04/14/2025 – Day 288 – Acts – Chapters 7 & 8 / “Stephen the Martyr” – Chapter 7
Previous cycle posts on Chapter 7 are dated 02/28/2021 and 12/12/2022.
The verse commentary if from “The Evidence Study Bible – NKJV”:
“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.” (7:22)
“7:22. Don’t be concerned that you aren’t ‘gifted’ as a speaker when it comes to reaching the lost. Moses ‘was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds,’ yet God didn’t use him to deliver Israel until 40 years later. It took all that time of tending sheep to produce in him a meekness of character. We are told, ‘The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way’ (Psalm 25:9). The ‘wisdom’ that Moses gained in Egypt was not wisdom from above. When he saw injustice, he took the law into his own hands and committed murder. God doesn’t need the wisdom of this world. He merely desires a pure, humble, peace-loving, compassionate soul to use as a mouthpiece for the gospel. He wants us to be a lighthouse of His love. The moment we receive the Spirit of Christ, we receive the gift of those virtures. We don’t need to tend sheep for 40 years when we have the character of the Good Shepherd manifesting through us.”
________________________________________
“Then the Lord said to him, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” (Acts 7:33).
“Moses was told to remove his sandals because by God’s presence even the ground on which he stood was holy. Through faith in Christ, the believer himself is made holy. Now his feet are shod with the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15), to take the word of salvation to those who stand on unholy ground.”
_________________________________
Soli Deo Gloria!
Questions for fellowship generation, the lifelong sanctification process:
- What does the text reveal about God’s character?
- How has this reading generated prayer for you and/or us?
- What themes stand out to you in this bible study?
- How does our reading fit into the bigger picture (creation, the fall, restoration, etc.)?
- What verse(s) jumped out at you like never before? Is it explainable at this point?
- Do you have any questions you would like to put before the group as to how to interpret any particular verse(s) in our reading. Let scripture testify to scripture: Share with us where you sense contradiction between passages elsewhere.
- What did you find convicting and inspiring at the same time? Share with us how the Spirit of God is working within you as a messenger, both within and outside of our fellowship group.
- Share with the group how our study is calling or confirming to you a new mission to glorify God in our times.