The resistance

The world is not lacking resistance movements either politically or spiritually. The scripture draws a line, categorizing folks as those either resistant to the Holy Spirit or those full of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 7:51-8:3 tells the story of the New Testament martyr, Stephen. He was one of seven men chosen for the distribution of food to widows. The search committee had two prerequisites. They needed a man "known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3). Stephen qualified (Acts 6:5).

It takes a man full of the Holy Spirit to recognize ones who resist the Holy Spirit, so it shouldn't surprise us that Stephen saw through the self-righteousness of the Sanhedrin. Hear his scathing assessment.

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: you always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him-you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it" (Acts 7:51-53).

What are some characteristics of Holy Spirit resistors? They are stubborn and fleshly. They process what they hear through calloused hearts (Isaiah 6:9-10). They are unsurrendered and unwilling for needed transformation. They follow faulty tradition and usually persecute any messenger who delivers a message that doesn't agree with their own.

Acts 7:54 records the predictable response of these ecclesiastical leaders. "They were furious." They "gnashed their teeth" at Stephen. I've always wondered how that would look. Do gnashers bare their teeth like grizzlies or do they grind their jaws together audibly? Either way, it demonstrates disapproval. They "dragged him out of the city and began to stone him." They were angry, screeching, deaf ones.

Marketers know that to sell any idea, the best way is to put a name and face with the concept you want to convey. God wants us to get this. So, he showed us Saul before he became Paul. Exhibit A.

Acts 7:58 says some witnesses "laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul." Why? Because they wanted to pick up their own stones unencumbered. Why Saul? Because they knew he sympathized with their misguided cause. Acts 8:1 is even more pointed. "Saul was there, giving approval to [Stephen's] death."

Contrast the pictures of Stephen and Saul. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked to heaven. Saul, a leader in the resistance, saw heaven flash down around him (Acts 9:3). Stephen saw the glory of God (Acts 7:55-56). Saul counted on the glory of man (Philippians 3:4-6). Stephen was persecuted. Saul was a persecutor. Stephen served the Lord. Saul persecuted the Lord (Acts 9:4). Stephen saw the Lord (Acts 7:55-56). Saul was temporarily blinded by the Lord (Acts 9:8-9). Full of forgiveness, Stephen prayed for his hateful persecutors, petitioning: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:60). "But, Saul was there giving approval to his death" (Acts 8:1).

Anytime there is approval within the church for the death of anything Spirit-filled, it will eventually result in persecution, a scattering of God's people, destruction, and bondage. God's ways are to unify, gather, build up, and free. Acts 8:1 says: "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." Acts 8:3 says "Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house he dragged off men and women and put them in prison." What were the godly men in that place doing, you might ask? Acts 8:2 says they "buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him."

Where are you in this account? If you're reading this article, you are no doubt a church person. But, are you on the side of the resistance or with those filled with the Holy Spirit? Does your attitude "stone" those filled with the Holy Spirit who have had an encounter with God that fuels their passion? Or, are you mourning the death of anything Spirit-filled in your church?

Acts 8:3 says "Saul began to destroy the church," but Acts 9:20 reports: Saul "began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God." So, what happened? Ananias showed up and said: "Brother Saul, the Lord-Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here-has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17). There is hope.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 states: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Adapted from Marilyn Anderes' forthcoming book, tentatively titled More: The Four Dimensions of Intimacy with God. Copyright © Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.