The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Resist” it comes from the Greek Word “antipipto” which means “to resist, to fight against.”
Facing a council determined to kill him, Stephen delivers one of the boldest speeches in the entire Bible. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Acts 7.
Asked by the high priest whether the accusations against him are true, Stephen responds with a sweeping retelling of Israel’s entire history, beginning with God’s call to Abraham, through Joseph’s betrayal and rise in Egypt, Moses’ calling and the exodus, and Israel’s repeated pattern of rejecting the very leaders God sent to deliver them, culminating in the golden calf and their ongoing tendency toward idolatry even after receiving the law “by the disposition of angels.”
Stephen turns pointedly toward his accusers, calling them “stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears,” accusing them of always resisting the Holy Ghost, “antipipto” in Greek, just as their fathers did, persecuting and killing the prophets who foretold the coming of the Just One, whom they themselves have now betrayed and murdered. Cut to the heart by this direct confrontation, the council gnashes their teeth at him in fury.
But Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, looks steadfastly into heaven and sees the glory of God, declaring, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Unable to bear this any longer, the crowd covers their ears, cries out, and rushes upon him together, casting him out of the city and stoning him while witnesses lay their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. As he is being stoned, Stephen prays, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” then kneels down and cries with a loud voice, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,” and falls asleep, becoming the first recorded martyr of the church.
Stephen’s final words, echoing Jesus’ own prayer from the cross, asking forgiveness for his killers even as they stoned him, reveal a heart completely transformed by the very gospel he was dying for. His death also plants the seed for what comes next, since the young man watching approvingly, Saul, would soon become the very apostle Paul.
Visit Us At: www.youtube.com/@BibleLifeBasics
Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BibleLifeBasics