We live in a soundbite culture, in a society where the desire is for a short, memorable phrase or sentence which pithily sums up all we mean. Twitter, the social media app beloved of so many (330 million people use Twitter, including the US President), enables people to ‘tweet’ opinions (and policies…) using up to 140 characters. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with slogans or being succinct, but it concerns me that we are becoming a people unable to read, mark and inwardly digest God’s wonderful book because of the influence of the soundbite culture on our habits and concentration.

Our Bible study tonight looked at Acts 7:1-53, Stephen’s speech defending himself against accusations of blasphemy and speaking against Moses and the temple. Such speeches were a normal part of society at that time. People were used to the oral tradition of listening and remembering what they heard. In good speeches, arguments are laid out in logical fashion and there is coherence in what is said. Stephen gave a very succinct history of Israel (effectively summarising much of the Old Testament!), but I don’t think many people nowadays would call this speech succinct. They would find it difficult to follow. Our soundbite culture means we want things to be summarised into tweets. Preaching is often seen as boring: ‘I can’t listen for more than fifteen minutes,’ many people tell me. This inevitably will limit what we can absorb and learn; we need to be willing to move beyond the milk of God’s word to the meat (see Heb 5:11-14). It takes longer to eat a steak than to drink a glass of milk…

Bible study and understanding God’s word require us to move beyond soundbites. Memorable phrases are all very well, but we need to be a people, like Stephen, so soaked in God’s word that we not only know the facts of that word but what God is saying to us through it. This means a radical re-thinking of our culture and our obsession with and attachment to technology, social media and visual stimuli. It means a devotion to God’s word and a willingness to meditate on it. God has far more to say to us than can be fitted into 140 characters. Grow up and discover the joys of communication with God.

Praise be to you, Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
¹³ With my lips I recount
    all the laws that come from your mouth.
¹⁴ I rejoice in following your statutes
    as one rejoices in great riches.
¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
¹⁶ I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word. (Ps 119:12-16)

Stubbornness is defined as a ‘dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something.’ Whilst determination is seen as a good quality, stubbornness implies an intransigence which is not always praiseworthy. I was once on a car journey back from the Alps in France and my father took a wrong turning onto the motorway, taking us further south instead of back north to catch our ferry home. Despite being told by everyone in the car (including my nine-year-old son) that he was heading in the wrong direction, he refused to change his attitude for some miles, adding miles and hours to our journey. He did not want to admit that he had made a mistake; stubbornness generally is connected to pride in some way.

The people of God have a history of stubbornness. They were often described as ‘stiff-necked’, a wonderfully evocative phrase which implies a rigid position of the head which fails (deliberately) to look at any other position (see Ex 32:9, Ex 33:5, Deut 9:13, Deut 31:27). Moses frequently despaired of the Israelites during the wilderness years and the whole history of Israel is of a people failing to heed God and His warnings through the prophets. (Jer 17:23) It was this stubbornness and intransigence on the part of the religious leaders that led to the crucifixion of Jesus and the persecution of His followers. Stephen’s speech in Acts 7:1-53 is a vivid résumé of the history of God’s people and their ongoing opposition to God.

Flexibility is the opposite of being stubborn or stiff-necked. When we are physically flexible, lithe and nimble, we can move freely and see a range of viewpoints. Stephen’s condemnation of those accusing him was heartfelt: “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors 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 given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (Acts 7:51-53) He showed us that stubbornness can lead to greater sins: resisting the Holy Spirit and disobeying God. We need to be spiritually flexible, willing to change our position and open to the new things God is always doing. Paul reminded the Thessalonians, ‘Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good.’ (1 Thess 5:19-21)

My son has discovered the benefits of stretching exercises (the tennis player Novak Djokovic once described stretching as his hobby, his favourite thing to do!) We need to learn to stretch ourselves spiritually so that we don’t become stiff-necked and stubborn.

Tom Wright, in his commentary on Acts 7, says, ‘Sometimes a story is the only way of telling the truth.’ (‘Acts For Everyone’ Pt 1, P110) Storytelling is embedded in the Bible, one of the chief ways that God unveils His story to us.

Stories engage us from a very young age. From the repetition and rhyme of many children’s stories through to the great adventure stories and fairy stories which we re-tell to each generation, stories capture our imaginations and enable us to enter a world that is larger and more wonderful than the reality we presently inhabit. Stories open our eyes to the invisible world, not only through fantasy and imagination, but by enabling us to identify with characters and evaluate actions and responses without the defensive wall of protection standing in the way. Think of Nathan’s skilful storytelling piercing David’s sinful defences (2 Samuel 12) or the way Jesus’s simple story of a prodigal son leaves us marvelling at the father’s compassion and love and wondering if the older brother will change his ways or not (Luke 15). Jesus told stories about people which draw us in in oblique fashion; in the words of Emily Dickinson, they ‘tell it slant.’

Stories refresh the parts of the brain which information can’t (to paraphrase a lager advert from the 1970s), and in giving us an apparently random history of Israel, Stephen is actually drawing us into the story of God. We are lulled into thinking this is just a history lesson, and may even be mildly interested in which parts of the story he focuses on and which parts he omits. Nonetheless, his dénouement (Acts 7:51-53) hits us with powerful force. Suddenly, Stephen is no longer talking about the past, which we can comfortably embrace or dismiss as we will. He is back in the present: ‘You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!’ (Acts 7:51) This is the skill of the storyteller – to draw us in as 3^rd person observers and then to bring the punchline home with force so that a 1^st person ‘now’ response is required. We’re not observers; we’re participants. Jesus’s death was not just a historical fact to be learnt along with the dates of the kings and queens of England; ‘ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers’, as Stuart Townend’s powerful lyrics go (‘How Deep The Father’s Love For Us’). Stephen’s defence, far from being boring or repetitive, is a tour-de-force in storytelling. His death is the proof they got the point.

Providence (the protective care of God) and provision (His care manifested in practical ways) are both part of God’s work for us in the world. In his potted history of the world, Stephen talks of God’s providence and provision by referencing the story of Joseph, a story which takes up much of the latter half of the book of Genesis.

Joseph, one of Jacob’s many sons, is well-known to modern secular audiences from the musical ‘Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, a coat which signified Jacob’s favour but which caused his brothers to envy him. Their response (selling him into slavery) is neatly summarised by Stephen as jealousy (Acts 7:9). Jealousy so often produces spiteful and harmful responses and is often irrational. Even though Joseph was a victim of jealousy, Stephen is quick to point out God’s providence: ‘But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles.’ (Acts 7:9-10) The story of Joseph proves to us beyond doubt that God cares for us, and even though this does not necessarily mean we don’t have to face difficult times – as Stephen’s story vividly illustrates for us – we can see that He is working for good in all circumstances. (Rom 8:28, Gen 50:20)

Joseph’s misfortunes (which included being sold into slavery, unjust imprisonment and loss of reputation before he ultimately became the second most powerful man in Egypt) were a refining process which led to him being the right man in the right place to rescue Israel from famine (Acts 7:11-16) in the same way that God would later work to ensure He had the right leader in the right place when it came to delivering Israel from Egypt. (Acts 7: 20-22) God’s providence and provision are there for us on a daily basis, but sometimes there are periods of testing which are intended to develop our character and faith in God. Both Joseph and Moses, great heroes of the faith, knew opposition and persecution and had to be tested and tried. Any history which does not take into account these things will inevitably be short on biblical faithfulness, however much it may be factually accurate. Stephen is well aware that rejection and death can be the outcome of following God, but he also knows that God is working for our good in every situation. (Rom 8:28)

Julie Andrews, in the film ‘The Sound of Music’, endeavours to teach children the musical alphabet (do-re-mi), likening this to homophones with their meanings (‘doe, a deer, a female deer; ray, a drop of golden sun.’) She starts this famous song with the words ‘let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start’. If you have ever started watching a TV series half-way through instead of at the beginning or read a book series not realising there is a certain order to the novels, you will appreciate the wisdom of those words! Starting at the very beginning really is a very good place to start!

Stephen has been accused of speaking against the Temple and the Law in Acts 6, and we might be forgiven for finding it surprising that rather than replying directly to those accusations in his defence, he goes back to Abraham and Moses and gives a long speech which could be said to be a potted history of Israel (rather as Nehemiah and Daniel did in Nehemiah 9 and Daniel 9 respectively.) On reflection, however, we realise that this is a very important principle. Stephen went back to the very beginning. He was not side-tracked by the accusations against him, but took the time to take people back to the beginning of God’s dealing with the people of Israel, how He called Abraham and established him as the father of faith, how the people of God arose from God’s miraculous intervention in Abraham’s life and how God preserved this nation through oppression and persecution. Stephen looks at the big picture and shows how opposition to God’s ways has always been endemic to those in authority… so there is no surprise at the opposition he is now encountering. (Acts 7:1-53)

More specifically, we see here that we cannot possibly hope to understand the story of God and the good news of Jesus Christ without reference to the Old Testament. In this one chapter, Stephen refers to several Old Testament passages (Gen 12:1, Gen 15:13-14, Ex 1:8, Ex 2:10, Ex 3:5, 6, 7, 8, 10 & Ex 32:1); we can’t even begin to follow his reasoning if we’re not steeped in Old Testament history. We need to understand how ‘the problem of human sin, social catastrophe and cosmic disaster’ (Tom Wright) described in Genesis 3-11 is dealt with by God and we can only do this if we start at the very beginning and understand the bigger picture. Salvation makes little sense if we don’t really know what we need saving from or why there’s a problem in the first place.

Thomas the Tank Engine is described as a ‘really useful engine’ and this term of praise is seen to be one of the highest possible in the children’s series by Rev. W. Awdry.

Most of us agree that usefulness is a valuable character trait, but struggle to know how to define this, as usefulness seems inherently subjective. What is useful to my husband as an engineer is not necessarily useful to me as a teacher. Photographs of signs in French were eminently useful to me when I was teaching that subject, but don’t have quite the same usefulness now!

Most Christians would also say that to be useful to God is something to which we should aspire. NIcky Gumbel, in his daily Bible reading notes, suggests 25 practical and down-to-earth ways we can increase our usefulness to God.

1. Love your enemy (Prov 25:21-22, see also Rom 12:20).

2. Watch your tongue. Paul warns Timothy to ‘avoid godless chatter’ (2 Tim 2:16). What we talk about really matters.

3. Avoid quarrelling (Prov 25:24; 2 Tim 2:14, 23-24). Some people are argumentative by nature, but this is not useful.

4. Bring good news. (Prov 25:25) Focus on the positive and the good news of the gospel message.

5. Stand your ground. (Prov 25:26) Don’t let evil win! (Rom 12:21)

6. Don’t seek honour. (Prov 25:27) Self-promotion rarely brings good results.

7. Be self-controlled (Prov 25:27, Gal 5:22-23). ‘Rocket’ Christians whose tempers flare at the slightest provocation are not useful.

8. Don’t worry about what others say. (Prov 26:2) It’s better to focus on what God says than to fret about the opinions of others.

9. Pass it on. (2 Tim 2:2) Our responsibility is to pass on what we know of Christ to others (and to some extent, this is a measure of usefulness.) As parents and grandparents, we have a responsibility to pass on the faith (see 2 Tim 1:5).

10. Endure hardship (2 Tim 2:4, 10, 12) Endurance precedes reigning! It acts as a witness and a spur to others.

11. Avoid distractions (2 Tim 2:4). We need a clear focus and determination to do what is important.

12. Keep to the rules. (2 Tim 2:4) God’s laws are to be obeyed. They’re there for a reason.

13. Work hard. (2 Tim 2:6) Hard work is commended by God.

14. Meditate on God’s word. (2 Tim 2:7) Make time to ponder and reflect. Write it down. If we gobble a meal down and rush off, we tend to end up with indigestion. One thing I love about French culture is the tendency to linger over meals and see this as an opportunity to build relationships, not just partake of food. Let’s linger over God’s word.

15. Focus on Jesus. (2 Tim 2:8) He’s the centre!

16. Correctly handle God’s word. (2 Tim 2:15) Don’t take things out of context. Think about the genre of writing you are reading (history? poetry? letters?) Dig deep!

17. Turn away from sin. (2 Tim 2:19) Repentance is not a one-off act. It’s an ongoing lifestyle.

18. Be a peacemaker. (2 Tim 2:22-23) We need to avoid strife and promote peace wherever we go.

19. Be kind to everyone. (2 Tim 2:24) ‘Everyone’ is an all-encompassing word which allows no exceptions!

20. Learn to teach. (2 Tim 2:24-25) This doesn’t simply mean the formal act of teaching, but includes being a role model to all in everything we do and say. Many lessons are better caught than taught, as they say. We influence others more than we realise through our lives, words and actions.

21. Don’t be resentful. (2 Tim 2:24) Resentment poisons relationships and stunts spiritual growth faster than just about anything else.

22. Hear the word of the Lord. (Jer 49:14) This is the secret to usefulness! What God says is so much more important than what people say.

23. Allow God to speak through you. (Jer 50:1) We may feel awkward sometimes doing this (‘I think God might be saying…’), but our usefulness can be increased as we wait on God and then speak out what He says.

24. Walk closely with God. (Jer 50:4) To be useful is to ‘hold tight to God.’ (Jer 50:5, The Message)

25. Find rest in the Lord. (Jer 50:6) Usefulness isn’t all about frantic activity. We need the proper work/ rest balance prescribed by God.