Last week, we learned: about the choosing of the seven men to assist with the daily food distribution of the early church. that the twelve apostles were so active in the preaching and teaching of God’s word that they did not have time to properly oversee the daily food distribution and some within the church were feeling overlooked, they encouraged the church to nominate seven men for the task of overseeing the food distribution. that serving others in imitation of Christ’s service of others is foundational to following Jesus and we were challenged to examine our service of others.

“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.  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—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”  

“So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”

Acts chapter 6 provides us with a transition point within the book Acts chapter 6 provides us with a transition point within the book. Two transitions are implied: a widening circle of evangelization for the church a resulting shift in the overall makeup of the church We encountered this transition last week as we learned of the fully Hebrew disciples – the Peters and Johns - delegating leadership to Greek speaking, most likely foreign born Jews – The Stephens and Philips.

For centuries within Judaism there had been a nearly inherent bigotry of privilege based upon birthright and birth place. The fact that there exists a willingness to share leadership roles within the church points to the breaking down of a long established culture of genealogical privilege. Christianity is expanding beyond the core of traditional Judaism; it somehow eclipses the limits of Judaism.

Because Peter and the other apostles met in the temple courts , we can be fairly certain that most who were exposed to their message were devout, Jerusalem based Jews. Stephen is said to be receiving opposition from those who attend the “Synagogue of the Freedmen”, which means he’s been teaching within their synagogue.

The Synagogue of the Freedmen: was populated by “Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia”. was most likely attended by Greek-speaking Jewish former slaves who were brought to Jerusalem after Rome’s conquering of Judea and subsequently freed. was perhaps the synagogue that Saul frequented. Stephen is not preaching to Hebraic Jews who frequented the temple, the religious centre of Judaism; he is now preaching to Greek-speaking Jews born in foreign lands, who worship apart from the temple.

This widening circle of evangelization began to pose a challenge to the early church. Because of the witness of the early church, many began to question what happens to the temple, the priesthood, and the cumbersome Jewish customs now that Jesus – the Jewish Messiah – had come. It is this question that Stephen seems to be seeking to answer through his ministry to the Jews of the Synagogue of the Freedmen.

In Acts chapter 6, what was Stephen chosen by the apostles to do? What is he doing in our text today? How does Stephen move from waiting on tables to preaching and teaching, to the ministry of the Word? God is not looking for the most talented, polished or accomplished through whom to work; He’s merely looking for people with an openness to serve. Because of this openness to being used by God, God used Stephen as He saw fit. Stephen was a willing instrument in God’s hand and God used him to accomplish great things. Our attitude toward serving others is incredibly important.

The charge against Stephen from the Jews of the Synagogue of the Freedmen is that: “we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” Was it an accurate charge? In response to questions about how Christianity impacts the temple and religious system of Judaism, Stephen probably responded quoting various words of Christ. “… destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days”. (John 2:19) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”. (Matthew 5:17) So, technically, Stephen might have spoken of the destruction of the temple or a change within the Law.

The applications of these quotes do not encourage a physical destruction of the temple or an abandonment of the Law. The reality of Christ as the Messiah is that much of Judaism ought to change. Stephen did not speak against the temple or the law, but elevated Christ to His place of prominence, over and above the temple and the law. For those deeply steeped in the customs of Judaism, this would have been a tough pill to swallow. In response to their inability to refute Stephen’s words, the men of the Synagogue of the Freedmen came up with an alternate plan.

They coerced people into making false claims about Stephen; false in the sense that they were incomplete reiterations of Stephen’s words. The similarities between what happened to Christ and what is happening to Stephen are eerie - the false witness about Christ centered on His words about the “destruction of the temple”. There seems to be a pattern here, used against both Christ and Stephen: seek to trap the person verbally, incite general opposition through the telling of partial truths, and produce false witnesses against the person.

Brought before the Sanhedrin, they notice something unique about Stephen; our text tells us that “they saw that his face was like the face of an angel”. Parallel with The Transfiguration of Christ In our text, so full of the Spirit, so full of wisdom, faith, grace, and power is Stephen that the glory of God shines from his face. It is so apparent that God is at work through Stephen that even the members of the Sanhedrin take note of what’s occurring within Stephen; the presence of God within his witness is undeniable.

Stephen’s transition from table-waiter to preacher teaches us something about leadership in the body of Christ. The apostles – those in closest contact with Christ and those directly commissioned by Jesus to preach – could very easily have been possessive of this role, but they weren’t. They were able to recognize the presence of the Spirit in his life and then empower Stephen to follow the Spirit’s leading, even if this means that he now preaches and performs wonders just as they do. Are we concerned with embracing and encouraging others in the Lord, or is our focus on protecting our positions? Do we see ourselves as disciplers – those who train up others to supersede us - or do we see our role as something different?

None of this would have happened were it not for Stephen’s vibrant and apparent relationship with Jesus Christ. Stephen was a man abandoned to Jesus, one whose heart was yielded to the Spirit of God. In Stephen and among those of the early church, we see lives lived only for God, and those who came into contact with these men and women couldn’t help but identify that God was at work in them.

Are we a people among whom God is visibly and vibrantly at work? Does the community around us identify that God is present among us? Have we placed more value in being liked by others than in being obedient to God? Remember Christ once said “blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22).