Acts - Week 20

Week 20 Acts 7 

Day 1 

READ 

Acts 7:1 

7 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?” 

Stephen was accused by liars of being against the temple and the law of Moses.  Could this be true? The high priest wanted to know. This gave Stephen the opportunity to review Old Testament history. He did this by using the only Bible the Hebrews knew at the time. Stephen summarized the key events leading to the appearance of the Messiah and then pointedly made an application to those who wanted an answer to the question.  

REFLECT 

Are you prepared to give an answer if someone would ask you about the Lord Jesus you represent? You need to be. 

RESPOND 

Talk with your disciple about the need to be ready to give an answer when asked about your faith. Read 1 Peter 3:15 and discuss the various points made in the verse. 

Day 2 

READ 

Acts 7:2-4 

2 This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 3 God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.” 

Notice that Stephen began with Abraham, the highly revered ancestor of the Jewish people. Rather than beginning with Genesis 1-10. He began with the last two verses of Genesis 11 and went from there. Stephen began where he knew they would respect what he was saying. He was addressing the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish legislative body. They should have known these facts of history but they needed to be reminded of them.  

REFLECT 

Does this remind you of the need to know the Old Testament better? It is necessary to explain the background of the Messiah and what He came to do. 

RESPOND 

To follow what Stephen is referring to, read Genesis 11:31—12:3. Abraham was known as Abram at that time. Read and talk about this with your disciple. 

Day 3 

READ 

Acts 7:5-7 

5 “But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet. 6 God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 7 ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’” 

In this segment of Scripture, Stephen reminds the Jewish authorities of God’s promise to Abraham that the land would someday belong to him and his descendants. This was God’s promise even though at that time Abraham did not have a child or own any of the land. Stephen also reminded the high council of the prediction of the time Abraham’s descendants would spend in Egypt. God eventually punished Egypt and delivered the Israelites.  

REFLECT 

Let this be a reminder that the more you know about Israel’s history the more you will appreciate all God has done for you. 

RESPOND 

To read about the dimensions of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, read Genesis 15:12-20. Notice that it extends from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River.  

Day 4 

READ 

Acts 7:8 

8 “God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.” 

Circumcision was extremely important to the Jewish people so the leaders would be interested in what Stephen says about that. In fact, they thought it should even be a part of the salvation message during New Testament times. The apostle Paul wrote against adding any work—even circumcision—to the message of believing in Jesus for salvation (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Stephen told how the practice of circumcision continued down through the 12 tribes of Israel. 

REFLECT 

Are you appreciative of the fact that nothing can be added to what Jesus has already done for you? All you can do to receive salvation is to believe in Him as John 3:16 says. 

RESPOND 

Read Genesis 17:11-13; 23-25  that tell of circumcision. Be reminded when Abraham believed God for salvation (Genesis 15:6) he had no children. In Genesis 17 his first son is 13 years old when both he and Abraham were circumcised, so circumcision had nothing to do with Abraham’s salvation. 

Day 5 

READ 

Acts 7:9-10 

9 “These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace. 

Stephen moves now to the story of Joseph. The sovereignty of God is seen in Joseph’s life because whenever something to be entirely wrong for him, God moved to provide what he needed to succeed. Joseph rose to be governor of Egypt—a descendant of Abraham ruling over Gentiles. Although the verse was not written in Joseph’s time, he seems to be the example of Romans 8:28.  In Joseph’s behalf, God seemed to be working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. 

REFLECT 

Do you have a strong faith in the sovereignty of God? If so, then you realize that with God there are no “accidents” or “mistakes.” 

RESPOND 

Read two examples of God’s working in behalf of Joseph in such passages as Genesis 39:21-23; and 41:37-43.