Stephen’s “safe” job

Daily writing promptWhere did your name come from?View all responses

Stephen, one of the first Christ-followers, was appointed to a safe job — waiting on tables and serving widows. Then Christ’s original disciples laid their hands on him and prayed over him.

Stephen, however, didn’t blandly stay in his assigned religious comfort zone. Instead, he “full of God’s grace and power performed great wonders and signs among the people.” People were amazed at “the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.” A religious group called the “Synagogue of the Freedmen” weren’t as “free” as they claimed to be and took offence at Stephen’s words and actions. They stirred up the people against him, arrested him, and produced false witnesses who testified against him. Throughout this unjust process, Stephen’s face “was like the face of an angel.”

Stephen spoke powerfully in his defense (see Acts 7) about the “living words” of Jewish history and about how Jesus fulfilled those words. The religious people were furious at him, but Stephen said, “Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Suddenly, the religious crowd “dragged Stephen out of the city and began to stone him.” As they were killing him Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Then he died.

My name is spelled Steven (and I go by Steve). Although my parents weren’t church attendees or spiritual when I was young (I actually talked them into going to church when I was about ten years old), I like to think that my name was in some way inspired by the Stephen who gave his all for Jesus and loved his enemies in the process.

Stephen wasn’t content to snugly sit in a safe job! When Christians are physically unarmed and not physically cantankerous, they become dangerous to the powers of darkness. (See 2 Corinthians 10:4.)

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