David CM Bell Leadership Blog

  Acts 8:26-40 This Scripture passage tells us so much about the modern Church. So much about ourselves. You see, you cannot buy God’s gifts. Like Simon the Sorcerer, we often miss the entire point. We hear politicians and business gurus wax on about what we can do to get ahead, etc. But we fail to listen to God. It truly is not about us. Or our family or our country. It is about our obedience to Jesus. It is about what we do with the message of Good News about the Kingdom of God. That’s what matters. Kinda simple, and yet the richest and most complex challenge of eternal consequence. And when we choose to obey Jesus, we receive God’s blessing, as does our family and country. Many people in the Church , like Simon the Sorcerer, want people to pray for them. They want God to do things for them. And they want daily assurance that nothing terrible will happen to them. That’s what we see Simon doing (8:24). And yet, that’s what we do as well. Now, what’s rare, is the ma...

Colton and Kari   Acts 8:2-25          A prideful man is capable of leading an entire division into hell. He has nuclear capabilities. God uses humble, honest men to lead others to heaven. They do not need to keep score; God will account. The truth of this passage rings out in our modern culture. It is challenging for a celebrity to be an effective witness to God’s way. They are not productive men for God if they hold tight to their pride. It’s easier to thread an anchor through an eye socket than to harvest men with a celebrity pastor. (ok, Jesus’s camel and needle metaphor is much better!) So it was with Simon the Sorcerer. He was a big deal in Samaria. A celebrity, the GOAT. Like Gretzky, Tiger, Brady, or Kanye. He tasted fame and acclaim, that sweet treat that turns so bitter, time after time. Sadly, the modern Church is a champion of this nonsense. We relish our big names. Our inclination is to give the celebrity con...

  Acts 8:1          Stephen knew God. He knew Jesus. He was full of grace and power from the Spirit. He was well respected. And wise. He was a descendant of Abraham. And a disciple of Jesus Christ. He was falsely charged. He defended himself with the whole counsel of God. But he didn’t protect himself from getting out of a jam. His goal was to speak the truth in love, no matter the consequences.          Stephen brought an accurate charge against the Jewish leaders. He explained their stubbornness and their deliberate resistance to the Holy Spirit. And their ultimate and eternally shameful sin, betraying their Rescuer and murdering their Messiah.          The Jewish leaders, and a young man named Saul, didn’t take too kindly to Stephen’s message of who Jesus was and what Stephen accused them of doing to Jesus. There was no Gamaliel here this tim...

  Acts 7:36-60          I struggled to open my Bible this morning as I didn’t want to read the second half of this chapter. I know what happens. Lord Jesus, God Almighty, thank you for Stephen’s witness, for his love, and his focus on You. Please open my eyes as I read this morning.          The Israelites did not recognize Moses as a man sent by God to rescue them (v. 25). Somehow, Moses sensed his calling as a ruler and judge – but it was not yet time. (God’s timing is perfect, as are His ways). The Israelites would suffer another 40 years before Moses would return because they could not see, nor did they want, the man God brought as their rescuer. That’s the theme of this passage: rescue. It’s the same message each of us needs to hear today: rescue and a responsibility not to reject God.          God’s purposes always prevail. Just as God sent Mo...

  Acts 7:1-35          We, like Stephen, gain grace and insight from the Holy Spirit. Notice that those who attacked Stephen were from the Synagogues of the “Freed Slaves.” And yet they did not know God, and they were enslaved indeed. Lying, murderous slaves to sin.          The charges they brought against Stephen, against Jesus really, as Stephen represents the Lord as his ambassador here, were that he spoke against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. They made up false arguments (lies), claiming Stephen said Jesus would destroy the Temple and change Moses’ customs. Of course, it was they who actually killed the true Temple. And it was the accusers who did not know God or his prophet, Moses. The Holy Spirit helped Stephen to see the liars as brothers and to give Stephen the love to pray for their salvation. In Stephen's reply, he was respectful. More than that: Stephen was filled...

  Acts 6:8-15          From the outset, the church positively impacted society. When Jesus said, "Feed my sheep," he did not mean just spiritually. He commands us to look after his people. The Christian way includes (i) bringing all people to God, (ii) presenting them with God's gift of eternal life, (iii) encouraging them to "save themselves from this wicked generation" by repenting from their sins and turning to God, (iv) baptizing them in Jesus' name for the wiping clean of all their sins, and (v) acting as God's ambassadors of reconciliation as each of them receives the Holy Spirit. They are then God's people, converted from lost and condemned to found and free.            But notice the vital role of the seven that ran the food program. Some may look down their noses at them as somehow inferior. But they were nothing of the sort. In fact, after his resurrection, it was Jesus wh...

  Acts 6:1-7          We see that a mid great spiritual victories, we should not be surprised to find opposition from outside the church and challenges from within. With the rapid growth and increased resources of the church came difficulties. Rapid growth and increased resources are good problems but notice how the leaders and people handled these challenges. They focused on getting the right leaders in place. Jim Collins' classic business book, 'Good to Great,' relays the principle we find here in Scripture - get the right people on the bus. Then decide where to drive - not the other way around. Rumblings of discontent originate from lots of sources. Sometimes it is organizational change, and sometimes it is from treating employees poorly. As a leader, do not ignore these rumblings. Whenever people interact, you can expect friction. It's part of the human condition. In this Acts church case, there were rumblings of discontent be...