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.

A leper came to Jesus once – quite against the law which required him to live as an outcast to avoid spreading infection – and asked for cleansing. In his request, he said, ‘if you are willing.’ (Mark 1:40) It was a big risk he took, but he was a desperate man.

Jesus was indeed willing, and not only that, He was able to cleanse him. Often we doubt God’s willingness more than His ability. We know God can do marvellous and miraculous things, but we are not always so confident that He is willing to do them for us. We doubt He will be bothered with the minutiae of our everyday lives.

Jesus showed HIs willingness (‘I am willing.’ Mark 1:41) and His power, stretching out His hand to touch the leper (thus breaking another taboo, for to touch a leper was to risk infection.) The purity of Jesus could not be contaminated by the defilement on the skin disease. Instead, His holiness and power cleansed the leper. (Mark 1:42)

Jesus’ willingness to be involved in our lives doesn’t change. He’s still willing to come into our situations with power and authority and He is still doing amazing things.

Our willingness can also at times be called into question. Are we willing? Will we do what Jesus asks us to? Will we obey Him when we don’t understand?

A little willingness goes a long way…

We had another October birthday to celebrate today!

J-P spoke tonight from Lamentations 3:1-22. Lamentations (the ‘complaining song’ in Afrikaans) is not a happy book: written at the time of Israel’s exile, it deals with many questions which are still very relevant to us today. Such questions include ‘how can I still believe in a good God when all around me is doom and gloom?’, ‘how can I keep hoping when everything seems to be lost?‘ and ‘what do I have to live for?’ There is a sense of helplessness and hopelessness in the book which many relate to in our current political climate.

Israel, God’s chosen people, were in exile, removed from their promised land by Nebuchadnezzar’s war machine. They were being punished for their sin and disobedience, but for many, this exile seemed relentless and endless. When life throws us curveballs, we can blame God and lose hope; darkness surrounds us and can often seep within us. Nonetheless, despite the litany of distress and confusion the writer feels, there is still hope. We don’t have to be chained to the past; we can still look up and look ahead to the future.

God’s compassions are new every morning. God’s love carries us through the dark times and give us perspective. Instead of dwelling on a dark past, we can look to a bright future. In a moment of clarity, the writer glimpses life and light; he saw tomorrow and was willing to give God a chance again.

God is always there for us – in the past, in the present and in the future. We need the perspective Lamentations gives us. Yes, we can lament and complain, but we can also have hope. As Ps 30:5 says, ‘weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.’