{"id":1714,"date":"2022-04-17T13:48:41","date_gmt":"2022-04-17T18:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/?p=1714"},"modified":"2022-04-17T13:48:41","modified_gmt":"2022-04-17T18:48:41","slug":"stephen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/17\/stephen\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cAnd Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.<\/strong>\u201d
Acts 6:8 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the early church, the new Believers were encouraged to\ncontinue, \u201cstedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in\nbreaking of bread, and in prayers<\/strong>\u201d (Acts 2:42).\nHowever, soon there were thousands of new Believers, and they chose men to help\nin the ministry of the church. Once they chose these men to be ministers, see\nwhat we read. \u201cAnd the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples\nmultiplied in <\/strong>Jerusalem<\/strong>\ngreatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith<\/strong>\u201d\n(Acts 6:7). God blessed, and more people were saved.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephen was one of the seven men chosen who stood out in his\nservice to God. \u201cAnd Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and\nmiracles among the people<\/strong>\u201d (Acts 6:8). Recognize that when God begins to\nwork, Satan likes to stir trouble. \u201cThen there arose certain of the\nsynagogue \u2026 disputing with Stephen<\/strong>\u201d (Acts 6:9). The religious leaders began\nto argue with Stephen. Understand something important. \u201cAnd they were not\nable to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake<\/strong>\u201d (Acts 6:10). Consider what Jesus had taught his\nfollowers. \u201cFor I will give you a mouth and wisdom,\nwhich all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist<\/strong>\u201d\n(Luke 21:15). Gainsay<\/strong> means \u201ccontradict<\/em>.\u201d  They may not have received<\/em><\/strong> the truths that\nStephen taught about faith in Jesus, but they could not refute<\/em><\/strong> those truths\neither.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the religious leaders did not like what Stephen was\ndoing, or what he was saying, read the following to understand what they did\nnext. \u201cThen they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak\nblasphemous words against Moses, and against<\/em> God<\/strong>\u201d (Acts 6:11). Suborned<\/strong>\nmeans \u201cto introduce underhandedly; to\nmake a secret agreement; to suborn in the legal sense means to induce a person\nto make a false oath; to commit perjury<\/em>.\u201d They not only stirred up all of\nthe people, but they set up false witnesses, erroneously accusing Stephen.\nThese men brought Stephen before the council and accused him of speaking\nagainst the Temple and the Law of\nMoses (see Acts 6:12-13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When that happened, Stephen preached the Gospel message to\nthem, which in essence, was a fulfillment, or completion, of the Law of Moses.\nHe explained to them from the Old Testament Scriptures, in a review of their\nhistory, a bold defense of the Christian faith. He offered to the religious\nleaders a Biblical theology in his examination of the Old Testament in light of\nJesus\u2019 coming. In his remembrance, he made it a point to remind them that\nthroughout their history, there was never a time that the entire nation\nworshiped God \u2013 but there was always a remnant of true Believers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephen began with Abraham, a true man of faith! For when God\ntold him to leave his family and walk with God, Abraham followed God\u2019s Word.\nWhen God told Abraham He would bring forth a great nation from him (even though\nhe was old and childless), Abraham believed God. God proceeded to give Abraham\na son, Isaac, who fathered the sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephen reminded them of Joseph (who was initially rejected\nby his brothers), and Moses (who was initially rejected by his people). Even\nthough both of these men were rejected at first, they were received as leaders\nthe second time. It was then that they were able to save God\u2019s people in that\ntime in history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet as Stephen reminded the religious leaders of these great men of their history, these religious leaders (who knew the history in the Old Testament) had rejected the greatest deliverer presented to them \u2013 Jesus<\/em><\/strong>. For Jesus had come to, \u201c\u2026 save His people from their sins<\/strong>\u201d (Matthew 1:21). Stephen rebuked these religious leaders for their unbelief. Remember, it was some of these same religious leaders who had not only rejected Jesus, but had demanded His death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was their response to Stephen\u2019s presentation of Jesus? \u201cWhen they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their<\/em> teeth<\/strong>\u201d (Acts 7:54). These religious leaders were \u201ccut to the heart<\/strong>,\u201d but instead of repenting and turning to Jesus (as we saw many people had done), they ran upon Stephen and bit him with their teeth. Notice that Stephen did not fight back, but looked up and saw into heaven. When Stephen declared that he saw Jesus, \u201cThen they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord<\/strong>\u201d (Acts 7:57). They put their hands over their ears and ran upon him, hostilely. They proceeded to stone Stephen. Yet Stephen had forgiven his enemies, and Jesus received him into heaven. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These religious leaders, who had studied the Old Testament Scriptures, yet they had not kept the words recorded therein \u2013 for they rejected Jesus, the One of whom it was all written. Remember what Jesus replied to the High Priest before His death. \u201c\u2026 Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven<\/strong>\u201d (Matthew 26:64). Then, they will believe in Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you believed upon Jesus whom the Old Testament history presents as our Saviour?<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to be Saved<\/a><\/blockquote>