Day 6
Read: Acts 7
Introduction: The writer of Acts, Luke, gives a continual update on the church’s growth and shows how they are fulfilling the Great Commission throughout the rest of the book. The passage from yesterday contains one of those verses: “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem.” The church in Jerusalem has seen a lot of growth and has increased continually, with little resistance. However, that is about to take a turn in chapter 7. In this passage, Stephen is going to embody what it means to forgive as Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). It is almost always hard to forgive someone when they wrong you, but it is even harder to forgive while they are wronging you.
Acts 7:54-60
Now when they heard these things (Stephen’s sermon) they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together to him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witness laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Think about it: In the moments that someone is hurting me, the natural response is retaliation. For Stephen, I am sure that is what he wanted to do as well. But there is one sentence that stands out from the whole passage, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” In the moment of Stephen’s greatest pain and suffering, he is praying for those who are inflicting his pain. This is the heart that I pray to have! What if we were more focused on how much God loves those around us rather than our own comfort, regardless of whether or not they show us love? What if we prayed for those whom we didn’t agree with politically, or that person who gossiped about us last week, or that person who just has it out for you? I believe we would see a church sacrifice its comforts and desires and instead, show God’s love to those who are dying to experience it.
Take away: We forgive because we are forgiven.