Stephen is Faithful to Death
aka
Stephen’s Martyrdom
Acts 7:51-8:1
International Sunday School Lesson
October 14, 2012
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12
Note that the verse you just read says, “will be” not “might be” persecuted. Have you or are you being persecuted for being a Christian? Think about that. You might not have been physically assaulted for your Christian life, but have you faced ridicule, been fired or left out of things because of your faith? I hope you have or are facing difficulty because your faith is not hidden.
The world, meaning those who are currently on the side of satan, is always resistant to Christ and our message. Now those who are in darkness are becoming more bold and they have more earthly power and the things of the church are becoming theirs and they will not want to hear what you have to say that is truth. Just as in today’s scripture they will cover their ears and shout you down, force you out or force you into submission. It is all in the scriptures and it is being fulfilled as you read this.
In today’s scripture we read of those who are circumcised physically, but that didn’t make them true followers of God because of their uncircumcised hearts and ears. Their body was changed as a symbol but they didn’t worship the Father in spirit and in truth. What was obvious was shown to them by the Holy Spirit but they refused to acknowledge the truth.
Those Jews who persecuted Stephen in that day were stiff necked just as their ancestors in the desert were. But how are we doing? Do we resist the guiding of the Holy Spirit? I know that I have but the key is to acknowledge that and then do something about it.
It is scary to think about what Stephen endured. I can only imagine how often Paul, then Saul, who was a witness to the whole event, thought about it through the years that followed after his conversion. Do you think it drove him much?
Though not included in our Bible, church history recorded that most of the apostles faced terrible deaths because of their Christian work. What’s more is that they expected it to happen but it didn’t stop them.
Like being circumcised doesn’t make you the Jew that God was looking for, being baptized, showing up for Sunday School and partaking of communion doesn’t make you a true Christian either.
Would anyone have a reason for persecuting you?
_______________
We learn from 7:51 that the tendency of man is to put on a religious front but ignore what God expects from us and therefore we should do the opposite.
From 7:52 we see that this wanting to go our own way can be extremely strong, so strong that it results in the most aggressive of defensive measures to maintain the status quo. Isaiah and John the Baptist were just two examples of those prophets who were killed but culminated with the crucifixion of Christ.
In 7:53 we see clearly what Moses gave to the Israelites but the bit about the angels I do not believe anyone can definitively say as to what is correct. The most common opinion is that as God is always attended by His heavenly host they would have been present when God gave the law to Moses as well.
7:54 seems to indicate an overreaction to the accusation that Stephen levels against them. They are so upset they are speechless. Their whole lives were supposed to be about the law and I think that their actions speak louder than words. The truth hurts.
7:55-56 As the end for Stephen nears the power of God within him through the Holy Spirit grows and his “nearness” to God does as well. Empowering him now past being able to say what he needed to say to now being able to endure for Christ’s sake.
7:57 Their words of debate having failed them, Stephen’s words created what they really wanted to do anyway.
7:58 His words, for them amounted to blasphemy, called for in their law (Leviticus 24) for stoning as a penalty.
7:59-60 Just as Jesus was able to cry out to God for the forgiveness of his attackers so was Stephen enabled before he died.
8:1 As bad as the result was for Stephen and the now to be persecuted church of Jerusalem the result was in the end positive. The persecuted church fled and spread and in doing so grew and Saul became Paul and through his efforts still grows the church today.
For Discussion:
1. Discuss how glory to God and good can come through persecution.
2. Quite a while back I suggested the reading of Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s which I do again today. It is free for downloading as it is in the Public Domain.
3. Discuss church tradition with regard to all the Apostles and how it says they ended up.
4. Discuss your persecution or lack thereof from your Christian walk.
5. Discuss Saul (Paul).
6. Examine yourself and discuss how you have been stiff-necked.
7. Discuss the minority position and persecution of the early church in its beginning and what prophecy apparently indicates about what will happen similarly in the End.
Upcoming Adult Sunday School Class Commentaries
10-21-12: Simon Wants to Buy Power Acts 8:9-25 or Acts 8:9-24
10-28-12: Philip Baptizes a Man from Ethiopia aka Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8:26-39
11-4-12: Paul Testifies Before King Agrippa aka Paul before King Agrippa Acts 26:19-32
11-11-12: Paul Survives a Shipwreck aka Paul Sails for Rome Acts 27:1, 2, 33-44
8-25-13: Sabbath Reforms Nehemiah 13:10-12, 15-22
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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