Acts 7 

Stephen, the first martyr in the New Testament church was full of God’s grace and power that his antagonists could never withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.  

In his harangue before the Sanhedrin, he summarized at one go, the history of the Old Testament starting from the life of Abraham to the heart of King David. Until then, the Jewish crowd seemed to be on common ground with him (Acts 7:2-46). When Stephen moved over to King Solomon and the temple of God, it became a bone of contention because he claimed that God no longer dwelt in houses made with man’s hands (V 47, 48). 

He quoted the scripture spoken by the Lord through prophet Isaiah, that heaven being His throne and the earth His footstool, what house can man build for Him? (Isaiah 66:1,2)  At that moment, Stephen took off on a diatribe against the hearers saying,  ‘You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you killed Jesus the Righteous One just like your fathers did to the prophets and always resisted the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 7:51,52).  

The crowd offended by his words, ground their teeth in fierce anger, knowing that Stephen disparaged them and the temple of Solomon. All that Stephen tried to convey was the simple fact that in the New Testament, God the Holy Spirit no longer dwelt in buildings made by man but lives inside our body made by God, no matter how undeserving man could be (1 Corinthians 6:19).   

What a privilege that a Sovereign God who divided the Red Sea and opened the grave of Jesus should condescend  to live inside of us! 

Thought for the day: The Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth, laid aside His greatness and made Himself so small, just to make our spirit - His dwelling place.