“But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he [Stephen] was speaking.” (Acts 6:10)
Some things in life are hard to cope with. I find it hard to cope with chaos – too much multitasking leads to mental paralysis for me. I shut down pretty quickly when the world gets too big and I start feeling small.
Another thing that is hard to cope with is being confronted with a better answer. That’s the problem the folks in Acts 6 were dealing with. Stephen came preaching Christ, and they were convinced Jesus was just another charlatan trying to destroy the Jewish nation… until Stephen’s arguments and wisdom were too much for them to cope with.
The Holy Spirit gave those crowds a chance to see a better way, but it was hard for them to cope with the idea that their lives would need to change. Don’t lean away from hard truths; lean into them. Stephen’s crowd wasn’t coachable – but we should be.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
Today’s Reading: Acts 6:8-15
Questions to ask:
- How does this show the continuation of Jesus’ work now going on in the church?
- How is the gospel, Paul’s preaching, and/or Paul’s defense received?
- What is the Holy Spirit doing in this text?
- What in our reading shows how Paul handled adversity and difficulty?
This year, #Biblebites are following the life and writings of Paul. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2023-vision