Acts 7
Scripture:Acts 7:1, 54-551“Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?””54-55“When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 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.”Observation-What does it say?Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin to give account and testimony for his faith in Jesus Christ and the Gospel. The Sanhedrin was a governing body in ancient Israel who were known for the mock trials they held that resulted in the crucifixion of Jesus (gotquestions.org). While Stephen was brought before them, he basically accused the Sanhedrin Jews of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, due to their idolatry of the fathers that came before them and resistance to the message of the Gospel. (Verses 51-53).Understanding-What does it mean?Because Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit (vs. 55), he was fearless. He was able to speak confidently to the Sanhedrin, and he was able to stand boldly for his faith in Jesus Christ even if it meant losing his life as a result. The power of the Holy Spirit was evident in Stephen's life all the way up to his last breath.Life ApplicationWalk boldly in the Spirit and not in fear!When Christ ascended to Heaven after resurrecting from the grave, He didn't leave us alone. He left us His Holy Spirit as our counselor and helper. He also gives us the boldness to walk out our faith everyday without fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”As we are going through this Daring Faith series, we are learning to rely on faith, not on fear. The Holy Spirit is who gives us power to overcome that fear and live boldly in faith.Dear Jesus, thank you for leaving us Your Holy Spirit. Please forgive us for neglecting the power we have so readily available to us. Please forgive us for missed opportunities to share the Gospel, to give extravagantly, to pray healing over someone, to speak truthfully to someone about a sin issue in their lives and to participate in ministry because we've been walking in fear instead of Your Spirit. I pray for more faith and for more dependence on Your Spirit everyday. We need You Jesus and cannot accomplish our mission without Your Spirit. Amen. To check out the discussion or join in click here.