The Fearless, Faithful Stephen

The Fearless, Faithful Stephen

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. …

Acts 7

It was inevitable that there would be a first martyr of the New Testament era.  In the providence of God it proved to be Stephen.  With what little information we have about him we can conclude that he was a man of genuine Christ-like character.  He was an eminently practical believer, one of the first deacons, and a proven powerful preacher.  For our own instruction, there is no better an example of a fearless, faithful Christian testimony than that of Stephen.

The message which he delivered in the seventh chapter of Acts indicates that he understood the ways of God and the depravity of man.  He points out clearly to his audience that they had in turn rejected each of the saviors whom God had sent to them in history and that now they had rejected the One Great Savior of whom all the others were types and shadows.  They had rejected Joseph, their savior from starvation; Moses, their savior from slavery; and now Christ, their Savior from sin.

The maddened mob rushed upon him and ‘gashed at him with their teeth;’  behold the martyrdom which he suffered.  It was a Spirit-filled martyrdom, affording him a clear sight of the glory of God.  In Stephen’s most dire time of need, Christ appeared.  As we are so often times admonished in the Scriptures, Stephen lifts his eyes to the heavens and it is there he finds Christ.  His gaze upon the Savior, seated at the right hand of God, enables him to transcend the dire reality of his circumstances.  Oh, if our reality was such as his was, that God would grant us a clear sight of Christ.

Most remarkable is the manner in which he was honored.  Of the 16 times that the Scripture refers to Christ as being at the right hand of God, 13 mention Him as being seated; two make no mention of His posture; and only one depicts Him as standing.  Christ Himself, gave a standing ovation to the first martyr of the New Testament era.  Oh, that the Lord would so find us as fearless and as faithful as Stephen!

Our God and Savior,

give us that living, loving,

serving, dying grace 

that Stephen had.

Where the Bush is Burning

Tomm Tice