Stephen’s debating doesn’t win souls; in fact, it got him into trouble. Acts 6:8 Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. 9 But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. 11So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen.[1]
Stephen was part of a committee of seven chosen to help distribute food to the believers fairly. God gifted him with the power to do miracles. Until this point, the Holy Spirit had gifted only the Apostles for this. God had a plan to witness one more time to the leadership of the Jews before sending the message to the Samaritans and then the Gentiles. The miracles pointed to God, and Stephen’s debating skills gave a powerful testimony to God’s actions.
You Can’t Argue Someone to Faith
Sometimes, we may hesitate to share our faith and Jesus with others because we don’t think we have enough Bible verses to back our thoughts. We think if we could just counter all the unbeliever’s objections, they would come to faith. This is a fallacy. The Holy Spirit must open their hearts to receive the good news of Jesus. Instead of looking down at our efforts, we must look up to God for His help.
1 Corinthians 2: 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit… 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.[2]
Our enemy, satan, can blind hearts; no matter how we reason, unbelievers’ hearts remain closed without the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. [3]
Our Testimony
We must have personal knowledge of Jesus before we can testify to Him. Our lifestyle must validate our words. If we don’t live like Jesus is Lord and Master of our lives, our words mean nothing. If we live in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will look different from those living for the world. Galatians 5: 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! [4]
When we live according to the Spirit, people will wonder why, and we must be ready to explain our lifestyle choices. 1 Peter 3: 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.[5] To learn how debating doesn’t win souls, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/stephen
[1-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.