Do you know who the Holy Spirit is? Read the account of the martyr Stephen’s life so that you may know how the Holy Spirit works in the one who commits himself completely to the Lord Christ.
The Greek name of Stephen (Stephanos) means a “crown”, which is a chaplet used for festive occasions to express public recognition of victory in races, games, and war. It is also used figuratively as a reward for effective Christian life and service. In what was a significant coincidence, Stephen became the first to receive the crown of martyrdom in the race to heaven, entering into the glory of his Lord following his being stoned to death.
Stephen, a Grecian, heard the gospel of salvation, opened himself to the power of Christ, and received the forgiveness of sins. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, who flowed out of him through his exercising of several spiritual gifts. Stephen, in himself, was not righteous, but he had been renewed by the Spirit of Christ. He was not justified by his own godliness. Christ had cleansed him freely by His precious blood. All these works of God in the life of a sinner are included in the word “grace”. No one deserves God’s gifts except the one who believes in Christ. Of His fullness he receives, and grace for grace (John 1:16).
The essence of these blessings is the power of God, for the strength of the Almighty dwells in love, humility, and purity in the believer through the Holy Spirit. The power of Christ works through His followers in the church through miracles and signs when they become broken to their natural pride and humbly live in the communion of the saints. Christ works through His witnesses, as if He were walking among them, saving, healing, and blessing, just as He did while he walked on earth.
Stephen was a diligent preacher. He did not live for his own salvation, nor did he satisfy himself by comfortably living within the four walls of the church. He went forth into the midst of the fanatic synagogue of the Jews, testifying to them that Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified, was the true Messiah and had been raised from the dead. The apostles were not Christ’s only witnesses, for everyone filled with the Holy Spirit can freely declare that God is love, and that He reconciled men to Himself when His Son died on the cross. Our foolish world has been saved, but it does not know this great truth.
Stephen came to the synagogue of the Hellenistic Jews, Jews of the dispersion, who read the Old Testament in Greek, meditating on its meanings in a western, logical manner. They did not merely listen to the message of the gospel, as did most other Jews, but also exercised their minds positively in the light of its ideas, noting, as well, the negative consequences of disobedience and unbelief. They argued with Stephen about his position regarding Old Testament customs; but these philosophically trained Jews were not able to resist the wisdom of the Holy Spirit flowing out of Stephen.
Having sensed transgression against the principles of their faith, the intellectual professors flared up. They stirred up the people, elders, and scribes to take action against this new deceiver. They spied on him and plotted against him. Finally, they seized an appointed time to take him before the Jewish high council, where a committee of inquiry, the elders, and some concerned people appeared.
The chief priests and the legal experts, glad at his arrest, stared angrily at the representative of this forbidden Jesus heresy which, as a result of Gamaliel´s advice (chapter 5:34-40), was not being persecuted so long as its proponents were faithful to the law and the customs of the fathers. The Early Church members in Jerusalem were, till that time, typical Jews and faithful Christians at the same time.
But beginning with these events the religious leaders sensed something new - a spiritual revolution and a separation from Jewish customs coming from Hellenists who had believed in Christ. We saw before that the high priest did not sentence the twelve apostles to death, for they observed the law accurately and honored the temple with their persistent prayers. But the complaint against Stephen was different from previous complaints against the apostles. He was accused of transgression against both the temple and the law. By reading the text carefully we can view six points in this complaint brought before the high council by false witnesses. Their testimony was based on their misunderstanding of Stephen’s preaching.
Stephen said in the synagogue that Jesus had forgiven men all their sins on the cross. The Hellenists contested and said: “Then you have no need of the temple and its daily sacrifices, and you must deny all the preeminent rites of your nation concerning the temple and the atonement”.
Stephen also told the Jews that man´s salvation depends on faith in Jesus alone. The scholars soon moved against him and criticized him, saying: “Then you do not believe that the law is God’s law, through which man is justified by keeping the commands and by upright behavior. Stephen, however, made clear to them that the law is good and holy, but the heart of man is evil and unable to keep it completely. Thus the law of God condemns and destroys us, and never saves us.
Following that the Jews flared up and angrily asked him: “Did not Moses give us the good covenant with God? Is he not the unique mediator between the Holy One and us? Stephen answered that Christ was the only Man who rose from the dead, and that He lives with God and intercedes for us. Christ alone, and not Moses, had reconciled us to the Creator.
The Jews asked Stephen, trying to ensnare him: “Do you say that the despised, crucified Jesus is the living Lord, who sits at the right hand of God, and that he is the Christ himself according to David’s prophecy in (Psalm 110)? Stephen agreed completely about Jesus’ divinity, and therefore they accused him of blasphemy.
The Pharisees demanded the legalistic Jewish professors to strictly keep the judgments and commandments, in order to be able to please God. But Stephen confirmed to them that the summation of the law is nothing apart from divine love, and that this marvelous love delivers us from all prohibitions, enabling us to serve God freely.
The Jews became increasingly hardened and opposed the attractive voice of the Holy Spirit. Finally Stephen told them that Christ was coming soon, but that before He came God’s anger would fall upon Jerusalem and destroy the temple if the people of the Old Covenant did not repent and turn penitently to the Savior of the world.
When false witnesses confirmed this complaint against him, the leaders of the nation fixed their eyes upon him. They looked in astonishment and anger at this unique man, who stood up among them, filled with the Holy Spirit, with the glow of heaven on his face.