November 1930
B u s i n e s s
528
K i n g ’ s
T h e
( In ternational JHesson Qowiwientaru j JSesson O utline and Exposition (Blackboard Outlines go lde n foext Illustrations C h ild re n ’s (D ivisio n { q iy g . S . g z d e r q u is t V. 10. Not able to withstand the wis dom. The Lord had promised His dis ciples “a mouth and wisdom” (Lk. 2 1 :15). And the Spirit. Stephen was a learned man, a logician, and doubtless a strong de bater ; but that was not enough. His mes sage was backed and vitalized by the power of the :Holy Spirit— a beautiful example of- the blending of the human and the divine. 7 :54. Cut to the heart. Th.e antagon ists were completely silenced by the argu ment of Stephen and were made to real ize the Spirit’s power behind the message. But, instead of repenting and confessing their sin, they resisted the Holy Spirit (cf. v. 51). The verb translated “cut” means literally “sawn asunder.” Gnashed on him with their teeth. This gnashing of teeth was not with despair, as the expres sion frequently denotes, but with unbridled rage.. V. 55. Being full of the Holy Spirit. The attitude of the mob told Stephen what he might expect. Apart from the power of the Spirit, he would have been filled with fear and despondency, or else angered at the injustice he was suffering. He calmly faced death itself because he was filled with the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Looked up steadfastly into heaven. He looked up into heaven because he knew his risen Lord was there. All of his own personal interests, his “treasures,” were there. His eternal home was there (cf. 2 Cor. 4:17, 18). Saw the glory o f God. This was surely some visible evi dence of the presence of God, such as the Shechinah had been in the temple. That glory was reflected in the countenance of Stephen (cf. 6:15). Jesus standing on the right hand o f God. Jesus is usually repre sented as seated, signifying that His work of atonement is completed (cf. Heb. 1.: 3 ; 8 :1 ; 10:12, 13). But here He rises, as if to reassure the martyr and to bid him welcome home. V. 56. I see the heavens opened. In some way the veil was drawn aside add Stephen was permitted to get a glimpse of the heavenly glory (cf. 2 Cor. 12:1-4). The right hand is the place of authority and honor. There Jesus is today, our high priest, with authority over all things and sympathy for us in all our need (cf. Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:14-16; 7:2 5). The Son o f man standing. This is the only time that any one, except Christ Himself, used the title “ Son of man” referring to the Lord Jesus. He often emphasized His humanity by the use of this title. It was more natural for disciples to use the title “ Son of God” in order to emphasize His deity. Stephen identified the man Jesus with the Son of God in the glory. V. 57. They cried out. The hearers re garded Stephen’s words as blasphemy, and they sought to drown them out with their loud cries. Stopped their ears. In this significant way they expressed their hor- The new workers, with new zeal, went to new territory, Stephen was appointed to December 7, 1930 Stephen, an Early Interpreter of Christianity Lesson : Acts 6 :1 to 7 :60. (Lesson Text: Acts 6:7-10; 7 :54-60.) ’ Golden Text-. “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6 :5 ). * * * L esso n in O u t l in e I. Stephen, the Preacher (6:7, 8 ). 1. Prosperity by the Spirit (7 ), a. “The word of God increased.” b. Disciples were multiplied. c. Priests were “obedient to the faith.” a. “Full of grace and power.” b. Great wonders and miracles wrought. II. Stephen Stoned (6:9, 10; 7:54-60). 1. The murderers (6:9, 10; 7:54). a. From the synagogue (9 ). b. Convicted by the Spirit (10). c . ' Resisting the Spirit (7 :54). 2. Power by the Spirit ( 8 ). rT'HE voluntary community of goods, "L which the church at Jerusalem had adopted, gave to the apostles a good deal of responsibility for the distribution of alms to the poor. They may have dele gated the practical details to others. In any case, there soon was complaint from the Greek Jews that the Hebrew widows were especially favored in the administra tion of the poor fund. In order to allay suspicion and to give themselves wholly to prayer and the preaching of the Word, the apostles relinquished this responsibility. Seven deacons were, chosen and set apart for the duty. Since all of..them bear Greek names, we may infer that they were of Greek descent. The choice of these deacons accom plished two important things : ( 1 ) it took away from the Hellenists all cause for complaint; and ( 2 ) it gave to the church at least two flaming evangelists, Philip and Stephen, who were God’s instruments; to take the Gospel to Samaritan and Gen tile territory. * * * H eart of t h e L esso n I. Stephen, the Preacher (6:7, 8 ). V. 7. The word of God increased. The word of God here is the Gospel message. 2. The martyr (7 :55-60). a. His preparation by the Spirit (55). . . ■ ■ b. His vision (55,56). c. His murderers (58, 59). d. His prayer (60). : * * * A ppro ac h to t h e L esson do t h e practical work of a deacon, but the organization of the early church was not so rigid that it hindered- h im from entering upon the larger and more important work of an evangelist. Disciples multiplied in Jerusalem. The release of the apostles for the ministry of the Word and prayer and the appointment of the new workers was the immediate cause of this multipli cation of believers, A great company of the priests. In this time of transition in the church at Jerusalem, priests could believe on Jesus Christ and still continue their duties in the temple. The wealthy, ruling class in the priesthood, however, con tinued to be bitterly hostile to Christianity. V. 8 . Stephen, full o f grace and power. It is often said of Stephen that he was a wonderfully “filled” man. He was full of faith ( 6 :5 ) ; full of grace and power ( 6 : 8 ) ; full of the Word of God (7 :2- 54) ; full of the Holy Spirit (6 :15 ; 7:55) ; full of love ( 7 :60) ; full of courage (7 ; 5 1 ); full of trust (7 :59 ). He had both gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:11, 12; Gal. 5:22). Great wonders and signs. This is the first mention in the book of Acts of miracles being wrought by another than the apos tles. A “wonder” suggests a miracle that caused astonishment. A “sign” is a mir acle attesting the truth. II. Stephen Stoned (6:9, 10; 7:54-60). V. 9. O f the synagogue. The Libertines were probably descendants of Jews who had been enslaved by Pompey after the conquest of Judea, 63 B. C., and who were later released. There were also present men of Cyrene and Alexandria located in northern Africa, and of Cilicia and Asia, provinces of Asia Minor. There were many (some say 480) synagogues in Jerusalem. The reference here, then, may be to five different synagogues. Disputing with Stephen. Not acrimonious debate or quarreling, but earnest discussion of the points in which Jews and Christians were at variance. A Reader fo r Eighteen Years . I thank you. fo r the gift o f T h e K in g ’ s B u s in e s s for an other year. This will make more than eighteen years’ continuous receiving o f this splendid maga siné. —From Englewood, Florida.
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