Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Before I decided to pursue a career as a lineman, I once chased the dream of being an electrical engineer. In pursuit of this dream, I completed my Associate’s Degree of Science at my local community college. When the south Mississippi heat begins to take its toll and I find my blue-collar job a little less appealing, I often think back on my days as a student, especially the days spent in classes like calculus, differential equations, and truthfully, any other class that had central air conditioning. Some people dread these courses; however, I found great satisfaction in completing some of the arithmetic required to reconcile some of the equations we were given.

What I found most challenging about these subjects was completing a problem that literally took two full pages of calculations and advanced algebra, only to find that I made a small, simple error in addition or subtraction at the top of the first page, rendering the rest of my work completely useless. It’s a miracle that I still have any hair left after correcting so many of my own careless mistakes. One of the most important lessons I learned during this time of my life is never to forget the fundamentals. This idea has become increasingly important in my spiritual life, and after reading the Gospels and starting the Book of Acts, it’s evident that this would have been a great lesson for the teachers of Christ’s day to take heed of as well. In Acts chapter 7, the martyr Stephen is given the spotlight, and it’s clear that He had a similar notion of not forgetting the fundamentals.

Looking back at chapter 6 for context, we see that Stephen has been placed in front of the high priest and a council of Jewish elders (people who would have been grounded in traditions similar to those of the Sadducees and Pharisees). As he works to spread the message of Christ amongst the Jews, false claims of blasphemy against the Lord and the Law of Moses have been made on his behalf, and he is forced to defend himself. Chapter 7 opens with the high priest asking Stephen for his account, and for the next 49 verses, he gives them a detailed summary of the story of Israel, starting with Abraham and ending at their current time. It’s important to remember that the audience to which Stephen speaks are Hebrew religious fanatics who are likely able to quote entire books of the Torah from memory. Significant portions of their childhood are spent learning and memorizing Hebrew tradition and law, especially the scriptures pertaining to the history of Israel. Stephen is essentially taking them back to preschool here in order to show them that even though they have learned so much about God on the surface, they lack the understanding of the Lord’s heart that comes from the basics of scripture. Think of how insulting this must have been to the sense of pride that many of the temple elites were holding so tightly to.

The entire point of Old Testament law was to provide a way for Israel's redemption, but just as I had made simple mistakes in school that cost me pages worth of arithmetic, these Jewish teachers had missed even the most basic of principles from the Old Testament scriptures. Because of this, their entire view of Judaism had been diluted down into man-made traditions and a hierarchy that prevented their redemption in the first place. Where this passage truly hits home is in verses 51-53:

“And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just one, of whom you now have become the betrayers and the murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

While it’s easy to look down on Stephen’s accusers, think of how many times we Christians have read the words of Jesus and done just the opposite. Take a look at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and 6 and tell me not of how many of His teachings you have broken, but how many have you kept? How often do we forget the fundamentals of what it means to be a Christian?

Matthew 22:37-40: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

In their pride, the high priest and his followers stoned Stephen to death for his discourse on the basics of Judaism and how the Torah points directly to Christ. It’s vital for us to keep in mind in our daily walk that when we forget the heart of Jesus and focus only on rules, we miss the point of Scripture entirely. As you go about your day remember the basics and focus on what the Lord has for us: grace, mercy, and faithfulness.

Prayer: Father, we love You. We praise You for who You are, and we thank You for Your providence, Your grace, and Your faithfulness. Help us remember Your Word and use it to stir us to action on Your behalf. Allow us the opportunity to be vessels for Your love and kindness. To You be all glory.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
  
• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
  
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
  
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
  
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.