From Killer to Lover

By Brenda Black

David Letterman has his Top 10. College basketball it's Big 12. And the Apostle Paul has his Trusted 37+. You'll find them listed in Romans 16.

“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea...Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus...Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia...

“Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you...Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me...Ampliatus, whom I love in the Lord...Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

“Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ...the household of Aristobulus...Herodion, my relative...the household of Narcissus who are in the L
ord.

“Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord...my dear friend Persia...Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too...

“Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them.

“Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (Romans 16:1-16a)

Whew! That's just a few of the faithful followers in the church at Rome. Another eight are listed in verses 21-24 who didn't make the trip with Phoebe, but sent their greetings. But why would Paul take the time to call them out individually and attribute compliments and character assessments? Because as much as Paul was a learned philosopher, he was also a loving friend.

This tender side is yet more evidence of the true transformation that opened his blinded eyes when He met the Messiah on the Damascus Road. Remember, before he was Paul, he was Saul who authorized the murder of Stephen when “...they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (Acts. 7:57b-58) He watched an innocent young man, with the face of an angel, fall on his knees and cry out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 60) And then Saul watched him die and he walked away.

The Paul in the book of Romans is not the same cold-hearted legalist of early Acts. He is now a believer, a brother, a teacher and a friend. God put the humanity into the man and made it possible for him to love again. So by the time a letter is written to Corinth, Paul spells out the kind of friend he aspires to be; the kind of servant he is to the King. He defines true discipleship in agape terms of endearment.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Paul learned how to love because he was first loved by God. Though he amassed great knowledge and garnered tremendous respect, this love factor softened his heart and fit him for service that would last thousands of years past his life on earth. That's the kind of lasting impact from a love that is perfect, a love that is patient and kind and does not envy or boast; a love that is not proud or rude or self-seeking and is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs.

The love of God that Paul felt toward his companions was love that “protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor. 13:7)

That's the kind of love that changed a killer's destiny into a blessed legacy where the numbers have grown from 37 in a local church to millions worldwide who read the Pauline letters and discover for themselves that we have nothing if we have not been changed by the love of God.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)

You Look Like an Angel

You Look Like an Angel
By Brenda Black


“All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (Acts. 6:15)

Chubby cheeks, wispy bangs, fluttering wings and harps. Our iconic image of angels is likely off in left field when it comes to an accurate depiction of God's noble messengers. I highly doubt Stephen looked like the front of a Valentine's card. Modern culture has diluted the significance of a heavenly army reducing it to fluff and fantasy. But there was a time when angels struck awe in the hearts of men and gleamed of eternal mysteries. Even a hard-hearted group of dogmatic religious leaders acknowledged the essence of angelic countenance when they “looked intently at Stephen.”

Oh, to look like an angel. It must be blissful to gleam with innocence – refreshing, pure and lovely. Or it might feel empowering to strike shock or reverence in the hearts of fellow humans. Whatever these men saw when they gazed at Stephen stopped them in their tracks for a brief moment.

What's more impressive than their abbreviated respect is that Stephen looked like an angel in the midst of such hateful, false accusations when he stood in a hostile environment. I admire him greatly for that. It begins when Stephen is seized.

“Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called) – Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by which he spoke.

“Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, 'We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.'

“So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, 'This fellow never stops speaking against the holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.'”

Then they saw it – the angelic mark God uses to set Stephen apart from the insincere. As God defines his chosen spokesmen, the Sanhedrin excludes him by distinguishing their superiority over him pronouncing that the customs of Moses were “handed down to us.” (Acts 6:8-14)

Stephen counters their prejudice with inclusive terminology and graciously embraces this sect of condemners as fellow descendants of Abraham, even as they plot and press for his execution.

“Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to OUR father Abraham...” (vs. 2) Then Stephen recounts their unified history including his full and detailed knowledge of Moses. He also uses phrases like: “our fathers”, “our people”, “our forefathers”, and “Moses who led us out.”

If they didn't have a leg to stand on when they heard his wisdom and felt the Spirit by which he spoke earlier, how in the world could they disregard his sure words now. Nevertheless, they did. When they would not listen and they would not hear, Stephen called them to account.

“'You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him – you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.'”

And we've come full circle. They don't feel compelled to listen to the man with the face of an angel because they're accustomed to ignoring godly instruction, even when actual ministering spirits deliver God's words of wisdom. They don't get it because they don't want to get it. They would rather be dead wrong and have their own way, than be right with the Lord.

Have you ever talked with someone so stubborn and set in their ways that they refused to see God's will or wisdom. They denied his power, his existence. They mocked his authority and insulted you for extra measure. How did you look at that moment? Fuming mad with flushed cheeks and a throbbing forehead. Did you ruffle your wings, want to pull your cherubim bow and fire an arrow right through them! Or did you have the face of an angel, radiant with God's mercy. Did your Spirit reveal heavenly wisdom.

In the middle of hate and inhumane treatment, Stephen glowed godly. At the sound of lies and slander, he stood solidly and spoke the truth directly. And in the face of death, he looked and saw eternity.

“...Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, 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.'

“At this they covered their ears and yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him...While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he fell on his knees and cried out, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' When he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts. 7:54-60)

In spite of the circumstances, God called Stephen and calls us today, to respond in heavenly ways. Be wise, be full of the Spirit and radiate an angelic countenance that leaves any accuser without excuse. That's our mission as ministering spirits.