Proclamation:
"Now Stephen, a man
full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people." Acts 6:8 (NIV)
Explanation:
These
words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the
physician and frequent traveling companion of the Apostle Paul. Luke records that as the number of believers
grew they had difficulty serving all of the people. (Acts 6:1) Stephen was chosen by the
people and the disciples to serve as one of the first deacons. Because he was "a man full of God's grace
and power," he could serve the people, preach and teach. He was also able to confound the Jewish
religious leaders regarding The Word of God. He was not a preacher but he was able to
perform great wonders and miracles. (Acts 6:8-10)
Application:
A person does not have to be
a preacher in order to teach The Word of God or to be used by God to accomplish
His purposes. Even today, God can use
ordinary people, who believe, to do extra-ordinary things. Stephen was an ordinary man, a believer who
was "known to be full of the Spirit and
wisdom," and God used him. If we
read, studied, delighted in, and followed The Word of God, maybe God would
allow us to become full of The Spirit and empower us to do great things that
would give Him glory. If we pray and let
The Spirit of God guide and direct us, maybe God would use us to do great
wonders which would glorify our Him. The question that we have to ask ourselves
is: “Are we really ready to be full of The Spirit and are we ready for God to
use us in His kingdom building plan?
