BY DAWN REED
On page 1955 in my Life Application Study Bible, something wonderful happened. Well, “wonderful” might not be the right word. “Important” is probably better.
Acts, chapters 2 and 4, state that the number of believers was growing. Daily. First, 3,000 were saved, then the number of men grew to about 5,000. By the time Acts 6 rolls around – page 1955 – there was a problem. The Grecian Jews – outsiders who spoke Greek – complained against the Hebraic Jews – native Jewish Christians who spoke Hebrew. Their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. My LASB comments that it probably was not intentional, just most likely caused by the language barrier.
The Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God to wait on tables. Choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them,” Acts 6:2-4. These seven men were the first deacons. It was not a popularity contest, not just good ole boys. They were full of the Spirit and wisdom. They were not bosses, not rule makers, but servants: waiting on tables, giving food to the widows.
The plan sounded like a good one. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, along with five others whose names I struggle to pronounce. The apostles prayed for them and laid their hands on them. It was a great day for the church – a giant step into serving those in need. A day some might write in the front pages of their Bible. After Births and before Deaths, on the Special Events page: “Became a deacon: A.D. 35” or thereabout.
The word of God spread. Yay. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly. Double Yay. A large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Wow.
Stephen did not waste a minute. Full of God’s grace and power, he did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. That is on page 1956. How awesome. Stephen surrendered to ministry; God began to use him in great ways.
Opposition arose. It is just the way the devil works.
Accused falsely and seized, Stephen had the opportunity to speak. And boy did he ever. He started with Abraham, went through Joseph, Moses, and David, then ended with reminding the religious leaders that they had murdered Jesus.
They did not take it well. In fact, they were furious and gnashed their teeth. (I try to picture that.) Stephen looked up to heaven. “Look,” he told them, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” They lost the rest of their minds. Covering their ears and yelling at the top of their lungs, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. It is a horrific and dramatic true story.
Stephen surrendered his heart and life to Jesus in Acts 6. He was in heaven at the end of Chapter 7. My eyes fill with tears at the thought. It was such a short time.
Following Jesus – surrendering to Him and His will – does not mean life will be easy. Jesus made that clear: “In this world you will have trouble but take heart. I have overcome the world,” John 16:33.
Stephen’s story is proof that life is incredibly short. He made his chapters count. No matter how many we have in our lives, let’s do the same.