Acts 6:8-15

It is upsetting that when people cannot win arguments due to a lack of standing or truth, they resort to lying. We see this happen every day.

As I read this about Stephen, I was reminded of a couple of quotes from our Founding Fathers:

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.”
John Adams

"A properly functioning democracy depends on an informed electorate."
Thomas Jefferson

In our society, both of these quotes ring true, for we have attempted to remove God from the public forum, giving unscrupulous men the opportunity to rise to power. At the same time, an information war has divided the people. Jesus said that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.

The devil has not changed his tactics; he has simply repackaged them. It is hard to claim the moral high ground when one’s actions betray the foundation on which that ground stands. In the name of God, the religious leaders were violating one of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shall not murder.” They murdered Jesus, were considering killing the Apostles, and now the stage is being set for Stephen to be martyred.

The religious leaders, though some have “seen the Light,” are still attacking the Message, accusing Stephen of saying things they have twisted in their own minds. The Message has always been the same, but the condition of one’s heart determines its reception. Those with hard, resistant hearts would not—and could not—receive the life-giving, life-freeing message. So sad!

Yet, as we will see in the next few days, Stephen gives one of the most comprehensive defenses of the Gospel, using the words of the Old Testament prophets to show that Jesus is indeed the One the Scriptures spoke about as the coming Messiah. To deny the Message was to deny the Christ.

The good ones are always a threat to the kingdom of darkness. History has repeatedly shown what happens to them. We have a president whom “they” have tried to silence on a number of occasions. I saw an interesting post the other day about presidents who have been assassinated or targeted in attempted attacks, and, without mentioning any names, in every case the violence came from one side of the political spectrum. Food for thought… it is amazing what travesties have been committed in the “name” of God. Jesus even forewarned us of this:

““I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. This is because they have never known the Father or me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

However, as always, attempts to silence the Message serve only to broaden its reach. Truth may be delayed but it will never be silenced.