Zion VBS - Stephen

Let’s Say You’re Running a Business

You Want this Business to Be Successful and Grow

But Your Employees Aren’t Willing to Pull Their Own Weight/Do Their Share of the Work

What’s Going to Happen to Your Business?

It’s Not Going to Be Successful

It’s Not Going to Grow

It’s Going to Fail

What About the Church?

Jesus Obviously Wants it to Grow By Successfully Carrying Out His Mission

But What if His Servants/Christians Don’t Want Do Their Share?

The Church is Not Going to Be Successful in Carrying Out His Mission

The Church is Not Going to Grow

Paul Laid Out to the Ephesians Jesus’ Structure and Plan for the Church to Be Successful and Grow

Ephesians 4:10–16 (NASB95)

He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

There are Many Different Roles to Play in the Body of Christ

And Every Christian is Meant to Play a Role

When Every Part of the Body Does its Work…

When Every Person Pulls Their Own Weight…

When Every Member Does Their Share…

The Body Grows and is Built Up in Love

Christianity is Not a Spectator Religion

We Don’t Have Laymen, We are All Priests

Every Christian is to Contribute to the Work of the Church

And When We Aren’t All Doing Our Part…

The Body Doesn’t Grow Like it Should

The Church Isn’t Built Up in Love Like it Should Be

And Practically Speaking, Things Fall Through the Cracks and are Left Undone

The 1st Century Church Made a Habit of Taking Care of Each Other

Those Who Were Financially Able Would Give Money to the Apostles…

Who Would Then Distribute it to Any Christians in Need

But as the Church Continued to Grow, Naturally, this Ministry Became Increasingly More Difficult to Manage

Acts 6:1 (NASB95)

Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

The Church was Growing, Which Means the List of Needy Christians was Growing

At this Point, There was a Daily Distribution of Food Amongst the Needy in the Church

Widows Were Among the Most Needy

But, Unfortunately, Some of the Hellenistic Widows Were Being Overlooked

Hellenism Refers to the Spread of Greek Culture

So the Hellenistic Widows in this Text Likely Refers to:

Jewish Widows Who Were Born Outside of Palestine, Speak Greek, and are Accustomed to Greek Culture

Some of Hellenistic Widows Amongst this Growing Church…

Were Being Neglected When it Came to the Daily Distribution of Food

They Were Unable to Provide for Themselves

They Had No One to Provide for Them, Except Their Siblings in Christ

But Now They are Being Neglected By Them as Well

Complaining is Never Viewed as a Good Thing in the New Testament

But Surely We Can at Least See Where the Hellenistic Christians are Coming From

It Seems the Hebrew Widows are Being Well Taken Care of…

But the Hellenistic Widows Aren’t

A Person’s Culture Plays a Large Part in How They Read and Interpret the Bible

As White Christians, it’s Easy for Us to Read this Passage and Simply Say:

“Oh, it was an Honest Mistake that These Women Were Neglected!”

And That Very Well May Be the Case

But it Makes Me Wonder How a Majority Black Christian Audience Might Read and Interpret this Passage

I Don’t Assume to Speak for Black Christians…

But I Would Understand if They Interpreted this Neglect of the Hellenistic Widows…

As Based Upon Discrimination Instead of an Honest Mistake

That Might Give Us Some Insight into the Complaint of the Hellenists

It’s Probably Best that We Don’t Assume They Were Entitled and Ungrateful Complainers

They Might Have Perceived this to Be Discriminatory Instead of an Accident

In That Case, Their Complaints Would’ve Been Against Injustice in Jesus’ Church

Regardless of the Specifics, They Were Being Neglected

Acts 6:2 (NASB95)

So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.

Once this Complaint Reached the Ears of the Apostles, They Had a Decision to Make

They Called the Jerusalem Church Together

And Their Decision was:

“It Would Be Better for Us to Focus Our Full Attention On Preaching the Gospel…”

“Rather Than Trying to Preach and Serve Tables (Feed People)”

The Apostles Were Coming to an Important Realization:

The Church Needed People Serving Tables

And the Church Needed People Spreading the Good News of King Jesus

And One Person/Group Can’t Always Do Both (Effectively, at Least)

We Have the Wrong Mindset When We Expect One Person/Group of People to Do Everything

First Off, People Eventually Get Burned Out

But Not Just That, Things Get Neglected

This was Happening in the Jerusalem Church

Important Ministries Were Being Neglected

But the Apostles Had a Solution

Acts 6:3 (NASB95)

“Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

The Apostles Told the Church to Choose 7 Men to Be Over the Daily Distribution

These Men Had to Be of a Good Reputation

People In and Outside the Church Know These Men to Be Good, Righteous Men

They Were to Be Full of the Holy Spirit

They Walk with the Spirit and Allow Him to Transform and Produce Fruit Within Them

They Were to Be Full of Wisdom

Wisdom is Needed to Successfully Oversee Any Ministry

Acts 6:4 (NASB95)

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

With this Important Ministry Under the Authority of the 7…

The Apostles Would Now Be Free to Devote Themselves More Fully…

To Prayer and Preaching the Gospel

Now Both Ministries are Being Done with the Full Attention of Those Overseeing Them

No More Divided Attention

No More Things Slipping Through the Cracks

Acts 6:5 (NASB95)

The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

The Church Liked this Idea and Found 7 Men that Fit the Qualifications the Apostles Gave

Acts 6:6–7 (NAS)

And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

After Appointing the Seven to This Ministry…

Do You See What Happened?

The Gospel Continued to Spread and the Church Continued to Grow

When Every Part Does its Share, There is Growth

The More Servants We Have Willing to Serve…

The More Ministries that Can Be Accomplished

And the More Ministries that Can Be Accomplished…

The More the Church is Edified and Our Communities are Reached with the Gospel

And the More the Church is Edified and Reaching Their Communities with the Gospel…

The More Growth We See Within the Church

Wouldn’t it Be Wonderful to Be Part of a Church Where Every Single Person is Involved in Ministry?

Where Everyone is Utilizing Their Own Unique, God-Given Abilities…

To Encourage and Edify Christians and Spread the Message of Jesus to the Lost

That’s the Goal

Everyone Being Involved in the Great Commission of Jesus

Now, Technically, My Lesson is Supposed to Be About Stephen (One of the 7)

So Let’s Get to Stephen

Acts 6:8–10 (NAS)

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Stephen Had a Ministry Within the Church Given By the Apostles

But He Also Had a Mission Outside the Church Given to Him By Jesus

We All Need to Do Our Part in Ministering to the Church

But We Also All Need to Do Our Part in the Mission of the Kingdom

Stephen Experienced Much of the Same Reaction as Jesus

Some Jews From a Local Synagogue Began Arguing with Stephen

But They Were No Match for Him

He was Full of Wisdom and the Holy Spirit

It was Easy to Tell Who was Winning Those Debates

So, the Rest of Chapter 6 Explains How They Began Telling Lies About Stephen and What He was Teaching

This Brought Him to Being On Trial Before the Jewish Supreme Court (The Sanhedrin)

So Now Stephen is Expected to Give a Defense for Himself

But Instead of Trying to Save Himself From Their Slander and Judgement…

Stephen Chose to Defend Jesus

He Begins By Retelling the Story of Their Fore-Father Abraham

How He Trusted in and Obeyed God

How God Promised to Bless, Multiply, and Give Land to His Descendants

This Summary of Their Family History Eventually Led to Joseph

Acts 7:9–10 (NAS)

“The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

See if this Sounds Familiar:

God Chooses a Faithful Man to Rule Over the World

But His Own People, Out of Jealousy, Reject Him

They Get Rid of Him, But it Only Leads to His Enthronement and Rule Over All the World

And Because of His Rule Over the World, the World is Saved

That is the Story of Joseph, But it is Also the Story of Jesus

We’ll See By the End of Stephen’s Defense…

That He is Comparing the Jews of His Day to Their Fore-Fathers

“They Rejected Joseph Just Like You Rejected Jesus”

Then Stephen’s Defense Continued Down the Family History Until He Reached Moses

Acts 7:22–27 (NAS)

22“Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. 23“But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. 24“And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.

25“And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. 26“On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?’ 27“But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?

See if this Sounds Familiar:

God Chooses a Man of Powerful Words and Deeds to Visit His People in Their Affliction

He Sees the Injustice They Face at the Hands of the Evil Forces of the World

He Also Sees the Injustice They Practice Toward One Another

He Wants to Help Them and Reconcile Them to One Another

They Should Have Recognized the Obvious Truth:

That God Sent this Man to Be a Deliverer, Ruler, and Judge Over Them

But They Rejected Him

This is the Story of Moses, But it’s Also the Story of Jesus

Again, the Forefathers of Stephen’s Jewish Audience Rejected Moses…

Just Like They Themselves Rejected Jesus

Stephen Continues with Moses

Acts 7:35–39 (NAS)

35“This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. 36“This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37“This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’

38“This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. 39“Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,

See if This Sounds Familiar:

God’s Chosen Ruler and Deliverer Did Many Amazing Wonders and Signs…

Rescuing the People From Their Slavery

He Passed On the Law of God to Them

But They Were Unwilling to Obey His Commands From God

They Rejected Him and Desired to Be Back in Their Slavery

Again, This is the Story of Moses, But Also the Story of Jesus

Again, Stephen Reminds the Jewish Crowd of Their Fore-Fathers’ Rejection of God’s Chosen One

Just Like They Have Rejected God’s True Chosen One

And He Also Reminds Them that Moses Told the Israelites that a Prophet Like Him Would Come Along

I Wonder if Stephen Paused After That Statement…

Indicating that Jesus is the Very One Whom Moses was Speaking of

Stephen’s Main Point in His Defense of Jesus is Made Clear with What He Says in Verses 51-53:

Acts 7:51–53 (NAS)

“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

“You are Just Like Your Fathers!”

“You Reject the Holy Spirit, Just Like Them”

“They Persecuted the Prophets, and You Betrayed and Murdered the One They Prophesied About”

Acts 7:54 (NAS)

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.

Instead of Allowing Stephen’s Message to “Pierce” Their Hearts, Like in Acts 2

It Cut Them to the Quick in Their Hearts

Instead of Feeling Guilty, They Felt Angry

But as Their Anger Grew…

The Holy Spirit’s Influence in Stephen Grew

Acts 7:55–56 (NAS)

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

This is One of the Most Precious Passages in Scripture

Stephen May Not Know Exactly What is About to Happen…

But Jesus Does

And Jesus Stands for Stephen

Acts 7:57–60 (NAS)

57But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. 58When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen, Like Us, Knew the Teachings of Jesus

Teachings Like:

Matthew 16:24 (NAS)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

Stephen was a Trailblazer for All Persecuted Christians to Come

He was the First to Take this Command All the Way

Stephen Wished to Come After Jesus

Stephen Denied Himself

Stephen Took Up His Cross

And Stephen Followed His King

Even While Stone Upon Stone Smashed into Him, He Wanted to Follow His King

He Wanted the Full Experience of Imitating Jesus in Death

He Asked Jesus to Receive His Spirit…

Which, No Doubt, Jesus Did

And Then He Prayed for the Forgiveness of Those Who Were Killing Him

2 Prayers that Jesus Spoke While on the Cross…

Stephen Spoke to Jesus While Being Stoned

Stephen Fell Asleep that Day

“Asleep” Represents the Temporary Nature of Death

When King Jesus Returns, Stephen and All Other Faithful Believers Will Awake From that Sleep

And the Resurrection to Eternal Life will Be Ours

John Told the Church at Smyrna…

“Be Faithful Until Death, and I Will Give You the Crown of Life”

If Anyone was Faithful Until Death, it was Stephen

Here’s Something Interesting About that Word “Crown”

The Greek Word for “Crown” is “Stephanos”…

Which, in Greek, is the Spelling and Pronunciation of Stephen’s Name

Because Stephanos was Faithful Until Death, Jesus Will Reward Him with the Stephanos of Life

Stephen was a Fearless Defender of His Master and King

We Should All Strive to Be More Like Stephen

Notice the Deeds of this Fearless Defender:

He Ministered to His Siblings in Christ

We are All Called to Be Active in the Ministry of the Church

That Will Look Different From Person to Person…

Because We All Have Different Skills and Gifts

Let’s All Be Active in Ministering to Our Family in Christ, Like Stephen

He Stayed Committed to His Mission

Not Only Did He Serve His Siblings in Christ…

He Also Told the Lost About Jesus

The Great Commission to Make Disciples is for Every Christian

If You Want to Know How to Accomplish that…

Do What Jesus and Stephen Did

Show Love, Kindness, and Compassion to People…

And Then Tell Them Why

He Defended the Honor and Truth of His Lord and King

May God Give Us All the Boldness to Stand Up for Jesus When Those Around Us are Against Him

He Continued to Love Those Who Hated Him

The Way of Jesus is to Love and Pray for Our Enemies

Never Allow the Hatred of the Lost to Overcome Your Love for Them

He was Willing to Die Because of His Faith/Allegiance to His King

Are We Willing to Do the Same

True Allegiance Says, “I’ll Remain Loyal to You, Even if it Kills Me”

May God Help Us All to Have that Type of Faith