Acts-Ac.8:1-25 “Stephen, Saul and Simon”

In order to introduce Saul it is necessary to touch upon the first martyr of the church. He spoke in defense of his faith which the Spirit gives a definite point of reference, as in these verses,”

But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,/ And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”. (7:55-56) God a Spirit whose kingdom envelops everything He has created. The Spirit thus informs us two points which ever move in tandem whether we are alive or not. Our heart where truth is writ, the inner man refers to the soul which is from God and we have no way to dislodge him even if we want to. He is only accountable to God so the warning of Jesus ought to tell us how wonderfully we are made. (Matt.10:28) Those who were about to stone him did only kill his body but his faith made his anchor secure. So even in the moment of annihilation his world of the Spirit held fast. He also proved that he was being conformed to the image of his Son so he intercedes for his misguided tormentors. “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit./ And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”(7:59-60)

No man ever dies alone; nor does a child of God die in vain.” Each of us holds a great congregation in the spiritual space that the heart marks, of which the psalmist speaks thus:”I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.”(Ps.40:10) This world of the Spirit goes back to where it rightly belongs. Significance of this brings us to the second person whose name was Saul.

During the martyrdom Saul is merely given charge over the clothes of the Jews whose task was to execute the will of the council. “And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.” (7:58) Saul was a zealot judging from his involvement in unearthing the members of the early church. The Holy Spirit introduces him as one working against the church. “And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, “(8:1)

The Jews whose crusade to ferret out the Christians had their activism which was no different that what we see in our midst. If they named and shamed whose lifestyles did not agree with theirs Saul went along with others,”As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.”(8:3) He had the zeal and as he would observe,”For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.”(Ro. 10:2) Unknown to him the determinate counsel of God would work, without a pause which one might visualize as dotted lines we sooner or later find touching as well. God has no need for Time to limit his Power and in the world of the Spirit we carry on the eternal realities, -so when we received Jesus Christ as our Savior we are referring to the slain Lamb before the foundation of the world. Thus the now of our lives we become entangled with the reality of heaven! This Stephen well saw in faith so he could die cheerfully ‘and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,’

Saul meanwhile kept his eyes peeled, as the expression is, of the clothes laid under his watch. The third man, Simon by name was toting up how much money he could make by the indwelling Spirit. His simony has found a whole new breed of ministers whose prosperity theology is to prove him their hero.