A Man Named Stephen

I would like to draw your attention to a man named Stephen,whom we meet in the Book of Acts.

“Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known tobe full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3).

“They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the HolySpirit” (Acts 6:5).

“Now, Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, didgreat wonders and miraculous signs among the people" (Acts 6:8).

“These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could notstand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by which he spoke" (Acts6:9-10).

"All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intentlyat Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15).

Stephen started his defense with the God of Glory andended his message in this manner and with these words: “But Stephen, full ofthe Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesusstanding at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and theSon of Man standing at the right hand of God’” (Acts 7:55-56).

His last two utterances were, "Lord Jesus, receive myspirit," and, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

This kind of man with this kind of speech gets two kinds ofresponses—violent anger and conversions. Both responses he got from Saul ofTarsus. Stephen's short but very powerful life has resulted in millions ofconversions.

 

Written February 1994.

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