Friday 11 July 2025

Psalm 1

Background
Yesterday we read about Stephen, a deacon in the Early Church, whose preaching angered the authorities. Stephen defended his position by saying he was responding to what God had revealed through Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.

If you read the whole of Acts 7, you'll see that Stephen suggested always defending the status quo could run counter to God’s wishes, giving as examples the actions of three Old Testament characters: Abraham, Joseph and Moses. He depicted Abraham as a man of faith who did not cling to the past but recognised that the best was yet to be and who followed God into the unknown. He depicted Joseph as a wise man who, full of God’s grace, saw things as God saw them and welcomed new tasks. And finally he described Moses as a man who answered God’s call by abandoning the comfort and privileges of his adopted Egyptian upbringing to lead God’s people into the desert.

Stephen then pointed out how historically the Jews had often rejected the messages given by God’s prophets. He cited how the people ignored Moses by seeking to worship a golden idol and ignored Amos by seeking to worship Moloch and other gods. He reminded them of the rejection of many of the prophets. (Acts 7:42-53)

Stephen said in a similar way the religious authorities had rejected Jesus Christ. He proclaimed that worshipping God should never be restricted to a particular place, even one as important as the Temple, and that all Jews, whatever their background, had to realise that the Law has been superseded by the revelations brought by Christ, who now stood at the right hand of God.

There was no trial. Stephen’s heart-felt statement that he could see Jesus standing at the right hand of God was taken as blasphemous (ie disrespectful to God) and he was stoned to death by the mob. Stoning was the traditional punishment for blasphemy. The young man who held the coats of the stoners was a keen young opponent of the Christians named Saul, who was later to become the apostle Paul. St Augustine used to argue that the start of Paul’s conversion to Christianity was witnessing the forgiving prayer of Stephen: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (v. 60)

To Ponder:

• Stephen felt he was doing what God wanted but the religious authorities clearly judged this was not the case. How can one know whether it is truly God who is speaking to you?
• Stephen put the revelation of the Holy Spirit above what he had been taught, above the dictates of accepted scripture and religious tradition. Does this have anything to say to us today about judging issues solely on what we can find in the Bible?
• Do you feel the Holy Spirit is directing us today to rethink some of the Church’s traditionally held views?

Prayer
Lord, help me to revere the Bible and what it says, but also help me to listen to what your Holy Spirit is saying to Christians today. Jesus told his disciples they would learn new things after his death through the Holy Spirit and history shows you have not stopped speaking to us throughout the centuries. Guide me to know when to hold on to traditional beliefs and when to change because you want your people to think and move in new directions. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible notes author: Gary Best
Gary was headmaster of Kingswood School from 1987 to 2008 and volunteer warden of the New Room in Bristol from 2009 to 2019. He has published over 20 books, including The Christian Alphabet, a study book for home groups.