Stephen - BG-Frost

The Apostles in Acts

Stephen, Week 1

Blooming Grove and Frost

Acts 7:54-60

Good morning and welcome to worship on this amazing day that the Lord has made!  If I haven’t met you, my name is Jay Fraze and I am have the honor of being one of the Presiding Elders of the MidTexas Conference of the Global Methodist Church.  My honorary title that I am the Dean of the Cabinet… which doesn’t mean a whole lot, but what it does mean is that I am the Presiding Elder to the Presiding Elders.  Which means I am supposed to supervise the ones who already know what needs to be done… which means I don’t usually have anything to do… unless one of the PE’s chooses to moves to a new church.

So, here we are. Grieving together and praying for Matt as he begins his new ministry in Lockhart. 

I want you to know that I have been praying for you as well.  I know that God has the perfect pastor for you… we just need to work together to find that pastor.

But today, I’m not here just to talk about pastoral transitions, we are here to look at God’s Word together.  Specifically, we are going to talk about those who were sent by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am calling this series I am in, The Apostles in Acts, and today we look at the one we know of as the first Christian Martyr, Stephen. 

Turn with me to Acts 7:54-60

We begin with the end of the story…

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

<Prayer>

What is an apostle? 

First of all, the Greek word apostolosis from the root word that means “I Send.”  It means, in its purest form, the one who is sent.

There is a specific definition that some think of…  An Apostle is those who were personally taught and sent by our Lord Jesus Christ.  Often, Luke, in his Gospel, uses the word to refer to the 12 Disciples recorded in the Gospel accounts.  Other places you may see them referred to as the 12 Apostles.

However, Paul self-designated himself an Apostle because of his encounter with the risen Lord.  He used the title to refer to James, the brother of Jesus, who likely did not believe until he saw the risen Jesus… I mean, can you blame him… James and Jesus were brothers; they grew up in the house together… how could his brother be his Lord… then he saw Jesus risen from the Dead and knew that He is Lord! 

Paul recognizes another apostle, too. In Romans 16:7 he asks that the readers make sure to greet Junia who is great among the Apostles, one that he spent time in prison with.  Just so you get the significance, Junia is a female name, and Paul is naming a female as one of the great apostles. That’s pretty significant.

So, an Apostle is often thought of as the followers of Jesus who proclaim the good news, taking the message of Christ’s death and resurrection to the world.

There is another idea of what it means to be an Apostle.  The term is sometimes applied to those who were the first missionaries to bring the Gospel into a new area…St. Patrick, the Apostle to Ireland, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the Apostles to the Slavs, and many more.

For me, as I examine the origin and meaning of the word, I think of an apostle, in the sense that anyone who has had an encounter with the Risen Lord and recognizes their call to go and proclaim the Good News of Jesus is considered an apostle.  (I hope that you have had an encounter with the Risen Lord and that you recognize your call to proclaim God’s message… so when you are doing that, you too are an apostle.)

As a title, I reserve that for those named in Scripture as apostles.

So, I think of it as a functional definition and a specific title. 

So let’s learn a little more about Stephen.

Elected as Deacon. 

First of all, Stephen was elected from among the others to be one of seven Deacons… he was selected to be a servant of others.  There was a situation, an accusation, where some of the new Gentile Christian widows and orphans were not getting the same treatment as the Jewish widows and orphans.  The leaders decided that they needed some people who could take on the matter of ensuring that everyone was cared for at the table… so, they identified some Greek men to serve as Deacons.  Stephen was one of them.  

I love the description of Stephen.  Acts 6:5 tells us that Stephen was a “man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”

Friends, would someone look at you, would someone visit with you and walk away and say… “Wow, they are full of faith and the Holy Spirit?”  Does your life reflect Christ in such a way that others see your faith?

Stephen did more than serve the table – he was an Evangelist

Now, by title, Stephen was not an apostle.  By title, he was a Deacon, but by function we see that he was one sent as an envoy, one who proclaimed the good news of Jesus… even more than that, Acts 6:8 tells us, “Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.”

Not only did Stephen have faith and the Holy Spirit, he used these gifts to not only wait the tables for the widows and orphans… his job… but he went out and proclaimed the good news of Jesus, praying for others, healing others, ministering to others.  He was one whom others looked to and saw the hand of God working in his life.

This led to a problem for Stephen… he was so effective in his ministry, in sharing the Gospel… in being an Evangelist… that the Jewish authorities took notice. 

Let me ask you, does the life you live threaten the enemies of God?  If being a follower of Jesus were a crime, is there enough evidence to convict you?

Well, there was enough evidence for Stephen to be arrested and tried.  The Sanhedrin brought him in and brought people in to file false charges against him. 

But, as he was on trial, they looked upon him and his face “shone like that of an angel.”   Where else in scripture do we see someone’s face shining?

In Exodus 34:30, Moses had been meeting with God on the mountain, and when he came down, he radiated the glory of God.

Where did this shine come from on their faces?   It came from spending time with God… it wasn’t a radiance that they created, it was a reflection of the one with whom they spent time.  They were reflecting the Glory of God!

I remember a time in college, my roommate, Robert, came back from a worship event, and when he came into the room, he was glowing… I can’t describe it, but he was glowing.  He was ecstatic. The worship had been amazing as they spent time in the presence of God and he reflected that radiance, what some call the Shekinah Glory of God.  And that reflection of God affected me.  It is one of the times that I prayed in tongues… it wasn’t something I tried to do, it was as though the Holy Spirit was praying through me to God as I was receiving the reflection of the Glory of God in that moment. 

That is the way it must have been with Moses and with Stephen that day.  The people were seeing the glory of God reflecting off their faces.

There is only one other place in scripture that we see this phenomenon, it involves Moses again, but also Elijah.  It is on the Mount of Transfiguration.  Peter, James, and John were with Jesus when suddenly they saw Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah, Jesus became radiant, his presence, his clothing, everything about him was radiating.  This time, it wasn’t a reflection from something or someone else; this time, it was from within… Peter, James, and John saw the Shekinah glory of God radiating in a moment where the humanity of Jesus was swallowed up in the divinity of Jesus.  Oh, to have been there that day with Peter, James, and John.

But this story of Stephen didn’t come from one of them who saw Jesus transfigured… This story likely came from an eyewitness to the death of Stephen.  More on that in a moment.

From elected to called

Stephen was elected from the laity to be a servant, but God had other plans for him.  Though elected by men, Stephen accepted his call as an apostle from God and lived out that calling.  As though he heard Jesus message from Matthew 25 personally, Stephen fed the hungry, clothed the naked, gave drink to the thirsty, healed the sick, visited those in prison… Stephen lived out the Great Commandment to be the hands and feet of Christ.  And, in that calling, he became one of the greatest preachers of his time. 

There are a few sermons recorded in the Book of Acts.

Peter’s sermons, the longest being in Acts 2 – was about 500 words.

Paul’s longest sermon recorded in Acts was also about 500 words.

But here, we have Stephen, this table servant… this Deacon… not one of the 12, not a Jew, but simply a follower of Jesus.  Stephen’s one sermon recorded here is about twice as long as that of Paul and Peter.  I encourage you to go home today and read this sermon, it starts at 7:2 and continues through 7:53.  In this sermon, Stephen recounts the story of the Jewish people from Abraham to Moses and on through David and the Prophets until he got to the fact that the Pharisees were following in the footsteps of their ancestors who killed the prophets who predicted the coming of the Son of Man… but they didn’t kill a prophet this time, they killed the very Righteous One himself, Jesus.  For this proclamation of truth, they stoned Stephen to death.

But I want to spend the rest of our time considering what Stephen saw as the Sanhedrin were gnashing their teeth and preparing to pummel him with stones…

Verse 55 says that “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the

Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

We often say the Apostles Creed, and in it, we say what about Jesus' position…  it says that we believe in…

“Jesus Christ [God’s] only Son, our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;*

the third day he rose from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judgethe quick and the dead.”

Jesus is proclaimed in scripture to be sitting at the right hand of the Father and that he is to be the judge.

Think about this, who stands during a trial? Not the accused… they sit at the table, or they sit and give their testimony.  It isn’t the judge, they sit behind the bench in their robe.

Only the Prosecutor and the Defense attorney stand.  The judge would never stand, but here, Stephen sees Jesus standing.

How would you feel if you were on trial and the Prosecutor stood and gave his opening remarks, then sat down… and the judge calls for the defense attorney to stand and give his remarks… but there is no defense attorney you are all alone against the accusations… and just at that moment, the judge stands up, takes off his robe and lays it over the bench, and comes down and stands next to you and says, “Your Honor, I will stand in defense of this child of mine.”

That is what happened to Stephen that day.  He knew he was not alone. Jesus was standing with him… and that is what he does for you.

On that judgment day, Jesus may be the judge, but he sees you, redeemed by his blood, restored by his sacrifice… and on that day, he stands not as judge but as your defense attorney… he stands and says, “I will stand in defense of my child.”

The last thing I want to say about Stephen is this, seeing that Jesus is standing for him, ready to receive him into glory, Stephen prays 2 prayers.  They are the prayers that our Lord prayed from the cross.

Lord, receive my spirit.

And

Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

These words are prayed as stones are hitting him in the chest, bouncing off his brow, breaking his bones and cutting his skin… this prayer is heard by one standing as the host of the stoning event, a young man the Jews new as Saul… but who came to be known as Paul.

I can’t help but think that Stephen’s words had a profound impact… playing over and over in Saul’s mind as he hunted down the followers of Jesus until he, himself, encountered the risen Lord.  But that’s a story for another day.

So, friends, what are we to learn from Stephen?

For one thing, your title doesn’t determine your witness.  By title, Stephen was a Deacon, a servant, but by function, he was an Apostle… he was called and sent by God to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

As you come to this table, as you prepare your heart to receive Holy Communion, I invite you to prayerfully consider, not your title… not your job… but your calling as a follower of Jesus. 

Who is God calling you to be?

Or better yet, what is God calling you to do?