A man full of God’s grace

Acts 6:8-15

⁸ Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. ⁹ But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. ¹⁰ None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

¹¹ So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” ¹² This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.

¹³ The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. ¹⁴ We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁵ At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.

Personally, I love the example that Stephen shows me in how to be a minister and a witness to Christ.

He was appointed to take a load off the other apostles by filling the very practical role of ensuring people’s needs were met.

But he didn’t just fill his role with a spirit of excellence, he ensured that he was filled with the Holy Spirit and took every opportunity to serve the cause of the early church with passion and zeal.

For me this shows that in the church, we are not only to serve a single role, but each of us are to be naturally supernatural and serve in a way that is powerful and active.

Lord, fill me with Your Spirit that I might have the wisdom, courage and power of Stephen in the way that I minister. From the mediocre and mundane through to the public and prestigious, may I carry the Glory of your presence with me to shine your light wherever I am.

Written by Ps. Justin Ware