The Gateway of Availability

1. Engage: The Uncredited Extra

In 1987, a kid moved to LA with $325 in his pocket.

To pay his rent, he spent his days on a street corner in Hollywood

wearing a giant, feathered yellow chicken suit for El Pollo Loco restaurant.

When he finally got his first 'movie roles,'

he was an uncredited extra.

In the movie Less Than Zero, he was paid $38 just to stand in the back of a party scene.

If you blink, you miss him. He was a pixel on the screen.

But in 1987, he was just a 'background character' whom nobody knew.

He was the guy you walk past to get to the person you actually came to see.

That kid was Brad Pitt.

Most of us live our lives feeling like that uncredited extra role.

We think the 'real' work of God is something that happens in big, dramatic moments—on a mission trip or in the lives of 'important' people.

We assume we’re just here to fill a seat, and if we weren't in the shot, the mission would keep playing out exactly the same way without us.

The Transition:

But that 'extra' mindset doesn't just make us feel small;

it actually changes how we respond when the world around us starts to break.

It creates a gap between the needs we see ——

and our willingness to meet them.

2. Tension: The "Qualified" Gap

When we see a real need—a gap in the children's wing or a neighbor who’s in need—and we look at it through the lens of an 'extra.'

We think, “I’m just a background character”.

‘Someone more qualified—someone who actually knows what they're doing—will handle that.'

Brad Pitt didn't think he was too big for the chicken suit because he knew that he needed to be working to provide for himself.

There was a need and he could fill it.

It didn't matter if it was what he WANTED to do, or what he TRAINED to do.

But often we stay paralyzed because we’ve bought into the lie that 'ordinary' isn't enough for 'extraordinary' problems.

We wait for a 'pro' to step in or a 'sign from God,' while the table right in front of us stays empty.

We assume God only uses the 'leads,' so we stay on the sidelines, waiting for an invitation we think we’ll never get.

The Transition:

If we want to break out of that paralysis, we have to look at how the early church handled their first big crisis.

They discovered that in a world where Jesus has been raised from the dead, the 'casting call' for the Kingdom has completely changed.

That’s where we find the story of Stephen.

Turn with me to Acts chapter 6.

3. Truth: Resurrection Work at the Table

I. The Crisis of the Background Characters

Acts 6:1 ESV

1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

The early church was exploding, but in the chaos, the 'background characters' were slipping through the cracks.

In the first century, if the church didn't feed a widow, she didn't eat.

Notice what the Apostles don’t say.

They don't say, 'The Resurrection is too important for us to worry about groceries.'

They realize that because Jesus is alive, the way we treat the 'extras' matters more than ever.

You can’t say you love the King if you’re ignoring the people at His table.

They needed leaders who saw a food line as a front line.

The Transition:

The Apostles realized the mission was too big for just a few professionals.

They needed to empower the 'extras.' But notice—they didn't just look for warm bodies to fill a slot;

they looked for people who understood that even the most basic task is a spiritual one.

II. The Requirement for the Ordinary

Acts 6:2–3 ESV

2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.

"The 'duty' here was serving tables—literally waiting on people.

But look at the requirement: you had to be 'full of the Spirit' just to wait tables.

We usually think the Holy Spirit is only for the big, flashy stuff—the preaching and the miracles.

But the Bible says the Spirit is required for the kitchen.

Because of Easter, the line between 'sacred' and 'secular' has been erased.

If Jesus can turn a tomb into a garden, He can turn a dish room into a sanctuary.

When you realize that, you stop saying 'I’m just a volunteer'

and you start saying 'I’m a minister of the Gospel with a serving tray.

The Transition:

Once Stephen stepped into that 'ordinary' role, his identity began to shift.

He wasn't just a guy with a job description anymore.

He was being fitted into a much larger structure—what the Apostle Peter calls a 'Living Stone.'

(to 1 PETER 2)

III. The Identity of the Stone

1 Peter 2:4–5 ESV

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

In a pile of rocks, you’re just another rock.

None of you really have a purpose; you’re just there.

But in a building, every stone is a structural necessity.

If you aren't in your spot—if you aren't serving where God designed you—there is a hole in the wall.

The wind gets in.

The structure is weaker.

You aren't 'filling a slot'; you’re fulfilling your identity.

You are a 'living stone' because the Cornerstone beat the grave,

and now He’s building a community that reflects the life of the Kingdom right here.

The Transition:

And when a 'living stone' like Stephen finds his place in the wall,

it unlocks a level of power that Jesus promised would actually surpass His own earthly ministry.

It moves us from 'helping out' to participating in 'greater works.'

IV. The Power of the 'Greater Works'

John 14:12 ESV

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Jesus promised we would do 'greater works.'

Think about that.

Jesus fed 5,000 once; but through the availability of people like Stephen,

the Church has been the primary source of feeding the hungry for 2,000 years.

That is the 'greater work.'

Lets look at Stephen in Acts 6:8:

Acts 6:8 ESV

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

Stephen didn't get to the 'great wonders' of Acts 6:8 until he handled the 'widows' of Acts 6:1.

His authority was forged in his humility.

He proved that when you are available to the Spirit in the small things, the Spirit prepares you for the ultimate things.

The Transition:

Stephen’s faithfulness at the dinner table prepared him for a moment where the stakes were life and death.

When the pressure got high and the world turned against him, he saw the truth of the Resurrection with his own eyes.

4. Inspiration: The Standing Ovation

Because Stephen was available for the small things, he was given the strength for the ultimate thing.

Acts 7:55–56 ESV

55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

The Trinitarian Vision

When the pressure got high, Stephen gazed into heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Everywhere else in the Bible, Jesus is sitting—His work is finished.

But here, He stands. It’s a standing ovation for a guy who was willing to wear the 'chicken suit'—to serve at a table.

Acts 7:57–60 ESV

57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Now I dont want you to think that if you volunteer to help with Vacation Bible School you are going to get rocks thrown at you.…

There is always a slight chance!

But the idea is the same...

If we serve, we are fulfilling God’s purpose.

The Hope of Eternal Life

As he was dying, Stephen prayed, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'

This wasn't Stephen 'trying hard' to be like Jesus.

This was the Spirit of Jesus conforming Stephen to His image.

Stephen knew he wasn't leaving for some distant, ghostly heaven;

he knew he was safe in the hands of the King who had conquered death and was taking him to Eternal Life.

He was so secure in the reality of the New Earth that he could forgive his enemies with his last breath.

The Transition:

Now, most of us will never be called to face what Stephen faced.

But we are all called to the same starting point.

We are all called to look at the ' tables' in our own lives.

5. Application: The Unserved Table

If you know Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—you already have your credentials.

Your 'Next Step' isn't a giant leap; it’s a small turn toward a practical need.

What’s the 'unserved table' in front of you this week?

Is it the neighbor whose porch needs fixing?

Is it the person in the lobby who looks like they haven't been 'seen' all day?

Is it the Vacation Bible School Team?

How about a Sunday School class that needs a teacher to start?

Don't wait for a formal invitation.

If you know the Way, you're already qualified for the work."

If you see the need, help fill it.

6. Action: Take the "Stephen Step"

I want us to get practical. We’re moving from the 'extra' section into the 'main cast' of this movie.

Identify the Gap:

Today, take a drive through your neighborhood, or just look around this church.

Where is the 'unserved table'?

Where are the someone being overlooked?

2. Accept the 'Chicken Suit':

What is the task you’ve been avoiding because it feels too small?

Commit to doing that task this week with the same Spirit Stephen had at his table.

3. Commit to the Wall:

Decide today that you will no longer be 'just another rock' in a pile.

Find your place to serve in the church.

If you aren't in your spot, the wall is weaker.

4. Trust the Director:

Believe that the same Spirit that empowered Stephen is the same Spirit that will empower you today.

Remember: Stephen’s death paved the way for another background actor named Saul and helped bring him to Christ.

God turns even our smallest acts of availability into ultimate blessings.

Lets pray.