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| Acts 7:17-43 - Where to Find Holy Ground |
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Some think holy ground is found in a church building, at an altar, a certain location and piece of land or country. We need to understand where to find holy ground.
In Acts chapter 7, Stephen is giving a defense in response to the religionist of His day trying desperately to hang on to the status quo. They feel threatened that Jesus and His followers were going to bring change to their religious institution. Instead of embracing the change that God is bringing, they resort to lies. Stephen takes a stand for faith and justice.
In the first paragraph of chapter 7, Stephen refers to Abraham. In the second paragraph, he paints them a picture of Joseph. Next in Acts 7:17-43, Stephen talks about Moses. The religionists had just accused Stephen of wanting to change the customs that Moses delivered to them (Acts 6:14).
In these paragraphs of Scripture, Stephen traced the life and the ministry of Moses through three periods of Moses’ life. Each period lasted 40 years.
- The Egyptian period – This is the first 40 years where Moses is saved from death, delivered to the Egyptian palace and educated. During this period, Moses never lost sight of his Hebrew connection which led him to take a stand for Justice.
- The Midianite period – Moses' own people rejected his stand for justice and this drove him from the palace to the backside of the desert to tend sheep. It was in this period that Moses was molded and shaped to enter into his destiny in God’s timing. It was there that Moses found holy ground.
- The Wilderness period – In God’s timing, after 400 years of slavery, Moses was used to deliver his people from captivity. This led him into a wilderness experience along with his people. He was allowed to get a glimpse of the promise land, but was not allowed to enter in, yet by faith, he held onto the promise that his people would.
The lesson to learn from the experiences of Moses is that God is everywhere. He is with us through all periods of our life. He is with us through the good times and the bad times constantly molding and shaping us to enter into our destiny. Some will refuse to ever change with us and some will reject us because of our stand for faith and justice, but God will be with us. He will never reject us or forsake us.
We also see that holy ground is not found in a building, in a certain location, among a particular group of people or associated with any land. Moses found holy ground on the back side of the desert tending sheep. Moses learned that the holy place is wherever God may be and that God is always with us. Stephen’s audience had not learned this valuable truth.
Holy ground is where God is and God is everywhere we go. May we learn it, believe it and always trust in it.
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