How Expectation Disrupts Spirit
Unknown Lots of Christians, particularly those with lesser Biblical familiarity, remember Stephen as the early church deacon who was martyred by stoning. Many people also note that Saul, who would later become one of the largest Christian influences in history, was present and approved of this stoning. Prior to Stephen's death, however, he makes a long speech to the high priest under whom he has been arrested. Stephen walks through the narrative of the Old Testament, emphasizing God's continual presence and care, but it is a piece toward the end of his speech that I want to focus on today. In Acts 7:44-53, Stephen notes the history of the Temple and the Tabernacle before it, as well as the way in which Israel historically expected God to show up within these confines. Because God had repeatedly shown up in these places and to the religious leaders within, the Jewish people believed He would again. (Or, at least, they claimed to, as in Matthew, the Temple itself was being profa...
