Written by: Sister Winsome

Acts 7 v 54-56
When the leaders heard this, they became furious. They were so mad they were grinding their teeth at Stephen. But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right side. He said, “Look! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God’s right side.”

Notes
Have you recently been on the receiving end of someone’s rage? Perhaps you were the one who became angry? When was the last time? A week ago? Yesterday? Even today? But what did you do about it?

Did you keep your attention on the person or situation, which inspired such anger – like the “leaders” did “grinding their teeth at Stephen”?

Did this help? Probably not. Maybe it just made the situation even tenser. Instead of fuelling the fire of anger by words or actions, exposing others and us to the possibility of it blazing out of control, what about doing what Stephen did?

When the leaders became angry with Stephen, he didn’t focus on their anger, allowing himself to become further embroiled in an ever-spiraling descent. Instead he looked upward – to heaven.

Stephen was able to run away from the leaders’ teeth grinding fury because he was “full of the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit will similarly help us put out the angry flames within us, if we allow Him to.

When next faced with an explosive situation why not follow Stephen’s example? We can ask the Holy Spirit to fill us and to help us shift our viewpoint. Don’t look at the source of anger but look towards the one place where we can put things into perspective – heavenwards. The situation will not be changed but our viewpoint might.

Stephen’s reward? A vision of God his Father, and Jesus, his Lord, in heavenly splendour. What a sight! Which can be ours too. Calming, loving, putting things back into perspective. A taste of heaven. Why not try it?

Acts 7 v 57-60
Then they shouted loudly and covered their ears and all ran at Stephen. They took him out of the city and began to throw stones at him to kill him. And those who told lies against Stephen left their coats with a young man named Saul. While they were throwing stones, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell on his knees and cried in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” After Stephen said this, he died.

Notes
Do you have ‘selective’ hearing? Choosing to cover your ears to unpalatable truths? What is the point? The truth doesn’t change. The ‘crowd’ were so driven by their hatred and fury that they were not interested in the truth. Rather than risk hearing the truth from Stephen, they tried to drown out the sound of his voice by shouting and covering their ears.
We may be able to fool other people, perhaps even fool ourselves, to some extent, but we can never fool God. He is able to separate truth from fiction.

But is that a comfort when we are the ones who have lies told about us? What can we do?

We can turn to Jesus, who knows what it means to have suffered. That is what Stephen does. He follows the example of his Lord and Saviour. Jesus, when dying he turns to Jesus to receive his spirit.

Jesus asks His father that those crucifying Him should not have this sin held against them. Stephen requests the same of Jesus on behalf of his killers.

So what should we do? Our situation may not involve life and death issues but Stephen, the first Christian martyr, following the way of Jesus, demonstrates for us what we can do in our moment of trial. We can
 Put our complete trust in Jesus
 Forgive our persecutors and all who sin against us.

Stephen does this because Jesus did. How can we do anything different?

Acts 8 v 1-4
Saul agreed that the killing of Stephen was good.
On that day the church of Jerusalem began to be persecuted, and all the believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
And some religious people buried Stephen and cried loudly for him. Saul was also trying to destroy the church, going from house to house, dragging out men and women and putting them in jail. And wherever they were scattered, they told people the Good News.

Notes
“Good news travels fast”. Ever heard this saying? But it’s not only good news, which travels. Bad news has been know to travel even faster! How? Because we spread it.

Ever been tempted to pass something ‘dubious’ onto a friend or even just an acquaintance? Maybe you weren’t quite sure of the accuracy of the original source. Perhaps by the time the ‘news’ had reached you it had already become a little stale. Nevertheless, you decided to ‘pep’ it up a little yourself, glossing over some details, ‘enhancing’ some others.

Was that ‘good news’? No! It was gossip – which at best is unhelpful and at worst is dangerous and evil.

“But I only passed on what I’d been told.” Really? Exactly as you heard it? “Well, maybe a little exaggeration.” Oh, so you ‘enhanced the truth’? In other words, you lied!

Would you like people to gossip about you? To tell stories about you that were far from the truth? Get the picture?

How about a new resolution to only pass on good news? News, which passes the two-step test
 It is “good” – faith building news – such as how Stephen faced death with faithful trust in Jesus
 It is “news” – real information – not lies, not gossip designed to harm.

Can all your words today pass the “good news” test?

Acts 8 v 5-8
Philip went to the city of Samaria and preached about the Christ. When the people there heard Philip and saw the miracles he was doing, they all listened carefully to what he said. Many of these people had evil spirits in them, but Philip made the evil spirits leave. The spirits made a loud noise when they came out. Philip also healed many weak and crippled people there. So the people in that city were very happy.

Notes
“Actions speak louder than words”, so we are told. Do you believe this? What grabs your attention?

Certainly, the people of Samaria’s attention were on Philip. If you had been one of the crowds, what would you have thought? That Philip was a clever trickster who had simply fooled all these people? That would be difficult to argue since miracles were happening.

People you knew, who used to have evil spirits, no longer had them. They had been healed. Other healings had taken place. No wonder the people in the city were very happy. You couldn’t deny what you’d seen with your own eyes. So having seen the miracles Philip was doing, wouldn’t you also listen “carefully” to what he said as he “preached about the Christ”? You couldn’t help but do so.

Philip’s actions had created a climate for belief. The people believed his miracles so why shouldn’t they believe his words? So what does that have to do with us today?

Our actions will speak louder than words. The Holy Spirit can use us to bring healing and comfort for those in trouble.

We can behave in such a way that there is a right climate for others to believe in Christ. That way, when the time is right for us to speak to Him, others who have seen the effect Jesus has in our lives, will want to “listen carefully”. Maybe that will even be our experience today.

Acts 8 v 9-13
But there was a man named Simon in that city. Before Philip came there, Simon had practiced magic and amazed all the people of Samaria. He bragged and called himself a great man. All the people—the least important and the most important—paid attention to Simon, saying, “This man has the power of God, called ‘the Great Power’!” Simon had amazed them with his magic so long that the people became his followers. But when Philip told them the Good News about the kingdom of God and the power of Jesus Christ, men and women believed Philip and were baptized. Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed very close to Philip. When he saw the miracles and the powerful things Philip did, Simon was amazed.

Notes
Did you know that one of the best ways of testing whether something is real or counterfeit is to put it alongside a ‘genuine article’ and to compare the two? A plastic rose may look like a rose from a distance but beside a real flower, it is quickly seen to be manufactured. A pale imitation of the real thing.

So it was with Simon. He amazed others with his magic tricks but when Philip came along, with genuine God-give powers, the real thing immediately struck the people.

Philip had something authentic about him. When Philip shared the news about God’s kingdom and the power of Jesus Christ, people believed. There was something – perhaps they couldn’t explain what it was – but they knew they were in the presence of the real thing. The false was seen to be what it really was; something manufactured which just couldn’t compare with the genuine.

Even Simon realised this to be true for he himself believed, was baptized and stayed very close to Philip.

Are you a genuine follower of Jesus? Do you have that indefinable authenticity about you or are you a pale, manufactured counterfeit, of the real thing? When compared to the genuine article, would you pass the test?

If not, it’s not too late to change, to leave the false behind and to stay close to Jesus. Why not start today?

Acts 8 v 14-19
When the apostles who were still in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When Peter and John arrived, they prayed that the Samaritan believers might receive the Holy Spirit. These people had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them. Then, when the two apostles began laying their hands on the people, they received the Holy Spirit.
Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles laid their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money, saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands will receive the Holy Spirit.”

Notes
The Samaritan people had believed and been baptized but to the apostles, Peter and John, they still lacked an essential: the Holy Spirit. So the apostles began laying hands on the people, who then received the Holy Spirit.

What was true then, is true now. Being filled with the Holy Spirit isn’t simply an optional extra. He is an essential part of our life for He is the one who fills us with power, enabling us to be effective witnesses of Jesus Christ.

Certainly, Simon recognised this power to such an extent that he offered the apostles money for it, thereby revealing his true motives. Simon did not want the power in order to become a better follower of Christ. He wanted power for power’s sake.

He had seen powerful things happening as the result of the Holy Spirit and he craved that power for himself. He wanted the influence and authority that the power gave. His motives were not pure.

What are your motives today? Do you long for power, to do miracles, to heal? Why? Do you want to be thought of as important and influential? Or do you want others to experience God’s generosity in Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit?

Let us pray.
Almighty Father, I ask you to fill me afresh with your Holy Spirit today. I ask that I may receive power to be your faithful witness, to share generously with others the good news of Jesus Christ. In my witness today, help me to put aside all selfish desires so that all honour may be yours. In the name of Jesus I ask this, Amen.

Acts 8 v 20-25
Peter said to him, “You and your money should both be destroyed, because you thought you could buy God’s gift with money. You cannot share with us in this work since your heart is not right before God. Change your heart! Turn away from this evil thing you have done, and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you for thinking this. I see that you are full of bitter jealousy and ruled by sin.”
Simon answered, “Both of you pray for me to the Lord so the things you have said will not happen to me.”
After Peter and John told the people what they had seen Jesus do and after they had spoken the message of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they went through many Samaritan towns and preached the Good News to the people.

Notes
Simon’s heart was “not right before God”. He was jealous of the apostles, Peter and John.

Jealously is a cruel thing. If we give in to jealousy, it rapidly grows beyond our imagination. It feeds on more and more of our heart until it is out of control. It eats away at our common sense, our sense of rightness, justice and proportion and replaces them with petty, evil thoughts and desires that can never be satisfied. Suddenly, we find ourselves, like Simon, “full of bitter jealousy and ruled by sin.” 

What can be done? Peter knew that Simon needed a change of heart. To do this Simon had to
 Recognise his sin
 Turn away from it
 Ask the Lord’s forgiveness and help

Simon wisely asked the apostles to pray for him. He knew that he needed God’s help. There are times when we need to put our heart “ right before God.” We need a change of heart if we want fully to effectively share in the work of spreading the Good News to others.

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
I know that my heart is not right before you. I want to change. I ask you to forgive me for all my sin. Help me to turn away from all my jealousies and weaknesses.
Strengthen me so that I may be more like Jesus in my thoughts and in the desires of my heart, today and everyday. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes