One of the remarkable characteristics of the early church is they had “bench depth.” If there was one prayer I’d pray for Lakeside, it’s that we’d also have bench depth! Bench depth refers to the tactical advantage a sports team develops, when after their first string is spent, their second or third string players perform just as well (or better) as the first-string players! This is exactly what we see in Acts.
In Acts, there was that problem. The Hellenistic (Greek) widows were complaining against the Hebraic (Hebrew) widows that they are being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. Seven men were appointed to take care of the matter. The apostles set them aside, lay hands on them, and pray over them. Among the seven men are Stephen and Phillip. Please tell me I’m not the only one. Doesn’t it give you goose bumps to think that someone we appoint in the church to take on some mission-critical responsibility today might very well become the man or woman God uses to rattle the gates of hell?
You know a lot of people don’t serve in the church because they think a task is too small, or perhaps beneath them. As a young child, as a young man, and even as a young adult I either volunteered myself or got volunteered by my parents to do just about every mundane thing there is to do in a church! I didn’t have (FOMA)… the fear of missing out on some great thing. I had FOMAD… the fear of mom and dad. The last thing I wanted them doing was laying hands on me!
But isn’t it amazing that the men waiting on tables in Acts 6 are preaching the gospel to the nations in Acts 7 and 8? Whenever I’ve come across some remarkable kingdom servant I’ve always asked, “What was your pathway? How did you become the instrument of God you now are? What amazing experiences, knowledge, charisma, connections did you gain?” … Um, they waited tables.
Could I just enumerate some things we read about Stephen and Phillip? In Acts 6 the apostles use a plethora of phrases to describe Stephen. Let’s talk through them:
• He has a “good reputation.” (Acts 6:3). A person’s character isn’t compartmentalized to the church realm, or work, or home. Character either permeates a person’s life or it doesn’t. A person ought to exude the same character both in public and private, in big things and small things, in physical things just as much as the spiritual. The same thing is said of the early church in Stephen and Philip was also said of Jesus and John the Baptist. “They grew in favor of God and people…”
• He is “full of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 6:3). The spirit of a person is often the first thing you discern or feel about them. I can strongly feel or discern when an evil person stands in my midst, comes into the church, or approaches me on the street. Before my mind even knows the reason why, the spirit within discerns. But in general, you can tell when you’re in the presence of a carnal or fleshly driven person vs. a spiritual driven person. You can discern the personality of a carnal person—it’s not mysterious. Paul says in Galatians 5:19-20 that the works of a fleshly person are readily apparent: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar.
• He is “full of grace.” (Acts 6:8) Grace can be understood in a more general sense, and a more specific gospel-sense. “Generally”… I think grace is as profoundly reflected in one’s personality as is fleshliness. Just as the personality of a fleshly person is readily evident, so the spiritual person. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” What you should notice about all these qualities is they are social and emotionally intelligent interpersonal dynamics. A gracious person responds to others lovingly, joyfully, peacefully, etc. You cannot fake social graces any more than character. But there is a specific grace unique to Stephen I’ll come back to in a moment.
• He is “Full of Wisdom” (Acts 6:3). There is again a general sense of wisdom and a more specific gospel-sense of wisdom. The general sense of wisdom is not unlike what we find in Proverbs, or even in the Law. There is a counter-intuitive, divine wisdom by which believers in every era live a well-ordered, peace-filled life. Everyone faces trouble and difficulties in life. If you have wisdom, you usually move through things well. If you lack wisdom, things usually go from bad to worse. Foolishness and folly compounds trouble. Foolishness ensures maximum collateral damage occurs at every point of life. Wisdom ensures minimal damage occurs.
• >>But there is a specific gospel sense of wisdom meant here. 1 Corinthians 1:21-25 says, “For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”
• Ephesians 3:1-12!!!!
• >>Notice how Stephen’s sermon reflects the manifold wisdom and knowledge of God. He rehearses Biblical history (something we should all endeavor to be able to do!!!) God of glory appears to Abraham. Covenant Promises (blessings and warnings of oppression). Isaac > Jacob > Twelve Patriarchs? Jealousy of Joseph. Joseph sold slave to Egypt; but gains favor of Pharoah. Jacob falls into severe famine seeks help from Pharoah. Through Joseph God blesses Israel and the nations and preserves them. Israel becomes slaves in Egypt. God raises up Moses to deliver Israel from trouble. God of Glory appears to Moses. God performs wonders and signs and leads Israel into wilderness. Israel relapses into idolatry and sin, pagan worship. Tabernacle of testimony given to Moses> Joshua> David> Solomon. God’s presence by day and night.
• He is “full of faith.” (Acts 6:5). Faith can certainly mean intellectual assent to the truths of God… but a deeper understanding of faith is obedience to the truths of God. Faith entrusts itself to God through obedience. God commands it, faith obeys. The apostles preached not just the gospel, but an “obedience to the gospel.” Stephen was a man who readily obeyed God—much like Barnabas, who obeyed God, giving sacrificially. Barnabas also emerges in Acts 7-8 and beyond as a greater servant of God. He demonstrated faith in his finances and God graduates him to just as great of work as he did Phillip and Stephen!
• But I think something even more is in view here. Stephen was “full of grace” in that he lived a cross-shaped life. He embodied Christ’s same grace, love, forgiveness. He loved as Christ loved, forgave as Christ forgave…
• He is “full of power.” (Acts 6:8) And “performing great wonders and signs.” Just to reiterate what I believe we see in the Bible. There is a deafening silence of signs and wonders through vast swaths of scripture. But then during the days of Moses, during the days of the Prophets (Elijah and Elisha), in the life and ministry of Jesus (Gospels), at the birth of the Church (Pentecost and Apostles) we see an intensification of miracles, signs, wonders. Clearly apostles lay hands on Stephen and Philip, and we see special working of power, signs, and wonders in their ministry. I believe these are special, authenticating signs and wonders and not ongoing, normative signs and wonders for the church in every other era. After the Apostles, we don’t see the same signs and wonders—they fall off just as in many eras of Bible.
• Now in what sense can we expect to be filled with power? How about 1 Peter 1:3-8, “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• He is willing to “stand up” for Jesus. (Acts 6:8-10). Willing to stand up and speak, argue, defend (10).
• He is filled with God’s Glory. In Stephen’s sermon, he mentions how the God of glory appeared to Abraham. He mentions that the God of glory appeared to Moses, and that when Moses came down from mountain his face shone with glory of God, they had cover Moses’ face with a veil. But Luke tells us how Stephen in death was shown the glory of God… and his face became like that of angel!
• Face was like the of an angel (Acts 6:15). Full of Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus at right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56). He sees heaven open up, the Son of Man standing at right hand of God. He calls out Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit. He knelt down, cried, “Lord do not hold this sin against them! He fell asleep.(7:60)
• The glory of God was reflected in Stephen’s life not just in simple fact that he died a martyr, but that he died in same manner of Christ. As Christ Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them” in death so does Stephen! It’s not just his knowledge of God’s love and forgiveness… it’s his supernatural power to embody it.
>>His opposition was unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit. They secretly persuade false witnesses to accuse Stephen of blasphemy against God, Moses, the Holy place and the Law. They stir up people, Elders, Scribes. They sit him before Sanhedrin for trial. Staring at him intently. People with stick-necked, uncircumcised hearts. Always resisting Holy Spirit. Enraged, they gnash their teeth at him. They yell at the top of their voices, cover their ears, and angrily rush him. They drag him out of the city. They began to stone him. Saul. They lay garments at the feet of Saul or Paul. Great persecution breaks out with Saul ravaging the church, house to house, dragging off men and women, and putting them in prison. The church was scattered… **I believe resurrected Christ first appeared to Saul not in Acts 9 on road to Tarsus, but in the face of Stephen in Acts 7:57-60