"Wisdom is the right of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.
As Stephen was returning home from the market one night he was approached by some Cyrenians and Alexandrians, they were uncomfortable with the teachings he was teaching and even more thrown off by the miracles that were being performed by his hand. They made accusation after accusation but for some reason could not resist the wisdom he spoke as it did not come from the mouth of man but by the spirit that led him. That afternoon he was led to the high council were he was introduced to many of men who had false testimony against him. Stephen being the polite gentleman that he is sat and listened to these accusations not only with a smile on his face but a confidence one could only get from the confident hope he had in the Lord.
After the accusations were set in place, the high priest raised from his seat as the audience was silenced. He spoke, "Are these things so?" Stephen raised himself to his feet and spoke, with respect he addressed the people, "Brethren and Fathers" and began to not defend himself as you would have thought, but began to tell them the story of Abraham, then the Patriarchs and then of Israel and Moses. Stephen then began to tie in the knowledge he had acquired in his early mornings studying Gods word, to the present time watching these pharisees take on the patterns of there fathers and resist what the Holy Spirit was trying to tell them. While speaking, the conviction came down and the Bible says it "cut to there hearts", as conviction was ignored they continued to gnash there teeth at Stephen. "Stephen being so full of the Holy Spirit gazed into heaven and the Glory of God was revealed to him." The pharisees continued to pursue the death of Stephen, but through the lying, deceit and malice he still had a heart for them and asked God to not charge them and through it all, I love this part because it doesn't end in murder, The Bible says that Stephen fell asleep.
Reading through the text, we learn that Stephen was not only a servant and a man with a ministry, he was also a man of the word. So much so that when he was approached by the lies of the world, he knew exactly what scripture applied to the lives surrounding him. I believe that one thing that Stephen knew more than most, was he was not only called to obtain knowledge of the Word, he was to obtain wisdom. But to gain wisdom you first have to gain knowledge of the Holy One. Which gave him encouragement to waking up a little extra earlier to read his Bible and stay up a little later in prayer getting to know his father.
Read through Acts 6 and 7 and you will see the life Stephen lived, although it an incredible one, it wasn't too glamorous. But one thing that Stephen always had was confidence. I know that i want confidence when it comes to whatever i am doing, and one way of doing that is not doing it on our own. Do you struggle with lies of the world? Don't try and come against them on your own, learn the Word of God, and don't only learn the word of God, apply it to your life daily. When you do this you gain wisdom that attaches itself to the Spirit of God, which shows in Acts 6:10 cant be resisted by the world.
I have met a lot of Christians who have come to find there faith stagnant, and its because of there lack of experience with God. If you find yourself in a place where you have a lack of faith you need to have an experience with God. It says in Acts 7 that Stephen "gazed into heaven and saw the Glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God", I tell you i don't know what would boost my faith more than having the heavens open up and seeing this, but this experience came through his faithfulness in reading the word and applying it to his life daily, and then sharing it with unbelievers. When you step out of your shell of being comfortable and familiarity God will give you experiences that will blow your mind, but you have to give him an opportunity to do so by actually listening to what he wants you to do by reading your bible. Then when you apply all of this with love for people, God will blow your mind with what he can do in you and through you.
It all comes down to Wisdom, "I guide you in the way of Wisdom, and lead you along the way of straight paths". Prov 4:11. I don't want to be a generation that falls short of the glory of God because of a desire of knowledge without understanding and wisdom. God will show you which path to take, you just have to ask him and pursue him. Sometimes he will guide you in a direction you don't want to go but "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom" Prov. 9:10. God will give you direction, guidance, faith, grace and so much more, all you have to do is follow him and listen, then DO what he tells you, and it will be grace that will enable you to do so.
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