51 “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also. 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. 53 You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.” 54 When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. ~ Acts 7:51-54CSB
The people stayed silent and listened to Stephen’s message. He started with Abraham and made his way to Moses. The people didn’t contest anything he said, but when Stephen mentioned that they were the problem. That they killed the Messiah. That they were in the wrong, they were enraged. They were angered. Stephen had struck a nerve.
See, people are okay with hearing the historical references of the Bible. They’re even okay with hearing a moral story from the Bible. People only have a problem when you personalize the Bible. When the Scriptures are used to convict the conscience and change lives, that’s when people have a problem. That’s when people become angry because they’ve become attached to their flesh. The flesh becomes addictive. It becomes a stronghold that keeps you bound.
The message of Christ isn’t just to feel good and tickle our ears. The message of Christ is to lighten the darkness and change the lives of those who hear it. It’s not to make you feel comfortable in your sin; it’s to convict you of your past sins and change your life.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let The Message Change You.
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