Acts 7 – How to Speak the Truth in Love

Often times today, words of truth are looked upon as bring judgmental, unloving and not pragmatic to the growth of the church. Therefore those who say them are silenced or condemned.

As you read below this has gone on a long time.

Looking at Stephen’s example.

Act 6:11  Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

Act 6:12  And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

Act 6:13  And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

Act 6:14  For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

Act 6:15  And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

He was asked.

Read the whole account…a great summary to Israel’s history.

Stephen ends with these harsh but truthful words.

Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Act 7:52  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

Act 7:53  Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

Listen to the whole speech.

Btw there was another prophet who’s message was not heard in today’s reading.

Btw2: let’s not neglect the message of love in the Bible, that also is key, but we need to be strong both in Truth and Love. From another reading today.

1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1Jn 4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

1Jn 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1Jn 4:11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Btw3: That passage is preceded by:

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.