"A Man Full of Faith"

In Acts 6, we read that the church has grown dramatically and with the growth, problems have arisen. Some feel that they are not receiving adequate attention and complain to the Apostles. They in turn decide to appoint seven men to serve the needs of the people. They select men that are "known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom" and turn over this work to them so that they can continue to teach and preach. One of these men was "Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit".

We hardly get to know Stephen before we see just what kind of man he is. He is going around doing "great wonders and miraculous signs" when the Jewish leaders confront him. They cannot defeat his wisdom, so they plot to silence him in another way. They bring him before the Sanhedrin and make false claims against him. All the while, Stephen sits quietly and is at peace. "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." (v 15)

He is finally given the chance to speak and he follows the example of the Master. He gives them scripture! He tells them the story of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. He reminds them that the Jews had been a rebellious people throughout the ages and always rejected God and His prophets. Then in closing, he tells them that they are responsible for Jesus' death. This didn't sit well with the people. When people are confronted with their guilt, they respond one of two ways... sorrow and repentance or anger and retaliation. These people chose anger and retaliation.

Stephen is taken out of the city and stoned to death. I don't know much about stoning, but I can imagine the pain of each rock hitting my body. Each stone tearing a chunk of flesh from my head, my face. Slowly, each blow begins to take its toll, until my body collapses and the final blow of a large stone crushes my skull and I die. There I am, bloodied and beaten; the piles of rocks that have taken my life surround me and the frenzied crowd cheering. That is what Stephen endured. That is what his faith in Jesus cost him.

Two things jump put at me in today's reading. First, Stephen tells us that "he looked up to Heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." (v 55) I am thankful that Luke records that for me. My heart rejoices to know that our Savior, our Master rose to His feet when His servant Stephen faced death for his faith. Not many get to see Heaven open in this life, but Stephen did. He paid a tremendous price for his beliefs, but it was worth it all to see the Son. Yes, his physical life ended on that day, but Stephen understood that this was not the end; rather, this was just the beginning. And for his faithfulness, Stephen got a standing ovation from the creator of the universe. Not bad!

Second, just before Stephen dies, he prays for those that are murdering him. (sound familiar?) In the midst of the skull shattering pain, Stephen hits his knees to pray for the people that are killing him. I am convicted by what I read here. I want to be like that. I want to "love my enemies and pray for those that persecute me." (Matthew 5:44) That is what Jesus told me to do, us to do. If I am truly His disciple, then I will follow Stephens’s example and live out the message of love taught by my Savior.

Chances are we will never have to die for our faith. But what we can learn from Stephen is this.... whatever situation we may find ourselves, demonstrate love! Show them Jesus! When you stand for your faith, when you are confronted and do not surrender, Jesus stands for you. And when people persecute you, hit your knees and beg God to open their hearts to the life changing gospel of the Christ. I thank God for Stephen. What an example we are given in a few verses in a couple of chapters in the book of Acts. He was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit"!