Stephen’s Defense
[2] And he said, "Hear me, brothers and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ...
[52] "And which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;
[53] you who received the Law as ordained by angels, and [yet] did not observe it." [Act 7:2, 52-53 LSB]
Stephen Is Stoned to Death
[55] But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; [Act 7:55 LSB]
[59] They went on stoning Stephen as he was calling out and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"
[60] Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And having said this, he fell asleep. [Act 7:59-60 LSB]
Saul Persecutes the Church
[1] Now Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. [Act 8:1 LSB]
Philip Preaches in Samaria
[12] But when they believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women. [Act 8:12 LSB]
[14] Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John,
[15] who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
[16] For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
[17] Then they [began] laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. [Act 8:14-17 LSB]
Did You Receive the Holy Spirit When You Believed?
But however it comes, it is an experience of divine reality. It is not just an idea about our spiritual condition that we infer from a decision we have made. It is supernatural. You can use it to answer the question, "Did you receive the Spirit when you believed?"You can say,
- Yes, I have seen the Spirit of obedience at work in my life subduing sin and inclining me to acts of love.
- Yes, I have seen the Spirit of praise in my life filling my heart and mouth with worship to Jesus and God the Father.
- Yes, I have seen the Spirit of courage at work in my life overcoming fear and giving me a will to risk things for the cause of Christ.
- And yes, even though I know that speaking in tongues and the gift of prophecy are no sure sign of God's grace, yet together with other evidences they too are a precious evidence that the power of God is on me.
An Ethiopian Receives Christ
[36] And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"
[37] [And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."]
[38] And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.
[39] When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. [Act 8:36-39 LSB]
The Conversion of Saul
[17] So Ananias departed and entered the house. And he laid his hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord sent me--[that is] Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming--so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
[18] And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized;
[19] and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,
[20] and immediately he [began to] proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." [Act 9:17-20 LSB]
[31] So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria was having peace, being built up. And going on in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to multiply. [Act 9:31 LSB]
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