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“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…and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit”(Acts 6:3,5, ESV).
In Acts 6-7 Luke tells the story of one of the most faithful and godly men ever—Stephen. He was a bold witness for Christ, who lived what he preached. In the first part of Acts 6, as the church was getting more organized to deal better with its issues, the leaders appointed seven men of great faith and integrity and wisdom. Of the thousands to choose from, Stephen was at the top of the list.
We also learn in Acts 6 that, besides being a faithful servant in the church, Stephen was a great witness for Christ in the world. While helping handle issues within the church, he also took God’s gospel message wherever he went in the hope of growing His church and advancing His Kingdom.
In Acts 7 we learn that Stephen knew the Word of God, how to defend it, and how to contend for the faith. He boldly spoke the truth in love. At the end of Acts 7, however, we learn that he was put to death for his harsh words against Christ’s enemies and his bold stand for Jesus.
There are great contrasts Luke makes in this passage of Scripture between the Christ-hating mob and this man of God. We see that although the mob hated Stephen, Stephen loved and forgave them. We saw Christ respond in a similar way at His crucifixion. We are told, as He was being crucified Christ prayed for His persecutors and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”(Luke 23:34, ESV). Stephen prays the same thing. While they are stoning him, he prays that God would show great grace and mercy to them (Acts 7:60). In Acts 6 we learn that Stephen was “full of grace”. He shows that in his pleas for mercy for his persecutors. Only a spirit-filled, Christlike man of God can love like that.
While the people directed all their hate toward Stephen, there was nothing in Stephen’s heart but love. And though we don’t know what happened to most of the executioners of Stephen, we do know the fate of one. In Acts 7:58 we are told the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of Saul. This is Saul of Tarsus, soon to be Paul the Apostle. He was there at Stephen’s martyrdom, looking on in approval. He may have even been one of the people leading this mob to put Stephen to death.
Later in the book of Acts we learn the fate of Saul. In Acts 9 we learn that God answered Stephen’s prayer. Stephen prayed at the end of Acts 7 that God would show great mercy and grace to his persecutors; in Acts 9 God shows mercy and grace to one of them, Saul. Augustine, when commenting on this verse says, “The church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.”
As believers, we should want to be like Stephen in our lives: Stephen is like Jesus. He was a humble servant, a bold witness, an uncompromising preacher, a skilled teacher, a scholar of Scripture, a messenger of judgment, and an instrument of mercy.
Graham Hale
Graham Hale is the Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Jacksonville, TX. and is a Womenary Professor. He earned a B.A. (Political Science) from the University of Arkansas in 2001 and a M.Div. (Missiology) from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in 2006. Graham is currently pursuing a D.Min. (Pastoral Leadership) at Southwestern Theological Seminary.
