STEPHEN’S FAITH AND SPIRIT

Acts 6:8 - 7:60

Key Verses 7:59-60

“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then, he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he said this, he fell asleep.”

Today’s passage is about Stephen, the first martyr in the Christian Church.   As we studied last few weeks, the early church had overcome the growing pain of internal and external problems. First the Apostles were arrested repeatedly by the temple authority.  The Apostles taught the people at the temple court as Jesus did.  They were like thorns to the eyes of the temple authority, especially Sadducees and they were repeatedly arrested, put in jail or flogged.  Second, disputes between Grecian Jews and Hebraic Jews threatened the unity of the church. The Holy Spirit guided them to choose the seven men to serve the needy people and helped the Apostles to concentrate themselves on prayer and ministry of the words.  

When they overcame these problems, what happened?  Look at verse 7.  So the word of God spread to many Jews in Jerusalem and the number of disciples increased rapidly, and even a large number of priests became obedient to the gospel faith (6:7). As the Holy Spirit worked mightily, the evil spirit also worked diligently.  Today’s passage shows the first martyr of early Christian church, Stephen’s faith and spirit.  This event clearly demonstrates how gospel of Jesus was not the extension of Judaism, but much greater than that, which has been prepared by God himself. Stephen’s faith and spirit testified this gospel boldly even in the face of death. On his blood, the Holy Spirit led the gospel out of Jerusalem and spread all over the world. This message can be divided three parts.

I. Stephen’s faith and spirit (6:8-15)

Who was Stephen? His name ‘Stephen’ (Greek, Stephanos) means, ‘wreath’ or ‘crown’. We don’t know his background, birth place or how he became a Christian, but his name suggests he was one of Grecian Jews.  He was one of the seven stewards chosen among people who were known to be full of the spirit and wisdom (6:3). Apparently he was a leading man among the seven.   Look at verse 6:5a. “This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (6:5a).”     

When the author, Luke introduced the seven men, he specifically mentioned for Stephen, who was full of faith and the Holy Spirit.  He also was a man full of God’s grace and power (8).  Let’s read verse 8. “Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.” (6:8)     Every passage describing Stephen is using ‘full’ of something.  He is not a man of ‘ half filled’ in anything.  I imagine that he had a booming, penetrating voice, with infectious smile. His face was like face of shining angel.  You know if you are full of faith and spirit your face is shining like angel.  Wherever he was, there was little boisterous noise like Shepherd Terry, so everybody had to pay attention on him.  

What was his responsibility in the church? He was chosen initially to oversee the distribution of food to widows. He and the other six did this serving job superbly because there was no complaint whatsoever, even from the Hebraic Jews. Not only he did this job superbly but also taught the word of God diligently just like our shepherds. 

I don’t know exactly how old Stephen was, but I think he was a young man, maybe 20’s or early 30s.  The characteristics of young man are his passion and enthusiasm.  If a young man does not have a passion, he is no longer young man.  They have passionate devotion and feel sense of invincibility. But generally, young men do not have much wisdom and make a lot of mistakes in the way because they don’t have a lot of life experience yet. I think it is O.K because they learn from their mistakes and grow. How about Stephen?  Stephen was full of Spirit as well as full of wisdom because he was guided by the Holy Spirit.

Until now, the Apostles preached the gospel of Jesus mainly in the temple court. However, Stephen pioneered new mission field, Grecian synagogues. Look at verse 9. “Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen (6:9)” 

He himself was a Grecian Jew, so he had a special broken shepherd heart toward his old friends, Grecian Jews, so he visited all of the Grecian Jews’ synagogues in Jerusalem.  He taught them that Jesus’ cross and resurrection were a new covenant, which is much more than Moses’ old covenant or temple worship.  How’s his ministry?  Look at verse 8 again.   His message had full of God’s grace and power, so many people repented and accepted the gospel. His message was so powerful, he did great wonders and performed miraculous signs among the people (8). As many people repented and accepted Stephen’s message, the strong opposition also arose against him. 

Look at verses  9-10. Here, the name of synagogue, ‘the Synagogue of Freedmen’ suggests that the members of this synagogue were former slaves or descendents of the slaves who came back to Jerusalem. They came from Cyrene, Africa, Alexandria, Egypt, or Province of Cilicia and Asia. They probably had painful experiences of slavery in the foreign lands, and they were longing for their freedom, so they came back to their homeland when they were freed.  However, they were despised as a second class citizen by the Hebraic Jews because they could not speak the Hebrews fluently and their life styles were foreign. They wanted to show they were not a second class Jews.  Because of this, I think they may have been more nationalistic and radically cling to the Jewish traditions than other Jews. They argued against Stephen, but they could not stand up against Stephen because of his wisdom or his spirit (10).

Then, some of them conspired against him. They twisted his words and falsely charged him and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They were full of murderous hatred toward Stephen and treated him as they had treated Jesus. Look at verse 11.   “Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." (6:11)  They charged Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and against God.  This was a serious charge punishable to death.  What was Stephen’s response? 

Look at verse 15.  “All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (6:15)     

Stephen was not fearful, upset and angry at them. His face was like the face of an angel. Everyone could see the godliness of his inner man in the time of trial. Stephen’s imitation of Christ was not only his face, but he learned Jesus’ faith and love for God from his heart. How come he could have calm and angelic face in this critical moment?  Let’s read Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Because he was full of spirit, he had the real fruits of the Holy Spirit.

II. “You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (7:1-53)

Look at verse 1. The high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?” He referred to their false charges that Stephen had spoken against Moses, against God and the temple. Here we can see the problem of the Sanhedrin members. They saw just the temple building, but not the God of the temple. They practiced religious rituals, but did not see God who gave them the law. They wanted to argue with Stephen on a human level. But Stephen was a man who saw God. Stephen did not argue with them. Instead, Stephen taught them about the living God. He briefly reviewed the history of the relationship of God and his people, Israel.  

The major point of this long message is the Israelites’ repeated failures and rebelliousness against God’s grace and love.  The long history of the Israel consists of God’s grace and redemption upon the sinful, rebellious people. This is not just between God and the Israelites, but between God and us, the sinners.

God’s relationship with the Israelites began with one man Abraham.  God called Abraham while he was still in the pagan land, Mesopotamia. God commanded “Leave your country and your people and go to the land I will show you.”   So Abraham obeyed God and his long journey of faith began.  That’s why he is the father of faith. God had a great vision and through this one man Abraham, He wanted to raise a nation of people who would worship God only among idol worshipers.  God gave Abraham a son, Isaac. The covenant to Abraham was passed on to his son, Isaac, and later to his grand son, Jacob and the great grand sons, twelve patriarchs. 

Joseph was a fourth-generation missionary whose older brothers were all corrupt. When Joseph wanted to live a God-centered life among them, they were jealous and hated him. They sold him as a slave into Egypt. In the midst of his trouble, God was with him and intervened in Joseph’s life and used him his instrument to save his family and the world from famine. 

God used Egypt as a womb for his people to increase in number and grow into a great nation. When Moses was born, the Israelites became slaves in Egypt and were groaning and moaning. Moses was born with God’s special purpose for his life. By God’s mercy, God made Moses a prince in Egypt. However, when he was willing to give up all of his privilege as a royal prince and wanted to rescue his own people with his own zeal and power, he failed miserably. He was rejected by his own people. He lost everything and he had to flee to Midian, the wilderness and he lived as a shepherd in the desert. After forty years in the desert training, God called Moses to be a shepherd for his people. 

Stephen emphasizes that the same Moses who gave up all of his privilege, was rejected by his own people.  However, he was raised by God to be their deliverer. In this, Moses has a common factor with Jesus. God sent Jesus as the promised Messiah to his people Israel. But, they rejected Jesus publicly and put him to death. But God raised Jesus from the dead. Through his resurrection, God declared with power that Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. 

Look at verse 37. “This is that Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.’” Jesus was the prophet like Moses. Like Moses, Jesus was a deliverer and a mediator. Moses delivered the Israelites from Egypt, led them through the Red Sea and then through the desert for forty years. 

Now Stephen turns his attention to the issue of the Jerusalem temple. By tracing the history of the temple he reveals its true nature and purpose. The temple was built to house the tabernacle of the Testimony which God gave the Israelites in the desert. Its very name, the tabernacle of the Testimony, teaches us that the primary purpose of the temple, is to contain the word of God. Jesus taught the word of God in the temple. Jesus’ disciples stood in the temple courts and told the gospel of the new life in Jesus. In doing so they fulfilled the purpose of God for the temple. Stephen urges the religious leaders to see the God of the temple instead of the temple building.

At this point, Stephen begins the direct application of his message to the people. I am sure that Stephen knew he was risking his life. But Stephen did not think of himself. Stephen wanted to save his spiritually blinded people from their sin. I think the Holy Spirit urged him to speak his final verdict. 

Look at verses 7:51-53: “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him–you who received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”  It was a stern warning against their sins.

Stephen said, “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!”  What does ‘the Stiff-necked people’ mean?  Does it mean “people with neck disc or meningitis”?  If a certain bacteria infect the brain, the brain becomes inflamed, which causes the neck so stiff that his or her chin can’t touch the chest. It is one of many signs for this serious disease. Untreated bacterial meningitis is so dangerous that often the patient dies within 48 hours.  Spiritually speaking, the stiff-necked people are too proud to repent. They were like contracted with spiritual meningitis. They could not bend their neck and bow down to the Almighty God. The stiff necked people can never accept Jesus unless they understand how serious their condition is. There is one simple diagnostic test whether you have this spiritual meningitis or not. If you see other stiff-necked or proud person around you and it is rather impossible for you to stand his or her stiff-neck syndrome, it is a clear sign you are also stiff-necked.  Apostle Paul was stiff-necked, so am I. I was so stiff-necked in the past.  I thought the Bible was so wrong and unscientific that it is impossible for me to believe, though I wished to believe. But when I was forced to be humble by God’s grace, I began to acknowledge I was possibly wrong, then, I could understand the Bible and accept it.

Stephen plainly rebuked their sin of putting Jesus to death. Here we learn that sometimes we must deliver a clear message to the people of our time. We must tell wayward young men and women to repent.  When they receive the message of truth, they have a choice; either angry, and resist the Holy Spirit or repent. If the stiff-neck people don’t repent, their spirits will surely die.  What happened to the unrepentant Israelites who resisted the Holy Spirit?  At A.D. 70, their glorious temple was completely demolished by the Roman army and most of them were killed or exiled and wandered for 2000 years.

III. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (7:54-60)

What was their response?  Look at verse 54. “When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.” When they heard Stephen’s plain rebuke, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at Stephen. But Stephen did not look at their angry faces. Stephen was calm, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (55). In the physical world, his life was in danger. But in the spiritual world, Stephen was with Jesus and he could see the glory of God. Stephen said, “Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (56). At this, they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him (57, 58). They lost their temper and ignored all procedures completely and forgot even to sentence him. What did Stephen do in his death?  Look at verses 59-60. “While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.” 

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (59). It was the moment of death. But Stephen was not overcome by the power of death. He saw Jesus right there with him. He was willing to surrender his spirit to Jesus. Let’s look at Rev. 2:10 “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

 

Stephen’ body was wrecked with pain, but his spirit went to be with Jesus who crowned him with everlasting glory and victory. The love of God so filled his soul that, as he fell on his knees, he cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (60). He was faithful, to the point of death. What was he faithful to?  He was faithful to the word of God, “Love your enemy and pray for them.” It is not natural for the human being. If some one hit us, we really want to hit him back harder. If some crazy guys destroyed the twin towers, you wanted to revenge and bomb the whole country.  However, there was no bitterness or curse in Stephen. He truly wanted his enemies to be forgiven and to enter the same glory that he himself was entering. When we studied this passage, one of our shepherds mentioned that this Stephen’s prayer is more powerful than the suicidal bombers. The Moslem suicidal bombers hated their enemies so much, they were willing to kill themselves to inflict as much harm as possible to their enemies.  They think they were martyrs to give their lives by killing the enemies. However, they killed mostly innocent people. Their hearts were full of hatred, so it does not matter to them. They were cowards and had not moved any one’s heart.  However, Stephen’s act of martyrdom was the proof of God’s victory over death and hatred. It became a powerful catalyst in the eventual conversion of a young man named Saul, who was a ring leader in persecution.  He became an Apostle Paul, who was a God’s chosen instrument for the whole Gentile world.  

In America, it is not easy for us to feel the urgency of evangelism because there is no severe outward persecution here. The gospel of Jesus finally came to the small FarEast Asian country, Korea about 200 years. Once they accepted the gospel, they were fierce to keep their faith.  In Korea, there were more than 50,000 martyrs to be faithful to Jesus.  Among them, 103 martyrs were sanctified and became Catholic saints.  In fact, I heard that Korea has more Catholic saints in the world except Italy.  In Seoul, there is a place near Han river called Jeol-du-san, literally means, ‘beheaded mountain’.  Many martyrs were beheaded below this cliff. Near Jeol-du-san, there is a foreigners’ cemetery where many foreign missionaries buried.  Many tomb stones indicate that many young men and women or sometimes whole family gave their lives to plant the gospel of Jesus in Korea and buried here in the faraway country from their homes. God used their sacrifice to plant the word of God in Korean people and their labors were not in vain. I am one of their spiritual fruits. Their spirit still lives in many Korean Christians and missionaries.  Wherever our UBF missionaries go, they survive like a little flame and start to the work of God. 

Conclusion:

In this passage we learned the faith and spirit of Stephen. Stephen’s martyrdom looks like a great tragedy, but God used this as a catalyst to spread the gospel to the end of the earth. The Holy Spirit did not want the early Christians to stay only in Jerusalem and forced them to scatter from Jerusalem to Samaria, to the end of the earth through Stephen’s blood. The enemies of God wanted to put down the flame of the gospel by killing Stephen, but they could not.  Wherever they went, they went with the flame of the gospel and it spread like a wild fire. We must learn the faith and spirit of Stephen. Then we can testify to the stiff-necked campus students that Jesus is living and that God will make America a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. May God give each of us the faith and spirit of Stephen.  Amen

One Word: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”

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