“Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”
Summary: Peter warns us against the power of fear and the danger of turning our imagination against ourselves. We need to keep our focus on Godly possibilities.
Today’s passage presents us with an interesting question. Someone is threatening the elect, the people Peter is writing to. Who is Peter thinking of? This is where things get a bit complicated. Let’s follow his train of thought…
Peter begins his letter by writing to God’s elect. These are people like you and me who have been chosen by God. The first part of the letter contains Peter’s instructions to us for living rightly and honoring God.
In Chapter 2, beginning in verse 11, he broadens his topic. At this point, he starts talking to us as “foreigners and exiles” in the world. He notes that God’s chosen people live among pagans who do not fear God. The then talks about various human authorities. Eventually, in chapter 3, verse 8, he turns his attention back to us, the chosen, and urges that we be like-minded.
Peter’s letter reflects the reality of God’s people living in a broken and fallen world. John records Jesus’ prayer for his followers that acknowledges this same truth. He writes:
“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” (John 17: 14)
Later, as pointed out yesterday in the comments, we see Stephen confronted by this same reality. Standing in a group of angry men, Stephen, ‘’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.’” This drives his accusers into a rage. They drag him out and stone him to death. (Acts 7: 55b-56)
Peter has sketched the world as we know it. On one end of the spectrum, we have the like-minded community of God. On the other end, we see the world at its worst, brutally killing the people of God. Between these, there is an infinite range of possibilities, and the worst of these are imaginary.
It is in our imagination that we picture what we are most afraid of. The power of a threat is that it triggers our fears and imagination together. We imagine the worst that can happen and then we fear it. If the first fear isn’t enough, we can imagine another one, and then another. The number of possible fears is unlimited.
Peter’s advice: Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. Good advice! Instead of imagining the worst that can happen, imagine how God could apply his infinite power for good to the situation. There is no scenario where God cannot overcome evil with good. The only question is how will he do it. Focus the power of your imagination on God. It is a much happier place to be.
Application: Practice focusing on God every day. Focus on his Word. Focus on talking with him in prayer. Focus on imagining what he can do to change the world for good.
Food for Thought: How did God use Stephen’s situation for good?
One of the more interesting parts of the story of Stephen is the fact that he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Normally we see Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father.
When a representative of the king did his job well, he would sit when he was finished. To sit at the right hand of the throne meant he had finished his mission and had finished well. And the right hand was reserved as a place of honor. Jesus is normally seen as seated at the right hand of the Father (For example: Hebrews 1: 3; Matthew 26: 64; Colossians 3: 1; Acts 2: 34; all likely a reference to Psalm 110: 1 and Daniel 7: 13 – 14).
That Jesus was standing here meant He was about to act. He is no longer seated – He is standing and ready for action.
One way that God used Stephen’s stoning for the good, was through Stephen’s personal salvation and by showing us that God cares deeply for His people. He will act to save His people and He will personally welcome us and say “well done my good and faithful servant.” I personally find this motivating and encouraging as I try to follow in the footsteps of the great people of faith (although often not as well as I would like).
I can imagine that Stephen’s words were not lost on those present, including a young persecutor of the church, named Saul (Acts 8: 1). They should not be lost on us either.
Thank you, Rich!
I love the insight about Jesus, where his standing at the right hand of God indicates he is ready for action.
Good one Rich
By the dispersal of the church members in Jerusalem, the gospel was spread like a wildfire throughout the region.
Hi JEC!
Yes, Stephen’s confrontation with the Sanhedrin triggered an explosion of sorts. The faithful were sent all over the world and the seed of God’s Gospel was planted everywhere.
Kind of hard to see anything good come out of violence and death,..but Stephen held his ground and stuck to the faith,..He didn’t deny Christ,..He preached a sermon about Christ before he was taken out to be stoned to death,..
He didn’t fear or was even frightened,..or at least that’s what we read,..I do wonder how much guilt Saul was feeling while holding all those coats and watching this innocent guy get stoned to death from what Saul had perpetrated,..
There were probably many people there listening to Stephens sermon before he was dragged out to be stoned,..so I would imagine there were those that heard and turned to Jesus,..it only takes one for the angels in heaven to rejoice,..
That goes for us as well,..it only takes one for the angels to rejoice,..we are messengers of God’s word in this broken and beat up world,..there is still good in it and we need to keep the message of Jesus alive no matter who is holding the coats of those throwing accusations at us,..
Thank you, John!
You are so right! The fire of God’s Holy Spirit still burns as brightly as it did two thousand years ago. And yes, there is still work to be done.
Great point JEC. It was clearly God’s will that the gospel spread (Acts 1: 8). The persecution that followed accomplished Gods clearly stated will.
How did God use Stephen’s situation for good?
Stephen’s example is an example to all believers. We see the Holy Spirit in us will minister to others, speak to those who would reject His ministry and keep our focus on serving Jesus Christ rather than be swayed by events on this earth.
This record of Stephens ministry and death caused me to recall, past situations where I have been used by God with a stranger. The Lord put my focus 100% onto the person I was dealing with, everything else vanished.
A lady working in Plaid Pantry was crying, the store was empty and we talked, I asked her If I could pray and she agreed. I thought it was a short prayer, but when I said Amen, opened my eyes, 10-15 people had come into the store and were simply standing near the door out of respect for the moment. I did not hear a single one come in.
Acts 6:8-15, Stephen, was being used by God to minister to the people. They argued with him, but could not compete with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in him. They conspired and provoked others to seize him and take him to the Jewish High Court. They lied about him as he remained silent with his face like an angel. He was totally serving Jesus.
Acts 7:1-53, Stephen’s Defense in verses 1-50 was to review the History of Israel, from Abraham to Solomon, and how as a nation they had failed to retain their faith in God and built a home for “He who does not dwell in houses made by human hands.” Isaiah 66:1-2a. In verses 51-53, they were actively resisting the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and the Righteous One “Jesus Christ” and rejecting the law as revealed, ordained and given to them.
Acts 7:54-8:1, They were deeply convicted, began grinding their teeth in rage at him. But Stephen was full of and led by the Holy Spirit. His eyes were on heaven and He only saw the great splendor and majesty of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Look! I see the heavens opened up in welcome and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”, and he asked Jesus to receive him and to forgive those killing him. The focus of Stephen’s ministry is revealed. Serving Jesus, not himself.
Ron,
Thank you for sharing your story about the Plaid Pantry Prayer. I take comfort in that story because of the Holy Spirit’s power to transform a situation. He turned the Plaid Pantry into a church for a few minutes.
In the same way, if we are used by the Spirit, we are strengthened by the Spirit. I think that is encouraging to think about.
👍🏻