Woodlake Church

The Holy Spirit empowers us to serve, to speak, and to stand.

πλήρης (plērēs): full, filled up things, complete, a totality of fullness

In Scripture, to be “full of” means “to be controlled by.” This man was controlled by the Spirit, faith, wisdom, and power. He was a God-controlled man yielded to the Holy Spirit, a man who sought to lead people to Christ - Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary

The Holy Spirit empowers us to serve.

The question is in whose power are you ministering throughout the week, yours or His?

Stephen’s sermon is the first non-apostle sermon recorded in the Book of Acts.

Abraham (Acts 7:2–8), Joseph (Acts 7:9–17), Moses (Acts 7:18–44), Joshua (Acts 7:45), and David and Solomon (Acts 7:46–50)

“This really was not a defense. Stephen wasn’t interested in defending himself. He simply wanted to proclaim the truth about Jesus in a way people could understand.” -David Guzik

“This address was more than a recitation of familiar facts; it was also a refutation of their indictments against Stephen and a revelation of their own national sins. Stephen proved from their own Scriptures that the Jewish nation was guilty of worse sins than those they had accused him of committing. - Warren Wiersbe

The Holy Spirit empowers us to stand.