The Book of Acts (August 4, 2024)

Acts 6:8–15 ~ “8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”

Stephen was a layman, which meant, in our day and time, he was a worker in the church. He was not credentialed, didn’t have a license from the church or denomination, he just loved God. However, we also know that he was: full of faith, full of the Holy Spirit, full of grace, full of power, full of wisdom, a man of great reputation or testimony, a man of great works, a great defender of the faith, the first deacon of the church, and the first martyr of the church.

Stephen was a man full of grace (faith) and power, doing great works for God. The word “faith” is grace in the best Greek manuscripts and is probably accurate since Stephen’s great faith has already been mentioned.

• He was full of grace (faith) and by grace is meant …
  • God’s love, favor, gifts, and blessings
  • a godly, gracious character and behavior

Ephesians 3:7 ~ “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.”

1 Timothy 1:14 ~ “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

James 4:6 ~ “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””

• He was full of power.
  • the believer’s power is the presence and power of the Holy spirit within him. The believer has no spiritual power in and of himself. The power is of the Holy Spirit alone. The Holy Spirit is the Divine …
    • Presence
    • Power
    • Force
    • Might
    • Strength
    • Energy
  • … who lives and acts through the believer. The Holy Spirit is the One Who …
    • influences
    • controls
    • produces
    • effects
• … the work of God both within and through the believer. It is not man, but the Holy Spirit alone who has the power to save and mature and work miracles among mankind.

Acts 4:33 ~ “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”

Ephesians 3:20 ~ “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”

2 Timothy 1:7 ~ “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

• He did great wonders and miracles. God’s grace and power were upon him. Both grace and power (The Holy Spirit) are necessary before a person can serve God effectively. Note that Stephen was a deacon and a layman: a dynamic example that should challenge all!

Mark 16:17–18 ~ “17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.””

Stephan was a man who defended the faith:

• Stephen preached and taught in several of the synagogues throughout Jerusalem; he grasped every opportunity he could to preach and teach. He was preaching Christ to those Grecian Jews; Jews who had been kicked out of Roman and many returned to Israel and Jerusalem.
• Verse 9 tells us that some of those Jews, five synagogues in particular, rose up against Stephen, because of what he was preaching. So, let’s look at some of the things Stephen was preaching that these Jews didn’t like:
  • Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, sacrificed for the sins of the world. Animal sacrifices, therefore, were no longer needed.
  • Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and man; man was now to worship God in spirit and in truth through Christ alone. Earthly priests, therefore, were no longer mediators who stood between God and man. They were the ministers and servants of God to the flock of God, but no mediators.
• Stephen was filled with wisdom and with the Spirit of God in defending the faith.
  • “rose up and disputed” means they were able to resist and argue with him.
  • “they could not withstand” means the wisdom and the Spirit which he spoke, they couldn’t resist.
  • They could stand against Stephen, but they could not stand against the Holy Spirit who was in him and speaking through him. The Holy Spirit was supplying the answers, the thoughts and the words to say.

Luke 21:15 ~ “for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.”

James 1:5 ~ “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”