Acts 7:55
“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,”
The early church came to a point in their growth where the apostles needed help with the administration of the church. They decided that they would seek out seven men who were “full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.” (Acts 6:3) One of those men who was appointed a deacon in the church was Stephen. It is quite interesting that Stephen was not just a man with a title, but it was very evident that he was full of the Holy Ghost. The result of being full of the Holy Ghost was that Saul could not get away from this good man’s testimony and his life was eventually change. When you study Stephen’s life, you see there were four definite evidences of being full of the Holy Ghost.
First, being full of the Holy Ghost gave him boldness to preach God’s Word. When he was faced with a raucous crowd, he did not shy away from preaching the truth to them. One of the reasons many Christians shy away from speaking God’s Word boldly is because they are not filled with the Holy Ghost. Being full of the Holy Ghost will help you to face any person from any walk of life and be able to tell them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you lack boldness in your witness, then you lack fullness of the Holy Ghost.
Second, being full of the Holy Ghost gave him the ability to look beyond adverse circumstances. When the crowd began to gnash upon him with their teeth and stone him, he had the ability to look up “stedfastly into heaven.” Are you able to find a little bit of Heaven through any circumstance? The only reason we never see good through any circumstance is because we are not full of the Holy Ghost. When you lack fullness of the Holy Ghost, you will lack the ability to find good in every circumstance.
Third, being full of the Holy Ghost gave him the perception to see God in anything. While he was being stoned, he “saw the glory of God.” He could have easily focused on those who were hurting him; instead, he stayed focused on God which kept his ability to influence the lost untainted. Do you see God in everything you go through? When you lack fulness of the Holy Ghost, you will only be able to see man and the circumstances you are going through. Fullness of the Holy Ghost enables you to see God working through every circumstance.
Fourth, being full of the Holy Ghost gave him the strength to forgive those who hurt him. One of the most powerful statements that came from Stephen’s mouth were the last words he said before he passed into Heaven. He said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” This will only happen when you are full of the Holy Ghost. You will never be able to forgive those who hurt you deeply until you are full of the Holy Ghost. If you lack the strength to forgive those who have hurt you, then you lack fullness of the Holy Ghost.
Christian, are these evidences of the fullness of the Holy Ghost in your life? If not, then why? The need to be full of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest needs you have in your Christian life. Yield to Him daily and ask Him to fill you. When you are filled with the Holy Ghost, you will not struggle in these four areas.