◄ Acts 7 Devotional Commentary ►
Acts 7:5
Following Israel's rejection of their Messiah and the birth of the Christian Church at Pentecost, God's chosen nation fell into two camps: those that accepted Christ as their Saviour and those that rejected His offer of salvation.
Tensions between the two groups increased so significantly that the religious, Jewish leaders who rejected their Messiah, took steps to suppress the testimony of God's grace by exterminating everyone who read more...
Acts 7:48
Just before being stoned to death for his faith in Christ, Stephen (a beloved disciple of the Lord Jesus, who was full of grace, truth, faith, hope, power, wisdom, and filled with the Holy Ghost), was falsely accused by various groups of religious legalists of sedition and blasphemy, and hauled before the Jewish court; the Sanhedrin.
And so it was that starting with Abraham's call out of Ur of the Chaldees, that Stephen presented read more...
Acts 7:51
The climax of Stephen's inspired speech to the Sanhedrin, just before his cruel martyrdom, rehearsed the faithfulness of God towards His people while contrasting Israel's rebellion against their God, causing him to conclude: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you."
The Spirit's work in the world today is to convict the unsaved read more...
Acts 7:56
Stephen was a young man who converted to Christianity at the start of the Church age and was given a leadership role because he was filled with the Holy Ghost and imbued with godly wisdom. He was full of faith and power, and Stephen performed great wonders and miracles among the people, causing many to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
There were certain leaders in the synagogue who were displeased with his teaching and read more...
Acts 7:57
Stephen was a man of God who was full of integrity and brimming with faith. He was one of seven men, who were chosen to oversee the daily ministrations in the early Church, because he was faithful, honourable and filled with the Holy Spirit.
In those early days of the Church, Stephen carried out great wonders and miracles among the people. The Church of God, and those that followed Christ, were hated in those early days, and on a read more...
Acts 7:59
God the Father was rejected by the people in the Old Testament and yet God in His grace sent the eternal Son to be the propitiation for the sin of the world. But God the Son was also despised. He was rejected and crucified by those he came to save. And although His propitiatory work on the Cross stands fast for whoever believes on His name... the Lord Jesus returned to heaven for a season and God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit as the Heavenly Comforter to read more...
Acts 7:60
Stephen was the first Christian martyr... and the final words we hear him speak are very reminiscent of words that Christ spoke on the Cross. Like the Lord Jesus, Stephen had been despised, rejected, outlawed, and falsely tried by the proud Jewish leaders. He spoke the truth, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and yet they would not listen.
It is sobering to reflect on centuries of Israel's rejection of God and their apostasy read more...