Acts 6:8-15
Acts 6:8-15
And Stephen, full of
grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then
some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called),
and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and
Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they
could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who
said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the
elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him
before the council, 13 and
they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak
words against this holy place and the law, 14 for
we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place
and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the
council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Stephen has just been
elected as one of the deacons in the church, but his ministry goes far beyond the
serving of tables. He is serving the
people and testifying of Jesus and the Gospel.
The consequences of doing this in Jerusalem are beginning to get more
and more severe. The enemies of Christ
are active and striving to silence His followers in any way then can. However, God is in control and He empowers
His followers to demonstrate His glory even in the most difficult of circumstances.
STEPHEN’S TESTIMONEY IS
POWERFUL: Stephen’s testimony was marked by two characteristics: the signs he
performed and the words of wisdom he spoke.
Both are clearly empowered by the Spirit of God. His life is described as being full of grace
and power. Those two characteristics are
not commonly associated with one another.
Jesus and Moses come to mind as other men who demonstrated this combination
of power and grace. This too is clearly
the work of the Spirit in his life. May we
faithfully allow the Spirit to empower us while at the same time filling us
with grace. When this happens, both our
words and works will become a powerful testimony for the glory of God.
STEPHEN’S ENEMIES ARE DECIETFUL:
Various groups from the synagogue felt threatened by Stephen so they went out
to debate him and dispute the things he was teaching. However, his words were so wise and
convincing that they could not prevail in this debate. The only option that was left for them was to
turn to deceit. They hired people to
speak falsely about him and claim that they constantly heard him speaking
against the temple and that he blasphemed God and Moses. These accusations were not true, but it was
the only way they could find to silence him.
They felt threatened by the power and wisdom of Stephen’s message
because it would eventually displace them.
They traded their integrity to solidify their power.
STEPHEN’S FACE IS GRACEFUL:
In the midst of the false accusations and standing before a counsel of men
intent on his harm, Stephen’s face was glowing.
This is evidence of the Spirit’s work in his life and must have been an
amazing sight for all who were in that place.
Enough people witnessed this even, including Paul, who likely told this
story to Luke who recorded it for us. God
is able to give us grace in every circumstance and fill our hearts with peace. No matter the danger or evil intents of the enemies
of our Lord, the Spirit of God is powerful and able to fill our hearts with
grace and peace.
APPLICATION: Allow the
Holy Spirit to use our works and our words to serve others and lift up the name
of Jesus. Seek to testify of Jesus with
powerful and gracious words. Be prepared
for suffering and persecution in service to the Lord. Let the presence of the Spirit shine through
our face in times when we are under stress or even attack. Depend on the Spirit for these amazing
qualities.
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