Stephen Is Arrested

⁸ God gave Stephen the power to work great miracles and wonders among the people. ⁹ But some men from Cyrene and Alexandria were members of a group who called themselves “Free Men.”^[a] They started arguing with Stephen. Some others from Cilicia and Asia also argued with him. ¹⁰ But they were no match for Stephen, who spoke with the great wisdom that the Spirit gave him.

Wisdom from Above

^13 (A) Are any of you wise or sensible? Then show it by living right and by being humble and wise in everything you do. ¹⁴ But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy and selfishness, don't brag or lie to cover up the truth. ¹⁵ This kind of wisdom doesn't come from above. It is earthly and selfish and comes from the devil himself. ¹⁶ Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. ¹⁸ When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.

⁶ We do use wisdom when speaking to people who are mature in their faith. But it isn't the wisdom of this world or of its rulers, who will soon disappear. ⁷ We speak of God's hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. ^8 (A) The rulers of this world didn't know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross. ^9 (B) But it is just as the Scriptures say,

¹⁰ God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. ¹¹ You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind. ¹² But God has given us his Spirit. This is why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. This is also why we can recognize the blessings God has given us.

¹³ Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people.^{[a] 14} This is why only someone who has God's Spirit can understand spiritual blessings. Anyone who doesn't have God's Spirit thinks these blessings are foolish. ¹⁵ People who are guided by the Spirit can make all kinds of judgments, but they cannot be judged by others. ^16 (C) The Scriptures ask,

^5 (A) If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking.