Full Of Faith And Of The Holy Ghost
did great wonders and miracles
among the people.
Acts 6:8
Then there arose certain of the synagogue...disputing with Stephen...they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men...said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. Acts 6:9-14.Suborn means, "to induce (a person or persons) to commit perjury, to bribe to do evil". Notice the passage there refers to "certain of the synagogue" as suborned--liars and bribe takers. "Oh, NOT in the CHURCH !"
The Gospel of Truth always stirs up the enemy of our souls, my friends. He doesn't want the Truth preached and he doesn't want us to read it, hear it, learn it. And he will do all he can to keep us from it! The TRUTH convicts us of our wrongdoings. Which always begs the question, "So why are the pastors/preachers of today refusing to preach the truth?"
Oh, but let me tell you, Stephen was "operating under the influence"--the influence of the Holy Ghost, that is. And what an influence HE is--He gives power and authority to those wherein He dwells!
Just picture in your mind, the scene that day: Stephen brought to stand before this council of men. Doesn't it recall to your mind a very similar set of circumstances for another? Of course! The very One Who Stephen was preaching about! And just as when Jesus was brought before His accusers, liars testified against Stephen. For the both of them, the ONLY way they could be charged and/or condemned before their respective accusers was by lies! What a glorious testimony of Jesus and Stephen! Let the significance of that sink in, will you?
I don't imagine Stephen was surprised to be hauled before those "council members". When Jesus sent the original twelve disciples forth, He warned them: Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. Matthew 10:16-18. Then He reassured them: But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. Matthew 10:19,20.
The Bible says, Stephen was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost". Full of faith and Holy Ghost power! NOT his power, not the arrogance of "I know more than you do", not the insolence of self-pride. Even when someone is completely right about what they know, the manner in which they deliver it could be totally wrong. When someone tries to exercise their own power and authority, there will be an undeniable belligerence in their attitude.
The truth Stephen laid out before that body of men was not "flavored" in his favor. He wasn't preaching his OPINION. He was stating historical fact. Full of "faith and power", Stephen stood before that assembly and not ONE time did he attempt to defend or justify himself! (Any time we feel a need to justify ourselves, our actions, our deeds, our thoughts, perhaps we should examine ourselves, Amen?) The truth needs no defense or justification. In order to present it as it should be, we need to be under the same influence as Stephen that day: the Holy Ghost.
Stephen was not a "man-pleaser". He was a "God-pleaser". He didn't have his faith and trust in mankind--His trust was solely in the Lord. Stephen was not sold out to "this" life: he was sold out to God--preaching the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His existence on this earth, was not all there was for him. He had taken on a better life: eternal life through Jesus Christ. Yes, Stephen was imbued (saturated) with the Holy Ghost.
And he wasn't "saturated" for just that day, either. He hadn't "waited" until a day of trial to be prepared or to get ready. He was "full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom", he had on the whole armor of God:
- Loins girt about with truth
- Breastplate of righteousness
- Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God)
Stephen then addressed that body of "brethren and fathers" with these words:
"Ye stiffnecked and *uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it." Acts 7:51-53.If they hadn't been incensed before, they were then! Just who did HE think HE was, talking to them, venerate and distinguished council members that they were in such a manner? How dare he!!!!! It was bad enough that he had used their own history against them: "As your fathers did, so did ye." Then he asked, "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?" When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. Acts 7:54.
There is an old, old song, written by Charles A. Tindley (1851-1933), the chorus of which includes these words: "Nothing between my soul and its Savior, so that His blessed face may be seen..." Even though that marvelous hymn was written hundreds of years after Stephen's sermon, therein lay the secret: there was "nothing between" Stephen and his Savior.
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:55-60.When we take the time to trace back every sentence that Stephen uttered that day, we find it was the truth. He did not take parts out of context and twist them to make his point. He allowed the Holy Ghost to speak through him. Those who heard him may have made him the target for their anger and evil, but they were angry at The Truth, so they rejected the truth by killing the messenger of truth.
- Do we study the Word of God to know the truth, or lack of it, when we hear it?
- Have we become so lazy that we rely on mankind for our understanding of the Word of God, instead of asking the Holy Ghost to discern the scriptures to us?
- Do we apply the Word of God to our own lives, or is there one standard of truth for us/our family/our group and another for everyone else?
- Do we submit our will to God Our Father and allow the Holy Ghost to work through us?
We have become "men-pleasers", saying what those with itching ears want to hear, because anything other than what they "want" to hear would offend them. And in many cases, we do it for NUMBERS, for whatever personal gain it can get us. I said personal, not spiritual. We disregard the spiritual--we don't understand, and therefore, don't want, the Holy Ghost.
The "Holy Ghost" is the least known, least talked about member of the Trinity. Want to know how misunderstood He and His purpose are? Let someone mention "Holy Ghost" and people immediately picture someone throwing themselves about on the floor and frothing at the mouth, or in a popular image we have all seen today, waving their hand or blowing at someone and that person falls down. We are scared to death to say, "Holy Ghost". Oh my, we will be labeled "tongue babblers", "Holy Rollers", or worse. None of which has anything at all to do with the Holy Ghost and everything to do with the foolishness of man!
What a mockery we have made of this Third Person of The Godhead! The Holy Ghost: HE, not "it". He does everything decently and in order--God's Order! Let me tell you this: without the Holy Ghost working your life, you will never understand the scriptures, no matter how easy, how simple the version of God's Word you have. And here is why:
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. I Corinthians 2:9-14.Matter of fact, I challenge you to study that entire 2nd chapter of I Corinthians. You will NEVER be the same!
Instead of us submitting our wills to God, and praying for the leading of the Holy Ghost, we deliver the "message" OUR way--the WRONG way. You've heard it said, "You can't improve upon perfection"? What is more perfect, in both senses of the word perfect, than the Eternal Truths of the Word of God? They are without flaw, they are complete. If we are not diligent to seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost, we will truly find ourselves Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. II Timothy 3:7.
An elderly preacher I used to know frequently said, "If the truth offends you, you needed to hear it." Yet we wonder why we don't have that same "Holy Ghost Power" as did the Apostles of old. Stephen stood on the truth: ...If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26. What kind of swap are we making, my friends?
"Stephen, Full of Faith and of the Holy Ghost"
Copyright © 2000 by Patricia Sikes.
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