Annette Sanders's Page

Your Witness Begins With Your People
Acts 7:2a
"To this he replied: 'Brothers and fathers, listen to me!'"
Thoughts for Today:
Stephen stood before the chief priest and Sanhedrin to answer the charge of "speaking against this holy place and against the law." As he began his testimony he addressed them in the familiar terms of brothers and fathers as he pleaded with them to open their minds, and "listen to me!" I really can relate to Stephen's frustration. After all, these were his people (brothe… Continue

A Defining Moment


Acts 7:1



"Then the high priest asked him, 'Are these charges true?'"


Thoughts for Today:


Imagine Stephen's predicament, here he was standing alone before the high priest having just heard numerous witnesses lie about what he had said -- they testified that he spoke words of blasphemy against Moses and God. Stephen knew Jewish law, so he knew the penalty for blasphemy was stoning, and he knew these people were looking for an excuse to punish him severely.



This was St… Continue

: The Definition of Success
Acts 6:7
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Thoughts for Today:
There is a saying that goes, "You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." Previously in verse 5, the apostle's "proposal pleased the whole group," however the definition of success is not in whether the whole group is pleased or not (a… Continue

Read Joshua 22 -- 24

Highlights In Today's Reading:
The 2-1/2 tribes build an altar as a memorial and witness (Chapter 22). Joshua and Caleb wholly follow the Lord and, at the end of his days, Joshua exhorts the Israelites to live holy lives and not be friends with the Canaanites. Joshua proclaims that failure to live in holiness can and will have inevitable consequences (23:15-16).

Joshua led the way and, the twelve tribes followed him. He believed God who said: Every place that the sole of y… Continue

Do We Display Prejudice in Our Church?

Acts 6:1b

…the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

Thoughts for Today:

As the church grows, so grow the problems. In New Testament times there were two classes of Jews, those who remained in Palestine and spoke Hebrew, and those who had lived outside Palestine, spoke the Greek language and observed Greek styles of dress and custom. These Greek Jews were… Continue