Tag Archives: full of the Holy Spirit

ACTS THE SEQUEL…ENTER STEPHEN – 14a

Bible Study, ,

“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people…”

Stephen, one of the men selected to serve, rose to prominence among the Seven. Not only did he serve faithfully but he also served powerfully as the Holy Spirit worked through him to demonstrate the works of the kingdom of God among them. Signs and wonders…the very things Jesus promised would  happen through those who believe…

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…were multiplying through Stephen…

…and some didn’t like it. 

Well…that set the cat among the pigeons! Persecution! Some fanatical Jews from out of town…Hellenistic Jews who would feature big in this story…faced off with Stephen. Problem was…they had no answer for the powerful works of the Holy Spirit. 

“Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Some people didn’t like what Stephen was doing…so they told him, in no uncertain terms! 

Argue…yes, but even arguing with Stephen didn’t work. You see, Stephen had the weapon of truth in his heart, and it came out of his mouth…and truth in the Spirit’s power cannot be defeated!

The arguments were hot and fierce. The trouble was that arguing would never solve the problem. You see, the issue was not about who could win by a better argument. The real issue was a matter of the heart. Those who opposed Stephen had no intention of believing in the one who was doing the miracles through Stephen, or the message to which the signs were pointing. Like their leaders, their hearts were as hard as granite. 

So…they did what they did best to discredit Stephen…they lied. They did the devil’s work. Character assassination! If you can’t win the argument fairly, throw stones at your opponent! Of course, they had allies…friends in high places.  They falsely accused him of blasphemy…just like those who accused Jesus. They lined up and briefed false witnesses to testify against him. They did everything by the book! Two or three witnesses. They played to the gallery…the religious leaders who were only too willing to fall in with their scheme. 

“So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Hearsay is not evidence so, to conform to the law, these hypocrites produced their “witnesses”.  This sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?  Only a short while before, Stephen’s Lord had suffered the same treatment…and the same fate…but, his Lord’s promise was to be with him. 

As Stephen stood before his accusers, something strange, unusual, unearthly, even scary began to happen…

To be continued

“Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Stephen was arrested and hauled before the Sanhedrin…

To be continued

THE BOOK OF ACTS – GROWTH BRINGS ITS OWN OPPORTUNITIES

Bible Study, ,

CHAPTER 6 

GROWTH BRINGS ITS OWN OPPORTUNITIES

“During this time, as the disciples were increasing in numbers by leaps and bounds, hard feelings developed among the Greek-speaking believers — “Hellenists” — toward the Hebrew-speaking believers because their widows were being discriminated against in the daily food lines.

So the Twelve called a meeting of the disciples. They said, ‘It wouldn’t be right for us to abandon our responsibilities for preaching and teaching the Word of God to help with the care of the poor. So, friends, choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts, men full of the Holy Spirit and good sense, and we’ll assign them this task. Meanwhile we’ll stick to our assigned tasks of prayer and speaking God’s Word.’

“The congregation thought that was a great idea.” Acts 6:1-5a (The Message).

It had to happen sometime! However idyllic the early church appeared to be, the people were still ordinary people, with evidences of their “humanness” coming through now and then. How this “racist” attitude crept in we do not know. Perhaps there was another “rotten apple” in the box who deliberately side-lined the Hellenistic widows; perhaps it was a simple oversight; perhaps it was an administrative omission. Who knows?

However it happened, it caused ill-will which had to be corrected quickly before their unity was compromised. What a lesson for us! Preserve unity which is a fundamental characteristic of a Spirit-led church and the Holy Spirit is free to move in the church and in the community.

Jesus set a great deal of store on unity. It was the zenith of His high priestly prayer in John 17. “‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.'” John 17:20-21 NIV).

Why is oneness so important to God? God is one; He created us in His image to be one with Him and with one another. Unity of this nature is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit but it is our responsibility to guard and maintain unity in the Body. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3 (NIV).

A simple plan to delegate solved their problem and set the church back on course to be a witness to the unbelieving world that Jesus had come from the Father and that the Father loved them as He loved Him – (John 17:23).

The early church was a genuine product of “evolution” — not an organisation with a set structure but a living organism that developed as it grew. Its function determined its leaders, and the gifts of individuals and the needs they met determined their ministries.

It is heartening to see how the apostles knew and protected their ministry from “needs” that could easily have crowded out their calling. Here was godly wisdom in operation. They knew what they had to do and were not so high-minded that they took on everything themselves instead of sharing the load with suitable people.

How many spiritual leaders fall into this trap! Pastors and ministers can be so insecure that they are afraid to delegate in case someone overshadows them and threatens their ministry. It is the person secure in God and in his or her calling and gifting that can develop a team of people who minster effectively because:

  1. They do what they are called and gifted to do.
  2. They are not doing what they don’t like doing and are uncomfortable in.
  3. They are able to develop their gifts and skills doing what brings them joy and fulfillment.
  4. Many more people benefit from the wider ministry of the team.
  5. The church experiences the power and blessing of unity.

The church is a not a game with most of the members sitting on the grandstand watching the experts play. It is a family in which everyone takes part in family life so that they can all grow up together.