Persecution

What does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit? What does it look like to fully trust God? We’re looking today at the incredible account of a man named Stephen in Acts 6 and 7.

At the end of Acts chapter 1, before Jesus ascended, He tells His disciples Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 NIV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

So far, they have been in Jerusalem, fulfilling the first part of that promise. How does the message travel beyond Jerusalem? I already have the answer to that question in the title. Persecution. Just as there is a single moment when the Church was born on the day of Pentecost with the Holy Spirit dwelling within the disciples of Jesus, there is a moment when everything changes again for the believers, and the moment is centered around a man named Stephen. Stephen is first introduced to us in Acts 6.

Acts 6:1–2 ESV

1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

Hellenist were jews that had adopted the greek culture and language.

Acts 6:3–4 NIV

3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

Acts 6:5 NIV

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.

Acts 6:6–7 NIV

6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

We saw in Acts 3, 4, and 5 how the apostles established 2 ways in which the new church should function.

Proclaim the Gospel

Jesus, the son of God, paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross, and three days later He rose from the dead. We need only repent and put our faith in Jesus. When we do that, we become a part of the expanding kingdom of Heaven. That’s the gospel. The good news. And that is our primary calling as the new church, the new temple. The second is.

Serve Each Other

But there are those being neglected. So we see even more of how this new church should function. The apostles gather everyone together and basically say “we can’t do it all.” There are so many people in so many churches that end up being completely burnt out because they tried to do it all. And here the apostles are not saying waiting tables isn’t important, simply that even that one thing can take up so much time that now the actual preaching isn’t happening.

They pick out 7 men with good reputations and who are full of the spirit and wisdom to fulfill the duty of meeting some of those basic needs. Notice they still needed to be Godly. One of those chosen to serve is Stephen. There is a need, and Stephen rises to the occasion to fill that need. Look at this next verse.

Acts 6:8 NIV

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

He is going far above and beyond just serving tables. With the Holy Spirit within him HE is performing great signs and wonders. Not only that, he also became a great speaker. As there were members of the synagogue that rose up and disputed with him, it says Acts 6:10

Acts 6:10 NIV

10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

A man of good reputation, full of the spirit, chosen to serve the church, boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus. So they do they only thing they can do. They lie. They convince others to lie. They sir up the people with their lies and seize him. Acts 6:13

Acts 6:13 NIV

13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.

That verse is dripping with irony, isn’t it? Exodus 20:16, the 9th commandment.

Exodus 20:16 NIV

16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

They need to lie and say he’s speaking against the law. The dangerous part about lying is that the more you do it, the easier it becomes, and the more it becomes, in your own mind, the truth. I had a conversation recently with my girls. I asked them “what’s worse, doing something wrong or lying about it?” They know the answer. It’s how I was raised. Lying is the worst possible thing you can do. Everyone messes up. Everyone sins. Everyone loses their temper. Everyone adjusts the details of a story to make themselves look right while leaving out the details that cast them in a poor light.

These people were angry. They lied. And there were dire consequences. Stephen has been lied about, they’ve brought him before the sanhedrin, they accuse him and we read Acts 6:14

Acts 6:14 NIV

14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

He will change the customs Moses handed down. Stephen addresses this accusation.

Acts 6:15 NIV

15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

There’s some speculation of what exactly is meant by this. Was it this glow similar to that of Moses when he had been in the presence of God?

What comes to mind for me is that whenever someone is in the presence of an angel, a messenger of God, what is always said? Do not be afraid. Angels are warriors. They are powerful. They are a force to be reckoned with. Here is a man filled with the Holy Spirit. Here is a man confronting lies and deceit. Here is a man that has been performing signs and wonders. And now, not long after the brutal execution of Jesus, he is in a similar situation. Being questioned by the sanhedrin. He is not afraid. He is full of joy and purpose. He is a vessel filled and overflowing with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 7:1 NIV

1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

No they’re not true! That’s what I might say. Not Stephen. Stephen reminds them who they are. They want to bring up Moses, let’s go back even further. Read the entirety of Acts 7 later. Right now, let me summarize it.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

He reminds them of the promises God made with Abraham. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham and told him to go the the country he would show him. God promised his descendants would possess the land. He recounts the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

Joseph

Stephen recounts the account of Joseph. How God was with Joseph and rescued him. How he gave Joseph wisdom. And how eventually Joseph’s entire family ended up in Egypt. And then, 400 years later, we get to

Moses

He reminds the sanhedrin how Moses was treated when God raised him up to deliver them from Egypt. They rejected Moses, asking him “Who made you ruler and judge over us.” This Moses, who they held in such high regard, and indeed was the reason Stephen was being questioned now, because Stephen, according to them, wants to change the customs of Moses. And so Moses performed signs and wonders for the people. And the people rejected Moses at the time, turning their hearts back to Egypt.

You see where Stephen is going?

Acts 7:37 NIV

37 “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’

Like Moses. A redeemer. A deliverer. Someone to take them to the next step of the promise.

Stephen then turns to

The Temple

We just keep coming back to this. First, there was the tabernacle of the covenant law in the wilderness. Then Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem. Stephen reminds them that they rejected the one God had sent, and then he says this

Acts 7:48 NIV

48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:

Acts 7:49–50 NIV

49 “ ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? 50 Has not my hand made all these things?’

The temple had become a place of control for those that controlled it, not a place for God to ruler over them.

When Moses first came to the Hebrews they asked him “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” We all have the tendency to want to be in control. Stephen reminds them of this. With that kind of heart, it was only a matter of time before the people looked at this temple as a place that gave honor not to God, but the priests themselves. The leaders themselves.

The temple was supposed to be a place for God’s presence, a place to get right with God. But the temple had become a place of control for those in charge. Exerting influence and crafting their own schemes. A box to contain God.

And then Stephen brings it home. Acts 7:51-52

Acts 7:51 NIV

51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

Acts 7:52–53 NIV

52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

He accuses them of being uncircumcised. The sign of the covenant. He now calls them murderers. You accuse ME of hating the law, look at yourselves.

Acts 7:54 NIV

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.

Anger. Hatred. I can imagine his friends watching. Perhaps even thinking “Shut up, Stephen. That’s enough.” But He keeps going. He just needs to say one more thing.

Acts 7:55–56 NIV

55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Full of the Holy Spirit. Full of truth. This moment is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 7:57–58 NIV

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Acts 7:59–60 NIV

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

We have no idea what will happen when the Holy Spirit guides us. It would be reasonable in that situation to think that with the spirit guiding his speech Stephen might convince the religious leaders. Instead, they get more angry and kill him.

Which leads to chapter 8. Acts 8:1

Acts 8:1 NIV

1 And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

All the way back to chapter 1 of Acts. I will send you first to Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria. This moment of Stephen’s death kicks off a great persecution.Consistently throughout scripture God allows these kinds of things to happen to spur people to movement and action. It doesn’t matter whether it’s spreading the gospel of Jesus or fixing something on the car or in the house. So often we sit and wait, and don’t take action until we’re forced to. There’s 2 things I take away from this account.

Be Spirit Led

That means no agenda of our own. That means having no idea what might happen next. That means we might be in the presence of Jesus in eternity sooner than we planned. I loved hearing when Darren and Larry were going down to Georgia to help with hurricane relief. Where are we sleeping? I don’t know. What are we eating? I don’t know. If that’s not what it feels like sometimes being spirit led, we’re not doing it right. Often we’re given the direction long before we understand the destination. Which also means we need to

Trust God

This is so basic that sometimes it’s easy to skip over. And yet we all continue to struggle with this. The Holy Spirit was overflowing out of Stephen when he was killed, and that led to persecution and the scattering of the believers. There have been so many times in my life when I could say “everything is going wrong.” Only to later see what God was doing. You might be in that spot today. How can God be in it when it’s all going to wrong? If you can truly trust God, if you can give up your own will and desires to be in alignment with the will of God and led by the spirit, if you can look for God’s movement, you begin to see His plan. Not in it’s entirety, but a small enough piece to understand when He is doing. Like seeing a friend like Stephen die, persecution forcing people to flee, and then you see the kingdom of God begin to take root all over the world. All of these events being used and redeemed by God.

Where are you today? Do you feel stuck? Let’s pray the Holy Spirit moves you and leads you. Do you feel overwhelmed, not understanding God’s purposes? Let’s pray for trust. Let’s pray to see God’s hand in our lives and how He’s been right there all along.