The Results of Being Like Stephen

Acts 6:8-14

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 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. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 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, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 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.”

N. T. Wright, Acts for Everyone (Part One)

Now these things [various examples of controversy] are unimportant in themselves, except as a sad but predictable index of the way in which, as in several previous generations, people today find real debate about actual topics difficult, and much prefer the parody of debate which consists of giving a dog a bad name and then beating him for it, and lashing out, too, at anyone who associates with the dog you happen to be beating at the time. There is far too much of that in the church, and the only answer is more listening, more actual thinking, and more careful and humble speaking (103).

Aaron Orendorff

Initially, my response to the text was to focus on vv. 8-10. As someone who essentially gets paid to talk, the prospect of being filled—like Stephen—with such a degree of “grace and power” so that no one could withstand my wisdom and spirit sounds (on the surface) incredibly attractive. Whether this desire is self-centered—so that no one could withstand my speech—or God-centered—so that no one could withstand my speech as I speak for God—is hard to tell. I’m sure there’s more of the former than I’d really like to admit.

What struck me, however (besides my own self-centeredness), was how the story ends. Stephen’s amazing communicative abilities do not flower in celebrity but are stomped out in death. To speak with wisdom and the Spirit, to be full of grace and power, does not mean people will agree with you! Rather, far to the contrary, what it actually means is that some people (maybe even most people) will despise you. This isn’t a universal truth, and we should definitely not go around looking to get stoned for the gospel, but it is certainly the dominate message of Scripture.