May 9 2017

Canadian Bible Society Daily Bible Reading for May 9th 2017
Acts 6.8-7.8
God gave Stephen the power to work great miracles and wonders among the people.  But some Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria were members of a group who called themselves "Free Men." They started arguing with Stephen. Some others from Cilicia and Asia also argued with him.  But they were no match for Stephen, who spoke with the great wisdom that the Spirit gave him.  So they talked some men into saying, "We heard Stephen say terrible things against Moses and God!"
They turned the people and their leaders and the teachers of the Law of Moses against Stephen. Then they all grabbed Stephen and dragged him in front of the council.
Some men agreed to tell lies about Stephen, and they said, "This man keeps on saying terrible things about this holy temple and the Law of Moses.  We have heard him claim that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses gave us."  Then all the council members stared at Stephen. They saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.
The high priest asked Stephen, "Are they telling the truth about you?"
Stephen answered:
Friends, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he had moved to Haran.  God told him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to a land that I will show you."  Then Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran.
After his father died, Abraham came and settled in this land where you now live.  God didn't give him any part of it, not even a square foot. But God did promise to give it to him and his family forever, even though Abraham didn't have any children.  God said that Abraham's descendants would live for a while in a foreign land. There they would be slaves and would be mistreated four hundred years.  But he also said, "I will punish the nation that makes them slaves. Then later they will come and worship me in this place."
God said to Abraham, "Every son in each family must be circumcised to show that you have kept your agreement with me." So when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. Later, Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons.
~~~~~
Religious persecution. Stephen, an early convert to Christianity, was the one appointed  in the early Jerusalem church to organize the mission to the poor. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, etc. He was a good man. He also wasn't shy about sharing the good news about Jesus (He died to set us free from sin and death, He rose from the dead and is alive in us on earth, and in heaven, He is always with us, He is at work in the world in and through us and through others. Therefore, we are never alone.)
Stephen faced opposition from Jews from places other than Jerusalem. (Cyrene and Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia). When they couldn't defeat Stephen and the new Christian faith with their arguments, they took to spreading lies about him. The passage above doesn't tell us the end result, but if we read on in the book of Acts, we discover that Stephen is stoned to death for proclaiming his Christian faith. He was the first Christian martyr.
Just after Easter this year, MP Candace Bergen made a statement in the House of Commons, outlining the violent persecution of Christians in the Middle East, specifically citing the Palm Sunday massacre of Christians at worship in Egypt. She went on to declare that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world today.
In reading various posts about persecution of Christians on the Internet, it's clear that such persecution is happening. And, it's also clear that there are many out there who have no issue with this persecution. In fact, I saw several posts justifying the persecution of evangelical or conservative Christians, as if their persecution was justified. Apparently, denying a person their civil rights or their life is acceptable if they are evangelical or conservative Christians. Is this attitude towards Christians pervasive in our society? I fear that it is! And I fear that if the persecution of evangelical Christians is acceptable today, the persecution of all Christians will be acceptable tomorrow. (IE. the near future). Persecution of any group of people is unacceptable in my view.
Recently, I heard a report on TV of an Ipsos Reid poll on the religious landscape in Canada. The percentage of the population that identifies themselves as Christian is down to 48% from nearly 80% a decade ago. While a new category has arisen.  20% of the population now say they are spiritual but not religious. An Angus Reid poll earlier in the year divided the population into three religious categories. 30% are inclined to embrace religion, 26% are inclined to reject religion, and 44% are somewhere in between. However, among the 44% nearly 2/3 of them believe in a God who cares for them personally, and many still engage in religious practices. I think it means that organized religion is on the decline, but spirituality is alive and well, just taking different forms. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that religion is on the decline in Canada.
The Angus Reid poll also measured the level of tolerance each group has towards the others. To the point of religious persecution, 63% of non-religious people are uncomfortable with religiously devout people. 45% of the ambivalent group are uncomfortable with religiously devout people. And 43% of all people are uncomfortable. While only 22% of all people are uncomfortable with those who have no use for religion. Clearly, the climate for religious persecution exists in Canada.
So, what can I learn from Stephen? I don't look forward to being persecuted. And I don't want to get into a big struggle. A holy war. Neither did Stephen. But, in the face of opposition and lies, he stayed true to himself and his faith. He didn't back down. I hope I have the courage to stand my ground as firmly as Stephen did, defending my faith if the need ever arises. And in the meantime, I think I should be promoting my faith as often as I can. Not by diminishing the faith of others, but by demonstrating the value of mine, and being invitational towards others who show an interest. I don't know if Christianity's decline in Canada can be reversed. But, I feel I need to do my part.
Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you for the faith I have. I believe it is a gift from you. Give me the courage to be true to my faith in difficult times, and to promote it as often and generously as I can. Amen.