes: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).

But true repentance involves more than just taking ownership of your mistakes. It also involves a change of heart, a commitment to try and change your ways. Our sins should disgust us; if we have no serious intention of trying to resist sinning in the future, our repentance is not sincere. This too is hard; repentance means that we must try to turn our backs on all the sins that have given us such pleasure. Yet this is what Jesus expects: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23).

And true repentance requires one thing more. Jesus warned: if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15). This why He taught us to pray: and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. It is by forgiving others when they hurt us that we most clearly show the love of Christ to them, a love demonstrated on the cross when Jesus prayed: Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). It is supremely hard to forgive someone who has hurt you and isn’t the least bit sorry about it. And yet, we have the example of Stephen, who as he was dying, prayed: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." If we are not willing to forgive those who oppose us as we try to bring Christ into their lives, we will never touch them in their souls.

Peter tells us, The Lord…is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). If we are to take part in God’s great dream for His Church, this must be our desire as well. Not wanting anyone to perish eternally in the flames of hell, but desiring all to take ownership of their sins and truly repent them so that they might have eternal life with Jesus and us in paradise. This requires patience from us, working hard for the Lord throughout our lives without giving up. First Corinthians chapter 15 says: Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. It is my sincere hope that when you arrive in heaven, at least one person will come to you and say: "I can’t thank you enough. Because you cared enough to tell me about Jesus, God’s Spirit has brought me here to join you."