I Want to Glow with the Radiance of His Glory - Apples of Gold - November 14, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for November 14, 2008

“I Want to Glow with the Radiance of His Glory”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

The Bible says Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit.

Now let me ask you this.  What does a guy like that look like?

Or does it even show?

Well, we get a clue in Acts 7:15 when Stephen is on trial for his life.  It says, “All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”

What does that mean, his face looked like the face of an angel?  Like we all know what that looks like.

Well here is how I see it.  I see Stephen with a radiance.  Kind of a mix of joy and peace.  Both humility and power.  Not power in himself.  No pride.  But complete confidence in God.  Total faith and trust in God.  In fact, he looks like God is leaking out of him.

That’s what I think Stephen looked like.  They described it as the face of an angel, but what it was was God leaking out of him.  Which makes sense since he was “full of the Holy Spirit.”  He was so full of God’s Spirit he was overflowing.

You know they ended up killing him.  Stoned him to death.  There he was, receiving his death sentence, and shining like an angel.

How can a guy do that?  How can you face a severe trial and still shine like an angel?

The key is that first thing we said about Stephen.  He was full of the Holy Spirit.

And you know, this thing of having the face of an angel isn’t just for Stephen.  It’s for me and you. 

Check this out in Second Corinthians 3:18.  It says that we “…reflect the Lord’s glory…”

It sounds like this is a process that takes place over time.  It says we “are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory…”

And this glory comes from the Holy Spirit within us.

Verse nine says that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is bringing about righteousness in our lives, and this comes with glory.  And this glory actually shines on our faces!

Second Corinthians 3 compares it to an Old Testament story of Moses.  In Exodus 33, just before he received the Ten Commandments, Moses said to God, “Show me your glory.”  And God did.

Then when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, it spooked everyone because his face was literally glowing.  Then over time the glow faded.

Well they bring that story up in Second Corinthians, and it says, yes, the glory on Moses’ face faded, BUT, this glory we are exposed to through the Holy Spirit – this glory will last!

That’s because Moses was exposed to God on the mountain, then he came down.

We, however, are exposed to God on the inside of us, in the form of the Holy Spirit.  God’s glory is inside of us, and the Bible says we are being transformed into His likeness. 

Remember God showing His glory to Moses on Mount Sinai?  Well we are starting to take on God’s appearance, His likeness, as we are transformed by the Holy Spirit.

We see this effect culminated in Stephen, whose face looked like that of an angel. 

Well you know what?  That’s what I want.  I want to be so full of the Holy Spirit that I’m glowing.  I’m radiating the glory of God. 

Second Corinthians 3:9 says that the ministry of the Holy Spirit brings righteousness.  So here is what I think.  I must let the Holy Spirit do His work inside me.  I must let Him bring about righteousness in my life.

I believe that the more I let Him have His way, the more righteous I will become, and the more I will be transformed into God’s likeness. 

And this will bring about that glow, that radiance.  I believe it will literally begin to show on my face, like Stephen. 

As I allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in me, my life will become more and more filled with the Spirit. 

I will become more and more righteous, and look what Psalm 37 says about righteousness.  It can shine like the sun rising in the darkness!

I want that.  I want to be so full of the Holy Spirit and righteousness that everywhere I go it’s like the sun at dawn, bringing God’s warmth and light into every situation.

I’m surely not there.  I have a long way to go.  But this is my prayer today.

“Lord, like Stephen, fill me with your Holy Spirit, fill me with your righteousness, so that no matter what trial I face, I will glow with the radiance of your glory.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
 
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
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