Reflecting the Image (by Carla Sunberg)

Scripture Ex. 28:6   They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, skillfully worked.  7 It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together.  8 The decorated band on it shall be of the same workmanship and materials, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.  9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,  10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.  11 As a gem-cutter engraves signets, so you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall mount them in settings of gold filigree.  12 You shall set the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembr...

Scripture  Acts 6:10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Observation Stephen had been called to testify before the synagogue of the Freedmen. They wanted to argue with him but they became frustrated with his response. He was far too eloquent for them and the combination was a one, two punch. His knowledge of the Scriptures overwhelmed them because he was skilled in Jewish wisdom. He was well acquainted with the sacred writings and opinions of scholars who had gone before. This was a man who had given sacrificially of his time and energy to become well educated and thus be able to articulate his faith. At the same time Stephen had been filled with the Holy Spirit. This empowering of the Spirit made a radical difference in his life and he was filled with a boldness that came from God. Not only was he bold, but the Spirit working in and through his life resulted in signs and wonders being performed in his midst. Not only could Stephen argue the ...

Scripture  33 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. Observation This verse stands out in the middle of a section which speaks about the sharing which was taking place in the new church which had been birthed in Jerusalem. Great grace was being showered upon each individual within the community as they shared their worldly goods and no one had any need. The faith community was living and growing and ministering together. The result was great power which flowed through the apostles as they gave their testimony. Daily they shared the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his ability to transform lives and the church grew rapidly. The lifestyle of the new believers was all consuming and as they shared and cared for one another power and grace resulted. Application We wonder why we don’t see New Testament type results in the church today. There are so many aspects of the New Testament chur...

Scripture Ex. 20:8   Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.  9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.  10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.  11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. Observation From the top of Mount Sinai God provides the ten commandments for his people.  This is a sign of  God’s covenantal relationship with his people. Observation of the Sabbath was a visible witness of the commitment of the people to their God. If the Sabbath was not observed it showed disrespect for the God of the Israelites. Christ inaugurated a new covenant by way of his life, death and resurrection and the actual day of the week, Saturday, was replaced by the da...

Scripture Ex. 14:30   Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.  31 Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses. Observation The Israelites witnessed one miracle after another. The plagues had consumed Egypt and the Israelites watched as one thing after another brought destruction upon the Egyptians. Now, this final and decisive act is brought upon the Egyptian army before their very eyes. This time it’s the total destruction of the symbols of Egyptian power which are brought down. God is the decisive winner and he is leading his people to freedom. Finally we read that the “people feared the LORD and believed.” They had witnessed incredible miracles. Application The sad truth about the Israelites was that they seemed to soon forget this miracle. Before long they were grumbling and wondering whet...

Scripture Acts 1:10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.  11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Observation Jesus had just told his followers that they would be his witnesses around the world. They had been commissioned to go and make a difference but now, suddenly, Jesus was taken up into heaven from right there in their midst. They were absolutely stunned, and so we find them staring up into heaven. They are stargazing, looking for something…and there may have been something improper about their response. Just imagine what they were thinking: 1) He didn’t restore the kingdom to Israel. 2) If we keep looking we’ll be able to see him. 3) We need him back here with us. John Stott writes: "There was something fundamentally anomalous about their gazing up into the sky...

Scripture Luke 24:10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. Observation My mind is filled with random thoughts this morning as I read again through the resurrection story. There are those moments when it dawns on you that you’ve never paid attention to all the names mentioned somewhere. Mostly when we think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ we think about Mary Magdalene’s presence at the tomb. She’s the one who’s made it into all the Easter musicals and lives on in our memories. Today my eyes fell on the name of Joanna. Nobody sings about Joanna. Her name is never really mentioned and yet, here she is captured in the gospel written by Luke and she goes with Mary to the tomb, only to discover that it is empty. This Joanna should not be new to us. She has been serving Jesus for a long time. She is the wife of Chuza who manages the household of Herod Antipas who lives in Galilee. We first hear of her i...