Reading Plan:
Acts 7
Full of Faith and the Holy Spirit
Author: Mellanie Alexander
They say confession is good for the soul, so here is mine. There are times I resist the Holy Spirit. There are times the Spirit tells me to not say something, and I say it anyway. I have done things He has warned me not to do. I have not been generous when He called me to give something like my time, money, forgiveness, or grace. In Acts 7, some people also resisted the Holy Spirit.
Stephen, "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5b), was seized because he was doing such wonders and signs among the people. He was bold and gave a great speech about the Israelite's history, including how every prophet that God sent, the people rejected. Stephen accused the religious leaders in charge of also rejecting Jesus. He called them "stiff-necked, uncircumcised of both heart and ears," and he accused them of resisting the Holy Spirit. "When they heard this, they were cut to the heart..." (vs.54). They could neither dismiss nor deny what Stephen said. God's word is sharp and cuts through joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. (Hebrews 4:12). They recognized the truth, but instead of repenting, "they ground their teeth at him." (vs. 54b). These pious, respected, religious leaders ground their teeth at Stephen when God's word cut to their hearts.
When I resist the Holy Spirit, and He brings my sin to light, I might not grind my teeth at God, but I have responded in anger. It hurts my heart to admit that, but it's the truth. Sometimes I don't want to see the truth. Sometimes I want to be right no matter what the cost. I may have issues with pride...Jesus and I are working on that.
Other times, my soul hurts so bad when I realize I have resisted where the Holy Spirit was leading me. I have to confess my sin and restore my relationship with God because I can't stand the separation from Him. Do you know what the difference is between these two responses? The times when I easily repent are the times when I am spending time with God in word and prayer. I hunger for Him and recognize I can't live a moment without him. I hear Him speaking such truth into my soul that it's easy to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit. When I respond in anger, I am far away and haven't taken the time to invest in my relationship with God.
I don't like being angry. I don't like to sit in my sin because of pride. Neither of these things brings joy or peace to my life. I hate that I can identify with these people in verse 54. If I dwelled on this, my life would feel hopeless. Praise God we have a living Hope. He loves you and me enough to not leave us there. He draws us back to Himself by allowing the Holy Spirit to speak truth into our souls. When we embrace the truth and seek repentance there is such joy to be found. We are given the same choice as the religious leaders in Acts 7. When we hear truth, we can choose to gnash our teeth, or we can choose restoration. The more I come to know God, the more I want restoration. There just isn't any real joy to be found apart from Him. You get to choose every single day what you will do. What will your choice be?
Reflection:
- How do you react to the Holy Spirit's leading?
- Is there anything you have been resisting and need to repent from?
Family Content: Defense Mode
Author: Mary Boleware
- As we continue to follow Stephen—we pick up where he was falsely accused of lying about God and the church. When we are accused of doing something wrong, the first thing we do is defend ourselves. We are often tempted to do this by pointing out the wrong in other people. When I would approach one of my sons after he was disobedient, he would immediately say “Well, he did so and so first,” referring to what his brother had done. Stephen points out that his accusers are “stiff-necked” and always resisting the Holy Spirit, but only after he had given them a lesson of Jewish history and the wonderful story of redemption through Jesus. He reminded them that they were the ones who killed Jesus. The Jewish leaders became very angry and rushed at him. Unfortunately, Stephen was dragged into the street where he was killed. However, the whole time he was being attacked he looked up to heaven and told them that he could see the glory of God and Jesus standing at his right side. He also prayed for God to receive his spirit and for his attackers to be forgiven as he died.
- Wow, Stephen was certainly a man of God, and this unshakable faith is what we should aim to have. How do we do that?
- Turn your eyes to Jesus! In the same way that the moon reflects the light from the sun to us on earth, when we turn our eyes toward Him, our face reflects the light of the “Son” of God (Jesus) to others.
- Know your “stuff”—your Bible! The best defense against our enemies is the Word of God. His truth is absolute, and His word will never fail.
- Forgive others! This is so hard to do, especially when we know we are right. But we are called to forgive others so that God will forgive us.
- Remember that in this world, Jesus warned us that we will have trouble. But He also says that we should “take heart” because He has overcome the world. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” We have the hope of living forever with God in heaven, no matter how our story on earth ends.
- As a family, discuss how we can “defend” ourselves using the Word of God and who He says we are. Also discuss how we can lift others up in prayer to God, even when we know they are wrong. Look up verses about forgiving others and add these to your note cards from yesterday.
- Prayer: Dear God, we praise You for who You are and because You love us “so much”. Thank You for Your Word, specifically John 3:16, which reminds us that if we believe in You and Your Son, Jesus Christ, we will not perish when our earthly bodies die. We will live with you forever in heaven. Help us to pause and think about Your truths when we are tempted to defend ourselves with hurtful words back to our accusers. Also, help us to look to You and Your Son so we will reflect Your light to others just as Stephen did. In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray these things. Amen.