November 18

Acts 7-8 (biblegateway.com)

The Gospel Advances Through Trial

As the early church grows in number and influence, opposition intensifies. The courage of one Spirit-filled believer will help ignite a wave of persecution that ultimately spreads the gospel beyond Jerusalem, just as Jesus said it would.

Acts 7 — Stephen’s Spirit-Filled Defense and Vision of the Exalted Christ

As Stephen stands before the Sanhedrin, he is accused of speaking against the temple and the law (6:13–14). The high priest asks, “Are these things so?” (7:1). Filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen does not defend himself but declares God’s truth. His purpose is to expose the false assumptions behind the accusations and to show that the story of Israel has always been one of God’s faithfulness and human resistance. The true issue is not blasphemy against the temple, but unbelief toward the God who cannot be contained by temples or traditions.

Stephen’s sermon is the longest recorded speech in Acts and one of the most powerful. It is a Spirit-led retelling of Israel’s entire redemptive story, from Abraham to Moses to the prophets, culminating in Christ, the Righteous One whom they have now rejected. It is both a history lesson and a prophetic indictment. His argument unfolds in a clear progression: God’s presence has never been limited to one land or structure; His people have repeatedly resisted His servants; and the same rebellion has now climaxed in their rejection of God’s Son.

As Stephen begins his defense in Acts 7, he immediately turns the Jewish council's attention away from their accusations and toward God’s long, faithful history with His people. He opens with Abraham because Abraham represents the very beginning of Israel’s story, and, more importantly, God's initiative. Stephen reminds them that “the God of glory” appears to Abraham while he is still living in Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2). This title emphasizes God’s majesty, transcendence, and initiative. In Scripture, “glory” often marks God’s self-revelation, His visible presence, or His active intervention (Exodus 24:16-17; Psalm 29:3; 1 Corinthians 2:8). From the start, Stephen shows that Israel’s entire history rests not on human merit but on God’s gracious initiative. And Scripture makes clear that Abraham was still surrounded by idolatry at this moment; his family “served other gods” in Mesopotamia (Joshua 24:2). Abraham is not seeking the Lord or pursuing truth on his own. He is immersed in a pagan environment, yet God comes to him anyway.

This becomes a vivid picture of grace that moves first. Before Abraham believes, obeys, or even understands, God is already working, calling, inviting, and making Himself known. By beginning here, Stephen sets the tone for his entire sermon: Israel’s story begins with God’s initiative, continues under God’s guidance, and ultimately points to the fulfillment found in Christ.

Abraham responded in obedience, leaving his home and family for a land he had never seen (Genesis 12:1–4). Though he received “not even a foot’s length” of it in his lifetime (v. 5), he trusted God’s promise. This becomes Stephen’s first major point: God’s redemptive work is rooted in faith and promise, not ritual or location. The true worship of God depends not on geography but on obedience to His voice.

Stephen then moves deeper into Abraham’s story by recounting God’s covenant promises. God tells Abraham that his descendants will live as strangers in a land not their own, where they will be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years (v. 6). Yet even in suffering, God’s plan will not be derailed. He will judge the oppressors and bring His people out to serve Him (v. 7). Stephen is reminding his hearers that God’s purposes have always advanced through unexpected places and difficult circumstances. The covenant sign of circumcision, given to Abraham as a mark of belonging (v. 8), was meant to reflect an inward faith and a set-apart heart. But throughout Israel’s history, the people often confused the sign with the substance, placing confidence in the outward mark rather than the inward reality it represented. Stephen subtly exposes the same danger in his audience: they pride themselves in possessing the sign, the temple, and the traditions, yet they resist the God who gave them.

Next, Stephen turns to Joseph, one of Israel’s patriarchs. Out of envy, Joseph’s brothers sold him into Egypt, “but God was with him” (v. 9). That phrase is central to Stephen’s theology. God’s presence is not tied to Jerusalem, land, or temple. He is with His faithful servants wherever they go, even when they are rejected, isolated, or far from home. Joseph’s exile does not remove him from God’s purpose; instead, it becomes the very means by which God works. In Egypt, the Lord grants Joseph favor and wisdom, exalting him to a place of authority so that he becomes both ruler and deliverer for his family during the severe famine (v. 10–14).

Stephen is highlighting a pattern that runs throughout Israel’s history: the one rejected by his brothers becomes the one who ultimately saves them. Joseph’s story is not just a historical reminder; it is a foreshadowing. The parallel to Jesus is unmistakable. Just as Joseph was despised, betrayed, and cast away, Jesus was rejected by His own people, yet God exalted Him as Savior. Through Joseph, Stephen shows that human jealousy cannot overturn divine providence. God transforms evil intentions into instruments of redemption, and His saving purpose moves forward even through the actions of those who oppose it.

Stephen moves next to Moses, Israel’s greatest prophet and deliverer. His story powerfully illustrates how the people repeatedly rejected God’s chosen instruments. Born under Pharaoh’s oppression, Moses was providentially spared and raised in Pharaoh’s house, “educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (v. 22). Yet when he attempted to defend a Hebrew being wronged, his act of deliverance was misunderstood and rejected. The Israelite’s challenge, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” (v. 27), revealed the heart of Israel’s rebellion. Instead of recognizing God’s deliverer, they dismissed him. Forced to flee, Moses spent forty years in Midian. Through Moses, Stephen reinforces the same pattern already seen in Abraham and Joseph: God’s saving work often unfolds outside the places Israel reveres most, and God’s chosen deliverers are frequently the ones Israel rejects.

Then, when God called Moses through the burning bush (v. 30), it was far from the promised land or temple. The Lord declared, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (v. 33). The holiness of that ground came not from a structure, but from God’s presence. Stephen’s point is profound: wherever God reveals Himself, that place is holy. The temple was meant to remind Israel of this truth, not replace it. God commissions Moses to return to Egypt as ruler and redeemer (v. 35), demonstrating that the same man they once rejected was the very one through whom deliverance would come. This foreshadows Christ, the Redeemer whom Israel rejected but whom God exalted to save.

Moses performed “wonders and signs” in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness (v. 36). He was the mediator of the law and the one who foretold the coming of “a prophet like me” (v. 37). Yet even after miraculous deliverance, Israel turned to idolatry, asking Aaron to make a golden calf (v. 40). Their hearts turned back to Egypt, showing that external deliverance does not guarantee internal transformation. Stephen quotes Amos 5:25–27 to remind them that such rebellion persisted throughout their history, ultimately leading to captivity. His message is unmistakable: the same spirit of unbelief that resisted Moses now resists Christ.

He then addresses their misplaced trust in the temple itself. The tabernacle built under Moses was a symbol of God’s presence (v. 44), but it was mobile, moving with the people as God led them. Even when Solomon later built the temple (v. 46–47), God reminded them that no earthly house could contain His glory: “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool” (v. 49; Isaiah 66:1–2). The temple was never intended as a cage for God’s presence but as a reminder of His desire to dwell with His people. Yet over time, Israel began to worship the temple itself instead of the God who filled it. Stephen’s argument strikes directly at the charge against him; he is not attacking the temple; he is exalting the God who transcends it.

Having laid out this history, Stephen’s tone shifts from explanation to confrontation. “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you” (v. 51). His accusation is not a personal insult but a prophetic indictment. Like the prophets before him, Stephen exposes the heart of unbelief. They honored the prophets of the past but murdered the Righteous One whom those prophets foretold (v. 52). They prided themselves on receiving the law. Still, they failed to keep it (v. 53). Their worship was hollow, their devotion superficial, because their hearts were untouched by grace.

The council, enraged, gnashes their teeth at him (v. 54). But Stephen, “full of the Holy Spirit,” looks upward and sees “the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (v. 55). Stephen declares, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (v. 56). This title, “Son of Man,” recalls Daniel 7:13–14, where the Messiah is given authority and everlasting dominion. The scene confirms both Christ’s deity and His active care for His people.

Unable to bear this testimony, they cover their ears, rush upon him, drag him outside the city, and stone him (v. 57–58). The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul, later Paul, whose conversion will soon follow. Even in this violent act, God’s redemptive plan is quietly unfolding. As the stones strike, Stephen prays, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (v. 59), echoing his Lord’s words on the cross (Luke 23:46). Then, kneeling, he cries out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (v. 60). These words of forgiveness show the full transformation of a believer’s heart by the indwelling Spirit. Then “he fell asleep,” the gentle biblical expression for a believer’s death, signifying rest and peace in the presence of Christ.

Stephen’s death is not the end but the beginning of a new chapter in God’s mission. What looked like defeat becomes the seed of expansion, for persecution will scatter believers beyond Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). His life and death embody the gospel itself: grace extended to enemies, truth spoken in love, and faith that overcomes fear.

For believers today, Stephen’s example calls us to courage, faithfulness, and forgiveness. He shows that the Spirit’s filling produces both bold proclamation and a heart of mercy. The God who stood for Stephen still stands beside every believer who bears witness for Christ. Heaven’s glory is the reward of faithful endurance, and the story of redemption marches forward through those willing to stand for truth no matter the cost.

Acts 8 — The Gospel on the Move

After Stephen’s death, persecution intensifies against the believers in Jerusalem. Saul approves of his execution, and on that day, a great wave of opposition rises against the church. Many disciples are scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, while the apostles remain in Jerusalem (v. 1). Devout men bury Stephen and mourn deeply for him, but Saul continues his campaign of destruction, going house to house, dragging off both men and women, and putting them in prison (v. 2–3). What seems like tragedy becomes the very means by which God advances His mission. Those who are scattered go everywhere proclaiming the word, proving that the gospel cannot be silenced by persecution (v. 4).

Among those who go out is Philip, one of the seven chosen servants from the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:5). He travels to a city of Samaria and preaches Christ to the people there (v. 5). The crowds listen carefully to his message and witness the signs God performs through him. Unclean spirits come out of many, and those who are paralyzed or lame are healed, bringing great joy to the city (v. 6–8). The gospel not only reconciles people to God but also breaks barriers between long-divided groups; centuries of hostility between Jews and Samaritans begin to dissolve under the power of Christ.

A man named Simon, who has practiced magic in the city and amazed the people, hears Philip’s preaching (v. 9). For a long time, Simon has claimed to possess great power and the people have revered him as “the Great Power of God” (v. 10). Yet when Philip proclaims the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, men and women believe and are baptized, including Simon himself (v. 12–13). He continues to follow Philip, astonished by the signs and miracles he witnesses. When news of this revival reaches Jerusalem, the apostles send Peter and John to confirm and strengthen the new believers (v. 14).

When Peter and John arrive, they pray that the Samaritans receive the Holy Spirit, since the Spirit has not yet come upon them as He did upon the believers in Jerusalem. They have been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus but have not yet received the same empowering presence of the Spirit (v. 15–16). The apostles lay hands on them, and the Holy Spirit comes upon them (v. 17). This moment publicly affirms that the Samaritans are fully included in the body of Christ. The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains that the delay in receiving the Spirit ensured visible unity between Jewish and Samaritan believers under apostolic authority, preventing a divided church.

When Simon witnesses this, he offers money, asking to receive the same ability to bestow the Spirit (v. 18–19). Peter rebukes him sharply: “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” (v. 20). The power of God cannot be bought or controlled. Peter warns that Simon’s heart is not right before God and urges him to repent and pray for forgiveness (v. 21–22). Convicted, Simon asks them to pray that none of the things spoken will come upon him (v. 23–24). Simon’s error exposes a timeless danger: seeking spiritual influence without surrender. True ministry is never for profit or prestige but for the glory of Christ.

When the apostles finish their work in Samaria, they return to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages along the way (v. 25). The gospel continues its outward march, crossing boundaries once thought impassable. Persecution scatters the church, but God turns scattering into sowing. What began with suffering now overflows in joy as the risen Christ continues His mission through His Spirit-filled people.

After the intense ministry in Samaria, the angel of the Lord redirects Philip in a surprising and purposeful way. He is told to go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza, a desert road (v. 26). The description is intentional, as this is not a crowded highway of opportunity but a quiet, barren stretch of land where Philip would not naturally expect a fruitful mission. Yet God often places His servants exactly where they are needed, even when the location seems unlikely. Philip obeys without hesitation. The Spirit’s leading, not circumstances, determines where effective ministry occurs.

On that road, Philip encounters an Ethiopian eunuch, a high official in charge of all the treasure of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians (v. 27). He is a God-fearing Gentile who has traveled all the way to Jerusalem to worship, but he returns home still without understanding the One he seeks. As he rides in his chariot, he reads aloud from the prophet Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 53. He is hungry for truth but unable to grasp its meaning apart from guidance. The Spirit prompts Philip, “Go over and join this chariot” (v. 29). Philip runs to him, a picture of eagerness to fulfill God’s calling, and hears him reading. When Philip asks whether he understands what he is reading, the eunuch responds with humility: “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (v. 31). His posture reveals a heart ready for divine truth.

The passage he reads describes the suffering Servant led like a sheep to slaughter, silent before His executioners, humiliated and cut off from the land of the living (v. 32–33). The eunuch asks the right question: “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or someone else?” (v. 34). Philip begins with that very Scripture and proclaims the good news about Jesus (v. 35). The gospel is not detached from Israel’s Scriptures; it fulfills them. In Isaiah 53, the eunuch finds the Savior who bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, and died to redeem sinners.

As they travel, they come to water, and the eunuch responds immediately: “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (v. 36). His eagerness reflects a faith already forming. He believes Jesus is the Christ, the One Isaiah foretold. Philip baptizes him, publicly identifying the eunuch with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. When they come up out of the water, the Spirit carries Philip away, continuing his mission, while the eunuch goes on his way rejoicing (v. 39). The joy marks true conversion. Though he returns to Ethiopia, he does not return empty-handed. The gospel that reached a desert road now flows into a new nation, a reminder that God’s eye is on every soul that seeks Him.

Philip appears next at Azotus and continues traveling north along the coastline, proclaiming the gospel in every town until he reaches Caesarea (v. 40). His movements show a servant who is fully responsive to the Spirit’s leading, whether in crowds or in one-on-one encounters, whether in a great city or on a lonely desert road.

Conclusion

Acts 7–8 reminds us that God often advances His work through suffering and trial. Stephen’s unwavering faith, even in death, displays the power of a life surrendered to Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. Though persecution scattered the believers, it also scattered the gospel, fulfilling Jesus’ words that His witnesses would go beyond Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria.

For believers today, these chapters call us to boldness, faithfulness, and trust in God’s purpose, even when circumstances appear difficult. The gospel cannot be stopped by opposition, and God uses ordinary believers to carry His truth to those who need to hear. Stephen teaches us to stand firm with grace and truth, and Philip shows us the joy of sharing Christ wherever God leads. What the enemy meant for harm, God used for mission, and He continues to do the same today.