Good morning. Can you imagine someone of whom no one had anything bad to say? At least no one who was righteous? I can’t say that he was perfect, that description is for Christ Jesus alone. But when we read about him in the book of Acts every word is inspiring and positive. This morning I would like to have us consider God’s servant Stephen.
When we first hear of him in Acts chapter 6 it is in the context of a controversy, but one that is not at all of his making. It would seem there may have been prejudices at work in the earliest days of the church. In Acts 2-4 we read of the early church growing at a great rate. The believers “had all things in common,” which meant that they didn’t cling to personal property but were willing to give generously so that every member of the Body of Christ would have their basic needs met. In Acts 5 we read that this small slice of perfect harmony was disrupted when a greedy couple, Ananias and Saphira, allowed a spirit of selfishness to enter their hearts, and then the church. God dealt with them, and the believers of the early church continued to pray and to praise God in all things.
Controversy arose when the new believers that were Jewish, but from a Greek background, were not being treated as generously as those from a purely Jewish background. This came to a head when it was revealed that there were widows not having their needs met. The apostles told them: “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit… Acts 6:2-5
This is the first time that Stephen appears in scripture, but in verse 8 we read: And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
So far, we have read that Stephen was a man of good reputation, that he was filled with the Holy Spirit, that this spiritual state had provided wisdom, and that he was willing to serve. Then we read that he is filled with grace and with godly power, such power that God enabled him to perform wonders and miraculous signs to the glory of God.
I have suggested that no one righteous seems to have anything negative to say about Stephen, but oh how the enemy lifted up his voice to complain! We read on in Acts 6:9-14 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”
Those who wanted to argue against this man of God could not withstand the wisdom that the Holy Spirit spoke through him. So naturally, they lied. They lied and they “stirred up” (stirred to a froth) those who were weak and vulnerable to Satan’s lies. What would be the reaction of this godly man to false accusations and slanders? We read in the next verse: And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Those in power asked him if he could give testimony against the (false) claims with which he was being charged. He responded by proving the validity of Jesus as the Christ of God through the scriptures. His argument was complete, and if taken properly as evidence it should have established that Jesus Christ is, indeed, the Anointed One, the Messiah of God. Rather than praise God and thank Stephen for sharing with them God’s truth, they responded like this: Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. Acts 7:54
Did Stephen complain about their closed minds? No, we read: But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55-56
The response of Satan’s minions was to stone Stephen to death. The one who would become known as the apostle Paul, but at this point went by his Jewish name of Saul, was a leader among them.
When I say that Stephen is heroic and inspiring, I think that his response to this evil, his own murder, tells it all: And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59
Can you imagine a spirit so generous as to cry out to the Lord as he is being stoned to death that his murderers be forgiven? Stephen recognizes that they are simple pawns in the enemy’s hand.
Are we capable of such generous forgiveness? It is asking a lot, isn’t it? But then, this is exactly what are commanded in Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Stephen is a hero, and he is inspiring. He tells us that when the Holy Spirit is fully engaged and revealed in the life of a believer, amazing things will happen!
Vern