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September 25 - Acts 6 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. Here it is a Monday, it is the
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  25th of September. And Gee, I'm delighted that you
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  have chosen to invite me in to the beginning of your week where
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  you and I are going to set the scene for the week ahead by
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  starting off our weeks reading God's Word.
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  We are in the thick of the story of the Acts of the Apostles as
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  we see God's Spirit moving in the midst of their community,
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  shaking things up, empowering their leaders to go and say some
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  things that are making the leaders of the day very unhappy.
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  It is all happening and today we will meet a man named Steven and
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  we will see that play out this week, which is not great for him
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  but an incredible, an incredible witness to us and everyone
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  through time who reads the story.
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  There is so much to read. Why don't you join me as we
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  begin this week by reading together Acts Chapter 6.
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  But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings
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  of discontent. The Greek speaking believers
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  complained about their Hebrew speaking believers, saying that
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  their widows were being discriminated against in the
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  daily distribution of food. So the 12 called a meeting of
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  all the believers. They said we apostles should
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  spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food
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  program. And so brothers select seven men
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  who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom.
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  We will give them this responsibility.
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  Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the
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  Word. Everyone liked this idea, and
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  they chose the following Stephen, a man full of faith and
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  the Holy Spirit, Philip Proctoris, Nykinor, Tymon,
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  Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, an earlier convert to
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  the Jewish faith. These seven were presented to
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  the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on
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  them. So God's message continued to
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  spread. The number of believers greatly
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  increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were
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  converted to Stephen. A man full of God's grace and
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  power performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.
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  But one day some men from the synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it
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  was called, started to debate with him.
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  They were Jews from Sirene, Alexandria, Silicia, and the
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  province of Asia. None of them could stand against
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  the wisdom and the spirit with which Stephen spoke.
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  So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying we
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  heard him blaspheme Moses and even God.
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  This roused the people, the elders and the teachers of
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  religious law. So they arrested Steven and
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  brought him before the High Council.
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  The lying witnesses said this man is always speaking against
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  the Holy Temple and against the Law of Moses.
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  We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy
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  the temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.
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  At this point, everyone in the High Council stared at Steven
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  because his face became as bright as an angel's.
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  You are a faithful God. Thank you that you walked beside
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  us each day, through each challenge, along each high
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  point, through each dark valley. Thank you that we are never
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  alone, Jesus. I pray that as we walk our lives
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  today, that we would never be in doubt of your presence.
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  Remind us that you are right there with us, empowering us
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  with your Spirit, constantly forgiven, constantly loved, and
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  constantly claimed as your precious children.
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  We are so grateful and we love you, and it's in your name that
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  we pray Jesus. Amen.