Acts (6)

Be sure to view the video introducing our study of Acts 6 and 7 (Lesson 6) by clicking here.

Read and meditate on Acts 7.51-53.
In my imagination of this event, several of those who are listening to Stephen have begun to nod off. This is all so familiar. All so boring. All so… Then – WHAM!

For reflection
1.  Stephen turns the table over on their toes, using perfectly Biblical language, to indict his accusers of being precisely what they were hoping to convict him of being, enemies of God and His people. Is Stephen overstepping the bounds of his witness at this point? Explain.

2. Stephen insisted that they were the stiff-necked, not him. They were the ones whose hearts and ears were shut to God. They were resisting the Spirit, just like their fathers did, who persecuted and killed the prophets. And in case they’d forgotten, they “betrayed and murdered” the Righteous One, our Lord Jesus Christ. According to John 16.8-11, whose job is it to convict people of their sin? What is our role in this?

3.  The Law and covenant of God had been given to the Jews, and they were its trustees. But they had utterly failed and, in Stephen’s reckoning, they were the ones who should be on trial, not he. Is there a sense in which, whenever we share the Gospel with someone, we’re putting that person on trial? Explain.

4.  Stephen may well have understood where all this would lead. These same men had warned the apostles, then threatened them, then beat them. And they had already shown, in the case of Jesus, that they were not unwilling to take the most drastic step, if need be. Stephen understood the consequences of his bold witness, and sailed right into the teeth of them, unafraid. How can we have the boldness of Stephen in our witness?

5.  Why do you suppose so many Christians today allow the fear of men to silence their witness for the Lord?

Summary
Just like their fathers, the Jews who were listening to Stephen had made a colossal mistake; they were about to make another. Their attempts to silence Stephen and stifle the progress of the Gospel would blow up in their faces yet again. The Gospel is real. The Gospel cannot be silenced. The Gospel is serious business. The Kingdom is advancing. And people need to know this. Do the people you see week-in and week-out understand these things?

Closing Prayer
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Psalm 63.6-11

T. M. Moore

Each week’s studies in Acts are bound together into a free PDF that you can download for personal or group use (click here). Each week also features a video related to the studies of the week, which you may find helpful as you work through our studies in Acts.

Acts is the record of Christ’s ongoing work as King and Lord. For more insight into His work in our here and now, order the book, The Kingship of Jesus, from our online store by clicking here.

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