But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
– Acts 6:10
So, this verse is a reference to Stephen who has been described as being full of the Spirit and full of wisdom and full of grace and full of power from God. In Acts 6, he is seized by a group of religious leaders. And they are accusing him of basically proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus. And how Jesus changed everything about the law, the temple.
Acts 6:10 Narrates the Holy Spirit’s Work Through Stephen
And as they’re listening to him, to hear this commentary from Luke, who’s writing the book of Acts. Right before this, Acts 6:9 says, “They rose up and disputed with Stephen”. But then verse 10 says, “They could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking”. The word Spirit there is capitalized. This is the Holy Spirit in Stephen giving him wisdom.
And you think about it, this is exactly what Jesus promised to His disciples. He said in the Gospels, “You will be brought before rulers and leaders to testify to me”. And he said, “Don’t worry. In that moment about what to say for my Spirit will give you the words to say.” And it’s happening here. Jesus is being absolutely faithful to His promise. And by His Spirit is giving Stephen the words to say, the wisdom he needs in that moment.
And so, I think about our lives, and I just want to encourage us today, one, when it comes to opportunities to proclaim the Gospel, to share the Gospel that we will have today, tomorrow, to trust that in those moments there is an extra measure of grace. There is a gift from the Holy Spirit to speak God’s word with wisdom and grace and power, so trust in this.
When you are nervous or feel hesitant to share the Gospel, say, “God, I trust the power of your Spirit to give me boldness.” We prayed about this according to Acts 4:29–31. “I trust you to give me boldness. Lord, I need your boldness. I need your wisdom to know how best to share the Gospel. Please help me.” And He will. He will be true to His promise to do that. And when we step out like Stephen did and we speak, and then I don’t think it’s a stretch to apply this passage just to the wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit in every facet of our lives.
Acts 6:10 Encourages Us to Act in Faith in the Spirit’s Power
When we find ourselves in situations where we need an extra measure of grace, where we need wisdom in the moment for a decision we’re making for, how to respond to a certain situation may be small, may be very significant trust that God has given us. Jesus has put inside of us his Holy Spirit to help us with wisdom in that moment to make decisions, to respond in situations, in ways that are good and glorifying to Him.
Trust in God, in the Holy Spirit of God in you for wisdom. In every single decision you make, look to Him and trust in Him. This is the promise we have from James 1, “When you lack wisdom, ask God. He gives His wisdom generously to all without finding fault.” But when He asks, you must believe and not doubt. I trust the Spirit in you and specifically the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in you.
So, God, we pray that you’d help us to live in this today. All of us who have your Holy Spirit inside of us, help us to boldly share the Gospel today. We pray. We pray that you would give us opportunities, and you would give us boldness to step into those opportunities. And to share your word with the wisdom you provide and the boldness you provide in that moment. And God, we pray that as we walk through different circumstances, situations make decisions in our lives today who would help us to make those decisions with wisdom.
God, we need your wisdom. Please help us. When it’s not clear in a certain situation we’re in, we don’t have a word from you that tells us exactly what to do in that situation, God, we pray for your wisdom and for your help from your Holy Spirit. God, as we pray all of this for our own lives, we pray for bold proclamation like Stephen’s proclamation in Acts 6, to the ends of the earth, to all the peoples of the world.
Praying for the Intha People
We pray today specifically for the Intha people of Myanmar. God, for this Buddhist, the group of over a hundred thousand who don’t know your grace, who’ve not heard the Gospel of Jesus, who don’t have access right now to the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. God, we pray that the Intha people of Myanmar would be reached with bold proclamation of your Gospel. We pray for your church in Myanmar and your church from outside of Myanmar. Raise up laborers to go. And as they go, give them power and wisdom and boldness from your Spirit just like you did in Acts 6 with Stephen to proclaim your Gospel.
God, we pray all of this in light of your word in Acts 6:10. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
