Acts 6:10
but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
but they could not stand up
The phrase "could not stand up" indicates an inability to resist or oppose effectively. In the Greek, the word used here is "anthistēmi," which means to set against or withstand. This suggests a confrontation where the opponents of Stephen were unable to counter his arguments or presence. Historically, this reflects the early church's experience, where the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit often left opponents speechless or defeated, as seen in the accounts of the apostles' boldness in Acts.

to his wisdom
The term "wisdom" in Greek is "sophia," which refers to a deep, spiritual insight and understanding. Stephen's wisdom was not merely intellectual but divinely inspired, reflecting the wisdom that comes from God. This echoes the Old Testament tradition where wisdom is a gift from God, as seen in Solomon's request for wisdom in 1 Kings 3:9. Stephen's wisdom was a testament to his deep relationship with God and his understanding of the Scriptures.

or the Spirit
The "Spirit" here refers to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who empowers believers. The Greek word "pneuma" is used, which can mean breath or spirit, indicating the life-giving and dynamic presence of God. The Holy Spirit's role in Acts is pivotal, as He empowers the apostles and early Christians to preach boldly and perform miracles. This highlights the fulfillment of Jesus' promise in Acts 1:8 that the disciples would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

by whom he spoke
The phrase "by whom he spoke" emphasizes that Stephen's words were not his own but were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Greek construction indicates agency, showing that the Holy Spirit was the source of Stephen's powerful speech. This aligns with Jesus' promise in Luke 12:12 that the Holy Spirit would teach His followers what to say in times of persecution. Stephen's speech, therefore, was a direct manifestation of the Spirit's work, demonstrating the divine authority and truth of his message.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Stephen
One of the seven deacons chosen to serve the early church, known for his faith and the Holy Spirit's power. He was a man full of grace and power, performing great wonders and signs among the people.

2. The Synagogue of the Freedmen
A group of Jewish individuals who opposed Stephen. They were likely Hellenistic Jews, possibly former slaves or descendants of freed slaves, who had their own synagogue in Jerusalem.

3. The Dispute
Stephen engaged in a debate with members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen. Despite their efforts, they were unable to refute his wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

4. The Holy Spirit
The third person of the Trinity, who empowered Stephen to speak with wisdom and authority that his opponents could not withstand.

5. Jerusalem
The city where these events took place, serving as the center of early Christian activity and the location of the temple.
Teaching Points
The Power of the Holy Spirit
Believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak with wisdom and authority. We should rely on the Spirit rather than our own understanding.

Wisdom from Above
True wisdom comes from God and can withstand any human argument. We should seek divine wisdom through prayer and study of the Scriptures.

Courage in the Face of Opposition
Like Stephen, we should stand firm in our faith, even when faced with opposition. Our confidence should be in God's truth and His Spirit within us.

The Role of the Church
The early church's selection of deacons like Stephen shows the importance of service and leadership within the church community. We should value and support those who serve.

Faithfulness in Witness
Stephen's example encourages us to be faithful witnesses of Christ, trusting that God will use our testimony for His glory.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Stephen's reliance on the Holy Spirit challenge us in our daily interactions and conversations about faith?

2. In what ways can we seek and apply God's wisdom in situations where we face opposition or misunderstanding?

3. How does the example of Stephen encourage us to stand firm in our faith, even when it is unpopular or challenged?

4. What role does the Holy Spirit play in empowering believers today, and how can we be more attuned to His guidance?

5. How can the church today learn from the early church's approach to leadership and service, as seen in the selection of Stephen and the other deacons?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Luke 21:15
Jesus promises that He will give His followers words and wisdom that none of their adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. This is fulfilled in Stephen's experience.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5
Paul speaks of his preaching not being with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, similar to Stephen's experience.

Exodus 4:12
God assures Moses that He will help him speak and teach him what to say, paralleling the divine assistance Stephen receives.
Grace and PowerG. T. Stokes, D. D.Acts 6:8-15
Stephen Before the CouncilR.A. Redford Acts 6:8-15
Stephen Disputing in the SynagoguesJ. Oswald Dykes, D. D.Acts 6:8-15
Stephen's Miracles and ControversiesDean Goulburn.Acts 6:8-15
Stephen's Work and WitnessE. Johnson Acts 6:8-15
The First Christian MartyrJ. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.Acts 6:8-15
The Last FirstDean Goulburn.Acts 6:8-15
The Service of the Lip and the Glory of the CountenanceW. Clarkson Acts 6:8-15
The Source of Ministerial PowerE. Hoare, M. A.Acts 6:8-15
The Weakness of PersecutorsR. Tuck Acts 6:10, 11
People
Alexandrians, Cilicians, Cyrenians, Grecians, Nicanor, Nicolas, Parmenas, Philip, Prochorus, Stephen, Timon
Places
Asia, Cilicia, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Syrian Antioch
Topics
Able, Better, Cope, Full, However, Quite, Resist, Spake, Speaking, Spirit, Spoke, Unable, Weren't, Wisdom, Withstand
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Acts 6:10

     3030   Holy Spirit, power
     3035   Holy Spirit, presence of
     3140   Holy Spirit, teacher
     3224   Holy Spirit, and preaching
     3275   Holy Spirit, in the church
     3281   Holy Spirit, inspiration
     4018   life, spiritual
     5549   speech, positive
     8366   wisdom, source of

Acts 6:5-10

     8024   faith, and blessings

Acts 6:8-10

     5293   defence, human
     7703   apologetics

Acts 6:8-14

     5936   riots
     8483   spiritual warfare, causes

Acts 6:9-10

     3050   Holy Spirit, wisdom
     5842   eloquence

Library
October 4 Morning
Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.--EXO. 34:29. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.--Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?--In lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.--Be clothed with humility. [Jesus] was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.--All that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on Stephen,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

February 16. "We Will Give Ourselves Continually to Prayer" (Acts vi. 4).
"We will give ourselves continually to prayer" (Acts vi. 4). In the consecrated believer the Holy Spirit is pre-eminently a Spirit of prayer. If our whole being is committed to Him, and our thoughts are at His bidding, He will occupy every moment in communion and we shall bring every thing to Him as it comes, and pray it out in our spiritual consciousness before we act it out in our lives. We shall, therefore, find ourselves taking up the burdens of life and praying them out in a wordless prayer
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Filled with the Spirit
'Men ... full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.' ... 'A man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost....' 'Stephen, full of faith and power.'--ACTS vi. 3, 5, 8. I have taken the liberty of wrenching these three fragments from their context, because of their remarkable parallelism, which is evidently intended to set us thinking of the connection of the various characteristics which they set forth. The first of them is a description, given by the Apostles, of the sort of man whom they conceived to be fit to
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Good Earnests of Great Success
So I felt when I met with the brethren last Thursday night. The attendance at the church meeting was very numerous, and the unanimity that prevailed not only gratified me, but I must confess astounded me too. I think all of us who know anything of the history of churches, especially those of a democratic order, where we recognize the rights of every member, understand how easy it is for thoughts to diverge, for counsels to vary, and for excellent brethren conscientiously to disagree. A breach once
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 14: 1868

Phil. 1:01 the Rights and Duties of Lay Churchmen.
[19] "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons."--Phil. 1:1. THIS opening verse of St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians is a very remarkable text of Scripture. I suspect it receives far less attention from Bible- readers than it deserves. Like the gold of California, men have walked over it for centuries, and have not observed what was under their feet. In fact, if some Anglican divines had stood at the
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times

The Signs
There are indications that to some of those who took part in the crucifixion of Christ His death presented hardly anything to distinguish it from an ordinary execution; and there were others who were anxious to believe that it had no features which were extraordinary. But God did not leave His Son altogether without witness. The end of the Saviour's sufferings was accompanied by certain signs, which showed the interest excited by them in the world unseen. I. The first sign was the rending of the
James Stalker—The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ

The Outbreak of the Arian Controversy. The Attitude of Eusebius.
About the year 318, while Alexander was bishop of Alexandria, the Arian controversy broke out in that city, and the whole Eastern Church was soon involved in the strife. We cannot enter here into a discussion of Arius' views; but in order to understand the rapidity with which the Arian party grew, and the strong hold which it possessed from the very start in Syria and Asia Minor, we must remember that Arius was not himself the author of that system which we know as Arianism, but that he learned the
Eusebius Pamphilius—Church History

The Epistles of Paul.
1. The apostolic epistles are a natural sequence of the office and work committed by the Saviour to the apostles. They were the primitive preachers of the gospel, and, under Christ, the founders of the Christian church. From the necessity of the case they had a general supervision of all the local churches, and their authority in them was supreme in matters of both faith and practice. It was to be expected, therefore, that they should teach by writing, as well as by oral instruction. It does not
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The Right to Run Things
A new mission station opened! Another conquest of the Gospel! Have you ever wondered how it was done? Suppose you are a missionary, and have already passed successfully through the language-learning stage. Suppose you are assigned an area where the Gospel has never been preached, an area teeming with people, very few of whom have ever even heard the precious name of Jesus. You probably have a fellow worker. You have good health, a reasonable knowledge of the language and local customs, and a heart
Mabel Williamson—Have We No Rights?

The Johannean Literature.
I. Sources. 1. The Gospel, Epistles, and Revelation of John. The notices of John in the Synoptical Gospels, in the Acts, and in Gal. 2:9. (See the passages in Young's Analytical Concordance.) 2. Patristic traditions. Irenaeus: Adv. Haer. II. 22, 5 (John lived to the age of Trajan); III. 1, 1 (John at Ephesus); III. 3, 4 (John and Cerinthus); V. 30, 3 (John and the Apocalypse). Clemens Alex.: Quis dives salvus, c. 42 (John and the young robber). Polycrates of Ephesus in Eus. Hist. Eccl., III. 31;
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

Deacons and Deaconesses.
Deacons, [729] or helpers, appear first in the church of Jerusalem, seven in number. The author of the Acts 6 gives us an account of the origin of this office, which is mentioned before that of the presbyters. It had a precedent in the officers of the synagogue who had charge of the collection and distribution of alms. [730] It was the first relief of the heavy burden that rested on the shoulders of the apostles, who wished to devote themselves exclusively to prayer and the ministry of the word.
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

Philip, the Evangelist
BY REV. GEORGE MILLIGAN, M.A., D.D. Philip the Evangelist must be carefully distinguished from Philip the Apostle. And though it is little that we are told regarding him in Scripture, that little is very significant. He first comes before us as one of the seven chosen by the early Church at Jerusalem to take charge of the daily ministration of charity to the poor widows (Acts vi. I ff.). And when this work is hindered by the outbreak of persecution following on the death of Stephen, we find him
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

Whether Christ Should have Led a Life of Poverty in this World?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ should not have led a life of poverty in this world. Because Christ should have embraced the most eligible form of life. But the most eligible form of life is that which is a mean between riches and poverty; for it is written (Prov. 30:8): "Give me neither beggary nor riches; give me only the necessaries of life." Therefore Christ should have led a life, not of poverty, but of moderation. Objection 2: Further, external wealth is ordained to bodily use as to
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether to Baptize is Part of the Priestly Office, or Proper to that of Bishops?
Objection 1: It seems that to baptize is not part of the priestly office, but proper to that of bishops. Because, as stated above (A[1], OBJ[1]), the duties of teaching and baptizing are enjoined in the same precept (Mat. 28:19). But to teach, which is "to perfect," belongs to the office of bishop, as Dionysius declares (Eccl. Hier. v, vi). Therefore to baptize also belongs to the episcopal office. Objection 2: Further, by Baptism a man is admitted to the body of the Christian people: and to do this
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Fulness of Grace is Proper to Christ?
Objection 1: It would seem that the fulness of grace is not proper to Christ. For what is proper to anyone belongs to him alone. But to be full of grace is attributed to some others; for it was said to the Blessed Virgin (Lk. 1:28): "Hail, full of grace"; and again it is written (Acts 6:8): "Stephen, full of grace and fortitude." Therefore the fulness of grace is not proper to Christ. Objection 2: Further, what can be communicated to others through Christ does not seem to be proper to Christ. But
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Holy Catholic Church.
"Christ is gone up; yet ere He passed From earth, in heaven to reign, He formed One Holy Church to last Till He should come again. So age by age, and year by year, His grace was handed on; And still the Holy Church is here, Although her Lord is gone." A question often arises which is, in no little degree, perplexing to Christian people. What is the Holy Catholic Church? The words are very often in our mouths; for they are repeated continually in the Creed. What do we mean by them? The teaching of
Edward Burbidge—The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?

The Church History of Eusebius. Index of Subjects.
Aaron, [1]373. Abdus of Edessa, [2]101. Abdus, the father of the preceding, [3]101. Abgarus, Prince of Edessa, correspondence of, with Christ, 100, [4]101; healed by Thaddeus, [5]101, [6]104. Abilius, second bishop of Alexandria, [7]147, [8]149. Abraham, [9]83, [10]87, [11]88. Achæus, a judge at Cæsarea, [12]303. Achillas, presbyter of Alexandria, [13]321. Achior, the Ammonite, [14]93. Acolyths, [15]288. Actium, [16]263. Acts, book of, [17]88, [18]98, [19]112, [20]113, [21]117, [22]122,
Eusebius Pamphilius—The Life of Constantine

Twenty-Fifth Day for More Conversions
WHAT TO PRAY.--For more Conversions "He is able to save completely, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession."--HEB. vii. 25. "We will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word.... And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied exceedingly."--ACTS vi. 4, 7. Christ's power to save, and save completely, depends on His unceasing intercession. The apostles withdrawing themselves from other work to give themselves continually to prayer was followed
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

The Birth of England's Foreign Missions
1785-1792 Moulton the Mission's birthplace--Carey's fever and poverty--His Moulton school--Fired with the missionary idea--His very large missionary map--Fuller's confession of the aged and respectable ministers' opposition--Old Mr. Ryland's rebuke--Driven to publish his Enquiry--Its literary character--Carey's survey of the world in 1788--His motives, difficulties, and plans--Projects the first Missionary Society--Contrasted with his predecessors from Erasmus--Prayer concert begun in Scotland in
George Smith—The Life of William Carey

Twenty-Seven Articles Respecting the Reformation of the Christian Estate.
Now though I am too lowly to submit articles that could serve for the reformation of these fearful evils, I will yet sing out my fool's song, and will show, as well as my wit will allow, what might and should be done by the temporal authorities or by a General Council. 1. Princes, nobles and cities should promptly forbid their subjects to pay the annates and should even abolish them altogether. For the Pope has broken the compact, and turned the annates into robbery for the harm and shame of the
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Synagogues in the City; and Schools.
"R. Phinehas, in the name of R. Hoshaia, saith, There were four hundred and sixty synagogues in Jerusalem: every one of which had a house of the book, and a house of doctrine," "A house of the book for the Scripture," that is, where the Scripture might be read: "and a house of doctrine for traditions," that is, the Beth Midrash, where traditions might be taught. These things are recited elsewhere, and there the number ariseth to four hundred and eighty. "R. Phinehas, in the name of R. Hoshaia, saith,
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

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