Acts 7:1, 44-60And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And Stephen said:
“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
We were watching the Houston Astros baseball game, and the Astros were playing down to their last-place opponents. Diane knows more about baseball than I do. She will often make a color-commentary remark, only to hear the TV announcer make the same comment. She knows her game. She also has little patience with poor performance. She’ll express her disgust with some energy when the World Series Champions play like first-year Little Leaguers.
Yes, watching baseball with my wife is quite an experience. Sometimes I try to calm her down. All this is not to say I don’t need calming down when certain things happen. We all have things that rile us up. I might get really animated about poor drivers. Another might let politics wind them around the stem. Football fans might get frustrated when their team’s coach makes poor decisions. Too many people make religious conversations impossible by their ire.
I say too many, because of James 1:19-20, “ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
We see how true this is in this encounter between the Jewish leaders and Stephen: “Now when the high priest and Jewish leaders heard these things [Stephen’s recounting of God’s faithfulness and the Jewish people’s faithlessness] they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.” What was to come was not good for Stephen, for those who put him to death, for Saul (who was watching all this occur), or even the church initially.
But what starts as bad, God turns to good. This is not good, but God will bring good from it. Stephen’s death is no sweet release. It’s brutal, horrific, distressing, and terrifying. The church was not emboldened in these moments. In fact the church will soon scatter in the face of fierce persecution. Saul will be emboldened to step up his persecution of Jesus’ followers. The Jewish high priest and leaders will be emboldened in their resistance to the people of God.
But God will accomplish his will not only through those who believe in him, obey and follow him. That’s most obvious. But God also accomplishes his will in spite of those who resist him, mock and persecute the Christian Church, and seek to stop the message of Jesus.
The high priest and Jewish leaders were riled up against Stephen – God’s good and faithful witness to the truth of Jesus Christ. It did not accomplish the good things God desires. When we get riled up, we need to keep in mind that God’s will is done in people’s hearts. God’s kindness leads to repentance. We don’t scare people into belief in Jesus. God’s power is made perfect in weakness. When we are weak, we are strong.
I’m going to try to be riled up in grace, truth, love, and faith. How about you? Let’s see how God uses that!
David Bahn - Reflections 
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