Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him"....
These two passages of scripture show us two entirely different responses when the gospel and the presentation of truths are made, for there are always some who come to grips with the convictions of The Holy Ghost, whilst there are others who stubbornly refuse, by burying their heads in the sand. In the first instance, it was brought to the attention of the multitudes, that they had crucified the world's Redeemer in the person of Jesus Christ, and when this truth had fully dawned upon their minds, they proceeded to ask the question that is so very important to every soul, "What shall we do?", meaning, what course of action we should now pursue, seeing that we have done this terrible deed?
The answer given, which is born of God, directs the multitudes to repent and be converted, so that they too could receive the gift of The Holy Spirit, to which they immediately acceded, and were baptized, being about three thousand souls. Let's read:
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
However, an entirely different response is made manifest when the very same truths are now presented from the mouth of Stephen, for he once again reiterates what Peter and the other apostles had said on the day of Pentecost, but this time, instead of submitting themselves to the undeniable truths thus spoken, they stop their ears and rush upon Stephen to literally chew off his head with their own teeth. This latter response always does great damage to a person's conscience, by closing off the only avenue by which God can reach us in our minds, and so said so done, for in this instance, it signaled the final close of probation for the Jewish people as a nation. Let's read:
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers :59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 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.
The question for us to answer then, is which of these two responses will emanate from us whenever we are faced with undeniable truths. The gospel of Christ may not always be spoken in politically correct formats, for God is not a politician, nor is He a republican or a democrat, but whatsoever He bids His servants speak, we are required to respond in one way or another, which will put us into either of the two categories of listeners brought to view in the book of acts.
Most of the Christian world now worship and honor a day that has no sacredness whatsoever, and is nowhere designated in the Bible as God's sacred day of rest. Yet millions of sincere and honest-hearted believers continue to follow where the papacy leads the way, and by so doing, Christ is being set at naught through the inadvertent violations of the fourth commandment. It is now the will of God that all true Christians submit to the undeniable truth of the Sabbath, as it is written in the original law of God, for how can we continue to follow a tradition that has no scriptural foundation whatsoever, without God's law and our consciences being violated?
We therefore end with two passages of scripture which show the institution of the Sabbath in the beginning, and its continuance to the earth made new, and it is the will of God that we not "Bite" God's servants who are sent to speak forth these pertinent truths, but like the first group of listeners, we should ask the all-important question, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Let's read:
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. 24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me"....
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. God bless!