By Flattery, George M. IntroductionThe apostles selected Stephen as one of the seven men to oversee the distribution of food in the early church. Soon, the ministry of Stephen went beyond the distribution of food and emerged with great power. God used Stephen in a miraculous way. Then, men from the Synagogue (or Synagogues) of the Freedmen" resisted the Holy Spirit and arose to oppose him. Stephen was stoned to death, but in Christ he obtained the ultimate victory. The entire seventh chapter of Acts deals with this story, but we will focus especially on verses 51-53. Several points attract our attention. For a full explanation of this text, click here. One, Stephen's opponents accused him of blasphemy. Many believers are falsely accused today. The people were stirred up, and they dragged Stephen before the Council. False witnesses claimed (Acts 6:13-14), "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place [the Temple] and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us." NASU All of these charges were false, but the Council took its stand against Stephen. Today, thousands of Christians suffer persecution in many lands. They very often are falsely accused of doing things that they did not do. It seems that almost any trumped up charge will suffice to bring the judgment of a court or outraged people against them. Many believers are put to death. Two, Stephen honored both Moses and Christ. In spite of persecution, we must exalt Christ! After the charges were made, the high priest asked, "Are these things so?" Stephen does not directly defend himself against the allegations with regard to Moses and the Law. He countered the charges against him by showing how the forefathers of his accusers had repeatedly rejected Moses. They had received the Law but had not kept it. Stephen exalted Moses as the great prophet and leader that he was. Moreover, Stephen's accusers charged him with speaking against the Temple and saying that Jesus would destroy it. Jesus had faced (Mark 14:58 and John 2:19-22) a similar charge. Stephen did not say, "Jesus will not destroy the Temple." Rather, he made the point (Acts 7:48) that the worship of God was not tied to the Temple. Whenever we are faced with opposition, we must simply exalt Christ! We have committed ourselves to Him. We live and move and have our being in Him. So whatever the cost, we must lift Him up as the Savior of the world. Three, Stephen's opponents resisted the Holy Spirit. Many people resist Him today. After telling the history of how Israel rejected the prophets, Stephen pronounced (Acts 7:51-53) his indictment. Stephen declared that his opponents were stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, that they resisted the Holy Spirit just like their fathers, and that they were betrayers and murders of Christ, the Righteous One. Their reaction to Stephen's speech was swift and harsh. They drove him out of the city and stoned him. As the Bible makes clear, the Holy Spirit may be resisted. Isaiah declared (63:10) that the children of Israel "rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit." In Acts 5:3, Peter declared that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias to "lie" to the Holy Spirit. According to Acts 5:9, both Ananias and Sapphira tried to "put the Spirit of the Lord to the test." Stephen's accusers (Acts 6:10) were unable to cope with "the wisdom and Spirit with which he was speaking." Much later, the apostle Paul exhorted us to "not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." And, according to Hebrews 10:29, it is possible to insult the "Spirit of grace." At all cost, we must avoid resisting the Holy Spirit. Four, Christ received the martyred Stephen. In Christ we are ultimately the victors! Just before Stephen was dragged out of the city and stoned, He gazed in heaven. He saw Jesus standing (7:55) at the right hand of the Father. We often think of Jesus being seated at the right hand of the Father, but Stephen saw Him standing. Many think that Jesus was standing in order to welcome Stephen home with honor. In spite of being martyred, Stephen was the victor! We must always keep in mind that whatever difficulties we face in the short run, we in the long run are victors. God is faithful and just. We are in His hands, and His hands are victorious. He will be faithful to reward us fully. ConclusionThe Holy Spirit is a powerful persuader. He works in our hearts and lives to draw us to Christ. If we refuse his persuasion, we are in serious condition. We will be counted among those who are rebellious and stiff-necked. As long as we resist, we will be lost in our sins. Thus, Stephen's message is an appeal to all of us to respond quickly and favorably to the work of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit moves within our hearts, we must respond in faith and obedience. God will reward us for our commitment.

[ Fri, 8 Dec 2006 17:31:00 GMT ]

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