Tag Stephen

The Ministry of the Spirit in Stephen (Acts 6:8-15)

⁸ And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰ And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

The Special Abilities of Stephen (Acts 6:8) — The former mentions of signs and wonders among the people were about work done by the Spirit through the apostles (Acts 2:43; 3:1-9; 4:33; 5:12, 15). This is the first time that we hear of supernatural work being done by the Spirit through people outside of the twelve. Why? That is, (1) why were these abilities formerly only seen in the apostles and (2) what changed?

The signs, miracles, and wonders of the apostles, and Jesus before them, served to certify that they were sent by God (John 3:1-2; Acts 2:22). Think with me on the purpose of such power in the life of the Lord. Jesus pointed to the signs and wonders being done through Him when He encountered detractors. He used them to reinforce His claims when people expressed reservations about receiving a Messiah from Nazareth:

• The Works Were Given to Help Get Over Unbelief (John 10:37-38) — If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.
• The Works Were to Help Deal with Doubt (John 14:11) — Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The supernatural works being done through Jesus were aimed at helping people believe in Jesus. Through the works the Father attested to the veracity of the Son’s claims (Acts 2:22). The ministry of Jesus was validated by His miracles.

The ministry of the apostles was also validated by signs, wonders, and miracles (Hebrews 2:3-4). Through supernatural acts Jesus was made more credible. And through similar works the apostles were also validated. And so it is with the new deacons. That is, the signs and wonders serve as validation for deacons Stephen (Acts 6:8) and Philip (Acts 8:5-8). Stephen is now doing great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8). In this way the new deacon is authenticated. Like Jesus and his apostles, the man upon whom the apostles have laid their hands is now being certified by miracles. Through the miracles Stephen is given a platform for promoting faith in Christ. Like Jesus and the apostles, Stephen is using the spotlight created by the miracles for declaring the word of God. And the Holy Spirit is on board with this plan; it is all part of the plan. Stephen is now someone to be regarded as having sound doctrine and speaking the words of life (Titus 1:9; 1 Timothy 3:9). And he was teaching!

The Speech of Stephen (Acts 6:9-10) — The teaching ministry of Stephen was controversial. He was saying things that disturbed both the camps of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. On account of Stephen’s teachings there arose men from five different synagogues disputing with him.

Freedmen were former slaves (or the children of former slaves) who had been emancipated by their owners; if their owners were Roman citizens, their freedmen were enrolled as members of their family. Many Jews who were taken captive to Rome at the time of Pompey’s conquest of Judaea (63 B.C.) were subsequently emancipated and thenceforth had the status of freedmen. (Bruce, 1988, p. 125)

Those who argued with Stephen were Hellenists; they were Greek-speaking Jews that were formerly dispersed among the nations. They have now come back to Jerusalem and gather according to cultural affinities.

In this verse, the term “synagogue” is singular, but Luke named five of them. First, there was the synagogue of the Libertines, a word that means “freedmen.” These were Jews who were once slaves of Rome or sons of Jewish slaves of Rome, but now had been freed. They came from Rome and built their own synagogue. Second, there was the synagogue of the Cyrenians, Jews from North Africa. Third, there was the synagogue of the Alexandrians, Jews from Egypt. The Jerusalem Talmud states that they built their synagogue at their own expense. The Babylonian Talmud tells the story of Rabbi Eliezer Ben Zadok, who acquired from some Alexandrian Jews a building formerly used as a private synagogue[ 148] “and turned it to his own use.”[ 149] Fourth, there was the synagogue of Cilicia, built by Jews who came from Asia Minor or present-day Turkey. The province of Cilicia included the city of Tarsus. Hence, these were people who came from the same region as Paul, and this synagogue of the Cilicians may very well have been his place of worship. That may also mean that he would have been involved in the disputations with Stephen and would have been among those who lost their arguments with him. Finally, there was the synagogue of Asia, meaning other parts of Asia Minor. (Fruchtenbaum, 2020, Kindle Locations 2805-2815)

But in their midst is a Hellenist full of faith and power, performing miracles, and preaching things that sound like blasphemy. They tried to take Stephen on and refute his statements. But he defeated all of them; they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke (Acts 6:10). What is going on? Is Stephen so smart that he can best anyone in an argument? While he was likely intelligent and certainly wise (Acts 6:3), that is not why he has become unbeatable in debate. Stephen, my fellow Jesus follower, is filled with the Spirit. (See the previous post in this series.) His invincible power in verbal combat is actually the outworking of God’s presence in a chosen vessel.

• The Precedent of God’s Presence for His Servant’s Speech (Exodus 4:12; Numbers 11:17) — Between 1,300 and 1,500 years before Jesus, God told a man who was not a capable speaker that he be helped with speaking. What man? Moses. Here below is Moses’ self assessment of his speaking abilities:

O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. (Exodus 4:10, NKJV)

Figure 1 – Moses protested his calling to lead based on his difficulty speaking.

Do you see it? That is, do you see Moses’ low view of his own speaking abilities? In his own words he was not eloquent. No. Instead he had some problem speaking that made his oration slow in delivery and perhaps pronunciation. Did he stammer? Whatever the problem was, in light of the help he had, it was actually not a problem. In the moment and as needed God would enable Moses to speak. His mouth was aided by the indwelling Spirit in saying what the occasion required. This is God’s response of encouragement and about the help His servant would have in speaking:

Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say. (Exodus 4:12, NKJV)

• The Power is Unbeatable (Isaiah 54:17) — Between 700 and 740 years before Christ, Isaiah the prophet will add some clarity to what God will do through to make his spokespersons effective. Isaiah says that dealing successfully with opposition in our response to attacks is our heritage; when the time comes, we do not back down from the difficulty or danger associated with declaring the truth. This will be played out in the text that follows. The weapons formed against Stephen will not prosper.

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17, NKJV)

Further, instead of being condemned, the man of God will speak cutting truth about his accusers (Acts 7:54).

• The Promise of In-the-Moment Provisions of Irresistible Speech (Luke 21:12-15) — Jesus prepared his disciples for the moments when they would need to give an answer to their adversaries. He told them that they would be put on trial for the benefit of His Person and program (Luke 21:12). Jesus said those trials will look, at first glance, like a day of triumph for the enemy. However, it will be your opportunity! The Son of Man says, in effect, “What the devil would use as a time to demean you and discourage you will become a singular time of telling them the truth about who I am” (Luke 21:13); “The setback of being made to stand before your accusers will actually be a setup for you to stand for the Truth” (John 14:6).

What do we do with this? We are not far enough through the narrative of what happens to Stephen to say. Not enough of Luke’s account of the trial of Stephen has been considered. We need more to know how to operate in our day to face opposition? But here are some questions that will help us to think deeply about the text and God’s reasons for wanting us to be filled with the Spirit.

Questions for Group Discussion

1. What is the purpose of exceptional or supernatural work in the life of a believer?
2. Am I ever guilty of taking credit for what God is doing through me for His own purposes?
3. What would God have me do with the attention garnered through great work?
4. Am I preparing to use the platform occasioned by good performance to proclaim the truth about Jesus? Things that can help me to prepare for questions are (1) a time to pray for understanding, (2) a reading plan, and (3) study aimed at learning to explain the truth to others (Ezra 7:10).
5. Do I regard the company of God as sufficient equipping for everything I will face (Joshua 1:9; Matthew 28:20)? In what ways do I discount the value of God’s help? How could I be more positive about the provisions of God (Luke 21:12-15; Philippians 4:8)?

Note: The featured image for this post is of a friend and mentor — Pastor Dave Smith. One thing that Dave has taught me about being effective as a speaker is the importance of reviewing the entire message a few times before presenting. In the photo it is Sunday, 21 March 2021 and Pastor Dave is guest speaking at Communion Chapel.

Introduction

When we receive Jesus we receive pardon, we receive purpose, and we receive the Person of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Once He has come gone are the days of being without power, without counsel, without comfort, without companionship (John 14:15-18). Through the Holy Spirit the Lord keeps His promise to (1) never leave us nor forsake us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5) and (2) enable us for amazing acts of service. But with His coming also comes the unresolvable conflict that results from being indwelt by the Spirit of Christ. When the Jesus follower surrenders gladly and becomes Spirit-filled, he also becomes, from the world’s perspective, as irritating as Jesus.

While we should always endeavor to promote peace, love our enemies, and be a blessing to the community – we should not be surprised when living like Jesus brings out unavoidable angst toward us from the world. Some believers, having failed to see or accept this truth, are working in vain to make peace with the world. They have a great zeal for Jesus. But the same believer is terribly wrong in thinking that their white hot faith is compatible with a society that is surrendered to Satan and cold toward Christ. The account in Acts 6:8-8:4, with the focus on Stephen, shows us as much.

The narrative about Stephen constitutes a major turning point in Acts. It ends a series of three trials before the Sanhedrin. The first ended in a warning (4:21), the second in a flogging (5:40), and Stephen’s in his death. (Polhill, 1992, p. 183)

In the few verses under consideration we see the consequence of being Spirit-filled.

Called to Conflict (Acts 6:8)

Luke has presented the Lord and His apostles as having power to perform signs and wonders (Luke 2:40; 4:1,14-15; Acts 2:43; 5:12). Now, for the first time in the records of Luke we are hearing of wonders and signs among the people being done through someone other than the Lord or one His apostles.

[Stephen] was the first other than the apostles to be described as working miracles. (Polhill, 1992, p. 184)

A naive reading of this verse begins to cheer about this new thing: regular people of faith are doing great work. But do not miss the fact that Stephen has already been introduced as a (1) a man full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3), (2) man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5). If you are mindful of his introduction the words of Acts 6:8 seem odd. You might think, “Okay. He was full of the Holy Spirit. It has been said three times. Got it!” But this third mention should make me ask if the author is trying to tell me something through the pattern of words (full of the Holy Spirit) and their rapid repetition (Acts 6:3, 5, 8). What do we find in the writings of Luke?

• Before Jesus’ Temptation in the Wilderness (Luke 4:1) – Jesus is said to be full of the Holy Spirit before He enters terrible conflict with Satan. He is victorious but certainly worn down and needed refreshing (Matthew 4:11).
• Before Jesus Rejection at Home (Luke 4:14-15) – Again Luke relates that the presence and power of the Spirit are pronounced in the man from Nazareth. This is what we are told just before Jesus’ claims cause anger in His hometown synagogue. He is successful in demonstrating the nearness of the kingdom but they try to kill him by throwing Him down over a cliff (Luke 4:28-30).
• Before Peter Preaches to the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:8-12) – These words are used before Peter indicts the court and makes one of the most inflammatory remarks of Scripture – especially to a group that had just murdered the Messiah.

It does not take a Bible sleuth to see that where these words occur in the writings of Luke, we can expect to see conflict that cannot be resolved. The Spirit-filled person was called to it! The story with Stephen is no exception. Indeed, because of the threefold mention of his filling with the Spirit we should expect unprecedented animosity.

References

Polhill, J. B. (1992). Acts. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

• Joseph (Genesis 50:20) – He was sold into slavery by his brothers. Later he chose to deal with them through the perspective of his purpose and God’s grace.
• David (1 Samuel 24:3-7) – The shepherd boy was relentlessly hunted by an insecure leader. Instead of making the most of his enemy’s vulnerable moment, David extends grace based on his reverence for God. Although repeatedly disrespected, David treats Saul with dignity and respect.
• Stephen (Acts 6-7) – This man is the first recorded martyr of the church. When he is being falsely accused and then executed, he offers forgiveness. Notice that Stephen offers forgiveness not based on perfect apologies but based on the leading of the Spirit of Christ in Him.

² And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. ³ As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

The vile and violent victory of the liars and haters that killed Stephen was the start of an uprising against Greek-speaking Jesus followers in Jerusalem. But in the midst of all the growing animosity toward the first Christians, some people took time to feel. Although it was inconvenient and more than a little dangerous, devout men took time to say “I love you, Stephen” and saw to the burial of his broken body. And they wept greatly for their fallen brother.

The decision to mourn our martyrs matters. In the time intentionally set aside to be sorrowful we recognize the loss, reflect on their light, and thereby also become reinforced in our resolve to live more like them (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4).

Taking time to mourn our fallen heroes, good friends, and light-bearing leaders is part of (1) respecting them, (2) thanking God for their contribution to our lives, and (3) beginning the process of good changes in the heart, and (4) picking up where they left off. As we embrace the loss and think on their legacy, we can be led into deeper commitments, repentance, and revival. For those of us who want to move in the direction of being better persons, good grieving is key. Consider the words of Solomon on the matter:

² Better to go to the house of mourning

   Than to go to the house of feasting,

   For that is the end of all men;

   And the living will take it to heart.

³ Sorrow is better than laughter,

   For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

   But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

The house of mourning, in the passage above, is the place and time dedicated to grieving the loss of someone. We go to that house when we choose to mourn our dead. This is better than trying to cope with their loss through escapes into pleasure or the decision to go to places dedicated to feeding the flesh (house of feasting). Why? Solomon goes on to explain that the dead we mourn have gone where we too are going: “For that is the end of all men,” he says. While we are still alive, we can be fundamentally changed for the better if we will intentionally go look upon the fact that our time is short and that we cannot escape death. When the living look intentionally at the loss of life it affects them profoundly… they taken to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

The decision to mourn the loss of Stephen was a decision to become better men through grief. Their faces and voices visibly expressed the excruciating pain of parting ways with a beloved brother. The text says they made great lamentation over him (Acts 8:2). But notices what Solomon says about this:

³ Sorrow is better than laughter,

   For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

In this moment the mourners are being made better. They are facing facts and their hearts, the place from which spring our words, work (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45), and the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23), are being refined.

Questions for Consideration

1. Are you taking time to mourn the losses of loved one and important relationships? Why would you intentionally enter the sadness of thinking over someone’s life and the loss? (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
2. Can you think of someone that you have loss that had a trait that you admired or work that you appreciated? What would it look like for you to embrace the pain of their departure, think soberly about your eventually end on earth, and then prayerfully consider how you might continue their work?

It was an act of real courage to take time to mourn the loss of Stephen. Jewish law forbade funeral observances for condemned criminals; Stephen had been the victim of mob violence and those who stoned him surely viewed him as a blasphemer and law breaker. They will look for his friends, associates, and family. The courage of these devout men is a reminder of the similar valor shown by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus in the burial of Jesus (Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:38).

The Leading Persecutor of the Church (Acts 8:3; 26:9-11; Galatians 1:13)

Saul, is at work fanning this flame into a blaze. He leads the charge against the Jesus followers by going methodically from home to home, and from synagogue to synagogue to persecute them. The description of his activities is called havoc in Acts 8:3. It carries the meaning of the damage caused by a wild animal. He reflects on his violence toward the church later in life:

And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. (Acts 26:11, NKJV)

Leading the work of hurting the church was the young man who had stood with the clothes of those who stoned Stephen. He was not content to support Stephen’s death; he obtained permission to pursue people that tried to run away while continuing to promote faith in Jesus:

The prime agent in the repressive campaign was Saul of Tarsus, who now carried into more effective action the attitude to the new movement which he had displayed at the stoning of Stephen. Armed with the necessary authority from the chief-priestly leaders of the Sanhedrin, he harried the church, arresting its members in their own homes and sending them off to prison. A zealot for the ancestral traditions of his nation, he saw that the new faith menaced those traditions. Drastic action was called for: these people, he thought, were not merely misguided enthusiasts whose sincere embracing of error called for patient enlightenment; they were deliberate impostors, proclaiming that God had raised from the tomb to be Lord and Messiah a man whose manner of death was sufficient to show that the divine curse rested on him. (Bruce, 1988, p. 163)

From his perspective the Jesus followers had to be stopped. And he was going to do it.

Moving On with the Message (Acts 8:4)

⁴ Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

The consequence of the persecution is a scattering of the believers (Acts 8:2, 4). With their scattering the word of God is also scattered. The gospel of Jesus Christ is now being preached everywhere. In particular it is now being proclaimed in those places (Judea and Samaria) that Jesus wanted to reach (Acts 1:8).

They were scattered like one scatters seed. But scattered seeds grow, Christian. See the irony! The persecution and scattering of the Christians only led to the growing of the movement. With the dispersal of the Hellenist Christians, the fulfillment of the second phase of Jesus’ commission began—the witness to all Judea and Samaria (8:1b; cf. 1:8).

Learn to look at life through the lens of the Lord’s program. In that view nothing is wasted and the things that seem like setbacks are actually used to spring forward in doing His will (Romans 5:1-5; 8:28).

The Principle of Persisting (Acts 8:4)

The nation of Israel had been dispersed among the Gentiles (James 1:1). Through that scattering of God’s people other nations came to know about God’s plan to bring them salvation through the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-2; John 4:19, 25). Now the new people of God are being dispersed among the nations. But what will they do among the nations? Be witnesses, of course!

The church had grown extensively; it was to grow more than ever, but now by being spread abroad. Luke’s figures and further notes about the growth make the estimate of 25,000 believers in and near Jerusalem at the time of Stephen’s martyrdom seem conservative. The persecution aimed to destroy the infant church; in the providence of God it did the very opposite. It started a great number of new congregations especially in all of Palestine, each becoming a living center from which the gospel radiated into new territory even as Jesus had traced its course by adding after Jerusalem “all Judea and Samaria” (1:8). (Lenski, 1961, p. 311)

Over the nearly two years since Pentecost (33 AD) thousands of Jesus followers have been trained by the apostles to pursue holiness, present the gospel, and mentor others in following Jesus. They have been empowered, equipped, and educated in evangelism and discipleship. It is time for the highly trained church to be deployed. Luke says that the response of the church was logical; Therefore (οὖν) those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:4). What else could they do? Witnessing, for the Christian, is not activity; it is an essential identity (Acts 1:8; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:12; 44:8). When they could not be accepted for who they are, they go elsewhere in their new identity.

Figure 2 – Dr. Alejandro Mandes talks with our youth about Joshua 1:8-9. He comes to us in
his identity as a person who explains the word of God and promotes faithfulness to Christ.

How would you respond? Before you answer, consider what Jesus means by giving the Holy Spirit. It was not to simply facilitate activity; he baptized the new believers of Jerusalem into Himself to give them a new essential identity:

• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)
• For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. (Galatians 6:15, NKJV)

That identity is not a function of location. They are new creations wherever they go. And so the new creation of God has just been scattered abroad. This is what Jesus wanted (Matthew 10:23). The setback of persecution was a setup to spring forward in the mission of taking the gospel to the world.

Questions for Consideration

• Am I regularly taking time to think about what Christ did for me?
• Can I see God’s hand in moving me from one place to another?
• How can I bring the message to the places He has moved me?

References

Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.