reflecting God’s glory
Stephen’s gifts are a result of
his being filled with the Spirit—not as a result of his recognized
appointment. In this passage, we see
believers whose ancestors once served as slaves but are now free, and they are in dispute
with Stephen. Unable to resist the wisdom
and Spirit of God which was operating in Stephan, they resorted to seeking
false witnesses.
It was being alleged that
Stephan was attacking the temple and the law—allegations that were not much
different from those brought against Jesus.
Stephen stood his ground: We live ultimately not for the function of
the material temple, but for the body of Christ which is made up of the
community of believers. This new
dimension of fellowship with God goes way beyond laws and regulations, for it
goes to the heart and purpose of those very laws and regulations.
What a threat that can be to
a comfortable, defined, predictable way of living and operating! The gospel Stephen was preaching was the hard-hitting
truth that Jesus spoke. (We will get to
the details in the next chapter) I
imagine the faces of his opponents were tight with stress and anger and
frustration. They hurled insults and
accusations, brought him before the authorities and threatened him.
Yet, Stephen must be drawing his
strength, stability and peace from somewhere else. All who sat in the council, looking steadfastly
at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
That sounds like calm confidence.
When we draw near to God, we experience Him. When we abide with Him, we begin to take on
some of His characteristics. When we
enjoy His glory, we reflect some of that glory.
It is a result of being in His presence, no matter where you are. May you reflect His glory as you go about
your activities today.
Read
and Pray: Proverbs 27:19, Romans 8:18-21,
Philippians 2:12-15
No comments:
Post a Comment