12/02/08

The Acts of the Apostles-Week 10

Chapter 6

Verses 9-15

1.      verses  9-10…the plotting begins…”…then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen…” Still we see that these men will not leave Stephen alone. It is still not clear as to why they are so opposed to Stephen and what he is saying. NOTE: Sometimes do we not argue just to be arguing? Even knowing perhaps that the other person is correct but they “stole” our thunder and we want it back. Is it possible that there is some jealousy in all of this? Perhaps these men had been rejected by the Church for some reason or another. Also, since they were Greeks (or at least many of them), they were not readily received by the Jews either. Now comes Stephen being accepted by both Jew and Greek. v 10…”And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit…” In reading that verse, it seems that the Freedmen knew that Stephen was telling the truth and the more truth the Freedmen heard, the madder they got.

2.      verses 11-14…the Freedmen look for allies even if by bribes or other means. Lies were not a problem to use in order to turn the Council and the people against Stephen. They even gave the “witnesses” the words to say. v 12…basically, Stephen was taken by a mob and brought before the Council. v 13…the “witnesses” stated that Stephen was speaking against Moses, the Temple, and the Law. NOTE: Stephen was a Greek and did not have the centuries of tradition as the Hebrew Jew. Also, Stephen had adopted his Jewish beliefs. It was a convincing argument that Stephen was preaching against the very core of Judaism. v 14……Jesus will destroy this place…change the customs (the Law) which Moses delivered to us.” Remember that Jesus said that the Temple would be destroyed and in 3 days He would build it back. Of course He was referring to Himself but the Freedmen have used Jesus’ words and twisted the meaning. Also, Jesus said he would not change the Law of Moses but fulfill it instead. Again, the Freedmen have used the words of Jesus either wrongly or out of context to suite their own needs. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: We have discussed before the taking of scripture out of context to prove a point or to make the Bible say something that it never said. Some, Preachers, Teachers, etc today are doing no different. As you can see, in 2000 years, little has changed. We cannot do much about what others are doing but we can work to see that Resurrection of Peace never uses scripture to prove a point for our own self interest. If we study, pray, and work to live our faith everyday then this will not happen to us and those around us.

3.      verse 14…”…looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel” That is perhaps the most full of the Spirit that one can be. To be seen in the eyes of others as an angel. Even those that are plotting to kill you. What do people see in our faces????