Stephen, a deacon in the church (the body of believers in Jesus Christ), was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit and power who did great wonders and signs among the people. But there were those who opposed him who stirred up the people against him. And when asked if the accusations against him were true, he then went through the history of the Jews, beginning with Abraham, covering both the good and the bad in their history. And then he ended his history lesson with these words to the Jews who were there:
Acts 7:51-53 NKJV
“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
The Stiff-necked
What does it mean to be “stiff-necked” in heart and ears? It
means to be haughty, obstinate, stubborn, and unwilling to change in heart,
mind, and behavior, and to submit to the one in authority, who is God – Father,
Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. And to be uncircumcised in heart and ears is
to be spiritually rebellious, stubborn, and unwilling to surrender to God and
to his commands. It is to be lacking in biblical faith and in obedience to our
Lord out of a rebellious heart, unwilling to change and to follow Jesus.
And in what ways did they resist the Holy Spirit? Well, it
was the Holy Spirit who spoke through Moses and through the prophets and
through Jesus Christ and through the apostles, and through all of God’s
messengers who were speaking under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and not in
their own flesh, speaking the words and messages of God to the people. So when
they resisted and rejected the messages of God spoken through his messengers
down through the ages, they were indeed resisting the Holy Spirit.
And not only did they not listen to God’s messengers and to
their messages sent from God to the people, but they often persecuted,
mistreated, beat, falsely accused, falsely incarcerated, and put to death those
who were speaking God’s messages, which were for their good. And they falsely
accused Jesus of wrong he did not do, and they had him arrested, put on trial,
beaten beyond recognition, and nailed to a cross where he was put to death
because he spoke the truth that the people did not want to hear.
Even though they, as a people, were given the commands of
God, which they were to follow, they did not keep the law of God. Now they may
have remained faithful to some of their religious rituals, and to some of the
liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, circumcision, dietary,
and/or Sabbath laws, but they were guilty of not obeying God’s moral laws. For
they resisted the Holy Spirit, and they murdered their Messiah and the prophets
before him, for they were stubborn and unwilling to obey our Lord.
So it Continues
And it is not that much different today. Many who profess
faith in God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – are stiff-necked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears. And many of them are those who resist the Holy
Spirit and those speaking the biblical messages of God to the people today. And
they, as well, are religious in form and in practice in some areas but while
they ignore the moving of the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, and God’s
messages he is giving today through his messengers.
And I am definitely not saying here that we should accept
every word or action spoken in the name of God, or as though it is from the
Holy Spirit, or every spiritual gift or prophecy supposedly coming from God to
the people. For there are many liars and deceivers among us. There are many
fakes. There are many who go beyond what the Scriptures teach and they make up
their own gospel and messages and gifts supposedly coming from God. So we must
be spiritually discerning here, for not everyone is from God.
But the Scriptures teach us: “19Do not quench the Spirit.
20Do not despise prophecies. 21Test all things; hold fast what is good.
22Abstain from every form of evil.” So, we are neither to reject it all nor are
we to accept it all just because it sounds good, or it looks good, or someone
tries to convince us that this is of God, and of the Holy Spirit. But sadly so
many people are accepting and participating in what is clearly not of God while
they and/or others reject what is truly biblical and of God and of the Spirit
of God.
And far too many people professing faith in Jesus Christ
today have gone the way of the world and of compromise of faith and conviction,
whose ears are closed to the truth of the Scriptures unless they are hearing
only the feel-good stuff. Many are being convinced that an acknowledgment of
faith in Jesus is enough to secure them forgiveness of all sins and heaven as
their eternal home, but while they are still living in sin and in disobedience
to our Lord. But unless they repent and obey God, they will not be saved from
hell.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts
26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans
8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians
5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14;
Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24;
1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation
3:1-22]
Teach Them
Based off various scriptures
An Original Work /
May 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Open up the blinded
eyes of
Those who walk in
sin’s darkness.
Turn them to the
light of Christ
And to His
righteousness.
Turn them from the
pow’r of Satan.
Turn them to the
peace of Christ,
So they may receive
forgiveness
And eternal life.
Teach them to put
off their old selves
And their former way
of life,
And to put on their
new self,
Reborn to be like
Christ;
To not copy worldly
customs;
Be transformed in
life and mind;
Obey freely His word
in them,
Pleasing unto God.
Teach them how to
love their neighbors
Truly as they love
themselves;
Be a witness; share
the gospel;
Satan’s lies dispel;
Comfort all who
mourn in sadness;
Share Christ’s love
and joy today.
Do this through your
life and witness
For your Lord
always.
Resisting the Holy Spirit
An Original Work / May 25, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
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