False Accussations- Stephen's Example-Acts 6:8-15

• We can Live a Life of Integrity
  The general requirement for the 7 men chosen to serve back in v.3 was that they were known to be full of the Spirit of God and wisdom. So Stephen fit this, but he is also singled out as being full of faith and the Holy Spirit. V.8 says he was full of grace and God’s power. Here we could safely say that Stephen was a man of integrity. He had solid character based on his relationship with Jesus.  
  • Stephen could humbly, yet boldly answer his accusers, along with the entire Sanhedrin as he stood before them, because he had nothing to be ashamed of.
  • If the song had been written then, he could have sung, “It Is Well with My Soul,” and would have been telling the truth. Perhaps
  • How then can we have integrity? Integrity indicates wholeness. If we have committed our entire heart and life to Jesus Christ, then we are in all the way. We aren’t partially faithful, partially honest, or partially saved. We are complete in Christ because He completes us. Integrity begins with a right relationship with Christ, because without Him we can never be whole. Without Him, we will miss what we were created for- a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. When we are falsely accused about something, a life testimony of integrity, honesty, and faithfulness is the best witness in our case. If the accusation is out of character with our life and reputation, then the absurdity of the accusation will be evident to many. However, if it seems like something we would do, then our life testimony needs an overhaul. Let’s ask God to help us be people of integrity.
    
    
• Be Faithful to Keep on Doing What God Has Called You to Do
  Stephen wasn’t trying to be somebody he was not meant to be. He had a sense of God’s calling on his life and he faithfully carried it out to the best of his ability. Apparently, he was a man of the word (God’s word), because when these other Jews argued against him, v.10 says, “They could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.”  Stephen could have backed off and said, “You know what. These guys have studied a lot more than I have and besides, they have a habit of killing people who cross them- like they did Jesus, so I guess I’d better back off and wait for a better opportunity. Stephen was faithful to God and faithful to do what God had called him to do.
• Seek to Stay Filled with the Wisdom & Power of the Spirit
  V.10 “They could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.” Stephen’s situation is not necessarily the model that we should follow in every situation. There are some situations where God may tell us to be silent. Sometimes God may want to do things differently than we’ve ever seen them done before. That is why we desperately need to be filled with His wisdom and the power of the HS.  The power of the Spirit was not only available to those in the first century church. The HS will fill all who ask and seek for Him, and He will give us the power we need to live and do what we were meant to do. Luke also wrote in Luke 11:13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
• Entrust Your Future with the One Who Holds It
  Jesus said, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25). As we already observed, Stephen did not back down in order to save his skin. He knew that God was in control of the future, so he purposed to do all he could to share the gospel, leaving his fate in God’s hands. If you are familiar with the story, you know that Stephen does not come out of this alive. In fact, he becomes the first Christian martyr in the book of Acts.  Even so, we must live our lives in such a way that we are trusting in God for our future. Our responsibility is to do the will of God the best way we know how, and let the chips fall where they may. Jesus promised His disciples that He would be with them always. That promise is ours as well. Hebrews 13:5 says, “He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  
• Be Willing to Forgive Those Who Wrong You
  As we will read at the end of chapter 7, Stephen is stoned to death. However, before he dies, he says these words: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Do those words sound familiar to you? In Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." This probably does not need a whole lot of explaining. When people accuse us falsely, whether through gossip or in a court of law, we need to be willing to work through it and offer them complete forgiveness. Whenever anyone commits any offense against us, we need to be willing to forgive them completely. We don’t find Stephen calling a curse down upon those who had falsely accused him, or against those who were hurling stones at him. Could he have called on God to zap them? It is possible. He had worked many other miracles by the power of God. Instead, he chose to do what Jesus had done when many of this same bunch had sentenced Him to death. He forgave them.

We will face times when people hurt us, misunderstand us, mistreat us, falsely accuse us, and so on. How should we live in response? Live with integrity. Be faithful to keep on doing what God has called you to do. Ask God to give you wisdom and to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Entrust your future with the One who holds tomorrow, because nobody can lay a hand on you without God knowing. And finally, forgive those who hurt you.
-