Christ at the Center
Opening Prayer
Loving God, open my heart to what You say to me today.
Read ACTS 7:17–34
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. 18 Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’ 19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.
20 “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. 21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26 The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’
27 “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28 Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.
33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What things are most important to you in your life? Write them down.Back in Acts 6:11, Stephen was accused of blaspheming against Moses. Our passage today, the second part of Stephen’s speech, shows that Stephen actually had a high view of Moses. According to Stephen, Moses’ key role was to be the person
through whom God rescued his people from their oppression in Egypt (25). God guarded Moses from birth and specifically called him to this task (34). Back in Acts 6:14, Stephen was accused of undermining the customs of Moses. Here, Stephen emphasizes Moses’ role, not as the giver of customs, but as God’s catalyst for liberation.
Those who oppose Stephen are trying to preserve a particular way of practicing their faith. Stephen reminds them of why they have a faith in the first place. Moses’ fellow Israelites did not understand that God would use him to rescue them. Stephen’s fellow Jews are less interested in the salvation provided by God than in maintaining their religious practices. We may fall into the same trap. The outward expression of our faith, such as the way we worship or the meetings we attend, can receive more of our attention than the one in whom we have faith: Christ.
Apply
Evaluate the things you listed in the “reflect” section. Ask God to show you how to keep Christ at the center.
Closing prayer
Jesus, be the center of my life—now, today, forever. Keep my heart focused on You.
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