DEACON STEPHEN
"Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience." - 1Tim 3:8-9
They chose seven men to serve tables and it turned out that while a certain man named Stephen joined in this menial job of the church, he became an instrument of power in the hands of God. If you've ever served food in a church congregation, you will agree with me that you need more than stamina to do this; you will really need to be spirit filled, among those who have not been served, or those who think you are being partial.
Many anointed fellow today would long for the pulpit rather than the kitchen, we have come to see ministerial appointment as just for honour and not for service; this is not to say that a call into the ministry of devoid of honour, in fact they are, but it is a call to service too. With all his anointing, this man agreed to serve people and made sure that there was no quarrel or bad feeling in the church.
Just by responding to that service, the Lord confirmed His calling upon Stephen's life and though he had a short ministry, yet no one with spiritual depth can ignore or overlook the profound power that God used Stephen to do. Today, many deacons are honourable members of the house; craving for juicy committees and and playing politics with the affairs of the church, just like our dear nation.
I have never been a deacon, but I understand that the role Stephen was called to serve was the office of a deacon (I may be wrong), but for the purpose of this teaching, I plead that you accept my submissions. I honestly, do not understand why one has to be spirit-filled to serve tables, I would have thought that any one could do that, but many things are instructive to me today from the life of Deacon Stephen.
This piece is not just about beaming the light into the office of deacons, but taking an in-depth look into the life of one of the martyrs of faith; and hoping that the church (you and I) will model our lives through this man. Much more than his integrity, the man named Stephen lived the practical life of a believer. He was spirit-filled, full of faith and loaded with mysteries.
FULL OF THE HOLY GHOST
"And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmanes, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch." - Acts 6:5
After all his anointing, they still decided to make him just a deacon, and even the man took the offer that way and did not think that it was belittling of him. In our day, the man would have been called to start his church, he would have suddenly realised that God is calling him; but that was not the case of this man, he came out and accepted the opportunity to serve.
To that young man that seem to carry anointing, and you wonder why the church has not ordained you yet, you are angry at the messages being preached on the altar and you feel you can do better. It may be true that you can do better, but that does not exclude you from service; it doesn't exempt you from sweeping the church. Your speaking in tongues does not exclude you from service.
I know that sometimes there are fears that one may never be known if one remains in obscurity, sometimes we fear that our ministry will not move forward if we are relegated to the background; but if you will just be faithful in that little thing, God will announce you. I strongly believe that no one can discredit God's call upon a person's life, except such a person derails. David was forgotten in the bush and was not even suggested even when the other brothers were undergoing screening, but that did not stop the plan of God.
"And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people." - Acts 6:9
He wasn't sent to the elite, in the midst of those poor women God decided to announce the ministry of Stephen. The disciples laid hands on Him to serve tables, but God raised him beyond that point. Your worth in the kingdom is not really defined by the kind of work you do. You may be just an usher, yet the Lord can still do what He intends to do; your calling will still be intact.
Deacon Stephen was not on the altar, but He had an altar where God appears, he didn't have that congregation, but he had those whom God sent him to. You need to know the need of the place you serve, while the apostles went about preaching, Deacon Stephen knew these people one on one, he understood their plight and God was faithful to glorify Himself through this man of faith.
That you are an usher or a chorister does not mean you cannot be used for healing, it doesn't mean you cannot pray, service can just be a tool of commitment and also what keeps us humble, it doesn't in anyway mean you cannot be used for miracles. We would do well if we take vital lessons from the life of this man of God.
HAD DEPTH OF THE WORD
"And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke." - Acts 6:10
Not too long from the time he was ordained as a deacon, he landed into trouble, many would have asked why he didn't just stay in that place of service, many people who had been in church for many years who had never prayed for someone with headache started to envy this man of faith. 'Ordinary deacon is forming pastor', they said, and they wanted to deal with him.
Certain brethren of whom he had taken responsibility for, after feeding from the food Stephen served, decided to deal with him. A server of food was only triggered to bring forth much more depth.
In Genesis 12:1, the scripture says that 'Now the LORD had said to Abram...', I curiously went back to other chapters to see where God 'had' told Abram but I couldn't find; it was Deacon Stephen who God used in Acts 7, then I got to know that God had called Abraham in Mesopotamia. It takes a person of depth to possess this kind of revelation.
One of the qualifications of being a deacon is that such a person must hold the mystery of faith with a pure conscience, this man had the mystery, he spoke to his accusers what had to be said and God bore witness. He was bold, he wasn't a novice, in fact it was not just church attendance that validated his ministry, the man was a matured Christain.
"Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist." - Luke 21:14-15
They wanted to catch him in his words, the man schooled all of them standing and listening, because he had depths, he wasn't afraid of what might be, he had depth of the mysteries and really rescued men from their misery. This man exhibited great confidence in the face of persecution. Today, many who know the truth, will rather keep quiet than speak, they will say there is time for everything; and by this; they approve and contribute to the decay of the church.
The elders couldn't really help Moses until seventy of them got a measure of the Spirit of God. The man was most times burdened by the complains of the multitudes, yet these elders couldn't do anything, therefore God decided to make them useful. I do not see why carnal men without an outpouring of the Spirit think that they can help the church. I believe that effectiveness in spiritual things and positions is an outflow of a spirit-filled life. It would be a wonderful thing, if fellow board members or executives of any arm in the church know that something is deposited inside of them to ease the burden of the pastor or leader.
LOOKING UP TO HEAVEN
"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!'" - Acts 7:55-56
When a man pleases God, He will have a good view of heaven and God's awesome glory. One of the thing that amazed me with the scenario was that; until he got the message across, no one threw a stone at him. This should be a lesson for us, that we must not waste time in defending ourselves or reputation. Stephen defended the faith and though he was innocent, they found him guilty. If we defend ourselves, even if the world finds us innocent, we would then have denied the faith.
Setting his gaze into heaven, the man saw that he was approved of God; I pray that the Christain worker realise that if his or her gaze is set on men, though they nod in agreement, the heaven may disapprove. The reason he was there was to make them see the light and he needed no argument other than state the truth.
"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 7:60
That man would not go to be with the Lord while holding grudge, the sight of heaven made him sorry for them, He pleaded with God that they wouldn't be judged for their sin, heaven was the focus but forgiveness was needed even to his killers. He didn't seek revenge, in fact, He exhibited the character of Jesus, when our Lord Himself prayed that His killers should be forgiven that they didn't know what they were doing.
Deacon Stephen had the greatest of fulfillment, seeing that heaven was waiting to receive him, I am sure he would have hated it, if anyone tried to rescue him from the sleep he was about to sleep. He saw life ahead and he longed to sleep and be received in the arms of Jesus. His was a transition he most loved, and even when the stones were hurl at him, he didn't feel the pain.
One of the clear evidence of a man who is heavenly bound, is that he easily forgives his persecutors, he holds no grudge against them, because through them, the righteousness and power of God is exhibited the more. Stephen felt blessed, and not for a moment did he consider his life as precious. I call to your remembrance those Hebrew boys who were thrown into the fiery furnace; they didn't care for their lives, and God gave them an experience that money could not buy.
Heaven is visible to those who while doing their work without fear of persecution, gaze their eyes unto heaven.
THE YOUNG MAN
"And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him." - Acts 22:20
I sincerely believe that the sight of Stephen being stoned, wouldn't have left Paul's mind, he would have wondered what kind of man Stephen was; yet he consented to his death. Saul never knew that he was going to be in Stephen's shoe one day, he never really understood why the man will not plead his innocence but insisted on preaching what he believed.
It doesn't matter the people's reaction to your service or message, you must trust God to do the things which he has promised to do in the life of the sinner. They may be violent today and don't want to hear anything you say, like they did with Deacon Stephen, you must keep praying for them, that the Lord would have mercy on them.
"For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." - Phil 1:23-24
That man who consented to the death of Stephen, now was in his shoe, and knew that though it was wrong to have consented to Stephen's death, he knew he had indirectly done Stephen a favour. He too was in that same position and he took delight in going to see Jesus.
Little wonder when Paul was warned not to go to Jerusalem by prophet Agabus, he didn't have any of that prophecy by entertaining fear, he stated that; he was ready not just to be bound, but also to be killed for the name of Jesus. When men see our desperation for what we believe, they go ahead to replicate such for Christ.
There's no one who cannot change if the church would not stop witnessing the power of God. If the church would not shy away from persecution, many souls abound even in the midst of it all. Our hero of faith, Stephen has shown us that God is indeed with a man who is with Him in purpose.
CONCLUSION:
The scripture admonish that we do not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith inherited the promise (Heb 6:12).
Stephen's life is a pattern for us to follow in living and dying for Christ.
God bless you and I love you
Akinsuroju Femi
© The Fundamentals
They chose seven men to serve tables and it turned out that while a certain man named Stephen joined in this menial job of the church, he became an instrument of power in the hands of God. If you've ever served food in a church congregation, you will agree with me that you need more than stamina to do this; you will really need to be spirit filled, among those who have not been served, or those who think you are being partial.
Many anointed fellow today would long for the pulpit rather than the kitchen, we have come to see ministerial appointment as just for honour and not for service; this is not to say that a call into the ministry of devoid of honour, in fact they are, but it is a call to service too. With all his anointing, this man agreed to serve people and made sure that there was no quarrel or bad feeling in the church.
Just by responding to that service, the Lord confirmed His calling upon Stephen's life and though he had a short ministry, yet no one with spiritual depth can ignore or overlook the profound power that God used Stephen to do. Today, many deacons are honourable members of the house; craving for juicy committees and and playing politics with the affairs of the church, just like our dear nation.
I have never been a deacon, but I understand that the role Stephen was called to serve was the office of a deacon (I may be wrong), but for the purpose of this teaching, I plead that you accept my submissions. I honestly, do not understand why one has to be spirit-filled to serve tables, I would have thought that any one could do that, but many things are instructive to me today from the life of Deacon Stephen.
This piece is not just about beaming the light into the office of deacons, but taking an in-depth look into the life of one of the martyrs of faith; and hoping that the church (you and I) will model our lives through this man. Much more than his integrity, the man named Stephen lived the practical life of a believer. He was spirit-filled, full of faith and loaded with mysteries.
FULL OF THE HOLY GHOST
"And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmanes, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch." - Acts 6:5
After all his anointing, they still decided to make him just a deacon, and even the man took the offer that way and did not think that it was belittling of him. In our day, the man would have been called to start his church, he would have suddenly realised that God is calling him; but that was not the case of this man, he came out and accepted the opportunity to serve.
To that young man that seem to carry anointing, and you wonder why the church has not ordained you yet, you are angry at the messages being preached on the altar and you feel you can do better. It may be true that you can do better, but that does not exclude you from service; it doesn't exempt you from sweeping the church. Your speaking in tongues does not exclude you from service.
I know that sometimes there are fears that one may never be known if one remains in obscurity, sometimes we fear that our ministry will not move forward if we are relegated to the background; but if you will just be faithful in that little thing, God will announce you. I strongly believe that no one can discredit God's call upon a person's life, except such a person derails. David was forgotten in the bush and was not even suggested even when the other brothers were undergoing screening, but that did not stop the plan of God.
"And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people." - Acts 6:9
He wasn't sent to the elite, in the midst of those poor women God decided to announce the ministry of Stephen. The disciples laid hands on Him to serve tables, but God raised him beyond that point. Your worth in the kingdom is not really defined by the kind of work you do. You may be just an usher, yet the Lord can still do what He intends to do; your calling will still be intact.
Deacon Stephen was not on the altar, but He had an altar where God appears, he didn't have that congregation, but he had those whom God sent him to. You need to know the need of the place you serve, while the apostles went about preaching, Deacon Stephen knew these people one on one, he understood their plight and God was faithful to glorify Himself through this man of faith.
That you are an usher or a chorister does not mean you cannot be used for healing, it doesn't mean you cannot pray, service can just be a tool of commitment and also what keeps us humble, it doesn't in anyway mean you cannot be used for miracles. We would do well if we take vital lessons from the life of this man of God.
HAD DEPTH OF THE WORD
"And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke." - Acts 6:10
Not too long from the time he was ordained as a deacon, he landed into trouble, many would have asked why he didn't just stay in that place of service, many people who had been in church for many years who had never prayed for someone with headache started to envy this man of faith. 'Ordinary deacon is forming pastor', they said, and they wanted to deal with him.
Certain brethren of whom he had taken responsibility for, after feeding from the food Stephen served, decided to deal with him. A server of food was only triggered to bring forth much more depth.
In Genesis 12:1, the scripture says that 'Now the LORD had said to Abram...', I curiously went back to other chapters to see where God 'had' told Abram but I couldn't find; it was Deacon Stephen who God used in Acts 7, then I got to know that God had called Abraham in Mesopotamia. It takes a person of depth to possess this kind of revelation.
One of the qualifications of being a deacon is that such a person must hold the mystery of faith with a pure conscience, this man had the mystery, he spoke to his accusers what had to be said and God bore witness. He was bold, he wasn't a novice, in fact it was not just church attendance that validated his ministry, the man was a matured Christain.
"Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist." - Luke 21:14-15
They wanted to catch him in his words, the man schooled all of them standing and listening, because he had depths, he wasn't afraid of what might be, he had depth of the mysteries and really rescued men from their misery. This man exhibited great confidence in the face of persecution. Today, many who know the truth, will rather keep quiet than speak, they will say there is time for everything; and by this; they approve and contribute to the decay of the church.
The elders couldn't really help Moses until seventy of them got a measure of the Spirit of God. The man was most times burdened by the complains of the multitudes, yet these elders couldn't do anything, therefore God decided to make them useful. I do not see why carnal men without an outpouring of the Spirit think that they can help the church. I believe that effectiveness in spiritual things and positions is an outflow of a spirit-filled life. It would be a wonderful thing, if fellow board members or executives of any arm in the church know that something is deposited inside of them to ease the burden of the pastor or leader.
LOOKING UP TO HEAVEN
"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!'" - Acts 7:55-56
When a man pleases God, He will have a good view of heaven and God's awesome glory. One of the thing that amazed me with the scenario was that; until he got the message across, no one threw a stone at him. This should be a lesson for us, that we must not waste time in defending ourselves or reputation. Stephen defended the faith and though he was innocent, they found him guilty. If we defend ourselves, even if the world finds us innocent, we would then have denied the faith.
Setting his gaze into heaven, the man saw that he was approved of God; I pray that the Christain worker realise that if his or her gaze is set on men, though they nod in agreement, the heaven may disapprove. The reason he was there was to make them see the light and he needed no argument other than state the truth.
"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 7:60
That man would not go to be with the Lord while holding grudge, the sight of heaven made him sorry for them, He pleaded with God that they wouldn't be judged for their sin, heaven was the focus but forgiveness was needed even to his killers. He didn't seek revenge, in fact, He exhibited the character of Jesus, when our Lord Himself prayed that His killers should be forgiven that they didn't know what they were doing.
Deacon Stephen had the greatest of fulfillment, seeing that heaven was waiting to receive him, I am sure he would have hated it, if anyone tried to rescue him from the sleep he was about to sleep. He saw life ahead and he longed to sleep and be received in the arms of Jesus. His was a transition he most loved, and even when the stones were hurl at him, he didn't feel the pain.
One of the clear evidence of a man who is heavenly bound, is that he easily forgives his persecutors, he holds no grudge against them, because through them, the righteousness and power of God is exhibited the more. Stephen felt blessed, and not for a moment did he consider his life as precious. I call to your remembrance those Hebrew boys who were thrown into the fiery furnace; they didn't care for their lives, and God gave them an experience that money could not buy.
Heaven is visible to those who while doing their work without fear of persecution, gaze their eyes unto heaven.
THE YOUNG MAN
"And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him." - Acts 22:20
I sincerely believe that the sight of Stephen being stoned, wouldn't have left Paul's mind, he would have wondered what kind of man Stephen was; yet he consented to his death. Saul never knew that he was going to be in Stephen's shoe one day, he never really understood why the man will not plead his innocence but insisted on preaching what he believed.
It doesn't matter the people's reaction to your service or message, you must trust God to do the things which he has promised to do in the life of the sinner. They may be violent today and don't want to hear anything you say, like they did with Deacon Stephen, you must keep praying for them, that the Lord would have mercy on them.
"For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." - Phil 1:23-24
That man who consented to the death of Stephen, now was in his shoe, and knew that though it was wrong to have consented to Stephen's death, he knew he had indirectly done Stephen a favour. He too was in that same position and he took delight in going to see Jesus.
Little wonder when Paul was warned not to go to Jerusalem by prophet Agabus, he didn't have any of that prophecy by entertaining fear, he stated that; he was ready not just to be bound, but also to be killed for the name of Jesus. When men see our desperation for what we believe, they go ahead to replicate such for Christ.
There's no one who cannot change if the church would not stop witnessing the power of God. If the church would not shy away from persecution, many souls abound even in the midst of it all. Our hero of faith, Stephen has shown us that God is indeed with a man who is with Him in purpose.
CONCLUSION:
The scripture admonish that we do not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith inherited the promise (Heb 6:12).
Stephen's life is a pattern for us to follow in living and dying for Christ.
God bless you and I love you
Akinsuroju Femi
© The Fundamentals
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