Acts 7

"[Stephen continued his defense with a shocking turn, quoting Isaiah and criticizing worshiping only in the Temple:] "Our ancestors carried the..."

"[Stephen replied to his accusers by speaking about Abraham's faith]: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor..."

"[Stephen continued his defense before the council:] "One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel....."

"[As Stephen continued his defense, he pointed to God's faithfulness through Joseph:] "But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery,..."

"[As Stephen continued his defense, he moved from God's deliverance of his people through Joseph and began to tell the story of Moses:] "As the time..."

"Then the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these accusations true?" This was Stephen's reply: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God..."

"[Stephen reminded his adversaries of the kind of leader Moses was:] "So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they..."

"[In his defense before the council, Stephen continued to tell the story of Moses:] "Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel..."

"Dear Believer, Today I want to give you a glimpse of My servant, Stephen. In the verses below, you will see how he followed My example when faced..."

"[In his defense before the council, Stephen spoke of his rebellious ancestors and God's judgment on them:] "So they made an idol shaped like a calf,....."

"[Stephen continued his defense by reviewing some significant things in the lives of Israel's patriarchs:] "God also gave Abraham the covenant of..."

"[Stephen spoke of God's work through the life and hardship of Moses:] "At that time Moses was born — a beautiful child in God's eyes. His parents..."

"[Stephen, in his defense before the council, emphasized how the Jewish ancestors had turned against Moses during their time in the Sinai wilderness:]...."

"[Stephen moved from reviewing Jewish history in response to the accusation against him to challenging his accusers by saying,] "You stubborn people!....."

"[Stephen said to the Sanhedrin,] "You stubborn people! You are heathens at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what..."

"The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen's accusation [about their killing the Messiah and disobeying God's law], and they shook their fists at....."

"[In his defense before the Sanhedrin, Stephen said,] "And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the..."

"[When Stephen told the Jewish leaders that he saw the Son of Man at God's right hand,] they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They...."

"As [his enraged accusers] stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." He fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with....."

"[In his defense, Stephen continued to tell the story of Moses:] "So God sent back [to Egypt] the same man his people had previously rejected when they..."

"[Stephen continued talking about Moses in his defense before the council:] When Moses heard that [his killing of an Egyptian was known among the..."

"Jacob's sons became jealous of Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and saved him from all his troubles. The king of..."

"[Stephen continued his defense before the council by quoting what God said to Moses when calling him back to Egypt to save God's people:] "'I have..."

Are those old broken dreams really gone? Phil Ware continues a series of messages called Traveling Mercies focusing on Moses and his journey from broken dreams to having those dreams realized in his life.

"[Just before Stephen was stoned:] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the..."

"Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not."

"[Stephen, in his defense before the Sanhedrin:] "You stubborn people! You are heathens at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit?...."

Inspirational illustration of Acts 7:25 -- Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

Is death always an intrusion and a tragedy? Mike Barres reminds us that death, like the falling of leaves in autumn, is a natural part of our world and we need to make sure we honor God when that time comes.

Are you looking back or straining to what's ahead? Sometimes we find ourselves unhappy with where we are and look back to the good ol' days just like Israel did in turning their hearts back to Egypt.

"But Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been a skilled speaker. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I speak slowly..."

Do you feel as if our world has completely changed in its attitude toward faith? Tim Woodroof of Interim Ministry Partners shares the introductory article on changes facing the church today and comparing it to the early church we find in the book of Acts.

"[The lies of the false witnesses against Stephen] aroused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and..."

How can we do this? How can we not? Phil Ware gives his applications on the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross for today's world and Jesus' followers.

What do you most fear? Phil Ware continues his 7 sayings of Jesus on the Cross with the meaning of the line today of "you will be with me in paradise" and talks about the hope it brings in the face of death.