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- Acts Chapter 7
Good morning! ☀️
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
👉🏽 Read Chapter 7 before reading my notes. (If you don’t, my notes won’t make sense.)
You can access my previous notes on Acts and Luke by signing into your account. Click 'Read Online' at the top right of this post and scroll down to find them waiting for you.
Chapter 7 is a mountain
It has the longest sermon in Acts and is 60 verses long. Where do I start?
one
step
at
a
time.
In Acts 6, the early Christians in Jerusalem have a dispute over food distribution, with Greek-speaking widows being neglected. To fix this, the apostles choose seven wise and Spirit-filled men to oversee the food distribution.
One of these men, Stephen, has been performing miracles and speaking with power and authority, which angers some members of a Jewish synagogue. They hated Jesus, and they hated His message.
They falsely accuse him of blasphemy, leading to his arrest and trial before the Sanhedrin.
"And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people."
I think what stood out to me is that Stephen was chosen as a deacon, yet, he was still preaching.
It made me wonder, do I rest on the things I’m already doing? I’m a missionary; I take care of widows and help the poor. You could say I have similar responsibilities to a deacon.
Is God calling me also to be prepared to preach the gospel? Yes. Absolutely.
"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect."
The Greek word for "defense" in 1 Peter 3:15 is "ἀπολογία" (apología). Apologia is the root of the term "apologetics."
It doesn’t mean apologizing for your faith; it means explaining and defending your faith with reasons and evidence, giving answers to questions and challenges about your Christian beliefs.
St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”
The quote is saying that you can show your Christian faith through your actions. Live in a way that reflects the Gospel, and use words to explain it when needed.
Stephen shows both are necessary.
Often people use this as an excuse to never verbally show their faith. Good deeds apart from verbal testimony is nothing more than humanitarian work.
Certainly, don’t let your life contradict the message. But always speak the message!
Be prepared.
Create open doors.
Take the doors off the hinges even.
Preach the Gospel when there are open doors.
Many of you know that my wife edits my notes before I send them out to you. This was her take:
“Stephen would have never been accused of blasphemy if he wasn’t verbally sharing his faith, walking through the doors, taking doors off the hinges.
“If he were just feeding widows, doing his what he was responsible for… he would have lived.
“And he never would have been mentioned in this book. It was the offense of him sharing the gospel… not his good deeds, that got him in trouble.”
Why was Stephen arrested?
Stephen was accused of blasphemy against God, Moses, the Law, and the temple.
Blasphemy Against Moses and God: In Acts 6:11, some men were secretly persuaded to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."
Blasphemy Against the Temple: In Acts 6:13, false witnesses said, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place (the temple) and the law."
Blasphemy Against the Law: In Acts 6:14, the accusers claimed, "We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses delivered to us."
And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”
In other words, “Are you guilty or not guilty?” It was a "yes" or "no" question.
Stephen took the crack in the door and launched into 1100 years of Jewish history.
Man, I wish I could have been there to hear that sermon!
As Stephen lays out a history lesson, he addresses all four charges through a detailed recounting of Israel's history.
If you've ever thought the Old Testament wasn't relevant or if you haven't explored its significance, Stephen's sermon shows how deeply connected it is to understanding God's plan and the fulfillment found in Jesus.
Buckle up.
And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
By calling the Sanhedrin "brothers and fathers," Stephen was acknowledging their shared heritage and faith. "Brothers" recognizes their common bond among the Jewish people, while "fathers" shows respect for the elders' authority. His tone shows humility and sincerity.
“The God of Glory” Is only used one other time in the Bible, and I don’t think it’s an accident that Stephen uses it here.
Here are all 11 verses of Psalm 29
Ascribe to the Lord Glory
A Psalm of David.
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Psalm 29 is a song of praise to God, celebrating His majesty and power. It vividly describes God's voice as powerful, capable of controlling nature, like shaking the wilderness, breaking cedars, and making the mountains leap.
As religious leaders, they knew the Scriptures well and would have been familiar with that Psalm. They would have understood what he meant when he used "The God of Glory."
It showed Stephen revered God, which strengthened his defense against their accusations of blasphemy.
Stephen shows his deep respect for Moses by telling the story of his life and how God worked through him (Acts 7:20-44). He talks about how Moses was the one God used to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land.
Stephen also highlights Moses as a prophet, making it clear that he honors Moses and the incredible role he played in leading and guiding the people. It's like he's saying, "Look, I deeply admire Moses and everything he did for us."
But Stephen also begins to lay out a pattern.
The ones God selected to lead… the nation rejected.
Stephen addresses their accusations about the temple by saying that God doesn't live in buildings made by people (Acts 7:48-50).
He quotes Isaiah to make his point: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?" (Isaiah 66:1-2).
He uses Isaiah's prophecy to back this up, challenging the belief that the temple is God's only dwelling place.
And finally, in response to their accusation of blaspheming the Law, Stephen UNLOADS, tying everything together.
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit.”
A "stiff-necked" person is someone who is stubborn, inflexible, and unwilling to change or listen to others. In the Bible, it often refers to people who resist God's guidance and refuse to obey His commands.
Exodus 32:9: "And the Lord said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.'"
Deuteronomy 9:6: "Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people."
2 Chronicles 30:8: "Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you."
Stephen sounds a lot like a Jewish carpenter who said,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness."
When Stephen says, "uncircumcised in heart and ears," he’s highlighting the discrepancy between outward religious appearance and inward spiritual reality, basically calling them whitewashed tombs.
He goes on to point out that the Jewish people have a history of disobeying the law and rejecting those who God chose to lead and deliver them. (Acts 7:39-53).
First, they rejected Joseph…
“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him
Then, they rejected Moses…
“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
And now they have rejected and killed… Jesus.
And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,
The pattern is clear.
Instead of saying, “I can’t believe they did that,” ask yourself, “Where do I do that?”
“Where
do
I
reject
Jesus?”
As a missionary, this is hard for me to write, but over the last 10 years, these are the ways I have personally rejected Jesus.
Ignoring Prayer: Not taking time to pray or talk to God regularly. I’ve gone days without talking to my Savior.
Neglecting Scripture: I went months at a time without reading the Bible or considering its teachings.
Self-Reliance: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve depended on my own strength and wisdom instead of seeking God's.
Prioritizing Materialism: It’s been a hard road to let go of my grip on money, possessions, and success. I felt like I was letting go of the American Dream. And truthfully… I was. I’ve been trading it for bondage… to the Messiah.
Judging Others: Being quick to criticize or judge others instead of showing love and compassion has been a sin that’s been hard to shake. I still work on it.
Unforgiveness: Holding grudges and refusing to forgive others, yet willingly, joyfully even, accepting God’s forgiveness.
Lack of Compassion: Living in a developing country, I’m often overwhelmed by the needs of the poor and the sick. It’s relentless. I have to remember it’s relentless like Jesus’ love for me.
Deep breath... “Forgive me Father.”
They were filled with hate • Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Okay. I wanted to finish Chapter 7, but there is SO MUCH in the final seven verses, so I decided to wait.
If you learned something from Chapter 7 or if these notes have inspired you, it would mean a lot to me if you forwarded them to a friend.
One Minute Inspiration
“He loves you and wants a relationship with you.”
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
George Sisneros is a full-time missionary in Guatemala and the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 26 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
George and his family are expanding to Cuba in 2024.