People in Paul's Life
2 - Stephen
As well as Gamaliel, there is another person who probably had a big influence on Paul before his conversion, yet we don’t read of them actually speaking personally to each other. This man was Stephen.
He is first mentioned in Acts chapter 6 where we read that he was one of the seven men chosen by the apostles to serve in a practical way in the church at Jerusalem. One of the roles of the temple authorities was to distribute food to those in need, but it appears that those who followed Jesus were denied this help. As a result the church took on this task by relying on the gifts of the more wealthy among them to help meet the needs of the poorer members. As the church grew, this work became too much for the apostles to do themselves, so they appointed seven men to be responsible for this work. The Bible actually puts it that they were to be appointed to “serve tables”. In New Testament times the work of administering and distributing goods and care to these needy people would have been carried out over tables. Therefore the duties these seven men were appointed to carry out were of a practical nature rather than a preaching and teaching ministry. This would leave the apostles more time to do what they felt they had been called to do and that was to teach and preach the word of God.
Several qualifications had to apply to all these men before they were chosen. First of all they had to be disciples. In verses 2 and 3 we read that the apostles called all the disciples together and told them to choose seven men from among their number. The first qualification for Christian service is that the person has committed his or her life to the Lord and for service in His church. God does not want to use people who are not born again in His service.
Secondly they had to be of good reputation. They had to be well respected by the people in the church and those outside the church who they were seeking to win for the Lord. In other words they had to have nothing that people could point their finger at in an accusing way. Although they were expected to be witnesses by telling others about the Lord as they carried out their official duties, they had to be witnesses in how they lived.
Thirdly they had to be “full of the Holy Spirit.” Being full of the Holy Spirit, means that their lives were controlled by God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples that the work of the Holy Spirit would be to guide them in all truth because he is the “Spirit of truth”. We read this in John chapter 16 and verse 13. He uses the “word of truth”, which is another term used in the Bible for the Scriptures, to guide us through life. This is because the Scripture are inspired by God. By reading Acts chapter 7 we can see that these seven men were full of the Spirit and guided by Him.
The emphasis is on the word, “full”. There had to be no room in their lives for outside influences to have any significant part in how they lived.
Fourthly, they had to be full of wisdom. Wisdom must not be confused with knowledge. Having wisdom means knowing how to use the knowledge we have, regardless of how much or how little knowledge we do have. These men had to have lived spiritual lives and they had to be practical in their approach to their duties, yet at the same time know the Scriptures and how to use them in their service for the Lord.
So, these were the qualities that these seven men had to have before they were chosen for active service. As far as our study is concerned, these are what applied to Stephen.
We read that Stephen is the first of the seven men named. We are told three specific things about him. We find these in verses five and eight of Acts chapter six. He was a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit, and full of power and as a result was used mightily by God.
What do we mean by these? The first thing we notice is that the words, “full of …” come before each of the qualities Stephen had.
Firstly he was a man who was full of faith. His faith in God and the finished work of Christ on the cross was the most important thing in his life. We are not told how or when he was saved from the penalty of sin, but we are told later by Paul in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8 that it is by grace we are saved and through faith. Some translations of the Bible replace the word ‘faith’ found in Acts 6, verse 8 with ‘grace’. This shows that the two are very closely linked.
Then we read he was full of the Holy Spirit. Stephen had come to know the Scriptures and was able to give an accurate account of the history of the Jewish nation to those who were accusing him of blasphemy. Peter tells us that those who are God’s children should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have. To do this we have to have a thorough knowledge of God’s word to be able to do this. But to do it effectively we have to be full of the Holy Spirit in order to know how to use the Scriptures to bring glory to God in such circumstances.
Thirdly we read he was full of power. Although Stephen was appointed to be involved in the more practical work of the church he was given power to do much more because we read that this power gave him the ability to do “great wonders and signs among the people.”
So, what is the connection with Paul?
We read towards the end of Acts chapter 7 that while Stephen was being stoned, his accusers gave their coats to a young man named Saul to look after.
You might recall from our last study that Paul testified to being thoroughly trained in the Law by Gamaliel who was a member of the Sanhedrin that Stephen was brought before.
So, although we only read of Paul being outside when Stephen was being stoned, he was probably in the courtroom observing the proceedings as part of his studies. If this is the case he would have heard Stephen preach accurately from the Scriptures. He would also have seen something in Stephen which would remain with him for the rest of his life. He witnessed Stephen facing death, but not just facing death, seeing beyond death. He witnessed Stephen saying, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God,” which we read in Acts chapter 7 and verse 56. In other words he could see beyond death and was not afraid to say so. Some other words of Stephen’s which would also have an effect on Paul were the last words he said. He made no secret of his belief in Jesus by saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” and then asking God to show mercy on his killers which is exactly what Jesus had done when He was dying on the cross.
Although what Paul witnessed didn’t have an immediate effect on his life, because we read that he was in full agreement with Stephen’s death, I like to think that this event helped him to recognise the voice of the Lord when he was approached on the road to Damascus.
Paul saw something special in the life of Stephen. Is there some Christian you can look back to and recognise the effect they had on your life? Is your life such that other people can see the Lord Jesus Christ working in and through you?