Acts 6 - 10.10.23

Scripture

Acts 6:15

15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Observation 

Stephen is described in the Word of God as “full of God’s grace and power (vs. 8) and filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit when he spoke (vs. 10 paraphrased). The members of the Synagogue didn’t like it and felt threatened by it, very similar to how the Pharisees felt threatened by Jesus. As a result, they made up lies about Stephen and tried to get other people to buy into those lies. They spread false rumors about Stephen that eventually had him brought to the Sanhedrin. They even produced false witnesses to testify against him. However, Stephen remained at peace the whole time and his countenance was proof of that. His face looked like it was “the face of an angel.”

Stephen didn’t literally get transformed into an angel or his face changed to that of an angel. Commentary says that Stephen, as a servant of the Lord, “possessed a clear conscience, cheerful hope, and Divine consolations, which enabled him to smile in the midst of danger and death (Matthew Henry’s Bible commentary-concise).” Stephen felt secure knowing he did no wrong and was confident in who his Defender was. The Holy Spirit’s peace and comfort was shining and showing through his face, which made it look like that of an angel. 

Application 

Trust Jesus to be our Defender.

The Lord is our defender and it is His job to avenge, not ours. (Romans 12:19). 

Have you ever been falsely accused of something? The Biblical term for it is slander, which the New Oxford American Dictionary defines as “the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.”

When we become Christians, living by a different standard than the world will naturally bring upon “haters” and opposition, sometimes from even within the walls of the church. Commentary blames “the heart of a fallen creature, which is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Matthew Henry’s Bible commentary-concise).” However, when we are living in submission to God’s ways and in righteousness, He will defend us. 

“In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?” -Psalm‬ ‭56:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” -‭Matthew‬ ‭10:28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Prayer

Thank you Lord for being our defender. Thank You that we can live in your peace in the midst of trial and persecution. May we be reminded that we can have the “ face of an angel” in the midst of trial, just like Stephen did, as we live for You. Amen. 

-Michelle Gaddi

Acts 5 - 10.9.23

Scripture

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT

“But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”

‬‬

Observation

Peter and the rest of the apostles were arrested and put in jail because of the jealousy of the high priest and his officials. The high priest warned the apostles prior to not go around town and preach the name of Jesus. But the apostles knew Who had the higher priority in their lives. They knew that God’s instructions supersede anything else going on. So, despite the warning from the high priest, the apostles continued to preach the name of Jesus everywhere they went.

Application

Have a heart that wants to please God above anything else.

Believe it or not, we live in a world that can be quite similar to the world the apostles were living in back then. I mean, most people around us cringe when we even bring up the name of Jesus in a conversation. They give us the eye rolls 🙄. They look at us and will even label us as a “Jesus Freak” or “Super Christian” as they try to ridicule us for our faith behind our backs.

But we as Christians have been given a responsibility. We have been given a mission from God to share the Good News about Jesus everywhere we go. And like the apostles ran into obstacles, (like the high priest and his officials trying to silence the apostles from preaching the name of Jesus), we too will run into obstacles when trying to share about Jesus. We will have bosses at work or teachers at school telling us that we can’t talk about that stuff. We will have people on the streets rejecting us and maybe even get mad at us for trying to share about Jesus with them. It can get a bit discouraging. But remember that even the apostles were rejected, imprisoned, and beaten for their willingness to step out and obey Jesus. They saw it as a badge of honor to suffer for the name of Jesus. Find hope knowing that God is watching us. He sees our every move. He sees our obedience to Him and at the end of the day, it is God we should be focusing on. It is God we should want to please.

“For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.”-1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭

Prayer

Father God, I pray for the focus today to do what pleases You. Give me the courage and the boldness to share like Your apostles did back then. May I be reminded that You are with me every step of the way, no matter what obstacles I may face. May the way I live my life bring a smile to Your face and make You proud. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi

Acts 4 - 10.6.23

Scripture

Acts 4:7, 10

7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”…

10 It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 

Observation 

Peter and John were arrested after healing the lame man and put on trial before all the rulers, elders and teachers of the law. They asked Peter and John, “By what power or what name did you do this?” They replied by giving Jesus Christ all the glory.

When God does miracles through his people, the time always comes where they will be asked to give an explanation.

I’ve been amazed as I’ve witnessed people pray and ask God for healing or a miracle in their finances and when God comes through they give the credit to a doctor or employer. Peter and John made no mention of their obedience or their methods or their faith but used 100% of their words to point to Jesus Christ.

Romans 13:7 says to give honor where honor is due. As we grow in faith and witness God do miracles in our lives we will have the opportunity to take credit for what God has done. “I worked really hard.” “I prayed faithfully.” But while those things may have played a part, isn't God is the one who gave you the ability to work and the desire to pray in the first place? Peter and John could have said the man was healed because they had learned to walk in obedience to God or had great faith. Instead they gave Jesus all the glory! They gave honor where it was due.

1 Corinthians 3:7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

Application

Give Jesus all the glory!

Prayer

God, you are worthy of all the glory and praise. Anything good in my life is from you, a result of you moving in me and through me! Praise you! You are the miracle worker. Without you we would have nothing good, experience nothing good. When you answer prayer, may we give you all the glory and praise! Amen.

-Levi Thompson