October 23, 2025

Annie Ward
“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’”
Acts 7:30-34

I love that Pastor Jose challenged us this past Sunday with three things from the story of Stephen: know God’s story, enter God’s story, and share God’s story. Two people who really lived this out are Stephen and Moses.

Stephen had been walking through the stories of the Old Testament and came to Moses. The story in Exodus 3 shows that Moses knew God’s story too. God says to him, “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses knew these names and understood he was part of God’s chosen people.

Both men stepped into God’s story. Moses went into Egypt to free his people and led them for forty years through the wilderness. Stephen put his faith in Jesus, led the early church, and allowed God to use him through the Holy Spirit to confront the Jewish leaders.

Both men shared God’s story. Moses boldly went to Pharaoh, gave the Ten Commandments, and guided Israel all the way to the edge of the Promised Land. Stephen shared God’s story courageously, even to the point of death.

I have to admit, there have been times in my life when I haven’t fully done these three things. My prayer is that, by God’s grace, we can know God’s story, step into God’s story, and share God’s story today as followers of Jesus.