"When the council members heard Stephens's speech, they were angry and furious. But Stephen was filled
with the Holy Spirit. He looked toward heaven, where he saw our glorious God and Jesus standing at his right side.
Then Stephen said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!" The council members
shouted and covered their ears. At once they all attacked Stephen and dragged him out of the city. Then they
started throwing stones at him…..As Stephen was being stoned to death, he called out, "Lord Jesus please welcome me!"
He knelt down and shouted, "Lord, don't blame them for what they have done." Then he died. (Acts 7:54-59, CEV).
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WHAT ARE YOU COMMITTED TO?
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What are you committed to? What is it that you are most passionate about? What is it that claims your undivided attention?
What is it that you will make whatever sacrifice necessary? For most of us that are Christians without hesitation we will declare that it is our faith.
It is our willingness to be used by God in building His Kingdom. It is our love for Jesus our Lord and Savior. Yet, there are ushers that
serve when they want to; choir members who sing when it is convenient; and church members that come to worship service when they feel like it.
So, for many, what they say and what they do are not the same.
According to Webster's New World Dictionary commitment means a pledge or promise to do something. It means dedication to a long-term
course of action; engagement; or involvement. If you were a car, commitment would be the gasoline in your tank. It you were a tree, commitment
would be the sap that goes through the branches. For the human body, commitment is the blood that runs in the veins. It is that something that
moves us to a particular action. It is the thing above all other things that we cannot do without. It claims our attention and allegiance.
As we prepare to celebrate Father's Day this year, I want to suggest that the men in our community have gotten a bad rap-some of it
deserved and some of it not deserved. In just about every social category you consider, the men in our community are on the negative end
of the statistic. For example, William Raspberry in his column in the Washington Post, October 17, 2005, "The Price of Low Expectations," stated,
"In one recent year, just under half of all young men in the District of Columbia were in prison, on parole or probation, awaiting trial or
sentencing, or being sought on a warrant. In Baltimore, one in five black men aged 20-30 was in custody." Sadly, these
numbers are probably true in many of our cities. An article by Erik Eckholm, in The New York Times, March 20, 2006, "Plight
Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn," confirms the dire situation of the men in our community. Negative adjectives like,
dead beat, absentee, non-support, non-custodial and no-good, are added to the word father in describing the men in our
community. In light of these realities, children could ask the question, "Am I still obligated to honor my father, if he
is a part of one of these dismal statistics?"
How can you know what you are committed to? There are at least three ways to determine what you are committed to.
They are where you spend your time, talent and treasure. The amount of these three resources that you give to something is a good
barometer of how committed you are to it. Another good measurement is to consider your personal area and see what has premiere
position. Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21).
In the text above, Stephen gave his life rather than compromise his faith. His confession and his profession was the same.
He lived and died to his commitment. When he was arrested if he had held his peace and not preached about Jesus he could have saved his life.
One who practices a watered-down, compromised, acceptance of the status-quo religion need not fear the world. But, Christianity is
by nature a radical and non-conforming religion. To every would-be disciple Jesus said, "Count the cost" (Luke 14:28). There is a
cost to committed and consecrated living. It cost the widow woman "even all her living. It cost John the Baptist his head. It cost
Daniel to be cast in a lions' den. It cost Peter a martyr's death. It cost Abraham the yielding up of his son. It cost Jesus to die
on the cross! What does it cost you? Your answer will help you to determine what you are committed to.
In the text above, sometimes called the Great Commission, we are charged not just to win souls, but to “make disciples.”
I want to suggest that once people accept Jesus Christ they are positional disciples. They are disciples by new birth (I Co. 5:17).
I believe it is the responsibility of the church to teach them how to become an experiential disciple, one who sees disciple-making
as his primary goal in life. The text above admonishes us to make the main thing, the main thing. The main thing is to “win the world
for Christ.
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