The Man with the Face of an Angel
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Jesus’ instruction to the 12 in Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
chapter 2 - the coming of the HS at Pentecost - speaking in other languages - Peter preached and bore witness to Christ - 3000 were added
chapters 3-4 - lame beggar healed - Peter’s sermon - appearance before the Council - bold witness - prayer for boldness - fellowship of the believers by sharing possessions
chapter 5 - Ananias and Saphira lie to the HS in their attempt to gain recognition - put to death - Apostles arrested for preaching - were beaten and freed
up to chapter 6 the apostles had been witnessing only in Jerusalem
this is where the initial growth of the church had been experienced
Peter was the key spokesperson
in chapter 6 another problem arose
the church had developed a feeding program for widows and some and had been neglected
the Apostles delegated this responsibility to 7 men chosen by the church so that they could keep focusing on their responsibilities of preaching and prayer
two of the men chosen were Stephen and Philip
Stephen and Philip serve as the transition from Peter’s ministry to the Jews to Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles
both men were also gifted teachers and evangelists and both were used mightily by God
Stephen became the church’s first martyr and his death sparked a wave of intense persecution which forced the believers out of Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria and beyond
as they fled they kept preaching the gospel and it spread from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria
this is where we find Philip preaching and ministering
then in chapter 9 the focus shifts to Paul and his ministry to the Gentiles and the spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth
today we are going to look at what made Stephen such a great servant of God
what was it about Stephen that made him such an effective evangelist?
what made him a man of calm assurance in the face of vicious persecution?
is it possible for us to be like Stephen? a highly useful servant?
The Man
The Man
met the qualifications of 6:3: what the church saw in Stephen
of good repute
anyone who knew him, Christian or non-christian, spoke highly of him
when people spoke in his favour there were no “buts”
he had a reputation for being good and doing good
he was blameless
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
full of the Spirit
this is not a supernatural gift!
baptism vs filling of Spirit
baptism: happens when God calls us out of our sin into saving faith
God sends the HS to take up residence within us
we are baptized with the Spirit
the experience of every true believer when they are justified
filling comes immediately after being baptized
as the HS takes up residence in us he begins his work of sanctification
the process of making us righteous and holy
the speed and depth of that work depends on our submission to him
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
experiencing the fullness of the Spirit is tied to knowledge of the Word and working it out in daily living
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
being full of the Spirit is the key to being effective in your witness
the reason why there is so little evangelism happening:
professing Christians are more full of the world than of the HS
full of wisdom
“the capacity to understand, and hence act wisely”
the ability to assess a situation or matter and choose a godly course of action
Solomon possessed this before he turned to idolatry
example of the 2 women arguing over the baby
where does this wisdom come from?
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Read Proverbs 2
Stephen named first among the 7 indicating that he was the chief (5)
of all the believing men in Jerusalem the 7 best men were chosen
of the 7 Stephen was first among them having a great reputation, full of the Spirit and full of wisdom
full of faith & the HS (5)
full = filled up
he was totally controlled by faith and the HS
to be full of faith is to trust god
to be full of the Spirit is to fully obey His will
focus is heavenward
describes his relationship with God
Stephen was a man who walked with God
cannot be such a man without sacrifice
as it is with those who would become professional athletes so with those who would be most useful to the Lord
read Col 3:1-17
full of grace and power, was doing great wonders & signs (8)
filled up with grace and power it overflowed in his ministry to the blind, the lame, the sick and the demon possessed
when Luke says that Stephen was full of faith and the Spirit the focus is heavenward, here the focus is outward toward others
Stephen’s love for God spilled over in his love for others
Jesus’ and the greatest commandment
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?
signs and wonders were God’s seal of approval on the man and his message
a man whose doctrine and behaviour met the approving eye of God
The Opposition
The Opposition
opposition to the gospel from the Jewish people
those who belonged to the synagogues of the Freedmen, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, Cilicia & Asia rose up and disputed with Stephen (9)
Paul’s method of evangelism:
when he came to a town he would go the synagogue and preach
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
unbelieving Jews would eventually reject Paul and his gospel being filled with jealousy because of the great numbers who were drawn to him to hear the gospel
out of those synagogues converts were won and churches were established
it is more than likely Stephen was doing something like this, going to these synagogues mentioned by Luke and preaching the gospel
rose up = they confronted Stephen
they rejected the gospel and were unwilling to let him teach
“disputed” (9) = a formal debate
“could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (10)
the Jews with their manmade reasoning could not win against the wisdom and Spirit with which Stephen spoke
The Plot
The Plot
unable to win fairly the debate the Jews recruited and coached false witnesses to accuse Stephen of blasphemy
just like was done at Jesus’ trial (Mt 26:59-61)
plural, “men”: OT law required more than one witness in order for the charge to be heard
then they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes
they seized Stephen and brought him before the council
The Charge
The Charge
speaks blasphemous words against Moses and God (11)
16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
note how in their accusation they put Moses before God, such was their zeal for the Law
the false accusations against Stephen (13-14) give us more insight into the reason for the opposition of the Jews
"this man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law” (v13)
the temple and the Law were most highly revered by the Jews
Temple represented God and the Law Moses
to speak against either the Temple or the Law was to speak against God and Moses
was considered blasphemy for which the penalty was death
what Stephen was most likely saying:
the torn veil demonstrated that the way to God was open to all who believe in Christ
the Temple was no longer required for anyone to draw near to God
Christ the one sacrifice for all sins fulfilled the ceremonial law and it too is no longer required
Jews twisted Stephen’s words to make them sound like an attack on God and Moses
Jesus also preached this and was accused of blasphemy
with violence they seized Stephen and dragged him before the Council for trial
they turned violently against this man who had done signs and wonders among them
just like what happened to Jesus after his Triumphal entry
Their accusation: “this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”
same accusation used against Jesus when he was really speaking of his body (Jn 2:19-21)
Jesus of Nazareth = term of contempt
Nathaniel - “can anything good come from Nazareth” (Jn 1:46)
The Change
The Change
having been accused of being an evil blasphemer of God and Moses his face changed to the likeness of an angel
the holiness and glory of God began to radiate through his face
God himself intervened on Stephen’s behalf by putting His glory on his face
Stephen’s enemies accused but God affirmed
only one other person in history had this happen to him, Moses!
read Ex 34:29-35
just as God approved of Moses and his teaching so also he approved of Stephen’s
despised and rejected by men, approved and glorified by God
the message: by rejecting Stephen they were rejecting God
Concluding Thoughts
Concluding Thoughts
Stephen a key figure in the history of the early church
he was significant not just because he was the church’s first martyr but because of his character
he is proof that a single person can make a powerful and long lasting impact in a very short period of time
the efforts of one faithful person can have a far-reaching impact
how does the world measure greatness?
fame, power, wealth, popularity, physical beauty
the world does not understand true greatness
it crucified Jesus, stoned Stephen, crucified Peter and beheaded Paul
it continues to persecute the church and will until Christ returns
though Stephen was considered to be a blasphemer and was killed he was a man of great character and power
we must be careful not to think of greatness the way the world does
is often the reason for quarrelling and divisions in the church
people who are focused on becoming like Christ don’t have time for things like that!
Stephen was first full of faith and the HS and then full of grace and power
any Christian who would be useful to the Lord must first do the hard work of putting sin to death in their lives
Col 3:1-17
Stephen was a man who was full of grace and power because he lived a life of holiness and righteousness
to many believers rob themselves of this power because they keep dabbling with sin
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Stephen was full of the HS
this is the privilege of every true believer
every true believer is baptized with the Spirit at conversion
the degree to which we obey God is the degree to which we will be filled with the Spirit
Stephen believed God and walked in submission to His will
these two realities are the key to a vibrant Christian life
Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey
Stephen was full of grace.
because he trusted God, walked in obedience to the Spirit, he was given great grace to face persecution and death
fear did not control him and neither did hate, only trust and submission
he could be gracious even in the face of death because of his confidence in God and submission to his divine purpose
as as result God’s grace flowed out of his life to others
perhaps this was the reason he was chosen to minister to widows
Stephen was even gracious to those who killed him, praying for their forgiveness as they threw the stones which would crush his life
the only way we can live like this is by dying to ourselves
too often we are focused on our own interests and as a result have little time or inclination to surrender ourselves to God
Stephen was full of power.
a direct result of his being filled with the HS
It is a basic NT principle that a righteous man or woman will do righteous deeds.
all Christian joy and usefulness, all power and gracious service, flow out of faith and obedience
Stephen’s life displayed God’s grace and power because he was filled with obedient faith and the HS
those traits marked him with greatness
there is not other path to a significant life for God than this
every believer should remember Stephen and imitate those qualities in his life that made him a man with the face of an angel
every believer has been given the HS, all we need to do is set him free to do His work by cleansing ourselves of everything that is displeasing to Him
be filled w HS by letting Word dwell richly in you