Acts 7: The Story of Stephen

Alongside our Sunday teachings, we’re keeping things simple. We’ll be reading through the book of Acts, featuring the many unique voices of the ClearView Church congregation. Each week, we’ll release two chapters, followed by a few reflection questions.

In this  episode, you’ll hear a brief introduction from Pastor Phil, followed by a reading of Acts 7 and some reflection questions from a member of our congregation.

Read along with our reflection questions:

This was a lengthy chapter which sadly ends with the stoning of Stephen.

What did the Holy Spirit draw your attention to? Was there an element of the story that you wondered about or that resonated with you?

After being falsely accused, Stephen reflects on Israel’s history, showing how God’s people often resisted His message and His messengers—even rejecting Jesus, the Messiah.

Where do you notice this pattern of resistance or rejection in the life of the Church over time? And more personally, where might you see that same pattern in your own life?

Stephen’s words point us to a few important truths:

• God has been at work throughout history
• He is not confined to a place or building
• Jesus death was just one more example of Israel’s rebellion and rejection of God; repeatedly, people have struggled to receive what He is doing

As you reflect on this, what stands out to you?

Take a moment to talk with God about what you’ve heard - and rest in His presence.

Faith Matters is a ministry of Clearview Church, Oakville, On.
https://clearviewchurch.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:11

You are listening to the Faith Matters Podcast from Clearview Church, where we explore everyday faith in a complex world. Our goal is to strengthen and equip followers of Jesus just like you through practical and theological discussions and resources. In this season of the podcast, we're diving deeper into the practices of prayer and study. Each week, we'll release two episodes featuring voices from our congregation reading a chapter from the book of Acts, along with a few reflection questions. Each episode will begin with a short introduction to help set the context of the passage. As you listen, we encourage you to go slow. There will be built-in pauses with gentle background music, giving you space to reflect and wonder about what you're hearing. You might choose to follow along in your Bible or use a Bible app as the passage is read aloud. Above all, invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you and reveal what you need from the text. Our hope is that this practice would nurture and deepen your faith as you continue to grow your life with Christ. Now, onto the book of Acts and the passage of the day.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Acts 6 begins with a really practical problem that could have split the church wide open. Some of the widows were being overlooked in the distribution of food, but the apostles respond with wisdom, appointing spirit-filled servants. And one of them, Stephen, stands out quickly. His ministry sparks opposition, and he's dragged before a council with false accusations, but Stephen stands calm. And with that, we pick up the story of Stephen in Acts 7.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

Then the high priest asked Stephen, Are these charts true? To this he replied, Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran. Leave your country and your people, God said, and go to the land I will show you. So he left the land of Cardians and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. God spoke to him in this way for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, God said, and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place. Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs. Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the good will of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering and our ancestors could not find food. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. On their second visit Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. After this Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family seventy five in all. Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestor died. Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in tomb that Abraham had bought from the son of Hamor at Shekem for a certain sum of money. As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. Then a new king to whom Joseph meant nothing came to power in Egypt. He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestor by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die. At the time Moses was born and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian. So he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, Man, you are brothers. Why do you want to hurt each other? But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this he was amazed at the sight, as he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord said I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt. This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words who made you ruler and judge. He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness. This is the Moses who told the Israelites, God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people. He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mountain Sinai and with our ancestors, and he received living words to pass unto us. But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They told Aaron, Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him. That was a time they made an idol in the form of kelf. They brought sacrifices to it and revealed in what their own hands had made. But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets. Did you bring me a sacrifice and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? You have taken up the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your God Refan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon. Our ancestor had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses according to the pattern he had seen. After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestor under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built the house for him. However, the most high does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says, Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things? You stiff necked people, your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors. You always resist the Holy Spirit. Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even kill those who predicted the coming of the righteous one. And now you have betrayed and murdered him. You who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it. When the members of Sanhedrian heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Look, he said, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. At this they covered their ears and yelling at the top of their voices they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witness laid their courts at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell on his knees and cried out, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. When he had said this, he fell asleep. This was a lengthy chapter which sadly ends with the stoning of Stephen. What did the Holy Spirit draw your attention to? Was there an element of the story that you wondered about or that resonated with you? After being fiercely accused, Stephen reflects on Israel's history, showing how God's people often resisted his message and his messengers, even rejecting Jesus, the Messiah. Where do you notice this pattern of resistance or rejection in the life of the church over time? And more personally, where might you see that same pattern in your own life? Stephen's words point us to a few important truths. God has been at work throughout history. He is not confined to a place or building. Jesus' death was just one more example of Israel's rebellion and rejection of God. Repeatedly, people have struggled to receive what He is doing. As you reflect on this, what stands out to you.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Thank you for listening to the Faith Matters podcast. We hope this time has helped you slow down and create space to hear from God. Join us again for our next episode as we continue through the book of Acts together. Go in peace and may you continue to grow your life with Christ.