The Spirit Empowers His People

Well, good morning. It's good to see all of you this morning. Reminded through that song the significance of those,! There's two truths that get coupled together in that final song that we sang.

! The first is about trusting, and the next is about waiting. Have you thought about that? Have you thought about what does it mean to trust in the Lord?

Or maybe better, what does it look like to trust the Lord? How does that play out? How would I describe it? Well, it's the second part of that song, trusting and waiting.

That's one of the key ways that faith in God plays out. And it's one of the key ways that God allows faith to grow in our lives.

Grows in our life as we learn to wait. I don't know about you, waiting is not easy. I won't ask for a show of hands, but how many of you waiting?

Oh, I'm great at waiting. I'm a really good waiter. I think in this culture, we have been conditioned not to wait. We have learned that we don't have to wait. When we want something, we can get that something.

And fast food is one of those ways where we want something, we just go and find it, we get it. But there's something significant.

I wonder if maybe in our spiritual lives, one of the reasons why there's a deficiency of faith is because we have not learned to wait. Just think about it.

Think about the testimony of the Scripture and the key individuals throughout the Bible that we would call men of faith. They're heroes of faith.

They're in Acts chapter 11. Sorry, it's in the book of Hebrews chapter 11. It talks about these people who are people of faith. Well, what was true about them is that God made them wait.

Abraham, he had to wait for 25 years after the promise was given before God would finally give him the son, the seed that he was waiting for.

And then it wouldn't be for another 1,500 years before Christ would be born. The actual seed that was promised there to Abraham. And then we think about David, anointed king.

He has to wait. Person after person after person throughout the Scripture. And the testimony of faith has been cultivated by waiting.

Reminded of the psalmist who says, I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. And he will strengthen your heart. This morning we're going to look at a man who has learned faith.

A man who is an example of faith in the Lord Jesus, Stephen. And we know his story as it's presented to us in the book of Acts. But here's a man who is full of faith.

Well, we don't have all of the ways in which that faith was cultivated. But we're going to see what that faith looked like. How that faith showed up. And it should be an encouragement to every one of us that God instrumentally through his Holy Spirit can make us people of faith.

People of faith. Well, I mentioned last week the significance of Sunday school teachers in my life. Those who were servants of the Lord Jesus. Who were instrumental in conditioning me to know what does faith look like?

What do people who love Jesus look like? Well, this morning I want to just give you a quick example in history of a person of faith. Not necessarily the person that you would expect.

Not a person who would necessarily rise to the top of heroes of the faith as it were. But this man named Edward Kimball in 1855 was a Sunday school teacher.

And God was working in his heart to help him understand the significance of speaking to a young man that was in his Sunday school class about the gospel.

See, he had this young man on his mind. This young man's name was Dwight L. Moody. I'm sure you are familiar with him.

Dwight was 17 years old at the time and he worked as a clerk in a shoe shop. And he knew very little about the Bible. He knew very little about the gospel. But Kimball had developed this burden for this young man.

He wanted him to know the scriptures. He wanted him to understand the gospel. And so God had laid this burden on his life and he was looking for opportunities to share this extended ministry of the gospel to this young man.

But there was just one problem. He was afraid. He was scared. I imagine that all of us can identify with that to one degree or the other.

And Kimball was not afraid just from the threats of persecution. He wasn't afraid of that. But he was afraid for this young man that he would be embarrassed in being called out, the gospel being made clear in front of his friends, in front of his co-workers.

And he was also concerned, Kimball was concerned about his own ability to be able to share this message effectively to this young man. So as Kimball thought about this and went about sharing this, he walked up to the store and then walked right by.

Afraid about the opportunity. But he stopped. He turned around. And he decided that he was going to go inside. He found Dwight L. Moody in the back. And it was there that he began to share with D.L. Moody the gospel.

Be able to share with him the significance of the work of Christ. And as Kimball approached him, he placed his hands on his shoulder. And he says, let me tell you about Jesus.

Years later, Kimball recalled how inadequate he felt in that moment. And I imagine every one of us can identify with that. How inadequate we feel in those moments of sharing the gospel or sharing the truth with others.

He couldn't even remember exactly what he had said. But God had used that conversation. And God had used the gospel to change the life of this young man.

And D.L. Moody, of course, has been used of the Lord prominently in so many ways throughout the church. Throughout the 19th century. And God used this faithful man who felt very inadequate to speak and to serve the gospel.

He had particularly a responsibility in this church. He had a responsibility to students. But he also had a responsibility to speak. His particular ministry, Kimball's ministry, was assigned to him to teach a Sunday school class.

But he recognized that the service that he was to give was not just a service in the classroom. It was a service of speaking and testifying of the work of God.

This morning we come to another man. That we find who is a servant of the Lord Jesus. Who has been given a role to play. A function to perform in the life of the church.

We're going to find that Stephen not just has a role to serve. He also has a role to speak. That's where we're going to get started. As we look at this together in Acts chapter 6.

Beginning in verse 8. I want to see, first of all, a young man. A man who is empowered by the Lord to serve and to speak.

God has called all of us through the power of his Holy Spirit. Who have believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Not only to serve, but also to speak for the name of the Lord.

We'll read this passage for us and we'll dive into our text. Beginning in verse 8 it says this. And Stephen, full of grace and power. Was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the freedmen. As it was called. And of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians. And of those from Cilicia and Asia. Rose up and disputed with Stephen.

But they could not withstand the wisdom. And the spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men. Who said, we have heard him speak. Speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.

And they stirred up the people. And the elders and the scribes. And they came upon him. And seized him. And brought him before the council. And they set up false witnesses.

Who said, this man never ceases to speak words. Against this holy place. And the law. For we have heard him say. That this Jesus of Nazareth. Will destroy this place.

And change the customs. That Moses delivered to us. And gazing at him. All who sat in the council. Saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Over the next several weeks. We're going to be looking at this defense. That Stephen will give in chapter 7. We're going to see how God instrumentally used this man. To speak for the name of the Lord.

You see. We began to see last week. That this church was multiplying. We saw that in Acts chapter 6 verse 1. In the days when the disciples were increasing in number.

And while that was an incredible thing. That God was working among his people. That the multiplication was taking place. Of the disciples among God's people. It created a challenge as well.

While this work was happening. And the people were united. In several ways. They're giving their worship. Their fellowship. What was it was a testimony to God's grace.

That was upon the entire assembly. But now there is an opportunity for division. To happen. And as this church expands. And multiplies. Now there is a group of individuals.

These Hellenistic widows. That seem to be. Or at least complaining. About being neglected. In the distribution that's happening. These Hellenistic widows. Are Jewish in nature.

They have the same ancestry. As their brothers and sisters. There in Israel. But they. While they share the same commitment to scripture. There is something different. About them.

They're coming from a different culture. They're different. They're coming from. From a different standpoint. Of customs. And especially. They're coming from. A different language. They're Greek speakers.

Along the way. They had been displaced. Their relatives. Distant relatives. Have been displaced. Through various occupations. And through various exiles. Whether it was the exile of the Assyrians.

In 722 BC. Or the exile of the Babylonians. That happened in 586. They were displaced. From the location there. In Israel.

And in 332. When Alexander the Great came. And swept through the region. He would bring along with him. In the empire. A brand new language. A brand new customs.

And so. Those who were displaced. Because of these exiles. That happened. Those who had been. Moved out of the. The normal places. In Israel. Are now.

Learning this language. Learning these customs. Learning this way of life. And so a church. That had grown to thousands. Is now experiencing. The challenge.

Of a group that seems to be. Neglected. They're not as connected. They're distant. In some way. And so the apostles. Come up with a plan. They come up with a plan. Of service. And that becomes.

The key. Of what we studied last week. The significance. Of our service. To the Lord Jesus. We saw service. Happening in two different ways. Last week. In Acts chapter. chapter 6 verse 4.

The apostles say this. We will devote ourselves. To prayer. And to the ministry. Of the word. That word for ministry.

Is the word service. It's the word. Diakonia. It's the deaconing. Ministry. Of these apostles. And they will employ. A servant team.

A team who has the. The special care. Of serving. These widows. And it uses. The word. Diakonia. The verb. Form. Of this word.

That emphasizes. The significance. Again. Of service. You can see now. How these two are related. The apostles. Who are serving. In ministry. Of the word. And these deacons.

Or servant leaders. Who were to minister. To the physical needs. Of these Hellenistic widows. Who were among them. But the. There were special qualifications. That were necessary.

For this group. In verse 3. Of chapter 6. Therefore brothers. Pick out. From among yourselves. Seven men of good repute. Full of the spirit. And wisdom.

Whom we will appoint. To this duty. Now this is where. Things. Get really exciting. In our passage. Now the church. Is beginning to expand. And now.

The leadership. Is beginning. To accommodate. This expansion. And now. Is beginning. To employ. Among themselves. Other gifted. Men. To do. The work.

God is beginning. To multiply. Among his people. And distribute. Among his people. Opportunities. For service. It's an exciting time.

In the life. Of the early church. And these men. Who were Greeks. Among. The people. Are serving. With exceptional character.

We see. Their character. In verse 5. It says. And what they said. Pleased. The whole. Whole gathering. And they chose. Stephen. A man. Full. Of faith. And.

The Holy Spirit. The two things. That stand out. About Stephen. He's a man. Of great character. As we move. Into. Verse 8. We're going to see. That he was a man.

Of great. Speaking ability. He was a man. Of conviction. Who spoke. For Christ. Spoke for God. We see. In chapter 6.

Verse 8. Stephen. Full. Of grace. In power. Was doing great wonders. And signs. Among the people. And in verse 10. They could not withstand.

The wisdom. And the spirit. With which. Stephen was speaking. He was a man. Of great character. And a man. Of great. Conviction. To speak.

As we've developed this. We're going to develop this. Some more. As we continue. To work our way through. Seeing. The work of God. Through Stephen. In speaking. But. But. But. As we. As we come to this passage.

We begin to see. The. The. The. The thing that Stephen. Is doing. In speaking. For the. For the Lord. And then the opposition. That he faces. Maybe we might begin.

To ask the question. Now wait a second Stephen. You're experiencing. Opposition. Stephen. You're speaking. In the temple. You're disputing. With these.

With the synagogue. Of the freemen. These individuals. You've been called. For a purpose. You've been called. To serve tables. What are you doing? Speaking. In the synagogue.

Speaking in the temple. Stay in your lane. Stephen. Do the work. That you've been called. To do. Maybe. That might be. Something we would say. And yet. While he was called.

To serve. He had a primary function. That every single one. Of us have. We have all. Been called. To speak. We have all. Been called. To witness. We have all. Been called.

To testify. To the wonder. Of who God is. That is our. That is our. Primary function. And it often. Goes along with. The serving. Function as well. And. And Stephen.

Is fulfilling. His call. To speak. We keep coming. Back to this. But I want to just. Remind you again. Acts chapter 1. Verse 8. Remember. What Jesus.

Is calling his disciples. All of his disciples. To do. He says. You will receive power. When my Holy Spirit. Has come upon you. And you. Will be my. What church?

You'll be my witnesses. That's what God has called. His. His believers. Those who trust in him. To do. To be his witnesses. We see that in Matthew.

Chapter 28. Verses 19 and 20. The call. For discipleship. Go therefore. Make disciples. Of all nations. Baptizing them. In the name of the Father. The Son. And the Holy Spirit.

Teaching. Them. To observe. All that I've commanded you. And behold. I'm with you always. To the end. Of the age. God has called. Us.

Believers. In Jesus Christ. Disciples. Of Christ. To make disciples. And to do it through. Teaching. And then.

We find in Acts chapter 2. As soon as the Holy Spirit. Indwells. A group of individuals. Every single believer. Has the Holy Spirit. Indwelling them.

And then what do we find them doing? Well we find them. In Acts chapter 2. Verse 11. It says. We hear them. Telling. In our own tongues. The mighty works of God. Those who are empowered.

By the Spirit. Will speak. Of the power. Of God. They will testify. To the wonder. Of who God is. That's what. That's what God has called us to do. To testify.

To the wonder of him. And I want you to see this. And there's a spoiler alert. That. At the end of chapter 7. Stephen is going to get martyred. And when.

The saints. In Jerusalem. Leave Jerusalem. They're scattered. What do we find them doing? Well in Acts chapter 8. Verse 4. It says this. Those who were scattered.

Went about. Doing what? Preaching. The word. Of God. They went about preaching. Why? Because their primary. Responsibility.

Their primary calling. Is to speak. The things. That God. Has done. To make him known. And I think. That. That.

That. We find. In this. In this narrative. Here. In Acts chapter 6. Verse 8. A recognition. That. That while God may be calling us. To service. It doesn't dismiss us.

From the responsibility. And the privilege. Of speaking for him. We are called to serve. We are also called to speak. Are you speaking for God?

Are you fulfilling. That incredible. Privilege. That we have. As God's people. As God's people. To speak for him. Are there. There ways.

In which. Even through. Throughout this week. That God is giving you. Not only opportunities. To speak for him. But opportunities. For you. To proclaim. The praises of him.

Who called you. Out of darkness. Into his marvelous light. That's what God has called us to. And so. I want to just pause here. For a moment. Okay. We don't. We don't normally do this. But. But. But there in your notes.

I've got three. Questions. I want you to. To begin to consider. And maybe you can't answer them. Right now. But. But. But your homework assignment. For this week. Is to take seriously.

The word of God. And the commitment. That God has called us. Not just to serve. But also to speak. That's what God has called us to. So. You have a space in your notes.

And I want to just ask you. These three questions. First. How have you experienced. Either this week. Or last week. The power of God. Or the hand of God.

In your life. If we're going to do. What they did in Acts. Chapter 2. Verse 11. That we're going to. We're going to. Make known. Among the peoples. What God has done for us.

The powerful working of God. If we're going to do that. We need to be aware. Of the things that God is doing. In our lives. So that we can communicate. Those things with others.

I think part of the problem. That we have. At least part of the problem. That I often have. Is I. Is I don't take note. Of the ways. In which. God is faithful.

I'm not calling it. To my attention. I'm not. I'm not. Looking. For ways. That God has. Demonstrated. His dependability. The ways that God. Has answered prayer.

The ways that God. Has shown up. In my life. And drawing attention. To the wonder. Of who he is. And. And if we're ever going to. To talk about. And celebrate. The work of God.

Proclaim among the nations. What God has done for us. We have to. Pause. And take time. To be aware. Of that work. So how is God.

This past week. Or the week before. Demonstrated his faithfulness to you. What. What can you speak about. Second is this. Who.

Are you going to tell. Who are you going to tell. If God has called us. To speak for him. To testify. To him. Who is that person. That God has put in your circle.

That you can share. That work with. And maybe you don't know. Right now. And maybe God will just. Open the door. For you to be able to do that. And you didn't really have. Somebody in mind.

But I. I want to encourage you. This week. To find somebody. Somebody that knows. Knows the Lord Jesus. As their savior. Somebody you can encourage. To say.

You know what. God did this for me. This week. And I just want you to know. The third thing is. There is somebody. This week. That you're totally unaware of. And probably doesn't know Jesus.

And I want to encourage you. This week. To pray. Every day. That God will give you. An opportunity. To share. The gospel with. Or to share. Plant a seed. Of what God has done.

Done in your life. So that you can have. This gospel opportunity. Somewhere in your week. Listen. God cares about this. More than you do. And.

And. God will answer that prayer. I remember. Going to. To seminary. And thinking. I had this class. I was taking. I didn't know. How in the world.

I was going to complete. The assignment. I needed to. To share the gospel. With at least. Five people. During that semester. And I thought. I don't even know. Who I can share this with. I'm never around. Unsaved people.

Long enough. To be able to. To share the gospel. Do you realize. That through that semester. As I was praying. For God. To give me an opportunity. He didn't just give me. Five opportunities. He gave me.

Twenty five opportunities. Because God cares. About this. And so often. The problem. That I have. Is that the opportunities. That he places.

Are always there. Or regularly there. But I don't see them. Because my eyes are closed. And unaware. Of the work. That God wants to do. Instrumentally.

Through me. Just through availability. And speaking for him. Would you do that this week? Would you do that? You see. God cares.

About. About your speaking. And he has called us all. To speak for him. Next. We see in verse eight. That he equips us. With grace and power. And this is. This is the incredible part of it too.

Is it isn't just. Give us a command. And tell us what to do. But he empowers us. With his Holy Spirit. To make it happen. He doesn't abandon us. To work this out.

On our own. But he. He gives us. The indwelling. Holy Spirit. Who. Who. Who doesn't just give us. Marginal power. But gives us. The power of God. To accomplish.

The task. He's called us to. Oh. This is amazing. Look at this. Verse eight. And Stephen. What is that next word? Full. Of grace. And power.

He's full. Of grace. In power. Now we've talked about this. A little bit. What does it mean to be full of grace? Well it's not just that Stephen understood. What salvation looked like.

And then experienced the grace of God. In salvation. But. But that the grace of God. Had ministered to him. His presence. Through the spirit. Was active in his life.

He was. He was a man who. Who understood. And recognized. That. That God was. Was present in his life. And Stephen. Like all of us.

Can enjoy. This. Quality. Being full. Of grace. In power. Maybe you say. I don't feel so.

Full of grace. Or power. Well this is something. That God makes available. To every believer. In Jesus Christ. Those who have. Who have committed.

Themselves to him. Who recognize. Their sin. Who have come to a place. Of asking Jesus. For forgiveness. Who recognize. That Jesus. Is the. Is the only way. Of salvation. That he died.

And rose again. And makes. Salvation possible. When we. Come to faith. In Christ. He gives. The Holy Spirit. And God.

Promises. To let us. Take part. In this same kind. Of work of God. In our lives. The. The evidence. Of great grace. That was upon. The entire congregation.

We can enjoy too. Because that grace. And power. Come. Through. The Holy Spirit himself. You see. Stephen.

Stephen will enjoy. This great grace. And we see. This working out. In Acts chapter 6. We find. In verse 3. You need to find men. Who are full.

Of the Holy Spirit. And wisdom. And then. In chapter 6. Verse 5. And so they chose Stephen. He was full. Of faith. In the spirit. Then in verse 8. Stephen. Full. Of grace.

And power. This word. To fill. Is to be. Is to. To be complete. Is to have totality. Of fullness. Is that.

Every part. Of Stephen's life. Was abandoned. To God. It was submitted. To his word. And submitted. To the spirit's work. And direction. In his life. Stephen was totally.

Controlled. By faith. The Holy Spirit. In grace. In power. Were evident. In his life. Because he had abandoned. Himself. To the Lord himself. To God. So that in Acts chapter 7.

Verse 55. We see this again. But he. Speaking of Stephen. Full. Of the Holy Spirit. Gazed. Into heaven. And saw the glory. Of God.

And Jesus. Standing at the right hand. Of God. He is full. Of the spirit. Full of the spirit. So that in. Chapter 6. Verse 5. It embodies faith.

Full of faith. In verse 8. Full of grace. And power. In verse 10. It's full of wisdom. They could not. Withstand the wisdom. And the spirit. With which he spoke.

Great grace. Was upon him. The power of God. Was alive. In his life. And this is something. The apostle Paul. Addresses consistently. What does it mean.

To have a life. That is full of power. Is it something. That we can access. The apostle Paul. Writing to the church. Of Ephesus. In Ephesians chapter 1.

Verse 15. Says this. He says. For this reason. Because I have heard. Of your faith. In the Lord Jesus. And your love. Towards all the saints. I do not cease. To give thanks for you.

Remembering you. In my prayers. The apostle Paul. Sees this church. They have been united. To one another. And united to Christ. Through faith. But he prays for them.

What does the apostle. Pray. Paul. Pray for them. Well in verse 19. We find. What he prays for them. He prays. That you might understand. The immeasurable.

Greatness. Of his power. Towards us. Who believe. According to the working. Of his great might. That he worked in Christ. When he raised him. From the dead.

And seated him. At his right hand. In the heavenly places. The apostle Paul. Is praying for this church. That they. Would understand. The power of God.

That is resident. In their lives. We. Are aware. Of God's power. I think we know. Intellectually. That. That God indwells.

His people. With. The power. Of the Holy Spirit. But the apostle Paul. Recognizes that. That while the church. Understood. The significance.

Of this truth. They were not. Putting their place. Their faith. In that truth. Truth. To the extent. That they actually. Got to experience. That power. That power.

Of God. In life. To do what God. Has called them. To do. This immeasurable. Greatness. This power. This great might. He.

He emphasized it. Three times. In one little verse. What does this power. Accomplish. In the life. Of a believer. I think. It accomplishes.

A number of things. First. I think. It accomplishes. Transformation. That God. Helps us. To be holy. As he is holy. He helps us. To say no. To sin. And I think.

That. Another thing. That God. Helps us. To do. With his great power. Is he helps us. To carry out. The mundane. The often. Very mundane. Things. Of life. The.

The working. That we do. The family. Nurturing. That we do. The community. Living. And loving. That we do. Those. Those things. That we. That we dismiss.

As well. That's not really. That important. That's really. Not that powerful. But. But. But. Anything. That you would say. You know what. That is really hard. Like. It's really hard. To love that person.

Or. It is really hard. To forgive. That person. Did you see. What they did to me. Or. Man. It is really hard. To show up to work. When I'm not. Appreciated. Or.

It is. It is really hard. To. To cross the street. And have that conversation. Whatever. You would say. That is really hard. I'm not sure. That I can really do that.

I'm going to. Leave that. To somebody else. Those are the very things. That God wants to empower us. To do. He wants to. He wants to show up. In our life. He wants.

The Holy Spirit. To. To have his way. In not only. Directing our steps. In leading us. But to help us. Do the things. That we would often say. No to. Those.

Disciplines. Of life. Those areas. Of service. That he's called us to. And this is. What God wants to accomplish. He wants to accomplish that. In our. In our lives.

Through his power. He makes it. Available. Well. How do I get this power? Well. Just briefly. Just two verses. I want to draw your attention to.

Or two passages. First in Ephesians. Chapter 5. Verse 18. Ephesians 5. 18. Says this. And do not get drunk with wine. For that is debauchery.

But be filled. With. The spirit. Addressing one another. In psalms. In hymns. In spiritual songs. Singing. And making melody to the Lord. With your hearts. Giving thanks.

Always. For everything. To God the Father. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting to one another. Out of reverence. For Christ. Okay. The main reason.

Why I have this verse. Is to let you see. You are called. I am called. To be filled. With the spirit. Now it doesn't mean. We get more of the Holy Spirit. In our life. But what that means.

Is we allow. The spirit. To occupy. More of our life. Instead of just. Setting him into. A corner of our life. Or you can have that space. No we say. You can have every space.

Of my life. You can dominate. Every place. Of my life. And it leads to. Singing. Psalms and hymns. It leads to. Thanksgivings. Because this is the work.

Of God in our life. To help us. Actually be thankful. Instead of. What we do by nature. And that is. Complain. But. Take that. Along with Colossians.

Chapter 3. 16 and 17. And we begin to see. How submitting. To the spirit. And allowing the spirit. To fill our life. Is coupled together.

With the significance. Of the word of God. Notice this. Let the word of Christ. Dwell. In you. Richly. What does it produce? Well. What do you know? It produces the same kind of thing.

Teaching and admonishing one another. In all wisdom. Singing psalms and hymns. And spiritual songs. With thanksfulness. In your hearts to God. Whatever you do. In word or deed. Do everything. In the name of the Lord Jesus. Giving thanks to God the Father.

Through him. It accomplishes the same work. That means. To be. Filled with the spirit. And to allow the word of God. To dwell in us richly. Is really.

Two different ways. To say the same thing. So how do we do this? Well. Allow the word of God. To dwell in you richly. I think we can access that.

A little bit more. That means you have to. Pour yourself in. To the word of God. That means you have to. Love the word of God. To allow the word of God.

To have its way in your life. To want to fellowship with God. Through the scriptures. To set up. To set up. A daily. And we might say.

Regiment. Maybe a better word is. A daily. Time. Of fellowshipping. With God. In the scriptures. Those intimate moments.

That you can share. With. The God of the universe. As he is informing your heart. About his. His word. And you are opening. Your heart. Not only to listen.

But to obey. What God has said. It's those kinds of people. That enjoy. The fullness. Of the Holy Spirit. In the kind of power. That Stephen.

Is beginning to demonstrate. And by the way. The rest of the church. Was also. Experiencing. Great grace. Was upon them all. And it showed up. In the same kinds of things. It showed up.

In their unity. It showed up. In their fellowship. It showed up. In their worship. It showed up. In their giving. All of these things. That only the Holy Spirit. Could accomplish. In their lives. So are you a believer.

In the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you come to a place. In your life. Of committing yourself. To him. Asking forgiveness. Of your sin. Confessing him.

As Lord. Of your life. And believing that God. Raised Jesus from the dead. If you have done that. Then you are. Not only. A person. Who is trusted.

In Jesus. But you have. The indwelling Holy Spirit. In your life. So if you have the Holy Spirit. In your life. Are you one who is growing.

In your relationship. With God. Are you growing. In the grace. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that people see. There's something different. About you. Today.

That wasn't true of you. Say. Weeks ago. Months ago. Years ago. That there is this. This growing. In grace. A growing.

In the knowledge of God. A growing. In the. The work of God. In your life. As the Holy Spirit. Is changing you. And transforming you. And this is only going to happen.

As we. Are actively. Fellowshiping. With God. In his word. Do you have a regular pattern. Do you have a regular pattern.

Of life. In accessing. Devouring. Meditating. On the scripture. Is it something that you do. As a. As a normal.

Way of life. If you want to enjoy. The power of the spirit. Filling your life. And giving you power. For daily living. For Christian living. It happens this way.

The same way it happened for the Stephen. And we're going to see. In Acts chapter 7. We're going to see. That this man. Knew. The Bible. I mean. It's incredible. He knew the Bible. There's no wonder.

Why he's able. To dispute. With the. The freedmen. The synagogue. Of the freedmen. That are. That are here. Because. He knew the word of God. He allowed that word.

To shape him. To change him. Finally. In verses 9 to 15. We're going to see. That the Holy Spirit. Will embolden us. To speak. With wisdom. And. The spirit.

He will embolden us to speak. God. Delights in this. Notice in verse 9. Then some of those.

Who belong to the synagogue. Of the freedmen. As it was called. And of the Cyrenians. And of the Alexandrians. And of those from Cilicia. And Asia. Rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand.

The wisdom. And the spirit. With which he was speaking. That was a work of God. In him. The Jerusalem Talmud. Claims that there were about.

480 synagogues. In Jerusalem. Now. There was a temple. Obviously. In Jerusalem. And the temple was a place. Not only of worship. But also of sacrifice.

It was a way. That the people could. Could work through. The. The. The atoning. The sacrificial. Kinds of things. To. To. To. Follow after the law.

But the synagogue. Itself. Was a place for people. To gather. It was a place for people. To be taught. It was a place for them. To learn. It happened in smaller places. It was more about community.

And there were several synagogues. 480. Of them. Spread throughout Jerusalem. And. And we find. The mention of. A number of them here. Interestingly enough.

The freedmen. As it's. Named here. Were descendants. Of Jewish. Slaves. That were captured. In AD. 63. Or. Excuse me. 63 BC.

They were taken to Rome. Later. They were granted. Freedom. And they found. Their way back. To Jerusalem. And here they are. They are. Zealous. For the things of God.

And they are. Particularly zealous. For. Their understanding. Of the law. We find. In verses. 11 to 14. Their opposition. We see.

At least. Eight. Action verbs. Of hostility. Of how this group. Of individuals. Was opposing. The testimony. The word.

Of Stephen. They rose up. We find. In verse 9. They disputed. We find. In verse 9. They instigated. We find. In verse 11.

They stirred up. In verse 12. They. Came upon. In verse 12. They seized. And brought. In verse 12. They set up. False witnesses.

In verse 13. We find. Their hostility. To the message. Of truth. This is something. That Christ himself. Cautioned.

And warned. The disciples. To expect. We find. On the night. Before Jesus. Was crucified. He. Wanted his apostles. To recognize. That. That even. In speaking. With wisdom.

And speaking. Full of faith. And speaking. In the power. Of the Holy Spirit. Does not guarantee. That those. Who hear. Will be receptive. As a matter of fact.

Jesus warned. That they would be. There would be many. Who would oppose. John 15. Verse 18. Says this. If the world hates you. Know that it hated me.

Before it hated you. If you were of the world. The world would love you. As its own. But. Because you are not. Of the world. But I chose you. Out of the world. Therefore the world hates you.

Remember the word. That I said to you. A servant is not greater. Than his master. If they persecuted me. They will also persecute you. If they kept my word. They will also keep yours.

But. All of these things. They will do to you. On account. Of my name. Because they do not know him. Who sent me. You see.

The apostles. Were prepared. In that sense. And so. When opposition would come. We find in Acts chapter 4. 21 to 22. Opposition would come. Verse 21 says.

When they had further. Threatened them. They let them go. Finding no way to punish them. Because the people. For all. Were praising God. For what had happened. Opposition would come again.

In chapter 5. Verses 41 to 42. They left the presence. Of the council. Rejoicing. That they were counted worthy. To suffer dishonor. For the name. And every day.

In the temple. And from house to house. They did not cease teaching. And preaching. That the Christ. Is Jesus. So the apostles were ready. And Stephen.

Was ready. And even though. This group. Employed mob tactics. And even though. They seek to discredit. And misrepresent Stephen.

We find. That all they could. Draw attention to. All they could see. In light of. All that they had done. To Stephen. And all the. The ways that. They were mishandling him.

We find. There is this calm. That seems to. Rest. On Stephen. That he. In verse 15. They looked at him. And they saw. That he had the face.

Of an angel. There is this calm. About his life. Because his heart. Is settled. His heart. Is fixed. In the truth. That God has given. And he is committed.

To whatever. Will happen. For the sake. Of the cause. This morning. As we. As we.

Close our time together. I guess. There are. There are two. Takeaways. First is. Where has God. Called you. To serve. What is. What is God.

What is God. Entrusted. To you. To. To carry out. And to represent him. Wherever you are. Maybe that's. Maybe that's. A ministry of prayer. And that happens.

At a distance. Maybe it's a. Just simple as. As being a faithful mom. Or a faithful dad. Maybe that's being. The kind of employee. That represents. The Lord Jesus. In your workplace.

You're. Working. Heartily. As to the Lord. And not to men. But God has called us. All to serve. The body. As well. There's a service. That God has.

That God has. Given to us. The privilege. Of ministering. To the needs. Within our fellowship. As we represent. Our love for the Lord Jesus. The second.

Takeaway. From our time together. This morning. Is. How might you. Grow. And. Take advantage. Of the opportunity. To speak.

For Jesus. This week. What is a way. In which. That you can. Testify. To the wonder. Of who Christ is. And you can. You can.

You can demonstrate. A. Not only a love. For Jesus. But. But that. That Christ. Is working. In your life. And you're taking advantage. Of the opportunities. To share that with others. May God help us.

This week. To speak for him. Father. We praise you. For the example. Of Stephen. Thank you. Lord. That. That the ministry. That you've given.

Is not just a ministry. To the apostles. And not just a ministry. To the upper echelon. Not. Not just a ministry. To leaders. But Lord. It's a ministry. That you have entrusted.

To each. One of us. Who has the. Spirit. Living within us. Father. Help us to be faithful. Faithful to serve. Faithful to speak.

And faithful. To. To represent you faithfully. Even when. There's opposition. And adversity. Thank you for.

This example. From your. Your scripture. Your word today. I pray that you'd help us. To be able to see. That work. In our lives. As we seek to minister. To others.

In Jesus name. Amen. God bless you. Have a great week. Say bye.

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