Friday, July 24, 2026
Acts 7:44-53
44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45 After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, 46 who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him.
48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
50 Has not my hand made all these things?’
51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
These are not the words of an angry pastor. These are words of a man who is about to be put to death begging his accusers to open their hearts and minds to who God actually is—not who they want Him to be.
It is easy to paint all of first century Judaism as narrow-minded and legalistic. That isn’t true. If it were, then there would have been no converts the the Jesus movement. However, the concentration of hard-hearted people resided in places of leadership and power. These are the people who are about to murder Stephen.
The core of Stephen’s message (which Jesus preached, too) is that God is so much bigger than the Temple and the system of hierarchical power surrounding it. Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1-2 that reminds us that God cannot be contained in human structures, that God is bigger and freer than that!
If were being honest, we can become like the temple leadership sometimes. It is easy to do, especially, when you’ve been perfecting the same way of being Christian your entire life. You may or not be shocked at how many times over the last 20 or so years I’ve been in ministry that I’ve been told I’m doing something wrong as a Christian leader.
Quality leadership investment aside, there are a lot of people trying to contain God in a building, liturgy, volunteer opportunity, clothing, choir, and so on. God touches all of these things, but God is bigger, too.
Where do you see your faith acting like the temple leaders? Are there places where you are trying to fit God in a box? What might happen if you let God out so that God could be who God is? What is the risk or reward?
– Pr. Jason
God, forgive me for the ways I try to control you and limit your work in my life. Give me the courage to let you be who you are so that I can be who you have called me to be. Amen.
