Acts 6:7-8 KJV, “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.”
EG White, SOP Vol 3, 1878, p. 292, “The church accordingly selected seven men full of faith and the wisdom of the Spirit of God, to attend to the business pertaining to the cause. Stephen was chosen first; he was a Jew by birth and religion, but spoke the Greek language, and was conversant with the customs and manners of the Greeks. He was therefore considered the most proper person to stand at the head, and have supervision of the disbursement of the funds appropriated to the widows, orphans, and the worthy poor. This selection met the minds of all, and the dissatisfaction and murmuring were quieted.”
P. 298, “When he connected Jesus Christ with the prophecies, and spoke of the temple as he did, the priest, affecting to be horror-stricken, rent his robe. This act was to Stephen a signal that his voice would soon be silenced forever.”
Acts 7:56-60 KJV, “And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
EG White, SOP Vol 3, 1878, p. 300, “The learned Saul was a mighty instrument in the hands of Satan to carry out his rebellion against the Son of God; but a mightier than Satan had selected Saul to take the place of the martyred Stephen, and to labor and suffer for his name. Saul was a man of much esteem among the Jews, for both his learning and his zeal in persecuting the believers. He was not a member of the Sanhedrin council until after the death of Stephen, when he was elected to that body in consideration of the part he had acted on that occasion.”
I see light rain and cloudy skies here today. For months I felt the joy of witnessing to those that I know about who God is and His Son Jesus Christ. Many of my friends have not responded nor reached out to me after sharing to them my testimony and the original faith of the SDA.
When I woke up this morning I called, via messenger, an assistant principal in one of the public schools in the Philippines. She was the wife of the head elder of the local SDA church where I used to attend. We have not communicated since 2019 and I prayed that God will help her see this light that I received.
We talked for 1 hr and 20 mins. She heard about the agitation among SDAs in the US caused by the Trinity issue but do not clearly understood this doctrine. When I started to explain the more she was confused. But the good thing is she said she’s open to hear this truth. I know her and her family well and I desire that they come to the knowledge of truth. It will be slow a process. Please pray for Sherry and Henry.
After our conversation I wrote this blog. I am a witness. We are witnesses of Christ, the Son of God. No higher calling.
Sincerely in the Blessed Hope.