Spirit-Filled Church | Week 2 | The Church's First Martyr & Response

Review:Last week we saw the Jewish leaders threatening Peter and John, and ordering them not to proclaim the name of Jesus anymore.In response, we saw the disciples praying and worshipping God!We saw a beautiful picture of Christian community characterized by generosity and selflessness.Our passage in the context of ActsBetween Acts 4 and Acts 7, we see an escalation in the conflict between the Jewish leaders and the disciples.There are more arrests and confrontations, until false witnesses accuse Stephen of blasphemy.Stephen makes a long speech against the Jewish leaders in Acts 7. He details how God's people have always strayed away from God, and how they had rejected the prophets God sent them.At the end of this speech, the Jewish leaders take Stephen out to be stoned.Helpful literary and cultural context:Acts 7:56 is a reference to Daniel 7:13 (Dan 7:9-28 more broadly). The "Son of Man" in Daniel was a messianic figure who would vindicate God's people in the presence of their enemies. When Stephen declares that he sees this "Son of Man," he is proclaiming that God would vindicate him in the presence of the corrupt Jewish leaders. As you might imagine, the Jewish leaders don't take kindly to being declared enemies of God!In these days, people would strip a guilty person naked before stoning them as an act of humiliation. Surprisingly, it is the people stoning Stephen who take off their coats and lay them at the feet of Saul (Acts 7:58). It seems Luke is making a statement about who the guilty part really is in this scenario.Stephen's death has some interesting parallels to the death of Jesus! Check out Luke 23:32-49.Other notable things:We see the introduction of Saul, who would later become known as the Apostle Paul.In Acts 8:1 we see the beginnings of the diaspora foretold in Acts 1:8. The Holy Spirit is working, even in the midst of difficult circumstances!Application Themes:Like the Jewish leaders, we often assume ourselves to be on the right side of things. How can we protect ourselves from this tendency? How do we soften our hearts to be receptive to what God is doing?In this text we see the Holy Spirit at work, even through horrible events. How do we find the balance of remaining open to the work of the Holy Spirit in challenging circumstances, without dismissing or excusing evil?Stephen was the first martyr of the church. Martyrdom probably feels far off for most of us, but there are still plenty of people around the world suffering for their faith. I think it raises the question of whether we are willing to suffer for our faith, and whether our discipleship is adequately preparing us for this possibility.