The Faith of Stephan

Stephan is a person mentioned only once in scripture.  He is not a person that is given much attention.  He was elected to serve tables so that the disciples could do the important work of preaching and teaching.  I bring up Stephan because yesterday, after writing about how Jesus tells us not to worry, I thought about Stephan's story.  I thought of him because of his extraordinary reaction to his accusers.

We are told that as Stephan waited tables he was a most gracious and Spirit filled presence. He also did, or said, some things that offended some of the synagogue leaders.  So, is often the case when jealousy occurs, the synagogue leader conspired to get rid of Stephan.  Their methods were much like those used to get rid of Jesus. They had Stephan arrested. Then they brought in some false witnesses to prove their case. However, a strange thing happened in that courtroom.  It says that as Stephan listened to his accusers something strange occur to Stephan’s appearance: they saw that his face was like the face of an angel….

He was unafraid of their human judgment!  He was not intimidated by their treats of death.  Instead he began to speak!  And like Peter on the Day of Pentecost, his boldness was clearly evident.  He retold the Old Testament stories about Abraham, Joseph and Moses ending with these powerful words:

51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it." 54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth against him.

Stephan, like the prophet of old, had been speaking for God as he served the ordinary folk’s tables. And now, he like the prophets, was facing the same fate. Yet, he faced death acting on pure faith!  He must have known that his words would insight their fury.  And yet he told the ugly truth! The truth about the history of a people who had for centuries chosen the human way over God’s way.  A people that refuse to listen to those who came in God’s name.  

Stephan did not worry about what they said; or what they would do to him. Clearly he had a faith that trusted in what God was doing through him.  Listen to how he faced their jealous wrath:

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." 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon 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 prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.  

Stephan seemed totally in tuned to God’s presence in the situation.  He seemed unafraid, or intimidated, by those who stood before him with all their false evidence.  There seem to be no anxiousness about him.

Don’t you wish you could be that strong?

Well, the truth is we can!  We even when we have doubts and questions. We can!

(All of the references come from the book of Acts chapters 6 & 7.)