After being accused of disrespecting Moses, the Law, and the Temple, Stephen responds with a masterful history lesson on the consistent resistance of God’s people to hearing and obeying the Lord. Scripture points us to the sovereign, abundant grace of God toward rebellious sinners, but also to the danger of hardening our hearts against God’s grace.

God loves to take ordinary people who follow Christ and fill them with all that Jesus is. Stephen goes from being a caring and helpful servant of widows to being a bold proclaimer of the Gospel. Jesus fills those who live for Him, with His grace, power, wisdom, and Spirit.

At a time of growth and blessing the early church a serious problem arose involving how one group of women were being helped compared to another group. Conflicts are a natural and expected part of all meaningful relationships like within a church. The way we handle the conflicts determine whether Christ is glorified and whether our church is strengthened and our witness is magnified or deeply damaged.

The Christian is a person that knows the truth because they know the Lord Jesus Christ. When we lay our lives down for the Lord Jesus Christ, that means that we must put to death sinful desires such as pride, jealousy, and self-promotion. A Christian is one that suffers well when they embrace the truth that has been entrusted to them.

God will do as He pleases for the glory of His name and for the good of His Church. This means that God will purify the Church and the Church has the responsibility to pursue purity and the Lord provides to reach the lost, knowing that God will bring growth in His time.

holiness. The church is to labor with all of its might, in the strength that the Lord provides to reach the lost, knowing that God will bring growth in His time.

The work of the Holy Spirit is magnified by the complete, generous hearts of the believer, which strengthens the Body of Christ. However, when the heart of the believer is more focused on earthly gain than on humble obedience, this produces callousing pride, allowing sin to rule, ultimately blinding believers to their relationship with Christ.

The miraculous healing of a helpless man is a physical miracle that Jesus did through the Apostles. It was a picture of a greater miracle, the saving and healing of those who are helpless in their sin. In sin we are not weakened and in need of strength but are dead and in need of a resurrection.

When believers are filled with the Spirit and convinced of the truth of Christ, they remain faithful and courageous, choosing obedience to God over the approval or threats of people.

Acts 4:11 This Jesus is the Stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone. 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men (mortals) by which we must be saved

After a miraculous healing Peter explains that the healing and all of life finds its meaning in Jesus. The healing of the man was through Jesus, the forgiveness of sin is found in work of Jesus, and the meaning of a life blessed by God is found through transforming ministry of Jesus.