The Face of Holy Spirit (Book of Acts 6: 8-7: 2)
Stephen is showing the face of the Holy Spirit in a difficult situation. Then, what is the face of the Holy Spirit?
First, it is the face of a witness, full of grace and divine power
Seven men were chosen from the group through the Holy Spirit. Even though these men, chosen by the Twelve, were all wonderful, Stephen was said to be full of grace and power (verse 8). In other words, the most prominent of the seven men, he was a perfect worker for the Lord, full of the Holy Spirit, full of wisdom and faith, full of grace and power. Full of faith and grace, he was filled with power and performed great wonders and signs to the people. From Pentecost to the days of the early church, only twelve apostles performed great wonders and signs, but after deacons were ordained by the apostles, men such as Stephen and Philip also performed wonders and signs. God blessed Stephen, who was full of the Holy Spirit and there were many new converts however, opposition arose from the Freedmen (v. 9). When the Jews were freed from Babylon, many returned to Israel and re-established synagogues. Stephen knew that the old system represented by the temple and the new system of resurrection initiated by Jesus were incompatible. The leaders of the Jerusalem synagogues did not accept Jesus, which led them to accuse Stephen of opposition to Moses and making a deep hostility against Stephen.
AQs: Are you holding on to Holy Spirits grace and power in your daily lives (marriage, workplace, and home)? Are your problems becoming great wonders and signs, or is it nothing more than a hardship because you are trying to overcome it by yourself?
Second, it is a face defeating false witnesses with wisdom and the Holy Spirit.
Because they could not stand up against the wisdom that the Spirit gave Stephen, they bought false witnesses with money (v. 11). They persuaded people by saying Stephen was speaking blasphemy against the Law of Moses. Stephen said that Gods worship is no longer limited to only one temple in Jerusalem, which was a violation of the law of Moses and blasphemy against God. According to Old Testament law, anyone who insults or blasphemes God is stoned to death. Thus, they were determined to kill Stephen.
Then, there come ones who stir up the people (verse 12). It means that the people, elders, and scribes were spurred to seize Stephen and put him on trial by the Sanhedrin. Those who killed Jesus and killed Stephen were scholars, educated people, and scribes of externalism. The elites of that time handed over Jesus and Stephen to be killed. Also, people is mentioned here, who are those easily stirred by those who oppose Christians. Knowledgeable scribes accused Stephen of blasphemy and with false witnesses they were able to get ignorant people on their side.
They produced false witnesses (v. 13). Because they all accused Stephen of blasphemy against the law and the divinity of God, Stephen stood as a defendant before the Sanhedrin Council. Stephen and Jesus said that we worship everywhere. They also said, worship in spirit and truth. The spirit of God exists not only in the temple, but everywhere. The animal sacrifices that had been offered for a long time are worthless now. They argued that Stephen said that he wanted to destroy the temple, willfully misinterpreting Jesus words. They brought Stephen to trial to kill him. Because they couldnt hear the Word of God, the story of the temple being destroyed sounded horrible. They believed that Stephen was against Gods will in holy things, temples and laws. Just like after Jesus said, 'I did not come to destroy the law, but to complete it', he was mocked and died on the cross, Stephen was mocked and died. No one was on Stephens side.
AQs: Who are you, among the bribers, agitators and false witnesses? Have you used wisdom and Holy Spirit to defeat them?
Third, it is like the face of an angel, having God as a witness.
A person living as a witness must be the face of Gods witness. No matter how long you wait, the chief priests, elders, and scribes do not change. Jesus said, 'You will break down this temple, and I will raise it up.' When the flesh is destroyed, the spirit is established, so the destruction of the flesh is the only way. These people believed in the prosperity gospel, and they wanted to kill Jesus and Stephen. When this happens, your face must be like an angel in front of the person who is trying to kill you. We must have an angels face in a breathless environment. In a situation where you have no choice but to die or kill someone, if you put on a face of an angel, you become a witness of Jesus, but you miss this good opportunity too often. When you make a mistake, you must have the face of an angel so that you can share Jesus with others. When things fall apart, we must have the face of the angel, then our life will shine. When the high priest lashes out and asks, Stephen replies that brothers and fathers, listen to me (v. 7: 2). He elevates those people with brotherhood. It is the face of the angel that exalts them by calling them fathers and brothers because of salvation. And he tells the Bible story all the way since Abraham. Stephen preached this gracious sermon, but none of these people understood it. Nevertheless, it is the face of a true angel that shouts to the end in this sad situation.
AQs: Do you have the face of an angel or an elegant face of Satan?
