STEPHEN: A CHRIST-SHAPED DEATH (17 OF 56)
Stephen: A Christ-Shaped Death (17 of 56)
Series: The Church in ACTSion
Wyman Richardson
Acts 7
Read Acts 7
In Frederick Haime's 1865 book about his father, An Itinerant Preacher: Or Sketches from the Life of Charles Haime, he speaks of a particular sermon his father preached that offended a wealthy man. Here is what he wrote:
On another occasion, a rich man who gave largely to the circuit funds, deemed himself personally referred to in the sermon. Greatly offended, he followed my father to his home, and there gave vent to his excited feelings in words by no means smooth or gentlemanly. The reply, however, betokened nothing of fear: ''I knew not that you were in the chapel, but if the cap fitted, wear it.''
I can say that I have experienced a similar occurrence in my ministry. When I was first beginning to preach I preached a sermon on not giving up, on not stopping in our devotion to Christ, on persevering. I can honestly say before all of you that I had nobody in mind and was not aiming it anybody.
A few months after that I was at the home of an elderly church member who was unhappy. A deacon was with me and we listened to his complaint. Among his complaints was this: that I had targeted him some months before in that sermon. Genuinely confused, I asked him to explain. He said, ''A few months ago you preached a sermon on not quitting. And when you said that you looked right at me. And I cannot believe you would accuse me of quitting.'' I was, and am still, flabbergasted by that, though I have since seen it happen a few more times.
It is indeed a difficult thing when you feel that you have been preached at, that a shot has been taken at you personally from the pulpit. Oftentimes the accusation is inaccurate and the preacher was not directing anything at you in particular. But there are times when the accusation is accurate and a preacher does in fact preach at wrongdoers.
That is the case in Stephen's great sermon in Acts 7. He has been ...
Series: The Church in ACTSion
Wyman Richardson
Acts 7
Read Acts 7
In Frederick Haime's 1865 book about his father, An Itinerant Preacher: Or Sketches from the Life of Charles Haime, he speaks of a particular sermon his father preached that offended a wealthy man. Here is what he wrote:
On another occasion, a rich man who gave largely to the circuit funds, deemed himself personally referred to in the sermon. Greatly offended, he followed my father to his home, and there gave vent to his excited feelings in words by no means smooth or gentlemanly. The reply, however, betokened nothing of fear: ''I knew not that you were in the chapel, but if the cap fitted, wear it.''
I can say that I have experienced a similar occurrence in my ministry. When I was first beginning to preach I preached a sermon on not giving up, on not stopping in our devotion to Christ, on persevering. I can honestly say before all of you that I had nobody in mind and was not aiming it anybody.
A few months after that I was at the home of an elderly church member who was unhappy. A deacon was with me and we listened to his complaint. Among his complaints was this: that I had targeted him some months before in that sermon. Genuinely confused, I asked him to explain. He said, ''A few months ago you preached a sermon on not quitting. And when you said that you looked right at me. And I cannot believe you would accuse me of quitting.'' I was, and am still, flabbergasted by that, though I have since seen it happen a few more times.
It is indeed a difficult thing when you feel that you have been preached at, that a shot has been taken at you personally from the pulpit. Oftentimes the accusation is inaccurate and the preacher was not directing anything at you in particular. But there are times when the accusation is accurate and a preacher does in fact preach at wrongdoers.
That is the case in Stephen's great sermon in Acts 7. He has been ...
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