Acts 6:7
It is more than noteworthy that Stephen was not an apostle. He was not one of the original twelve foundational apostles. He was not Jewish. He was not a bishop. He was what some might refer to as only a deacon, one chosen to assist in the day-to-day secular administration of the church, but you could not find a more dedicated, anointed, sanctified, impressive servant of the Most High.
He is glowingly described as full of faith and power and as a man who did great wonders and miracles among the people. He is so effective as a spokesperson and representative of Christ, that Luke, the chronicler of these events records – “And they were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which he spake”(Acts 6:10).
Stephen dumbfounded his audience and mesmerized his critics and opposers. As he bore witness for Christ before the Sanhedrin council, the Word informs that they saw his face as it had been the face of an angel (Acts 7:15). He courageously becomes the first martyr of the church. What a life of distinguished excellence and service!
Some of the things we learn from this amazing servant of the Lord is, you do not have to be an apostolic-bishop to lead and live a most dynamic and productive life. He was chosen from among the people to become one of the first and foremost deacons of the primitive church.
He came to prominence in time of great crisis. He lived such an exemplary life that when a crisis developed in the church, he was chosen to assist with the solution (Acts 6:1-3). Stephen was not a part of the problem, but certainly became a part of the solution. He lived a life of Christian readiness and usefulness. He fulfilled the criteria needed to serve in any New Testament ministry. He was honest, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom (Acts 6). He was just right and ready. He lived a life of great service and consecration.
Stephen walked in the shadow of no man. He was not waiting for credentials from the apostles or to be recognized by them. He did not jockey himself into office or put forward his name to be recognized or considered. He just served and was already serving before apostolic recognition or delegation. He just knew he was God’s man and God’s spokesperson.
Lastly what we learn and observe about Stephen is how short his life seemed to be. He is brought on the scene in Acts 6 and by Acts 7, his time is up. He is edited out! Yet in that short space of time, one sees an amazing man with a most brilliant testimony. May the lesson be learned that it is not so much how long you live or have lived, but the kind of life you have lived.
Some people live long and do extraordinarily little but some live short and do so much. May we as His servants be more concerned about the quality of our lives than the length of our days. What brilliant lessons we learn from the movingly impressive life of Stephen! As he lived triumphantly, he also dies nobly and victoriously (Acts7:54-60).
Leroy V. Greenaway
Presiding Bishop – Northeast Region
