{"id":39172,"date":"2017-06-21T07:34:03","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T11:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/?p=39172"},"modified":"2017-06-21T07:38:44","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T11:38:44","slug":"what-is-essential-to-the-gospel-according-to-luke-part-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/what-is-essential-to-the-gospel-according-to-luke-part-5\/","title":{"rendered":"What is essential to the gospel, according to Luke? Part 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Our next speech is by “Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit<\/strong>… [who]\u00a0full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.”<\/p>\n

He annoys some opponents of this new movement, and is seized and brought before the Jewish council on trumped up charges.<\/p>\n

Still full of God’s spirit, even while being slandered “they saw that his face was like the face of an angel<\/strong>.” (6:15) He launches into a sort of highlight reel of ancient Jewish history – Abraham, Joseph, Jacob, Moses. He ends with this punch to the gut:<\/p>\n

You stiff-necked people… \u00a0you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit<\/strong>, just as your ancestors used to do.<\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One<\/strong>, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers<\/strong>. <\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>You are the ones that received the law<\/strong> as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it<\/strong>. (Acts 7:51-53)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This sounds harsh, but in fact it is a richly deserved, prophetic pronouncement. They had what was for a long time the best deal with God, and they blew it. While they grind their teeth in murderous rage, he, filled with the spirit, has a vision right in front of them, blurting out,<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man<\/strong> standing at the right hand of God<\/strong>!\u201d (7:56)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sound familiar? (Daniel 7:14<\/a>) But they’re not impressed. They stone Stephen to death as prays to Jesus to receive his spirit, and either to Jesus or to God for their forgiveness. (7:59-60) Stephen is doing what Jesus did, as predicted<\/strong>. (John 14:12) Same empowering spirit, same sorts of works.<\/p>\n

This is a prophetic confrontation of judgement, not a sermon, and so not all of the gospel is preached here. Still Luke includes the first four of the seven points<\/strong> we’ve seen so far:<\/p>\n