Stephen preaches his last sermon
Today I was reading in Acts 7 a story about a guy named Stephen. This dude (sorry he is a dude isn't he?) had people lying about him shortly before this chapter which placed him in jail. They said "We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God." So the next day "the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these accusations true?" Stephens response was a sermon starting with the stories of Abraham and such. He went straight through the bible in warp speed and talked about Moses and about Jesus and how he was born from their lineage. Then he hit them with the punch line. He took a while getting to this. Eric, mentioned to me that he could just see the counsel sitting there saying.. yup I remember that story, I remember that too... Then the punch line hits in verse 51:
Dang!!! Could I be that bold in my faith? Heck I have problems keeping my mind pure. I have problems resisting just normal thoughts. But to be bold like this is a faith like I have never seen or heard of before now! The story then continues. The Jewish leaders were infuriated (wouldn't you be?).
Lets read the rest straight from the text... it is just to powerful for me to paraphrase it.
What would it look like if I had faith like Stephen? What would it look like if I were bold like Stephen?
Something to note here.. Stephen was "filled with the Holy Spirit". If I could get my life totally right with God to the point where He was more and I truly was less and I was able to truly accept the Holy Spirit in my heart and truly let it rule my life where on earth would God take me? Where would He take you? How much joy would we have in life? Imagine us not getting upset over parking places, menial things, stupid jobs, stupid working partners, the mundane things in life. Just pure joy gifted from the Holy Spirit!!!
Thank you Stephen and more so thank you Jesus!
51"You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? But your ancestors did, and so do you! 52Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One--the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53You deliberately disobeyed God's law, though you received it from the hands of angels."
Dang!!! Could I be that bold in my faith? Heck I have problems keeping my mind pure. I have problems resisting just normal thoughts. But to be bold like this is a faith like I have never seen or heard of before now! The story then continues. The Jewish leaders were infuriated (wouldn't you be?).
Lets read the rest straight from the text... it is just to powerful for me to paraphrase it.
54The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen's accusation, and they shook their fists in rage. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. 56And he told them, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!"
57Then they put their hands over their ears, and drowning out his voice with their shouts, they rushed at him. 58They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. The official witnesses took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60And he fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died.
What would it look like if I had faith like Stephen? What would it look like if I were bold like Stephen?
Something to note here.. Stephen was "filled with the Holy Spirit". If I could get my life totally right with God to the point where He was more and I truly was less and I was able to truly accept the Holy Spirit in my heart and truly let it rule my life where on earth would God take me? Where would He take you? How much joy would we have in life? Imagine us not getting upset over parking places, menial things, stupid jobs, stupid working partners, the mundane things in life. Just pure joy gifted from the Holy Spirit!!!
Thank you Stephen and more so thank you Jesus!




2 Comments:
I wonder if that is what it means to be fillied with the Holy Spirit? I wonder what is keeping me from being an empty vessel for the Holy Spirit? Stephen was filled with it and I know I'm no Stephen, so what's in me that is taking up room in my "vessel". Filled with the Holy Spirit in context here means Stephen was filled with 100% of and to the top. What am I filled with. Perhaps.....10% of life's worries, 75% of just selfish desires, 10% of family, and 5% of the Holy Spirit. What wonders we could accomplish if we were filled with the Holy Spirit.
you ever wonder if we were filled 100% with the Holy Spirit what that would give us. What miraculous signs we would be able to do for Christ?
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