Tag Archives: Stephen

ACTS THE SEQUEL…ENTER STEPHEN – 14a

Bible Study, ,

“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people…”

Stephen, one of the men selected to serve, rose to prominence among the Seven. Not only did he serve faithfully but he also served powerfully as the Holy Spirit worked through him to demonstrate the works of the kingdom of God among them. Signs and wonders…the very things Jesus promised would  happen through those who believe…

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…were multiplying through Stephen…

…and some didn’t like it. 

Well…that set the cat among the pigeons! Persecution! Some fanatical Jews from out of town…Hellenistic Jews who would feature big in this story…faced off with Stephen. Problem was…they had no answer for the powerful works of the Holy Spirit. 

“Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Some people didn’t like what Stephen was doing…so they told him, in no uncertain terms! 

Argue…yes, but even arguing with Stephen didn’t work. You see, Stephen had the weapon of truth in his heart, and it came out of his mouth…and truth in the Spirit’s power cannot be defeated!

The arguments were hot and fierce. The trouble was that arguing would never solve the problem. You see, the issue was not about who could win by a better argument. The real issue was a matter of the heart. Those who opposed Stephen had no intention of believing in the one who was doing the miracles through Stephen, or the message to which the signs were pointing. Like their leaders, their hearts were as hard as granite. 

So…they did what they did best to discredit Stephen…they lied. They did the devil’s work. Character assassination! If you can’t win the argument fairly, throw stones at your opponent! Of course, they had allies…friends in high places.  They falsely accused him of blasphemy…just like those who accused Jesus. They lined up and briefed false witnesses to testify against him. They did everything by the book! Two or three witnesses. They played to the gallery…the religious leaders who were only too willing to fall in with their scheme. 

“So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Hearsay is not evidence so, to conform to the law, these hypocrites produced their “witnesses”.  This sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?  Only a short while before, Stephen’s Lord had suffered the same treatment…and the same fate…but, his Lord’s promise was to be with him. 

As Stephen stood before his accusers, something strange, unusual, unearthly, even scary began to happen…

To be continued

“Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Stephen was arrested and hauled before the Sanhedrin…

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…THE CHURCH MATURES – 13

Bible Study, ,

“So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A new development…the church was growing at a furious pace and, with the numbers came complications. The logistics had changed. The simplicity of the early days, when all the people could meet together for worship, prayer, and teaching, was over. How the church functioned in those early days in practice is not clear. Three thousand plus in one place?

However, the church had become, with its supernatural growth, an organisational problem…and with the problem…a test…either descend into chaos or grow in maturity?

How would the leaders navigate this one? Did the apostles take a leaf from Moses’ book? Moses followed Jethro’s advice…to delegate…and so did the Twelve. They approved a group of men, chosen by the people, who had a reputation for wisdom and Spirit-filled lives, to administer the day-to-day affairs of the church while they applied themselves to their God-appointed task…prayer and the ministry of the Word. 

The leaders were wise. They didn’t try to run the whole show. They knew their function and their limitations. Delegation was their solution, entrusting to others responsibilities they were not required or able to carry!

“So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, seven more men were added to the team…the Apostles who were the spiritual overseers and guides, and the seven “deacons”…servers who took care of the practical matters as they arose. 

The Holy Spirit was at the helm…and the ship sailed on! The apostles gladly followed as He led, so that peace and harmony once again reigned in this human, fallible, fragile, yet mighty army of God’s people. They were let loose on the world, armed with the Word of God and equipped with the Holy Spirit’s presence and power…to turn the topsy-turvy world right side up.  

“So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued

THE BOOK OF ACTS – ENTER STEPHEN

Bible Study, , ,

ENTER STEPHEN

“Stephen, brimming with God’s grace and energy, was doing wonderful things among the people, unmistakable signs that God was among them. But some men from the meeting place whose membership was made up of freed slaves, Cyrenians, Alexandrians and some others from Cilicia and Asia, went up against him, trying to argue him down. But they were no match for his wisdom and spirit when he spoke.

“So in secret they bribed men to lie. ‘We heard him cursing Moses and God.'” Acts 6:8-11 (The Message).

It’s amazing what people will do to get their own way! As then, so now, there are always those who think nothing of sabotaging the church to carry out their own agenda.

The apostles had so far safely navigated the challenges that had come from within the church when the old sinful nature reared up its ugly head in people. One of their issues, racism among the widows in Jerusalem, had brought a jewel of a man to the surface. Stephen was “discovered” when the Jerusalem church chose the first deacons. He not only did the job he was selected to do, but he also brought the power of God’s presence into the church by his miracles and preaching.

This angered a group of “expats” in the local synagogue who were driven to jealousy by Stephen’s superior wisdom and godliness. They could not get the better of him by arguing so they turned to lying and treachery, going the same route that took Jesus to the cross.

No matter how idyllic the early church seemed to be in its initial euphoria, it was made up of people then, as it is today. People will always be people; some will have honest hearts while others will conceal their true nature behind a veneer of “spirituality” which will deceive people for a while but, when they are crossed or can’t get their own way, the real person will show up.

What was the issue with these men? Why was Stephen such a threat to them? We don’t really know. Our only clue is that Stephen outsmarted them in discussion and they couldn’t take it. They were part of the fanatical legalists who obviously could not stand the idea of a God who was kind, generous and merciful. They were provoked by the evidences of God’s goodness through Stephen. They could not get rid of God but they could get at Him through His followers!

When Jesus was in a similar situation, up against His religious opponents and brought to trial for His life, Pilate was astute enough to recognize the real reason for their hatred. Envy! Envy and jealousy are not the same thing. Jealousy covets what another person has or is; envy goes a step farther. Envy will ruin or destroy another person rather than allow him to be who he is. Jealousy covets; envy kills.

Was this the reason for these men’s murderous hatred? They were willing to stoop to bribery and lying to get rid of Stephen because they hated what he was. It’s amazing to what lengths people will go to fight against God!

We must not be surprised by the reaction of people. We are not neutral when it comes to the things of God. We were born with a built-in hatred for God. The Bible states that. “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” Romans 5:10 (NIV).

It takes a miracle of God’s grace to transform us from enemies to sons!