Acts 6:8-15
Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not resist his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Just As He Said
Immediately following the day of Pentecost the early church was growing by leaps and bounds, adding to their number daily. As is true within any expanding operation, effective leadership needed to be selected and allowed to lead. In order for this to happen the Apostles needed to be freed from some of their routine, more menial obligations. Certainly it is impossible to delegate tasks without people to delegate them to. Stephen was one of those first 'employees' of the church; a deacon really.
It became Stephens task, among other things, to distribute food to the needy within the Church. Along with this, he did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. It doesn't tell us exactly what those were but we can safely assume that he was healing the sick, casting out demons and preaching the Truth in Jesus name. And for all of his actions what reward did he recieve? He was arrested and put on trial.
The Sanhedrin was the highest ruling body and the supreme court of the Jews. They had their own police force, similar to the secret service of today. They were given the power to appoint kings and priests, wage war, and criminally try traitorous priests, false prophets or rebel leaders. Stephen was arrested and accused of blasphemy and of being a false prophet.
But why? The simple answer is that the Sanhedrin, made up of Jews, were simply afraid. Stephen was preaching a new life and new religion. He was preaching something that would, if true, very much jeopardize the high standing of those in the council. All of the power that they had in the region was based on Jewish tradition and Jewish law. If those things were to go away, so does all of thier rights.
The more complex answer is that Stephen was on trial because Christ said these things would happen. Persecution is one of those things that comes with Christianity. It's true, I have never been put on trial for my faith, but I have met those who have. Long ago I met a pastor who at that point had just been released from prison for the third time. And each time he considered it a joy to have been their for his God.
Like many of the promises of God, there are good parts and bad. In salvation we find both eternal life and worldly persecution. In persecution we may find pain but there is even good in persecution. Christ did not only promise that we would fight for Him, but He also promised that when it happened He would give us the words to say.
Can you imagine sitting in a courtroom and you look over and the defendant isn't a person at all but actually an angel? How could they possibly see that and proceed with the trial? The Sanhedrin, while ridiculously 'religious' was full of very proud men. That pride, with Satans nudging, makes it so that the council would stop at nothing to attempt to retain their positions. I don't believe there is any human that would put an angel on trial. But your advisary, the devil, will stop at nothing to separate you from the love of God. That's why spiritual warfare is so important. By recognizing the lies of Satan, we actually draw nearer to the truth, the God of love. And I believe that is worth any amount of persecution that may come my way.
It became Stephens task, among other things, to distribute food to the needy within the Church. Along with this, he did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. It doesn't tell us exactly what those were but we can safely assume that he was healing the sick, casting out demons and preaching the Truth in Jesus name. And for all of his actions what reward did he recieve? He was arrested and put on trial.
The Sanhedrin was the highest ruling body and the supreme court of the Jews. They had their own police force, similar to the secret service of today. They were given the power to appoint kings and priests, wage war, and criminally try traitorous priests, false prophets or rebel leaders. Stephen was arrested and accused of blasphemy and of being a false prophet.
But why? The simple answer is that the Sanhedrin, made up of Jews, were simply afraid. Stephen was preaching a new life and new religion. He was preaching something that would, if true, very much jeopardize the high standing of those in the council. All of the power that they had in the region was based on Jewish tradition and Jewish law. If those things were to go away, so does all of thier rights.
The more complex answer is that Stephen was on trial because Christ said these things would happen. Persecution is one of those things that comes with Christianity. It's true, I have never been put on trial for my faith, but I have met those who have. Long ago I met a pastor who at that point had just been released from prison for the third time. And each time he considered it a joy to have been their for his God.
Like many of the promises of God, there are good parts and bad. In salvation we find both eternal life and worldly persecution. In persecution we may find pain but there is even good in persecution. Christ did not only promise that we would fight for Him, but He also promised that when it happened He would give us the words to say.
Can you imagine sitting in a courtroom and you look over and the defendant isn't a person at all but actually an angel? How could they possibly see that and proceed with the trial? The Sanhedrin, while ridiculously 'religious' was full of very proud men. That pride, with Satans nudging, makes it so that the council would stop at nothing to attempt to retain their positions. I don't believe there is any human that would put an angel on trial. But your advisary, the devil, will stop at nothing to separate you from the love of God. That's why spiritual warfare is so important. By recognizing the lies of Satan, we actually draw nearer to the truth, the God of love. And I believe that is worth any amount of persecution that may come my way.