The Price to Pay 
(The Acts of the Apostles, and more) | Pr Daniel Chong

You're listening to a message to go from X Church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

How many chapters is the Book of XF, that's how Yeah,

it's flipping already, twenty eight?

How many say? Twenty eight? Twenty eight?

All right, you're correct, but you're not correct. So the

Book of X has tny age chapters. Yes, but I

believe that the twenty nine chapter is being written right now, Okay,

still being written in all of your lines, in all

of your journeys. It's still being written. Is the gospel

that's being propagated even because the Book of X started

by getting you an outline, And what's the outline? The

outline is that you shall be witnesses to me, which

is Jesus in Jerusalem, which is covered from chapters two

to chapter seven. So giving you a little bit of

background of the Book of XX. Okay, So if you're

interested to know more, how did the Gospel go from

Jerusalem to Samria, to je to the ends of earth?

How the Book of X shows you that? Amen.

And then the Judea is captured in verse chapters eight

to chapter nine, and then from chapter ten all the

way to chapter twenty eight is to the ends of

this earth. Okay, Okay, if you have a Bible and

your Bible has a map, you can actually take a

look at the back.

My Bible has this map.

Take a look.

Yeah, I see.

Yeah, when my Bible has this map that shows where,

let me turn to it. Yeah. I don't know how

you can see this, but you can turn to the

end of the Bible and then you can see Jesus' ministry.

I believe if you have the Thomas Nelson version, it

should be the same. Okay, so you can see Jerusalem.

Today's the Mayor and the ends of this earth.

Okay.

So today we're going to focus on a specific chapter.

I was praying, God, what do I preach on? Because

the Bull of X it's not an easy book to

preach from. Okay, it's not easy, but it's full of wisdom,

is full of word. That is really you need to

study it.

Okay. So I was praying and then God told me who.

God spoke to me.

He said, uh, you're very chung hey, so you preach

from the most chung chung book in the chapter in

the Book of Axla and the Book of X. Who

knows who's the which is the longest chapter in the

world X anybody knows Okay, twenty nine still being written.

The Book of X, Chapter seven is actually the longest chapter.

It has sixty verses. I don't know how many of

you is able to read it in one sitting. It's

a very very power pack. But you you, as you

follow me today, you'll find out why why it's actually

sixty verses long.

Okay.

But before that, the person I'm going to be preaching on,

or sharing about, or learning from, we're going to draw

out from a specific character. And to me, this character

is one of the most I would say. People know him,

people know him for what happened to him, but people

may not understand that he held a very vital role

in the Gospel, very vital. When you think gospel, you

think Paul, you think Gospel, you think Matthew, Mark, Luke John.

When you think gospel, you think Peter, you think the Disciples.

But very often you will forget that there's this character

named Stephen. Okay, people, when say Stephen Okay, by the way,

many people call him Stephan or Stephen Curry, I shall

call him Stephen Okay, so that I can pronounce and

articulate his name properly. Okay, So Stephen, Stephen is a deacon. Now,

he did not start off as a deacon, all right.

He is part of this group of people called the Hellenists.

Not from Hell. Okay, it's just a group of people

Helen his Jews that has a little.

Bit of Greek background. Okay, Now turn your bibles.

They made the chapter six and we're gonna read from

X chapter six. Now, in those days, when a number

of disciples were multiplying, there arose a complain against the

Hebrews by the Hellenis because their widows were neglected in

the daily distribution.

So it was a problem of women. Right.

Women was coming around arising and they were saying like, hey,

you are not giving me my fair equal share of

my daily distribution. Right, you got to divine equally. And

I tell you what, it's not that the Hebrews intentionally

did not give their allocation.

Right.

You have to understand that before this, the church grew, Right,

the church grew from zero right to the twelve that

they were, to the one hundred and plus that were

in the Upper room. They received the Holy Spirit, they

went to preach to Jerusalem, and the church grew the crew.

The Bible says that daily people were saved and being added,

mounting up to about three thousand, and we follow X

you follow it, you will see that it grew from

three thousand to five thousand, and it just continued to grow.

And so you have to imagine this with me.

In Jerusalem, there's a church that's five thousand large. Right,

there's so many people in the church. Of course, they

are bound to be problems, right, They're bound to be disagreements.

So church friends, it's normal to have disagreement in church. Okay,

Please do not store your pastor, please do not stone

your leader. If your leader forget to shake your hand.

Now.

I make it a point to try to shake every

one of your hand every Sunday.

I try. I don't know.

If I miss on any one of you, I'm sorry,

but I try my very best. However, there was a

problem that arose, right, daily distribution not being distributed.

And then what happened, what happened after that?

So the wisdom there was upon the disciples, the apostles.

They came Peter and John, and led by Peter, because

Peter was the leader of the disciples, and he said,

all right, it's not desirable that you know, we should

leave the world of God because that was their primary focus,

imory function. Now many of us here today we think missions.

We think we drop everything that we are doing and we're.

Going to serve the loss.

No, we have to remember that we have our responsibility

in Jerusalem, we have our responsibility in our marketplace. We

have our responsibility where we are to drop it and

to go and do a good deed.

We have to be careful. There are roles for that.

Now, if God called you to go for missions, then

that becomes your primary focus.

Amen. So Peter and the.

Disciples were like saying, no, it's not desirable right that

we should leave the word of God and serve tables.

They're not saying it's because they are not humble enough

to serve tables. No, they are humble. They are full

of wisdom for the Holy Spirit. But they understood and

recognized the position the roles that we needed in the church.

So what did they say? Therefore, Brethren, seek out from

among you seven men of good reputation, full of the

Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may a point over

this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer

and to the ministry of the word. Right, So they're

not like a God problem and you solve yourself like

we do nothing. No, they still continuously prayed, right, because

prayer is important.

Right.

So the Hellenists, the girl Hels came together and chose

seven that were, you know, as per the characteristics that

were pointed out by the disciples, by the apostles. Now,

so they came and they chose Stephen, a man full

of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Procorus, Nicourus, Timon Palmerus, Nicholas,

and a proselyte from Antioch, a prosite from Antioch. Now,

these were the seven they were chosen. Now in the Bible,

the most mostly written on is you know, Stephen and Philip.

The rest we may not really see them, but they

still uphold these characteristics.

Amen.

So of course Peter and the disciples the horses, they

laid hands on them, them and they anointed them. Now

why am I bringing this up? Sometimes we feel that

missions it's all about going to that place last thing

we learn from. But I'm gonna say missions is cross cultural, right,

Missions means cross cultural. Now, sometimes we may feel that, ah,

missions is about doing the thing that can be celebrated.

Everybody can see what I'm doing. Do you know that

some of sometimes missions may not be seen and you

may not even know that, or people may not even

recognize that your effort makes a difference, even its washing plates.

You know, I go all the way to Indonesia to

wash plates. I go all the way to Indonesia to

pain in the wall. I go all the way to

Indonesia to serve food to the homeless. That's it, That's

all I did. And sometimes we come back home saying like, ah,

I didn't experience God. I didn't experience the fire of God.

I'm not burning inside. But that is missions. You know,

Stephen and the six were appointed to be conservants off

the table, I mean the least any small little problem.

Steve and who are you?

Oh I didn't get my distribution, Steve, and we are

You can imagine five thousand people crying out those seven

people for daily daily needs. And I did not go

to that firm my white wife show woman, So okay,

can but guys are so guys. So you know, guys

a bit, a bit, sometimes a bit.

I'm a guy.

So sometimes we don't go alright, we we don't say

or you're too lazy.

A problem. The problem, I don't care. But the woman, oh,

they mean it right.

So but the seven dicers that were chosen had to

be full of the Holy Spirit, because you cannot simply

say things and discount their need because they have needs.

Everyone has needs. Everyone will created differently, and God created

everyone differently.

Amen.

So Steven had to go through that, right. But here's

where it gets interesting verse seven. Then the word of

God spread and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in

Jerusalem out of the obedience, the faith, the action of

serving tables, the word of God spread.

Can you see that. What's the relation? There's no relation.

But see Stephen and the Dickens, the seven of them,

I believe, and I know from scripture they knew the

Word of God. So in their daily need, for example,

the ad ministering with the woman or the son or

the man said oh, you're going to something. Okay, here's

your need, here's the cloth that you need, but let

me pray for you. So it comes with that, and

with that service, with that obedience, the Church.

Of God continued to grow.

It is not just the pastest responsibility to preach a

good message. And then you get so on fire and

then you say, Okay, I'm going to invite you with

a church. No, it's the little things that you do

as well in missions. It's the little things that you

do out there, shopping the floor, carrying umbrella for someone,

washing someone's plate, helping someone out, taking someone out for dinner.

You know, it's the little things that you do that

will also allow the chids to grow and people can

get saved through. This is so powerful and so amazing

to see recorded in this way. Yeah, it could have

easily ended by saying okay, and Steven and the seven

were chose to serve full stock.

No, but they had to tell you.

Luke had to point out that the gospel grew, the

gospel spread, and people heard the gospel through this Amen,

the families, their children, and the YadA YadA, okay, from

verse seven all the way up to verse eight. You know,

we don't know how long. How long has passed, right,

We have no idea. It could be one year, it

could be two years, be three years.

We don't know, right.

But Steven, a lot of you that maybe came through

Sunday School would have known that he's the first Christian martyr.

Or at least what it was recorded. Right, Steven is

known to be the first Christian. Matter, Now, how was

seeing martyred? Many of you know that he was torn

and virtual rocks at him. Now, whether you have the

right picture of what stoning actually looks like in your head,

I'm not sure, but I will try to help you

to get that covered today.

Okay.

So Steven must have been very aware of what comes

with the gospel, because remember he was chosen by the

Hellenes group, approved by the disciples, and he would have known,

he would have known how the apostles lived their lives. Right,

And here we go here, it's very important to constantly

recognize right that we are weak. We are we are

really weak, and he's in that weakness that we can

ask for bonus, you know. X Chapter four speaks about

Peter and John praying to God to grant them bonus

because Peter and John, I can tell you what the transformation.

You know, John, John ended, I don't know how may

you remembered the last lintion I preached on Peter and

his denial of Jesus.

And then on.

The right John was like, hey, watlar and then you

just said you don't don't bother about Peter, worry you

by yourself. So it's like they have this funny relationship,

but they really respect each other. It's like in the

book it's always Peter and John, Pit and John, Peter

and John, right, and of first other disciples as well.

But Peter, John and the other disciples.

They let me just plain.

A picture, right, They were always pushing the world of God,

getting caught in prison, getting released, pressure word of God,

getting one not to push the word of God, pressure

world God, getting caught, going to prison again. And he continued,

I don't know how many times it happened. It seems

to be like a cycle. You want to push a

word of God, you want to push your gospel, get

ready to go in the prison, and get ready to

be released. A lot of times we pray to God

to release us from our situations, our negative situations, right,

our persecutions. Oh Lord, I am getting persecuted here, I'm

on the cross, and I can't take this anymore.

Lord, release me.

And then one day God releases you, and then you

go on into this world, and then you go along

with your own your own life, your own thing. Peter

and John and the Disciples will release to do the

will of the Father, not for their own freedom. They

will release in order to speak and preach the word

of God. So much so that when they were given

a final warning and say, you better not preach Jesus again.

I'm talking about the Sanhedrim, the counsel, the one that

was appointed to be the leader of over the church

right or other seene of God the temple. And they

are you better not preach Jesus again.

You do this again. If you you you die.

You will kill you. You'll kill you, You'll get your prison.

You're going to touch you, you and whatnot. And Peter and

John say this, how can I not but speak all

the things that I've heard and seen? I don't know

how many of you here have heard and seen God's

goodness in your life, And how many of you here

can outrightly say how can I not but speak? You

got to speak, because if you do not speak, the

gospel will not propagate. At least true you trust me,

the gospel will propagate with all without you. But whether

or not you want to be part of that plan,

whether you don't want to be fulfilling God's will for

your life. And a few weeks ago. I appreciate about

your scantification. You don't know when it's the day that

you would deny Christ. You will not know until and

unless you continue to daily walk with Him, walk with God,

pick up your cross daily. That will enable you to

fulfill your calling. So Steven was doing that. He was

reaching the world of God, and it grew.

It grew. Even the priests will obedient to the faith.

Even people that will against him began to see the truth.

That the truth was set them free, and they were free.

The peace of God was on their lives.

Amen.

Okay, how many will use your life today? Okay, okay,

So here you go verse eight and Steven full of

faith and power x one eight did great wonders and

signs among the people. Now, this was more than enough

to tell me that Stephen was not just any nobody.

He was someone that was able to walk the talk.

Meaning he was so confident in the faith that he

could say to the blind man, or he can say

to the person that is sick, or he can say

to the demon that's in the person.

Get out right.

He was able to deliver. Now I didn't know what

exactly what he signs and wonders. But I was able

to draw this out from his fellow friend Philip Right. Philip,

in the following chapters managed to also deliver people from sickners,

from demons and whatnot. Okay, So I would imagine the

Wonders and Sciences refers to that. Now, what happens when

you know someone in back in the day where people

see these happening, People get jealous, People get like, how

come it's not me because all the focus is on them. Now, Oh,

the apostles go around and they're doing miracles, they're doing

science within wonders.

And then here's me.

Nobody's coming to me anymore, the council, nobody's coming to

the church anymore. Oh man, Then where am I gonna

get my offering? Or when am I gonna get my beef?

When we're gonna get my lamb?

Right?

I just imagine. It's no Bible is or imagination. You

just imagine what's happening by the day. And I believe

that developed some sort of maybe jealousy, some sort of

like hurt, like you know, he's doing what I know

what he's doing the right thing because we'll see it later.

Right when the people that were from the Senegu of freedmen, right,

only church or freemen, but actually they're not really free.

Alexandrin's and those from Sicilia and Asia, okay, we will

call them the artists. Okay, the artists were dispute thing

with Steven. I mean they're trying to dialogue. You're trying

to say, hey, Steven, that's all right. But see what

happened after that, And they were not able to resist

the wisdom and the spirit by which is full.

You couldn't resist, meaning you say right.

They could not find any gap to say that Stephen,

you're wrong. They cannot they acknowledge. So you can see

there's an acknowledgement in there. But what happened after that

is so hypocritical because it's like I know I'm wrong,

but yet I want to be right. I don't know

how many of us here have been in the stitution

for you know you're wrong, but you're telling others you're right.

You're like, you know, Malaysia BM, you're trying to cause

problem in this world.

But here we go, here we go. But all of

this are forget about myself.

I'm mosto lighted when I was younger, away someone someone

you know you know back in the day, right, how

we celebrate both day is by when they sit down there,

when they stand up, they go money teacher, right when

they say that, I just pulled the chair and that's

a happy birthday.

So they sit down under their teacher. Say who do that?

I say that the guy and then the guy can

Mara stand outside and do uh Jemmy and I just

laughing side. Okay, there's me. I did it so many

times nobody caught me. Nobody called me because I wasn't

the best of looking, you know, go looking, so nobody

nobody really caught me, caught on of me. Uh so

I was doing that for almost three years. Okay, so

uh there's me. I'm the chair buller.

Okay.

So uh so they had what they did, they get

it right. They had a secretly, secretly induced man to

say we have heard him speak flash firmus words against

Moses and God, and they stirred out the people, the eldest,

the scribes mount but around uh by, But like, okay,

you want not enough to do a little bit.

I want to do more.

Okay, I want to make I want to make even bigger,

even go to the eldest you know they are you

know the scribes tell you what. And they came upon

him for the scribes. Can you imagine elder coming upon you? Okay, okay,

scribe elders, They came upon him, seized him and brought

him to the council. Okay, So now they will before

the council, before the leaders.

Ready, Okay. They also set up false witness who this

very fouse witness.

I believe there's some perils with Jesus right was being

tried right, And they set up fouse fitness right who say,

this man does not cease what.

Don't stop the follow talking non stop?

He talking, no cease to speak black whomen's words against

this holy place. First they talk about Moses, then they

talk about God, then talk about holy place right, and

then they talk about the law. You know, Chief and

elders span in the day, all they knew about is

the law. And in fact they were so for the

law that they came out your six hundred and thirteen commandments.

I don't know how you heard this term before. Okay,

From the ten commandments, they came out your six hundred

and thirteen commandments to follow. And now the six hundred

and thirteen commandments. A majority was do not do this,

do not do this, do not do this, do not

do this, do this all negative?

Right? Men like to over complicate things. God give you

ten God moments.

You're gonna mix it an enterthy Okay, that's what storty

for another, go and look it up.

Okay. So then they talk at attack.

The law, for we have heard him say that this

Jesus on Nazaus will destroy this place and change the

customs which Moses delivered to us. And all who said

in the council, looking step fastly at him, saw his

face as the face of an angel. You know in missions? Oh,

by the way, I haven't introduced the title. The title

is the the Surprise to Pay. Okay, sorry I didn't.

I forgot about that Surprise to Pay. So you know

when when when you when you're in missions, when you're

in in the the the agenda of sharing the Gospel,

there are times in which you are going to be

faced with this. People ask you questions such as like,

what do you pray?

Why do you fuss? Oh?

Why so boring, Kamela, fellowship us have some beer, right,

that's party until the night turns into the morning.

Right, Why you don't do this? Why why? Why? Why not?

And you're gonna be faced with situations like this in

whish you say, oh, because tomorrow got church, and they're

gonna say, oh, you two churchy, churchy to gooach two shoes. Right,

You're gonna say you are you are so lame, you're

church freak, You're Jesus freak. I tell you what, I'd

rather be called Jesus freak because I want to be

a freak for Jesus.

I want to be crazy for Jesus. Right.

I don't know how many of you want to be

crazy for just I want to be crazy for Jesus.

I don't know if I'm there already, but I'm trying

my best. But part of the power of the Holy Spirit,

I believe you can draw closer and closer to Jesus.

But so the people in that situation, it's all stress,

high sticks. Right away, you'll understand high stakes. I don't

know how many LUs on the console looking at him,

staring at him. The only thing that they could see

on his face was this face that I believe smiling,

that I believe was the most wonderful face they ever

seen in their life, because it was recorded that it

was as the face of an angel. How they know

what an angel looked like, I don't know. They have

definitions of how the angel looked like in the old Deestamon,

but all angelic creatures, right they He's like so much peace,

and you know in scriptures, his perfect peace, perfect love

casts out all fear. So I believe that it was

the perfect love of God that was commanded back to

the disciples. I believe, taught to the deacons, taught to

the people of the church, that was adapted by Stephen,

that enabled him to have this perfect peace because there

was no fear. There was no fear in his heart.

There was no fear, even though it's normal to be

fearful in this situation. But I believe because he loved

God so much, that it was God's love that casts

out of here. Can you see how scripture relates with scripture?

Right?

That's why I believe that that this was there. Now

where am I trying to get it? You know, Jesus

himself was tempted. The Holy Spirit led Jesus to be

tempted in the wilderness. In fact, that was the first

thing that he did after he was baptized. By John the.

Case of Stephen Right.

He was doing the will of God, preaching, performing great science,

great wonders amongst the people of God, and then the

resistance came. You know, in life, that is one of

the litmus tests as it tests where you are actually

fulfilling God's will for you is when people try to

stop you.

From sharing the love of God.

For trying to stop you, people are getting anxious for

trying to is getting very obvious that they're just trying

to stop you. The enemy, right, does not necessarily need,

not necessarily need to like stop you from will to church.

He doesn't even do that.

He doesn't make enough noise for you to be like

today maybe church's not readly the most important, or today

be opening the Bible, it's not the most important. Or

today maybe militiaba is more important. I you know, different

things that may even or today maybe my husband's more important.

Today my my husband's my husband's wife, my husband's a

birth day. I cannot I cannot do anything today because

it's my husband's birthday. I must plan and God see

godless all trying to say something. You know, it's something

that they're just trying to make enough noise. See noise

is you're listening to that, right, not me anymore?

Okay, So.

Enough noise enough for you to deviate, right, So I

believe this is happening. Okay, So I'm gonna give you

a word over here, blessu for me. What's the meaning

of a blessure for me?

The blessure me is the action offense of speaking sacrilegiously

about God or sacred things, I e. Profane talk. Okay.

When I was going through this, I was sorry, What

in the world is sacrilegious? Sounds like a timeail word?

Okay?

So secridlygious is actually violation or misuse of what is

regarded as sacred right.

You are violating, they are accusing. It's such a big accusation,

you know.

But look at what scripture says they could not dispute

with Stephen. Can you see that they knew that they

were wrong, but yet they were going the extra mole

in the opposite way to just put this person down. Now,

missions may feel that way when we step into it.

I'm not saying what kind of missions again? Missions cross cultural?

As long as you're doing anything cross cultural sharing the gospel.

That's missions.

It may feel that way. But let's see how Stephen responded.

I think this is very beautiful, so follow me even

as we go along this. So Stephen was accused of

a few things.

I have a slight there. If actually we can follow me,

they'll be great.

He was accused of being bleshomers, uttering blash women's words

against Moses.

Right.

He was also accused of uttering breshomous words against God,

against the holy place, which is the temple, and against

the law. And ultimately, he also said that Jesus or

Nazarus will destroyed his place and changed all the accoustas

He's gonna wipe everything away.

Right, everything you used to know, forget it. Now. Let's

see how Stephen responded.

Okay, so when your emissions, when you're face with persecution,

because you are going to face be face with persecution,

this is how you should respond.

Okay, let's you learn from Stephen.

Then the High Priest said, are these things so wow?

Guilty or not guilty?

Right?

They give you a chance for the person to speak

in the call of law, So Stephen said, Stephen could

start by saying you are good for nothing. People, You're

gonna die, right, because these are just words you know

being outplate road plate out the accusation. I tell you

someone us being accused of not washing the place, so

you feel said ready, right, Sometimes my wife say I

never washed the plate. Then you know, for ten days

I washed, I didn't wash the plate. Then that one

day that I washed the plate, right, she said, I

didn't wash the plate. I'm like, nah, I'm having none

of that, man, I didn't think about a ten days

I didn't wash. I forget all the ten days that

I'm just exagerating. I do wash the plates, right. But

you sometimes you forget and you get so angry. You

just get so caught up with the moment that you

just want nothing but to make this for go and

fly kite, right, you don't, you just this person just

get disappear from my life in the name of whatever.

Right.

Sometimes we just want to do that on the car

when we are face if something someone other thing else,

we just want to just bang him and then you

fly and go to another dimension then and and that's

just what we do sometimes that humans being. But Stephen,

see how you responded brethren for this? Can you see

the politeness in his words? Still call them brethren, you know,

bro friend, Still call them farther. You know, after all

the accusation that you put me through. I nah, what

this how you started?

You know why?

Because the fruit of the Holy Spirit is long suffering.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is kindness. And because

he was Remember, he was chosen, and he was man

full of faith and.

Full of the spirit.

So everything that he does here, if you have not

catched on e colony, is only because of the Holy Spirit.

It was a Holy Spirit that came upon the Upper Room,

the Holy Spirit that came as a physical sign upon

each and every one of their hates, the apostles, and

they received and they begin to speak in tongues that

other people can't recognize as their old language.

So it's the power of.

The Holy Spirit that was enabling Stephen. Here's how he

started the God of glory. You know what The first next, like,

the first thing that the counsel or the people the

others accused him of is being blash mist against Moses. Now,

if I want to accuse anyone of being blash mist

against anything, I will accuse you of being bresh mess

against God.

First, right, you.

Can already see a pattern that the people that were

so called the leaders or so called the faithful goers

of the church even put Moses ahead of God. Can

you see that they accused him of being bresh Men?

Was Moses first, then God? But the way Steven responded

is by giving God the glory. He started by saying,

the God of glory. Now, the God of Glory can

only be found in one other place in the Bible.

That's in the Book of Sums. You're going to find it,

David wrote about him. Now, the God of glory. Immediately

you're the understander. The people that were against Stephen, right,

they could not dispute him. I'm saying this for a

third time day. They could not dispel means they knew

what Stephen said. So they cannot come in front of

the counsel right and say, nah, he didn't say that.

He say that now you say that hearne, But at

the time he actually didn't say He actually was actually

ready besher means against God. No, he couldn't say that.

They had to agree. So the very first moment that

Stephen actually said the God of glory, the first point

can cut out all day. How is that Breshmis's towards God?

How is that bresh Woman's towards God. And he didn't

stop there. He went on right. He went on to

Jacob Abraham. This is a story of Abraham. He was preaching.

This is why the Charter is so long, by the way,

sixty verses, because he took so much time in putting

God first.

It was all about God. It was all.

Pointing to Jesus, trying to paint a picture of Jesus.

There was being promis like even way back then, now,

this councilmen, these people knew the Old Testament. Even Jesus

himself said that you know the world, you know the scripture,

but you don't know Me, so they cannot deny. So

when what Stephen did was he used what they knew

in order to preach the gospel. When you are in missions,

you may be in that caught up in that situation

as well. You may be in a place where you

need to understand your culture. You just can't just go

there and just, you know, do whatever that makes you happy.

Oh I am used to echon. Now I go missions.

I got no echon. How Hello, It's all about you.

It's about the people, and these people are not even

the people that he You will naturally reach out to

These are people that are accusers. They judge you. But

Stephen when the extra month, we will see that later.

So Abraham, Isaac, Jacob right all the way up to

verse eight. If following with me, if your Bibles you

really have to follow in it, you will get lost.

So chapter seven, verse eight, Jacob begot the child protects

and from there.

Joseph was out. So the story of Joseph right.

But God was with him and delivered him out of

all his troubles. Again, the character of God was being

proclaimed in the message of Stephen. So you cannot deny

that he was being blesh Mians towards God. You can't

see that he was. He was just giving God glory.

The entire time.

This message, I believe, was the same message that the

councilman heard, or the others heard, or at least in

the shorter form right, because they could they could not dispute.

And then after that, of course, we know the story

of Joseph.

We're not going to go there.

Joseph was the greatest prime minister of Egypt, right, and

then he fixed a lot of things, you know, he.

Made Egypt great again.

And then came a time where there was a king

that did not know what happened, because we know that

as Pharaoh. And then at this time verse twenty, Moses

was born. Hallelujah. I don't know how many Moses is here.

Moses was born and was well pleasing to God. Now,

if I was bleashless against Moses, why would I say

that he was well pisying to the God that I

just said, it's the God of glory. Why why would

I say that? So it's like point after point, Stephen

is just debunking one by one. Nah, not this, not

for himself. He did not for once aftered. Oh I

am saying this.

I'm saying no.

He just went again and again, time and time again

about the character of God.

All right.

So when all that the story of Moses was there

forty years, you know, he was around, came back sort

of friend, being bullied, being tortured, and he killed the

Egyptian you know the story. You know the story the

rat sea and everything. And then we come to verse

thirty seven. This is that Moses who said to your

children of Israel, the Lord your God will raise up

a prophet like me from your brethren him you shall hear. Now,

of course we know that the prophet that Moses was

referring to is none other than Jesus. Okay, so Steven

was just pointing out Jesus. It's not like Jesus was

not prophesied in the Old Testament. And the Jews knew

that if the gentles I can understand. But the Jews

knew that the people that were really, you know, practicing Judaism,

they knew that. They knew, they knew the Old Testament.

They knew about the Forefathers, they knew about I Rehab,

they knew about Isaac, knewbou Jacob, they knew, they knew

everything that happened. Steve was just trying to point out that, hey,

remember these Moses that you adore and worship. He said

that there is a prophet that's going to come and

you are going to worship him. Of course, in our

Bibles we have the courtesy of seeing the prophet in

capital p so we know that he's referring to Jesus.

Amen go so far lost already? Anyone still lost? I

see taking sefe But okay, all good? Oh good, get

I want okay, So verse forty four, our fathers had

the Tabernacle of witnesses in the wilderness as he appointed,

instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that

he had seen. Now, this is the part in which

Stephen was talking about the tabernacle because he was being

accused of trying to decimate the holy place. You know

that in the in in this in this day and age,

they were just thinking about the temple. No Jesus coming

to destroy a temple, right, you're talking better about a temple. No, Still,

aren't trying to remind them in verse for the eight however,

the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands.

And the prophet says, heaven is my throne and the

earth is my footstore. What house were you built for me,

says the Lord? Or what is this place of my rest?

Has my hand not made all these things? Stillness trying

to show the counsel that it is not a temple

that God instructed us to build. It was a tabernacle.

It was a place of worship. It didn't have to be.

But we like to glory, and that's good, Well, glorify

God temple and whatnot, but it shouldn't be the main thing.

You shouldn't worship the temple you should worship the God

of the Temple, and that was what Stephen was trying

to allude to. Right, So this is where it gets

a very drastic. Okay, so verse fifty one you stiff

neck and uncircumcised in heart and years. Well, if you

hear this for the first time, I don't know whether

you'll get angry in it. You always resist the Holy Spirit,

as your fathers did, so do you. It's a baron.

Israel resisted the Holy Spirit. Israel resisted God from the

start of the day. Right, There's always deliverance and then resistance.

Deliverance and then resistance. And they killed those who fetold

the coming of the just One killed, and then they

killed the just One himself. Right, they persecuted him, they

crucified him, or whom you have now become betrayers and

murderers who have received the law by the direction of

angels and have not kept it. You shall not murder,

shall not steal. You have received the law. You have

received the law. You know you know all of this,

but you have not kept it. You know that Moses

talked about the prophet, but you have not kept it.

You know, you know deep down your heart that is true.

But sometimes you just have to resist. And the reason

I believe that they were genuinely not able to see

the truth was because they did not receive the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was the difference between Stephen and the Council.

The Holy Spirit, just one entity, was the difference between

understanding scripture and not understanding scripture. Oblievious, can't fold them,

can't blame them because they denied the Holy Spirit. They

resisted the Holy Spirit because it's very apparent, and it's

every apparent scripture that Holy Spirit is for all. As

long as you believe in Jesus, as long as you believe,

you open up your hearts, you call for the Holy

Spirit to come into you, and he will come. So

it's a matter of when. But you have to ask,

You have to open up your hearts. And I believe

Stephen asked not just by words, but by action.

Right amen. So this is where we.

Get to the story. That's why so long, so long,

I can't tell you what I implore you, friends, church,

go by and read. Go by and read Act the

self for yourself. Go and read. It's a really amazing story.

It's like the entire boot of Exodus and Genesis summarize, okay,

and even further. Okay, So here we go verse fifty four.

Verse fifty four, This was the rea action of the council.

So we have the reaction of Stephen to what he

was being accused for. Now we have the reaction of

the council. How did the council react fifty four? When

they heard these things? They were cut to the heart.

What does that mean? That means they recognize that it's truth.

Why would you be cut to the heart if it's

not true. If I say something that is untrue about you,

you won't border right. But they were cut to herd

because they knew that it was the truth, and they

were being bounded. And I tell you what, look at

how they acted after that, and they at him with

their teeth. Oh where else have we seen the word

gnashing of teeth? Jesus described Hell as that there will

be gnashing of teeth. Can you imagine, elders, can you

imagine past the hey, imagine all your leaders standing in

front of here right gnashing their teeth just like looking

to devour you, like can't wait to like right into

you and just.

Get rid of you.

That's what happened this is a grown wise man that

know the Gospel, that know or rather or other leg

of the Gospel, know the Torah, no, the Old Testament.

But they were acting like like be no longer humans.

It's like they lost the ability to think the at

their teeth. But at that time you were still like

you're still still control.

But see what happened after that.

But hey, it's beautiful Sea Stevena could have been very,

very afraid at this moment, but look at what what what? What?

Actually he did he, being full of the again, full

of the Holy Spirit, friends, says the key, being full

of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven, saw the glory

of God.

Remember he referred to God as the God of Glory.

Saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the

right hand of God. Now do you're notice something different

than when Jesus is referred to as being at the

right hand of God. He's always referred to as sitting

because the work is done.

It is finished.

You know, Jesus famously said that it is finished when

I'm there set, I'm done no longer, there's no longer

anything to do on earth for me, for Jesus, I

don't it all. But he's Tan. You notice that he's

tan and he was standing. I believe because Jesus was

getting ready to receive his humble servant into his arms.

He was standing. I believe. My interpretation, my honest interpretion. Okay,

you may have your own for why why is standing Father?

I am I am interceding for Stephen. The Holy Spirit

is interceding to me.

I am the father Father.

This is my child, this is your child, which we

are well pleased. Can you see that When Steven saw that,

I believe he said, look, I see the heavens open

and the son of Men standing at the right hand

of God.

Wow. That was the trigger point. If there was a bullet,

that was the bullet.

The moment they heard that, they cried out, not just nashinger,

they were wailing, you know, like aha, can you imagine?

That is crazy? These are people that are all statue,

you know, crying. They wail out with a loud voice.

Are you Oh?

And then they put their hands and their ears become

like baby, you know the last time, put your boo boo.

I don't want to hear you.

That's what they do.

Well, they don't wanna hear they don't wanna hear, and

then they read in him.

Something to read the Bible. It's good.

It's good to have drama, because that is I believe.

But I don't know how big the council was. I

believe it was a stampede. Steven is one person, and

I love Jesus, run and him, you know. And then

they cast him out of the city and stone him. Wow,

just three words, and he sometimes read and they cast

him out of the city and stone him. And the witnesses, Hello,

do you know how do you know how painful? You

know how crazy it is to be stone now? Stoning

is a punishment of Jewish culture for blashooming against God.

They were just they were supposed to take them, take

Steven to Rome. They were supposed to do that. They

forget all of that. They're like, I'm gonna take it

into my own hands. I'm gonna kill this word in

my own great hands. And the entire council of leaders

did that in one accord. In one accord, they ran it.

He are you when it's the last time you were united?

Then tire, everyone was united to kill this feller. Did

I came out of the city. Now the mental suffering

you know, sometimes you have to talk about mental health.

We like to talk about physical shameness. We got to

talk about right, physical suffering. Can you imagine you are

very own people that were supposed to believe that in God,

the very own people are sometimes the missions.

You may feel that way, So don't be a surprised pass.

The enemy may come to you.

One day I say, don't myself, don't, don't, don't go

to this mission ship. I think you should do this instated.

I think you should give me money instead. Hey, I wouldn't.

I wouldn't.

I wouldn't take that away from me, you know, because

honestly the heartnest dicivil way. I had to gut myself here.

I had to cut myself, and not by my own strength,

you know. But it might happen, right, But they accused him.

They accused him. Another thing is being dragged out in

the city. I'll imagine in front of an audience. Can

imagine city, city, got everybody stopped, and everybody's in stem

I believe he was.

He was in daylight.

Right, you can't have counsel at night, so he was

in daylight. He was in in the no no something

being shamed the extent friends, all the people that he

was serving might be looking at him.

Nobody stood up. Nobody show up. You know this. He

was being stoned, soddenly die, but nobody. Nobody stood up. Okay,

he was alone.

He had every reason to cry to God, God, strike

down your thunder and kill them.

I caught off firelight Elijah. I did hear.

Every right to do that, And I don't know whether

maybe maybe it would have happened, But he didn't. Look

at how he responded. And the witnesses laid down their

clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul

and his stone Stephen as he was calling on God.

The first time I read this, I shed a tear

because he's so unfavor noble to imagine saying, Lord Jesus

received my spirit Verse sixty. Then he knelt down. Now

I don't know I mentioned stoning earlier, right. Stoning is

in Jewish culture is push you off a cliff. Normally

they'll find a cliff and it's pretty prelocated a relay.

That cliff is not too high that if you fall,

do and drop your die stray away. It's short enough

that you will fall and you might break some bones. Right,

you might break some bones and you will immobilize, you'll

be able to walk. What they will then do is

take up stones and they speaking the true right, being

the true and if the stones do not kill you,

they'll drop a big rock on you and you'll just die.

Okay, that is stoning.

I believe that it's one of the worst ways to

die apart from the cross.

It's one of the worst. And Steven had to go

through this, and look at this.

Some of us myself, I find I need difficult to

kneel that in pray now. Call it me problem la, whatever,

in jury la, whatever it is that I find it

difficult to knew that pray Now. Kneeling down is not

just like oh, if you don't kneel thatw you won't

end the heaven. No, kneeling down is a sound of surrender.

You also you can also kneel down your heart like

are you really surrendered to God? Because kneeling now is uncomfortable?

Have you really surrendered God? And look at so what

Stephen did. Stephen knelt down first sign of surrender. Ready

while being stoner by the way, the stone ever stop

coming out? Still Pa, Pa still can think I need

to kneel down. I need to worship God. I need

to work. I need to worship kneel down and cried

out with a loud voice, not just silently, because sometimes

emissions we do decide silently.

Myself included. We doing silently. We just keep it to ourselves.

We don't.

We don't like proclaim the goodness of God. But he

shouted with a loud voice. Lord, do not charge them

with this sin. Sounds familiar, Father, forgive them, for they

do not know what they are doing.

Sounds familiar.

See the peril between Stephen and Jesus himself, and when

he has.

Sit there, he fell asleep. What a way to go out?

You know? What a way to go out?

Right?

What away?

How many of us here? You want to die by

falling asleep? I think if I were to die, I

want to fall asleep and Dieala right. I don't want

to go out in pain. I don't go in whatever.

But this this man full of faith. Wow, it's not

like the pain is being protected by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus felt every single ounce of pain, you know. Wow,

the cross Stephen felt every single out of way. It's

not that the Holy Spirit is like a shield, and

then Papa no feeling. Hello, he bled, he bled. We

know that because Paul himself said that the blood came

upon him on the floor or whatever. And these people

were so on fire to stone him, he had to

take out their clothes and put it on the on

this young man named Saul, so that there's no air resistance. Right.

I don't have any any blockages anywhere that I can,

and I can show you all my mind.

So he's crazy.

And Steven's response to all of this in his mission

field doing Jerusalem was to cry to God to forgive

those that are against him. Wow, I believe that is

the gospel. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because

remember remember the commandment is to love others as you

love yourself.

Is to love God is to love your enemies.

Stephen won't be able to do this if he did

not know the word of God. But he knew the

word of God. See, so what we can learn from this.

I'm gonna close and give you a few points. I'm

gonna close right.

On. You see three things about Stephen.

Okay, first point, huh, I don't have any other elpha,

but I can't think of away, so I put se

see okay. See in Spanish means yes, okay see in

Spanish means yes. Stephen is a child of God, all right,

and we are all chud of God. And Stephen was

a child of God who said yes.

He said.

See he's a Spanish now okay, he's not Spanish. Ah,

I don't even think Spanish exist like that.

Okay.

So he was a child of God that say yes

in every situation. He just said yes, self, nighbles, yes Lord, self,

wash my feet, watch the fullest feet.

Yes Lord, do this, Yes Lord, cut out demons. Yes Lord.

When have we ever been in this position?

And now I hope we can reflect now that we

say yes until we are so tired that we don't

say yes anymore, because sometimes we may feel that it's

too much, it's a little bit too much. But hey,

maybe your break truth is around the corner. May be

you will continue say yes to Lord the Lord until

you die. Stephen in this situation did not witness the

salvation of those that he was ministering to. You know,

he died, he was killed. He did not witness. You know,

your was others that witness. If you follow the story,

it was artists awiness, the salvation, the fruits of the labor.

All he did was say yes. But imagine if we

stopped saying yes. Second point, endurance. Every single stone that

was coming his way still had to endure. All the

hurt thing words that may come your way, all the

challenges that may come away, all the business that you

may lose because of honoring God is like a stone

that you have to endure. And Stephen was showcasing that

I got to take the stone until my last breath.

I got to take the stone. Third thing, Stephen went

the extra amount. Stephen could have just stopped right I

believe we can just stop right there. But Stephen went

the extra mound to ask the Lord to forgive the

people that were against him. He went the extra mount

to request for forgiveness. It's the same as Jesus, Jesus

when the extra mouth for us. Jesus came all the

way down from Heaven to just save you. Imagine that, however,

you know, I'm going to give you some pointers that

may actually hinder you. There are things that may have

could have Okay, could have not saying it did, but

he could have prevented Stephen from fulfilling his destiny and purpose.

First point, temporary, okay, temporary. He would have not fulfilled

his destiny if he was focusing on things that were

just on the temporary.

Okay, if you.

Just focused on the things of the temporary, he would

not have seen his purpose or Second Corine for eighteen says,

while we do not look at the things which are seen,

but at the things which are not seen. For the

things which are seen are temporary, but the things we

are not seen are eternal.

Right, it is the things that you do not see.

Point number two.

Pride pride could be you know in the way, Oh

I'm a deacon. Now, I'm a deacon. Now I cannot

do this, all your lowly work, I will not do. Hello,

just say yes. Don't allow your pride to come to you. Right,

don't allow your pride to stop you from from fulfilling

your purpose. Half way half past six right attitude of Didapa.

God will speak you up. If you are luke warm,

he will speak you up. It'll be hot, it'll be

called revelations tree sixteen. Don't be halfway negative before you start,

the better you lose already, should Diane, I are the

exemptual feeling. I can no one, Lah or this guya

need to push the gospeler. He only received you one.

How many of us have said that for this guya,

no need to pray on that he only and I

pray him ten times a day.

They pray with him the eleven time. Lah pray him

the you of time. Keep praying and you die. Don't

say shure die went you diverse to yourself?

Don't don't don't say die die ie people like people

you say die. The next time you say die, just

say that to yourself. That's the only die that you

should die from. Okay, that's the only die. The other

die was Jesus died for you. That's all you should remember. Right,

Stop saying should die? Sure die?

Should you really die? Okay? So in scripture in John Tree.

Thirty says he shall increase, but first and foremost weish

have to decrease.

So I was just doing the energy. I'm not Steve

saying Steven is a bad name. It's not.

It's a perfect it's a good name. Right, But you

have to take away more of you, right, Stephen got

seven let us so I took off fall at us,

and what was left is your tree. Let us wish

I give you earlier right see endurance, endurance and extra.

But you will take od.

You gotta take all the thing, trig it out, allow

God to feel it back in. Allow God to feel

it back in. Then you become complete. Then you become

fulfilled in his calling event. And finally what happened. This

is all of this just to say this whole sixty

verses plus all the story. Uh ah, this, all of

it is what.

Ultimately, it's a seed. See. And then he died so

it becomes seen his actions was a set seed for

what see for what this very message is.

I believe one of the most important summons in the

Book of Acts. It was because of this message that

the Gospel in chapter one, verse eight, went out of

Jerusalem to two days some area.

Wow. Can you see that?

If I were you, I would give glory to God

right now, right, I'll give him glory. I'll clap unto him.

Because it's the gospel that's being propagated. You should be happy.

You should be cheering, not just lifting wats. You should

live wats and cheer. Yeah, sure, cheer, shut it on.

But the gospel being propagated. The next time, somebody except

Jesus Christ is your personal to say, with cheers, someone.

Received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Cheer, praise God because the angels are rejoicing, the stones

are crying out. But you've got to continue praise God

as well, all right. So he died, he died. Stephen

was full of the spirit. He died being full of

the spirit, allowing him to go through persecution, but at

the same time not shying away from his purpose Glatians

two twenty. I've been crucial hiting Christ is no longer

I who live, but Christ lives in me him denying himself,

and take up my cross daily and follow me. So

he planted a seed, was plunted, har leelujah, praised the Lord.

Oh my goodness, it is so significant. But here's here's

where we have to remember in everything that we do,

if we expect a response or or else you'll be discouraged.

If let's say, you know, there's no response that come

out of this, Remember Stephen, he really did not get

anything out of that. God was able to use something

that's so grim and so dark to start his word

from being shed to the ends of the earth. Remember

First Corinthians Tree, verse six to eight. I planted, Apollos watered.

But it is God who gave the increase.

Amen. Man, it is God who gives the increase. You

just be faithful.

You just plant, you just water water until God gives

you the increase. Stop asking God when, because nobody knows

when Jesus will come back.

Stop asking him when. Just be faithful to the now. Amen. Amen.

The vehicle that allowed.

X Chapter one, verse eight to happen is X eight

one persecution. Persecution brought along the propagation of the Gospel.

Without persecution, there won't be any propagation. Because you can

see what happened right after that in X Chapter eight,

verse one. Now Saul was consenting to his death. At

that time, a great persecution arose against the Church which

was at Jerusalem. Even worse things happened. I don't know

what it wasn't spelled out, but I can only imagine.

If the stoning was a persecution, and there was a

great persecution that arose against the church, I can only

imagine what the people had to go through. But it

was because of the Wow that they were all scattered

throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, and the apostles

remained in the region that was heavily persecuted. They did

not just can you see that, they did not run.

You know, they still uphold their responsibility. Doesn't matter, it's

being really particular. I'm gonna still continue this. Bitter John

and the disciples. This is their character, this is who

they are. It's amazing.

Amen.

However, this is where the most beautiful part of the

entire story comes. Let's backtrack a little bit, and we're closed,

And can you invite worship man to come up X seven,

verse fifty eight says, and they cast him out of

the city and stone named memories. Remember this, and the

witness lay down their clothes, remember this. They don't have

any resistance at the feet of a young name, young

man named Saul. Now, Saul and Stephen were like opposites

at this point in time, like paula opposites. One wonder

Gospel of propagate. One just wonder would the gospel die? Okay,

Saul of horses young men both around the thirties. We

know this because in X twenty two, verse twenty he says,

and when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed,

I was also standing by consenting to his death and

guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. This

is Saul of Tarsus, and you know the story. Two

chapters later, Solo of Tarsus encountered Jesus, Saul of Tarsus

was baptized, Saul of Tarsus was converted, and of course

finally he was given the name Paul. And you know

Paul and his story. You know how many he how

many people he brought to know Jesus Christ. True and

I was and when Jesus met with Saul, and when

he told Saul is like you're kicking against the goats.

Remember that I believe that God was when Saul was

seeing Stephen being stoned but yet still standing up, kneeling

down and saying, forgive them.

A seed was plunted. Right after that, Saul was still angry.

Saul was still per secure thing, but a seat started

to plan really in his heart that when he encountered

Jesus Christ, he knew that that was God. Remember when

when God first, when Jesus first called out the Saul,

Saul did not know who was dead, but he acknowledged

that by saying, who are you common Lord?

He knew.

Saul knew Saul was a man full of stair, cheerful

of wisdom. He was a man with three bloodlines. I

believe you know he was you know, Romans education, Greek education,

everything he knew, but yet Christ he did not know.

But yet, because of what Stephen did, a seed was splunted.

And you know that seed appeared not just to be

one singular seat at that time, he was a singular

seat s right s. But when you add the S

to the seat, it becomes seeds. And seeds were planted

because you know, every time, remember this, next time you

go through persecution, friends, there is a Saul watching. There's

always a salt watching. You don't know who the salt is,

but he is watching, right. He may be hating you,

he may hate your guts, he may not agree with you,

but he is watching. And your actions will cause either

a sault to be birth or a sault to be killed.

No actions will cause the propagation of the gospel, or

you will not be involved.

In the profession of the gospel. It's like the ten virgins.

Five kept oil in their lamb, five did not bother,

the keep ail in their lamb.

And finally, when Jesus came and they knocked at the door,

Jesus said, I do not know you. I do not

know you.

Jesus pass them by. I pray, and I pray that

each and every one of us here today will remember again.

The encouragement to all of us here today is that

the only difference between Stephen and the Councilman and Solid

that time was the lack of the Holy Spirit. So, friends,

if you still do not recognize the power of the

Holy Spirit, if you still do not recognize the giftings

of the Holy Spirit today, I want to pray for you. Okay,

you can be very you know, advancing age, but there's

no age to advance for God, Amen. It is the

Holy Spirit that will enable you to say yes when

you can physically say yes anymore. It is the Holy Spirit.

Do not allow God to pass you by, you know,

Moses say to God, God, we will not go if

you're not with us. God, we need you with us.

That should be the attitude of a believer. That should

be an attitude of a Christian. A Christian is Christ

a christ like person. But a christ like person cannot

be a christ like person without the Holy Spirit. Because

Christ went up, the Christ left behind or other scent.

Someone who is greater Jesus himself, said this, if I

do not go, he will not come. Jesus went and

the Holy Spirit came, and that's what we all have

access to today, the Holy Spirit. So I believe and

I pray that you have been blessed. I pray that

you will acknowledge that it is your reaction. It is

your decisions that may either cause you to be for

God or against God.

You can't be lukewarm. You'll either be hot or close.

So friends, as we close, I would like to just

be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

If that's you today, we.

Hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information

on our church, please visit axchurch do org. We are

also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this

week is going to be a good week. I hit

for you. God bless