I read Acts 6-7 this morning and found about 18 things about Stephen that I thought were noteworthy. In some ways, this feels like an outlet to me. I have a desire to share truth, but those outlets are different now. Here they are:
Stephen:
1. He had a good reputation. ( 6:3)
2. He was full of the Holy Spirit. ( 6:3)
3. He was full of wisdom ( 6:3)
4. He was reliable. ( 6:3)
5. He was full of faith. ( 6:5)
6. He was full of grace. ( 6:8)
7. He was full of power. ( 6:8)
8. He faced opposition/ criticism. ( 6:9,12)
9. He could not be refuted. ( 6:10)
10. He was lied about/ falsely accused. ( 6:13)
11. He was misunderstood. ( 6:13)
12. He was ready to testify. ( 7:1) see also I Peter 3:15
13. He was bold ( whole chapter)
14. He was informed of OT history and could quote OT passages at length.
15. He was willing to confront sin. ( 7:51)
16. In a crisis, he kept his eyes on Jesus. ( 7:55) ( He had eyes of faith to see Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father... did anyone else there see this ? )
17. When things turned ugly, he didn't change his mind to avoid pain /even death... he was willing to die for what he was convinced of. ( 7:58)
18. He was gracious to those who opposed him. ( 7:60)
Note: There are times when I read the word without a pen and paper and it still means something to me,however, when I write down what I read it adds so much. I can't say this enough: study with pen and paper. Write it down !
