The gospel was spreading, and more and more people were being saved. The early church was on a mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the disciples enlisted the help of seven men who were well respected and full of the Spirit and wisdom to help. One of those men was Stephen.
Stephen was Spirit-filled, and he spoke with wisdom. In order to silence him, his detractors made up lies about him that led to his arrest. When he stood before the religious leaders, he didn’t try to defend himself or back down. He boldly spoke the uncomfortable truth in a contentious environment. He challenged their faulty beliefs and charged them with rejecting the Messiah. As much as they hated his message, they could not deny the power with which he said it. Something was different about him!
Spirit-filled transformation!
Stephen had been transformed! His wisdom and his ability to be bold came directly from the Holy Spirit. He was full of grace and power and on a mission for God.
The same Spirit-filled transformation is available to you and me! When we trust in Jesus for salvation, we are transformed from the inside out and people will notice. Sometimes it will bring favor, sometimes it will bring opposition, but always it will bring power.
You and I may or may not be called to stand before people and debate the gospel as Stephen was, but we are called to live before people in a way that glorifies God. God has a mission for us, and we are not expected to live it out in our own strength. We couldn’t even if we tried. In Christ, we are empowered to accomplish whatever it is God calls us to do.
Yet grace [God’s undeserved favor] was given to each one of us [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and abundant] gift. – Ephesians 4:7 AMP
As followers of Christ, we are on a mission. God’s grace and power were given to the early church so the Good News of Salvation could spread to the ends of the earth. Today, we receive the same grace and power to accomplish the same purpose. The Great Commission is always our primary mission.
For further reading: Acts 6 & 7
