BIBLES FOR AMERICA BLOG Letting the Word of God Dwell in You Richly—the Pattern of Stephen Stephen’s response is one of the most succinct summaries of the Old Testament recorded in the entire Bible. It recounts the entire history of the Israelites, from the calling of Abraham to the building of the temple. By this, Stephen clearly refutes the false accusation that he had blasphemed. He concludes by boldly stating that their forefathers had persecuted the prophets and killed those who announced the coming of the righteous One, the Christ. He then adds that they themselves have now become the betrayers and murderers of this Christ. Stephen’s faithful and true words so enraged them that they rushed upon him and threw him outside the city. There they stoned him as he called upon the name of the Lord. Stephen’s final words echo those of our Lord on the cross: “Lord Jesus receive my spirit!” and “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” How could Stephen say such things as he was being unjustly stoned to death? And how could he speak so powerfully and eloquently of the history of Israel while being falsely accused and on trial for his life? How could Stephen testify for the Lord in such a marvelous way? Letting the Word of God dwell in you richly Luke 12:11-12 says, “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how or what you should reply in defense, or what you should say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what should be said.” Surely Stephen experienced this promise given by the Lord as he answered the high priest’s question. But was that all? Was his answer simply the miraculous, momentary work of the Holy Spirit? Or was there something about Stephen that allowed the Spirit to work in this way? Even before he was brought to trial, Stephen spoke with wisdom and the Spirit. And from his exposition of the Old Testament in chapter 7, we can see that Stephen was very familiar with the Scriptures. Surely Stephen is a good pattern of one who lived out the words of the apostle Paul in Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.” Stephen was not an empty believer. He was so filled with the Word of God that there was a deposit within him from which the Holy Spirit could draw to lead him how to speak. Many of us have had the experience of wanting to speak for the Lord Jesus but being unable to find the words to say. Why does this happen? Did the Holy Spirit not want to help us in that instance? Actually, when we build up a deposit of the Lord’s Word within us, we give the Spirit a rich reservoir from which He can speak to and through us. And the richer the deposit, the richer His speaking can be. Because Stephen was richly filled with the Word of God, he was able to speak in such a profound and clear way.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 17:41:20 +0000
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