So On That Day a Severe Persecution Occurred - Acts 6:8-8:40

Acts 6 reminds me of how certain people have the tendency to throw around “stock charges” at people who say things about the Bible they don’t expect or not in the way they’re used to hearing them…even if the sentence doesn’t have to do with the charges themselves, the tendency of many is to jump to that conclusion without hearing them. I feel this is what’s happening to Stephen. “This guy’s saying slanderous things against Moses and God! He’s saying Jesus will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us!” Yes, we need to be weary of ferocious wolves who want to devour God’s flock, but we also need to humble be the Bereans who check the Scriptures to verify the truth. Instead of knocking down straw-men and using parodies of debate, we need careful and thoughtful listening and humble speaking.

Now, Stephen’s speech reminds me that primarily in the Bible God is giving us a story, not just abstract principles about how to get to heaven.