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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, July 29, 2024
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Stephen Is Seized Bible Verse:Acts 6:8-15 (ESV) "And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel." Message:
Stephen is soon to become the first martyr in Christianity. Not much is known about him. He was probably the Greek Jew named in yesterday’s lesson, who was appointed (possibly as the leader) to the group who would oversee administration of the Jerusalem church. He was noted to be a man filled with the Holy Spirit and likely stood out in his faith and zeal — which would explain why he was singled out.
Does the phrase “full of grace and power” seem to ring a bell? (John 1:14.)
The groups who line up against him are all foreigners, people who, like Stephen himself, had returned to Jerusalem after the first diaspora. Cyrenia was an important city in Libya and Alexandria was, of course, in Egypt. Cilicia and “Asia” were the area around Turkey and Greece (although some apostles would later travel east deeper into Asia proper, at least as far as India). The Freedmen were a group of former slaves.
So one might guess that Stephen, being a foreigner himself and speaking excellent Greek, would have spent time converting these groups. It would explain why they were the ones bringing charges against him.
The expression “face like an angel” does not mean he was unusually handsome. Rather, he was so filled with the Holy Spirit that his face shone with inspiration. His defense, which makes up the entirety of Acts 7, shows a skill at oratory that reminds us of a promise: “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:11-12.)
Meditation : Prayer : Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal high priest himself, the Son of God Jesus Christ, build up myself, and all Christians, in faith and truth, and in all gentleness and in all freedom from anger and forbearance and steadfastness and patient endurance and purity...........Amen |
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