“At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.”
Acts 6:15 (NLT)
I can’t get over what happens to Stephen in Acts 6:15. He’s being falsely accused, dragged in front of the high council, and everything in him has a reason to look angry, defensive, or afraid. But instead, his face shines as bright as an angel’s. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just help him endure the moment—He puts visible evidence on him that God is with him.
That convicts me because when pressure hits, my face usually tells the truth about what I’m full of. If I’m full of fear, it shows. If I’m full of frustration, it shows. But Stephen is full of the Spirit, and it shows. He doesn’t manufacture that kind of peace. That kind of radiance isn’t personality—it’s from the presence of God.
It also takes me back to Exodus 34 when Moses came down the mountain and didn’t even know his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. Time with God leaves a mark. It might not look like a glowing face in our day, but there will be fruit that can’t be explained—favor, kindness, courage, effective prayer, even strength that shows up when it shouldn’t.
So here’s my question today: what would change in our home, our workplace, our community, or our church if we chose to be with the Lord daily and be full of the Spirit instead of being full of the world? People benefited from Stephen’s time with Jesus and his obedience. I wonder what the people around us might see if we would abide the same way.