Stephen

STEPHEN

Scripture references:
Acts 6:1–8:2

————————v————————

————————v————————

————————

As Stephen was being stoned he saw a vision of Jesus in glory and prayed for his persecutors.

————————v————————

STEPHEN’S LIFE AND TIMES

Stephen was a member of the first Christian church in Jerusalem and a bold witness for Christ. He played two important roles in the early church.

Stephen’s role as deacon(Acts 6). In Jerusalem the temple authorities distributed food to the city’s needy, primarily widows and orphans. However, they soon cut from their rolls those who followed Jesus. The church quickly organized its own distribution system, relying on gifts of the better-off members to meet the needs of the destitute.

Jerusalem was a magnet to which Jews from all over the empire came, and many stayed in the Holy City. The population included native, Aramaic-speaking Jews, and also a large number of Hellenistic or Greek-speaking Jews. Acts 6 tells us that the Hellenists began to complain that their widows were not getting their fair share when food was distributed, and hard feelings developed. The apostles recommended that the congregation choose six godly men filled with the Holy Spirit whom they could trust to be fair, and turn the distribution over to these deacons. (The word “deacon” in Greek means “servant.”) The elected men would serve the church by tending to the details of collecting money, buying food, and seeing that it was distributed fairly.

Acts 6 lists the six men chosen. Strikingly, the church chose six men with Hellenistic names, displaying trust that those who felt they had been treated unfairly would themselves be totally fair! Stephen was one of these six godly, Spirit-filled men the whole church knew they could trust.

Stephen’s role as evangelist(Acts 6; 7). Stephen was a bold evangelist, “full of faith and power,” whose words were supported by “great wonders and signs among the people” (6:8). He focused on reaching others of Hellenistic heritage, and in the process, he debated fanatical Jews from a Hellenistic synagogue (6:9). When they were unable to refute his preaching, they lined up false witnesses and accused him of religious crimes.

When taken before the Sanhedrin that had condemned Jesus to death, Stephen preached boldly, showing from history that Israel had consistently resisted rather than responded to God. He argued that in their crucifixion of Christ they, too, “always resist the Holy Spirit” (7:51). The accusation, with Stephen’s report of a sudden vision of Christ standing at the right hand of God, turned the council into a mob that dragged Stephen into the streets and stoned him to death. With his last breath, Stephen prayed that God would “not charge them with this sin.”

STEPHEN: AN EXAMPLE FOR TODAY

Stephen truly is an example to us in several ways.

•     Stephen is an example of trustworthiness. We need to be the kind of person whose integrity others will respect even though they may be suspicious of the group to which we belong.

•     Stephen is an example of humility. Although he clearly had great spiritual gifts, Stephen did not think it beneath him to pass out food to the needy.

•     Stephen is an example of courage. Few of us risk our lives when we speak up for Christ, yet many seem unwilling to risk possible ridicule or rejection. We need Stephen’s kind of courage to share the gospel’s good news in our day.

^[1]