Acts 7 --Stephen Goes Home

Now, my commentary says, Stephen's ministry is that of Judge.  "Stephen proved from their own Scriptures that the Jewish nation was guilty of worse sins than those they accused him of committing."  It says those sins were:

1) "They misunderstood their own spiritual roots -- Abraham was saved by grace, through faith, and not because he was circumcised, kept a law, or worshiped in a temple.  All of those things came afterward ... He believed the promises of God and it was this faith that saved him."

2)  :They rejected their God-sent deliverers -- Joseph, Moses, and now Jesus."

3)  "They disobeyed their law -- No sooner had the people received the law than they disobeyed it by asking Aaron to make them an idol ... Acts 7:42 describes the judgment of God when He 'takes His hands off' and permits sinners to have their own way ... The law made them a holy people ... when Israel broke down that wall of distinction by disobeying God's law, they forfeited the blessing of God and had to be disciplined."

4)  "They despised their temple -- The witnesses accused Stephen of seeking to destroy the temple, but that was exactly what the Jewish nation did!  ... Over the years, the worship at the Temple degenerated into mere religious formality and eventually there were idols placed in the temple."

5)  "They stubbornly resisted their God and His truth -- this is the part that cut his hearers to the heart ... Their ears did not hear the truth, their hearts did not receive the truth, and their necks did not bow to the truth.  As a result, they killed their own Messiah!"

Finally, Stephen's ministry was that of martyr.  "Our Lord sat down when He ascended to heaven, but He stood up to welcome to glory the first Christian martyr ... Stephen was not only tried in a manner similar to that of our Lord, but he also died with similar prayers on his lips ... God does not call all of us to be martyrs, but He does call us to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2)."

Father, help my life to be a living sacrifice for You.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford