Proclamation:
“Now
Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs
among the people.” Acts 6:8 (NIV)
Explanation:
These
words were written by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy
Spirit of God. Because the complaining
and murmuring of the people that some of the widows were not being served food,
the twelve apostles gathered all of the disciples together. They asked them to select from among themselves
seven men, who were full of The Holy Spirit and wisdom, to whom they could
delegate this responsibility. (Acts 6:1-4) Stephen was one of the seven men selected.
(Acts 6:5) These laymen are considered
to be the first deacons. They were well
versed in The Word of God and spoke well. (Acts 6:10) Stephen was full of God’s grace and power,
and was able to perform signs and great wonders. It is possible that all seven of these men were
blessed with the ability to do this.
However, Stephen was such a powerful witness of the gospel that he incurred
the hatred of the Sadducees and they plotted against him. (Acts 6:11-15)
Application:
It
is important to note that Stephen and the other six men were selected out of
the group of disciples, the students of God’s Word. They were not priests or apostles, but they
were full of wisdom and The Holy Spirit, (Acts 6:3) and full of God’s grace and
power. (Acts 6:8) If we truly believe
and are committed to The Word of God, each of us can be used by The Lord God to
be a powerful witness. It is not just
the preachers that God can use to do His work.
We all can do great things for Him, if we are willing to be used by Him.
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