Study No. 7
Persecution
Chapter 7:
Study No. 7 All Who Live Godly Lives Suffer Persecution Chapter 7:
Stephen – Full of faith and power. (NIV incorrectly says “full of God’s grace and power”)
Found the time, from the business of waiting on tables, to become involved in direct street
ministry.
2Ti 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Living a Godly life is costly.
Stephen was a Godly man, living a Godly life.
We are cautioned to ‘count the cost[1]’ before starting out. Stephen would understand the cost by what it cost Jesus to speak out in public.
What would you say to those who might argue, ‘God would never allow His own children to undergo extreme suffering, pain, hardship or death!”?
1Co 10:13 You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it. (BBE version)
Guilty as charged?
As Stephen engaged in speaking with these persons, we read that they accused him of something 11-13
___ did he speak against Moses and God?
___ did these people totally make this up?
___ did these people take Stephen’s message, or at least part of it, and distort it purposely to get him into trouble?
What angered these people the most? (v10) _______________________________________________
Answering the charges
- Face of an angel. Reading this statement leaves us wondering how many of them had actually seen the face of an angel. Perhaps Luke is remembering any Old Testament description of angels. At any rate we could expect ‘a face like an angel’ to mean things like sincerity, seriousness, fearlessness, confidence etc. Possibly his face was also shining, but we have no such evidence.
- Are these things so?
Stephen begins here and gives a long defense. This conversation takes up the next 52 verses. How would Luke, who was not there at the time be able to write down every single word? There are two parts to the answer; 1, The words that God wants us to have are the responsibility of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
And 2., The apostle Paul (who was still unconverted Saul at the time) was standing right there and he heard everything. Luke and Paul spent many years together. The Holy Spirit may have brought all these things back to Paul’s remembrance and he related these things to Luke.
Stephen’s defense goes something like this.
“I don’t know what you heard or what you think I believe, but for the record … here it is.”
Did he know that this ‘trial’ or inquisition could end up ‘really bad’?
He very politely responds to them … with a very complete statement of the things that everyone of them would agree with entirely.
Verse 47 is really the last part of his historical recollection. “Solomon built Him a house.” Notice what happens next …
He has been charged with saying that Jesus was going to destroy of the temple. As he has been giving this long defense he has come now to the point that there is nothing wrong with the temple as such and that it was build in accordance with God’s will.
Stephen may have been saying that Jesus said ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up’ and the listeners in the synagogue took it wrong …(on purpose). Stephen would also have said that Jesus was referring to His body. He would have been preaching to them about the resurrection. They would conveniently leave that part out when speaking with the council.
Verse 51 is the turning point in Stephen’s message.
But now Stephen, after making such a clear statement of his beliefs, shares some new truth to them and supports it with scripture. “God does not live in physical structures.”
Jesus affirmed this truth to the Samaritan woman that he met at Jacob’s well.
John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
It appears that Stephen sensed that these people were willfully denying this and he boldly accuses them. (51-53)
The response of the Sanhedrin Council
Total loss of control v54
Their anger moves to animal-like behavior.
Stephen cannot help but express what he now sees … this escalates their rage.
In contravention of Roman law they execute Stephen.
John 18:31 Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,"
If Saul (later named Paul) could have had Christians killed, he would have done so. Instead, this is what he did:
Ac 8:3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Ac 9:1 ¶ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
What does Jesus think of what happens to his people on the earth? V55, 56 Revelation 2:13
Stephen ‘forgives’ them of the sin of murder. (As did Jesus while on the cross).
Stephen ‘falls asleep’. Safe in the Arms of Jesus.
The First Christian Martyr
Chapter 8: 2 Stephen is buried … and missed.
1Th 4:13 ¶ But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
Extra Study
Please comment on Matthew 7:15-20
[1] Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it —--
29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 "saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
Stephen – Full of faith and power. (NIV incorrectly says “full of God’s grace and power”)
Found the time, from the business of waiting on tables, to become involved in direct street
ministry.
2Ti 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Living a Godly life is costly.
Stephen was a Godly man, living a Godly life.
We are cautioned to ‘count the cost[1]’ before starting out. Stephen would understand the cost by what it cost Jesus to speak out in public.
What would you say to those who might argue, ‘God would never allow His own children to undergo extreme suffering, pain, hardship or death!”?
1Co 10:13 You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it. (BBE version)
Guilty as charged?
As Stephen engaged in speaking with these persons, we read that they accused him of something 11-13
___ did he speak against Moses and God?
___ did these people totally make this up?
___ did these people take Stephen’s message, or at least part of it, and distort it purposely to get him into trouble?
What angered these people the most? (v10) _______________________________________________
Answering the charges
- Face of an angel. Reading this statement leaves us wondering how many of them had actually seen the face of an angel. Perhaps Luke is remembering any Old Testament description of angels. At any rate we could expect ‘a face like an angel’ to mean things like sincerity, seriousness, fearlessness, confidence etc. Possibly his face was also shining, but we have no such evidence.
- Are these things so?
Stephen begins here and gives a long defense. This conversation takes up the next 52 verses. How would Luke, who was not there at the time be able to write down every single word? There are two parts to the answer; 1, The words that God wants us to have are the responsibility of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
And 2., The apostle Paul (who was still unconverted Saul at the time) was standing right there and he heard everything. Luke and Paul spent many years together. The Holy Spirit may have brought all these things back to Paul’s remembrance and he related these things to Luke.
Stephen’s defense goes something like this.
“I don’t know what you heard or what you think I believe, but for the record … here it is.”
Did he know that this ‘trial’ or inquisition could end up ‘really bad’?
He very politely responds to them … with a very complete statement of the things that everyone of them would agree with entirely.
Verse 47 is really the last part of his historical recollection. “Solomon built Him a house.” Notice what happens next …
He has been charged with saying that Jesus was going to destroy of the temple. As he has been giving this long defense he has come now to the point that there is nothing wrong with the temple as such and that it was build in accordance with God’s will.
Stephen may have been saying that Jesus said ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up’ and the listeners in the synagogue took it wrong …(on purpose). Stephen would also have said that Jesus was referring to His body. He would have been preaching to them about the resurrection. They would conveniently leave that part out when speaking with the council.
Verse 51 is the turning point in Stephen’s message.
But now Stephen, after making such a clear statement of his beliefs, shares some new truth to them and supports it with scripture. “God does not live in physical structures.”
Jesus affirmed this truth to the Samaritan woman that he met at Jacob’s well.
John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
It appears that Stephen sensed that these people were willfully denying this and he boldly accuses them. (51-53)
The response of the Sanhedrin Council
Total loss of control v54
Their anger moves to animal-like behavior.
Stephen cannot help but express what he now sees … this escalates their rage.
In contravention of Roman law they execute Stephen.
John 18:31 Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,"
If Saul (later named Paul) could have had Christians killed, he would have done so. Instead, this is what he did:
Ac 8:3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Ac 9:1 ¶ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
What does Jesus think of what happens to his people on the earth? V55, 56 Revelation 2:13
Stephen ‘forgives’ them of the sin of murder. (As did Jesus while on the cross).
Stephen ‘falls asleep’. Safe in the Arms of Jesus.
The First Christian Martyr
Chapter 8: 2 Stephen is buried … and missed.
1Th 4:13 ¶ But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
Extra Study
Please comment on Matthew 7:15-20
[1] Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it —--
29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 "saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’