Pushing Buttons with Stephen (Part 1)
Acts 6-7
As I sit down to journal today, I’ve just finished reading about Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and I’m left with so many thoughts. There’s so much truth here that could be pulled out and commented on. Some of which I know could push some buttons (aka make people uncomfortable or even angry).
So, where do I go with this? Do I sit back and keep those challenging thoughts to myself, or do I step outside my comfort zone and honestly share what I’m thinking even if it might be a bit provocative to some?
Well, if I follow the example of Stephen from this passage, staying comfortable isn’t even an option. So, let’s see where the Spirit leads as I write, but I’m warning you that this is likely not going to be a one journal entry adventure. I’d expect at least two. (Turns out it’s three.)
I think the best place to start, before I touch on any of the challenging thoughts that I had while reading, is by making sure we all know who Stephen is.
Here’s what Acts 6 tells us about him:
He was a man “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5).
He was chosen as a deacon by the Hellenistic Jews from their members to care for the widows who were “being overlooked in the daily distribution of food” (Acts 6:1).
He was “full of grace and power” (Acts 6:8) and performed signs and wonders among the people.
He was a spiritual rockstar, so to speak.
And we all know that godly greatness often doesn’t go unnoticed or unchallenged. Such is the case here with Stephen.
We’re told that opposition arose against him from what is called the “Synagogue of the Freedman.” They argued with Stephen, but they couldn’t win those arguments because Stephen’s source of wisdom was the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:10).
So, what does the opposition do when they can’t win a debate on honest grounds? They start fabricating lies and paying people to testify against Stephen. Hmmm… that sounds like what happened with Jesus, now doesn’t it?
It’s a standard tactic by the enemy, and we’d be wise to keep our eyes open for this trick today. It’s still being used – and not just in political circles. It’s even in our churches. But I digress a bit.
Let’s get back to Stephen, who is brought up before the Sanhedrin on charges of blasphemy against Moses and God, as well as charges that stated he talked about the destruction of the temple and changing the customs of Moses.
The high priest, who presided over the Sanhedrin, asks him if the charges are true in Acts 7:1, and instead of just saying “no,” Stephen launches into a sermon that pushes their buttons and leads to the gathered Sanhedrin dragging him out of the city and stoning him.
It’s some powerful preaching! I’d encourage you to read it and take note of how many different Old Testament sources he uses.
Before we move on, I want to stop and draw your attention to the fact that the Synagogue of the Freedman, mentioned in Acts 6:9, contained members from the province of Cilicia, which is where Saul, who will become Paul the Apostle, is from. And as we get to the end of chapter 7, we learn that Saul/Paul is there as Stephen is killed.
I find it interesting that Stephen’s wisdom could not be overthrown even by the likes of the brilliant Saul/Paul. But then, it really wasn’t Stephen’s wisdom, now was it? It was the wisdom given to him by the Holy Spirit.
I wonder how often Paul thought about Stephen throughout his life? I can’t imagine that the memory was something fleeting. I’d think Stephen’s sermon and how he died was one of those indelible sorts of moments that hung with Paul for life.
Paul’s life, just like Stephen’s, would eventually be taken from him because of his proclamation of the gospel, because he was a follower of Christ, because back here in Acts 7, persecution of those who believed in Jesus began with the death of Stephen, began when the religious “insiders” were used by the enemy (once again) to try to topple the work of God.
I don’t know about you, but for me, I feel like I was conditioned when I was young (via teaching) to think of the enemy as the unsaved world around me. I had to watch out for their influence in music, entertainment, and clothing. I had to watch out for the arrows flying over the safe walls of the church and trying to take me out, trying to lead me away from the truth.
Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be careful about worldly influences that are perfectly designed to pull us away from God. No, not at all.
However, we shouldn’t be so focused on what the world is doing to miss the danger slithering up the tree in our own Christian garden. There are dangers that come dressed in their Sunday best and look a lot like the family of God.
And again, that’s something that isn’t new.
The first murder was Cain killing his brother Abel over a difference in how to worship. Cain brought the wrong sacrifice. Abel brought the right sacrifice. And Cain, feeling put out because his way of worship wasn’t accepted, arranged a one-way field trip for his brother Abel.
Because if you can’t beat the competition, you eliminate them, right? You do what you have to to keep your top position. No, that’s not right. It’s twisted. But…
Isn’t that what they did to Jesus?
Isn’t that what they were doing with Stephen?
Isn’t that what they did with the prophets who preached things they didn’t like back in the Old Testament (see Acts 7:52 for Stephen's thoughts on that)?
And since, as I’m writing this, Reformation Sunday has just passed, let me push this first button and pull this practice out of ancient times into an era closer to us and one that has formed a lot of our present church structure and doctrine.
I think we’d do well to take a look at the reformers we venerate a bit more carefully, since during the reformation, there were many cries of blasphemy and executions over beliefs that did not agree with whoever had the position of power during that time period. Who was in the right? Who was in the wrong? Are we following the Sanhedrin or Stephen?
Now, I’m not going to proclaim judgment on any of those reformers here. That’s not my purpose in mentioning it.
My purpose here is to provoke us (yes, me included) to be more discerning.
We need to measure everything against God’s word…
what our favourite celebrity preacher said on that radio program or YouTube video,
what we read in that bestselling book we heard about on a podcast,
everything.
And I mean measure it against the whole Word of God, not just passages we think support our ideas. We need to let our beliefs be challenged by the Scriptures. Dig into the Word of God on our own. Just us, our Bible, and the Holy Spirit. Let Him guide us in all truth.
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105 NIV)
I think that’s where I’ll leave this journal entry for today, but I’ll be back next week to continue Pushing Buttons with Stephen.