Hello,
Read Acts 7.54-8.3
Today’s passage is 10 short verses telling of the martyring of Stephen and the persecution and scattering of the early church, introducing us to Saul. And yet, this is a turning point in the book of Acts as we reflect back to Acts 1.8 and the spread of the Good News of Jesus from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This event kickstarts the next movement of the church.
Stephen is the first martyr following in the footsteps of Jesus. The Greek word behind martyr is also the word behind witness and testify. Luke highlights the connections between Stephen and Jesus and Stephen shows us that we are to be like Jesus both in our living and our dying. Like Jesus, Stephen dies loving his enemies, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit…Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (7.59-60).
And standing in stark contrast to Stephen is Saul, approving the killing and ravaging the church afterwards.
God uses Stephen’s death and this time of persecution to further the kingdom of God geographically. Was Stephen’s death something God wanted? I doubt it. But God works through the choices of people and institutions, even when they are directly opposed to Him. As Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” This is not saying all things are good, or that the freewill choices people make are good. But that God can weave even our shortcomings, or stumbling, our mistakes, for good. God is always at work to redeem and restore even in the face of loss, tragedy and heartbreak.
May you trust that God is at work in your life. May God’s Spirit give you hope, strength, and a vision of the future even in the face of turmoil and loss.
Grace and Peace,
Matt
Inductive Questions: (These will be included each day and your work on them will be the foundation we build upon at our Wednesday evening in-person and Zoom Bible Study as we explore the church, mission, and Holy Spirit in Acts.)
Pick at least one of these to be a focus for all of Acts, but answer as many of them as you want.
- What does the church look like in Acts? Who is a part of it? What do they do? How is it formed? How does it relate to mission and the Spirit? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the ecclesiology of Acts?
- What does mission look like in Acts? Who does it? What do they do? How does it happen? How does it relate to the church and the Spirit? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the missiology of Acts?
- What does the Holy Spirit look like in Acts? What does the Spirit do? How is the Spirit active? How does it relate to church and mission? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the pneumatology of Acts?
Answer the question with the language of Acts as much as possible and cite the chapter and verse reference in your notes.