e 14
Stand up, Stand up for Jesus
Acts 6:8-18
The rapid, steady, daily, church growth that we read about in the first few chapters of Acts was a marvelous phenomenon. They had adopted a practice of sharing all things in common, which was also a remarkable accomplishment. But together, the rapid growth and daily food distribution resulted in the apostles being overtaxed.
They wanted to pray, preach, teach and evangelize, but found themselves stretched to the limit.
To correct the situation God gave them the wisdom to delegate the food ministry to others. The congregation was asked to choose seven men to oversee the feeding of the ‘megachurch’. The apostles, by laying hands on and praying for the seven men showed their endorsement for this ministry and for these men.
I want to bring our attention to an earlier verse in Acts 5:12 ¶ And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.
We are going to see the term ‘signs and wonders’ again in this chapter, so I thought it would be good to mention it here. The word ‘wonder’ applies to how things appeared to the crowds. Amazing things were being accomplished, specifically the healing of many ill and crippled people. The ‘amazement’ factor was called a ‘wonder’.
The word ‘sign’ does not indicate something in addition to a ‘wonder’. When one healing took place, it was a wonder to the onlookers, and it was a sign to them as well. The ‘sign’ being a verification that what was being preached was in fact truth. Simply put, the apostles preached and shared the gospel. The miracles that they were able to do, both amazed the people and also proved to them that these men were from God.
The verse I just mentioned states that it was the apostles who were noted for doing the ‘signs and wonders’. There is no mention that others were doing it as well. It seems that only the leaders were involved in this.
I mentioned all of that for the simple reason that we will notice a change taking place after the ‘deacons’ were endorsed by the apostles.
We read Acts 6:8 ¶ And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
If you recall, when the names of the seven deacons are listed by Luke, Stephen was not only mentioned first, but he was the only one of the seven whose spiritual qualities were also mentioned.
Ac 6:5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, etc.
‘Full of faith and the Holy Spirit’. All of the men were to have been, ‘men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom’. So I am led to believe that the other six were also very qualified in this respect. So why, in the list of seven names, was Stephen’s name the only one followed by ‘a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit’?
I think the answer has to do with Luke, the human author. And by that, I want to be quick to say that Luke is guided by the Holy Spirit in his writing of this book.
But Luke, who is writing years after this all took place, knows that he is going to zero in and focus on Stephen, and so he seems to have singled him out and put him at the top of the list because of what he is going to say about him next.
The first thing that we notice is that Stephen is doing more than helping to organize the food distribution for the church. He is doing ‘front line’ work out in the public.
We read that Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
Perhaps the other six deacons were doing some of this as well. But Stephen’s situation is quite unique. Let’s read on
9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.
Pastor John McArthur points out that the ‘Freedmen’ were Jews that had at one time been slaves in Rome, but at the change of government leadership, were set free, and relocated themselves back in Israel. According to John McArthur, these Jews were not allowed into the temple, so special synagogues were built for them. But over time, it was not only the ‘Freedmen’ that attended, but other Jews found it convenient to attend there as well.
The list of Freedmen, (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia) deserves some mention. It appears that Luke is referring to 3 separate synagogues.
Cyrene and Alexandria are cities in North Africa, and Cilicia is a province which includes the City of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul’s hometown.
In the verses coming up, we are going to find the Apostle Paul mentioned, but his name will be given as ‘Saul’.
Stephen has been preaching, and certain ones from these synagogues were present. The things that they were hearing caused them great concern and they began to ‘dispute’ with Stephen.
Do we have to wonder what it was that they disagreed with? I think it logical to assume that Jesus is the center of the debate. Stephen would be asserting that Jesus turned out to be the long awaited and prophesied Messiah.
It is logical to assume that, along with his proving that Jesus was the Messiah, Stephen gave them the simple summary of the story. Jesus died, was buried for three days, and rose from the dead … just as he had predicted.
Most likely Stephen also told them that Jesus preached, The kingdom of heaven is at hand, and that ever since the resurrection, no longer is it the Jews who represent God’s kingdom on earth, but from here on out it is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
These are the things that these Freedmen Jews, and perhaps other Jews as well, were objecting to. As a matter of fact, their objections were so great, that they wanted Stephen silenced.
The message that Stephen preached was so convincing that 10 … they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
What they did next is similar to what the enemies of Jesus did to Him. They had seen miracles performed by Stephen, they had heard a message that proved the prophecies concerning the coming Christ had been fulfilled. But they did not want to believe. Why? Tradition. Their old beliefs had been passed down from generation to generation. They loved their traditions. The message of Stephen could not be argued against … but they did not want to believe it.
11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
In one sense, we can see why they focused on Moses and the Jewish belief system. Stephen claimed that Jesus was the fulfillment and therefore the end of the era. ‘The Way’, Christianity was taking its place. But to claim that Stephen was blaspheming … is clearly an exaggeration.
But these men are ‘turning’ the crowd against Stephen.
12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.
Prior to this it was Peter and John who were arrested, put in jail overnight, released by an angel and then re-arrested.
For a Christian to be arrested could be a very frightening thing. Peter and John had each other. They were in it together. But here we have Stephen, apprehended forcefully and taken to the Sanhedrin Court. He is alone in this. There is no indication that the Apostles or anyone else even knew what was going on with Stephen.
So these angry Jews have dragged him before the council and 13 …set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”
Whether Stephen actually said anything about this or not, we have no way of knowing for sure. Jesus did say, (John 2:)19 … “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
So Stephen might have actually included this in his talk with these men … or they may simply have remembered what Jesus said and falsely claimed that Stephen was asserting this.
But Jesus also said, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Matthew 24.2
Clearly Jesus was not talking about His physical body here. He was predicting something in the future. And about 40 years later, this is exactly what happened to the Temple. However, Jesus was not predicting that HE was going to destroy the temple.
If Stephen happened to mention this in his discussions with them, they could have misconstrued it to mean that Jesus was going to have something to do with the destruction of their temple. In any case, they are lying about Stephen's words and exaggerating everything out of proportion.
Don’t expect anything different today. Evil men are no better or more polite than they were then. Satan is behind all the opposition that is ever leveled against the Church, and has been all throughout history. In Stephen’s case, he will speak to the authorities in the court with words that he did not have the time to rehearse ahead of time. He will open his mouth and the message will stream out. This was the work of God, the Holy Spirit.
Standing up for God before the enemy is the highest honor that could ever be placed upon a believer. And yet, just trying to imagine it may send chills up your spine.
What the Holy Spirit did for Stephen that day, He will do for you. Jesus said, “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” Mark 13:11
There is a lot of comfort in that promise. God promises this ‘miracle’ to us, because, to Him, standing up for Jesus in the face of personal danger is the greatest ‘act of faith’ or ‘step of faith’ that one of His children can take.
We have the actual words that Jesus spoke regarding a believer who took this ultimate step of faith.
Re 2:13 "’I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Personally I can think of nothing better than for Jesus to call me His faithful witness. Life is short. Only what we do in Jesus' name lasts into eternity.
We are accustomed to think in terms of this life as being of prime importance. It is almost as though we think it will never end. But in order to develop an eternal perspective we must take God’s word to heart. Apostle Peter reminds us, 24 “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the LORD endures forever.” I Peter 1:24
So if and when it comes to standing before the enemies of God, Jesus gives us this very serious reminder, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
Continuing in Acts, Stephen is sitting there, or standing there and 15 all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
I am not sure what this means. Was his face actually shining? I think perhaps it was a look of confidence and peace. He must have looked totally calm. That would really have infuriated them. They would rather that he be terrified.
Peter counsels us, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 1Peter 3:14
Stephen stands before the High Priest, 7:1 ¶ Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”
In our courts we would hear, “How do you plead, guilty or not guilty?” Stephen does not answer with a simple, “Yes your honor”, … or “No your honor, what they are saying is not true at all”.
Instead Stephen gives an answer to the charge brought against him, and the answer will leave no doubt in anyone's minds about what Stephen believes about Moses and Jesus.
We will look quite closely at Stephen’s defense. The end result may not be what we are accustomed to calling “good”. But God has a plan.
Stephen has taken his stand for Jesus.
Do we remember the hymn, Stand up for Jesus? Here is the story behind it.
“Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus was a hymn inspired by the dying message of Dudley Tyng, a young preacher in Philadelphia who was forced to resign from his Episcopal church pastorate for speaking out against slavery in the mid 1800s.
In addition to starting a new church, Tyng and other ministers preached revival meetings at the local YMCA during lunch and soon began to attract thousands (this revival period is known as “The Work of God in Philadelphia.”) In March of 1858 Tyng preached a rousing sermon to 5,000 young men at the YMCA and over 1,000 made a profession of faith. During his sermon he supposedly said “I would rather that this right arm were amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.”
Only a few days later Tyng left the study of his country home to visit his barn where a mule was harnessed to a machine that was shelling corn. When he patted the mule his sleeve was caught in the cogs of the wheel and his arm was badly maimed. He passed away the following week from the injury.
Before he died, he was asked if he had a message for the ministers at the revival and he replied “Tell them, ‘Let us all stand up for Jesus.'” His friend and fellow preacher, Dr. George Duffield, was touched by the words and wrote the hymn Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus. Duffield concluded his sermon the following Sunday by reading the lyrics as a tribute to his friend.
Duffield’s Sunday School superintendent printed copies of the poem, the lyrics soon found their way into a Baptist newspaper and the hymn spread from there.”
There are some of you who are very familiar with the words of the old Hymn. But, for those of you who are younger, the words might be totally new to you.
I will close of this session with some of the lines of “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus”
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in his strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next, the victor's song.
To those who vanquish evil
A crown of life shall be;
They, with the King of Glory,
Shall reign eternally.
They wanted to pray, preach, teach and evangelize, but found themselves stretched to the limit.
To correct the situation God gave them the wisdom to delegate the food ministry to others. The congregation was asked to choose seven men to oversee the feeding of the ‘megachurch’. The apostles, by laying hands on and praying for the seven men showed their endorsement for this ministry and for these men.
I want to bring our attention to an earlier verse in Acts 5:12 ¶ And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.
We are going to see the term ‘signs and wonders’ again in this chapter, so I thought it would be good to mention it here. The word ‘wonder’ applies to how things appeared to the crowds. Amazing things were being accomplished, specifically the healing of many ill and crippled people. The ‘amazement’ factor was called a ‘wonder’.
The word ‘sign’ does not indicate something in addition to a ‘wonder’. When one healing took place, it was a wonder to the onlookers, and it was a sign to them as well. The ‘sign’ being a verification that what was being preached was in fact truth. Simply put, the apostles preached and shared the gospel. The miracles that they were able to do, both amazed the people and also proved to them that these men were from God.
The verse I just mentioned states that it was the apostles who were noted for doing the ‘signs and wonders’. There is no mention that others were doing it as well. It seems that only the leaders were involved in this.
I mentioned all of that for the simple reason that we will notice a change taking place after the ‘deacons’ were endorsed by the apostles.
We read Acts 6:8 ¶ And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
If you recall, when the names of the seven deacons are listed by Luke, Stephen was not only mentioned first, but he was the only one of the seven whose spiritual qualities were also mentioned.
Ac 6:5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, etc.
‘Full of faith and the Holy Spirit’. All of the men were to have been, ‘men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom’. So I am led to believe that the other six were also very qualified in this respect. So why, in the list of seven names, was Stephen’s name the only one followed by ‘a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit’?
I think the answer has to do with Luke, the human author. And by that, I want to be quick to say that Luke is guided by the Holy Spirit in his writing of this book.
But Luke, who is writing years after this all took place, knows that he is going to zero in and focus on Stephen, and so he seems to have singled him out and put him at the top of the list because of what he is going to say about him next.
The first thing that we notice is that Stephen is doing more than helping to organize the food distribution for the church. He is doing ‘front line’ work out in the public.
We read that Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
Perhaps the other six deacons were doing some of this as well. But Stephen’s situation is quite unique. Let’s read on
9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.
Pastor John McArthur points out that the ‘Freedmen’ were Jews that had at one time been slaves in Rome, but at the change of government leadership, were set free, and relocated themselves back in Israel. According to John McArthur, these Jews were not allowed into the temple, so special synagogues were built for them. But over time, it was not only the ‘Freedmen’ that attended, but other Jews found it convenient to attend there as well.
The list of Freedmen, (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia) deserves some mention. It appears that Luke is referring to 3 separate synagogues.
Cyrene and Alexandria are cities in North Africa, and Cilicia is a province which includes the City of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul’s hometown.
In the verses coming up, we are going to find the Apostle Paul mentioned, but his name will be given as ‘Saul’.
Stephen has been preaching, and certain ones from these synagogues were present. The things that they were hearing caused them great concern and they began to ‘dispute’ with Stephen.
Do we have to wonder what it was that they disagreed with? I think it logical to assume that Jesus is the center of the debate. Stephen would be asserting that Jesus turned out to be the long awaited and prophesied Messiah.
It is logical to assume that, along with his proving that Jesus was the Messiah, Stephen gave them the simple summary of the story. Jesus died, was buried for three days, and rose from the dead … just as he had predicted.
Most likely Stephen also told them that Jesus preached, The kingdom of heaven is at hand, and that ever since the resurrection, no longer is it the Jews who represent God’s kingdom on earth, but from here on out it is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
These are the things that these Freedmen Jews, and perhaps other Jews as well, were objecting to. As a matter of fact, their objections were so great, that they wanted Stephen silenced.
The message that Stephen preached was so convincing that 10 … they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
What they did next is similar to what the enemies of Jesus did to Him. They had seen miracles performed by Stephen, they had heard a message that proved the prophecies concerning the coming Christ had been fulfilled. But they did not want to believe. Why? Tradition. Their old beliefs had been passed down from generation to generation. They loved their traditions. The message of Stephen could not be argued against … but they did not want to believe it.
11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
In one sense, we can see why they focused on Moses and the Jewish belief system. Stephen claimed that Jesus was the fulfillment and therefore the end of the era. ‘The Way’, Christianity was taking its place. But to claim that Stephen was blaspheming … is clearly an exaggeration.
But these men are ‘turning’ the crowd against Stephen.
12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.
Prior to this it was Peter and John who were arrested, put in jail overnight, released by an angel and then re-arrested.
For a Christian to be arrested could be a very frightening thing. Peter and John had each other. They were in it together. But here we have Stephen, apprehended forcefully and taken to the Sanhedrin Court. He is alone in this. There is no indication that the Apostles or anyone else even knew what was going on with Stephen.
So these angry Jews have dragged him before the council and 13 …set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”
Whether Stephen actually said anything about this or not, we have no way of knowing for sure. Jesus did say, (John 2:)19 … “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
So Stephen might have actually included this in his talk with these men … or they may simply have remembered what Jesus said and falsely claimed that Stephen was asserting this.
But Jesus also said, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Matthew 24.2
Clearly Jesus was not talking about His physical body here. He was predicting something in the future. And about 40 years later, this is exactly what happened to the Temple. However, Jesus was not predicting that HE was going to destroy the temple.
If Stephen happened to mention this in his discussions with them, they could have misconstrued it to mean that Jesus was going to have something to do with the destruction of their temple. In any case, they are lying about Stephen's words and exaggerating everything out of proportion.
Don’t expect anything different today. Evil men are no better or more polite than they were then. Satan is behind all the opposition that is ever leveled against the Church, and has been all throughout history. In Stephen’s case, he will speak to the authorities in the court with words that he did not have the time to rehearse ahead of time. He will open his mouth and the message will stream out. This was the work of God, the Holy Spirit.
Standing up for God before the enemy is the highest honor that could ever be placed upon a believer. And yet, just trying to imagine it may send chills up your spine.
What the Holy Spirit did for Stephen that day, He will do for you. Jesus said, “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” Mark 13:11
There is a lot of comfort in that promise. God promises this ‘miracle’ to us, because, to Him, standing up for Jesus in the face of personal danger is the greatest ‘act of faith’ or ‘step of faith’ that one of His children can take.
We have the actual words that Jesus spoke regarding a believer who took this ultimate step of faith.
Re 2:13 "’I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Personally I can think of nothing better than for Jesus to call me His faithful witness. Life is short. Only what we do in Jesus' name lasts into eternity.
We are accustomed to think in terms of this life as being of prime importance. It is almost as though we think it will never end. But in order to develop an eternal perspective we must take God’s word to heart. Apostle Peter reminds us, 24 “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the LORD endures forever.” I Peter 1:24
So if and when it comes to standing before the enemies of God, Jesus gives us this very serious reminder, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
Continuing in Acts, Stephen is sitting there, or standing there and 15 all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
I am not sure what this means. Was his face actually shining? I think perhaps it was a look of confidence and peace. He must have looked totally calm. That would really have infuriated them. They would rather that he be terrified.
Peter counsels us, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 1Peter 3:14
Stephen stands before the High Priest, 7:1 ¶ Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”
In our courts we would hear, “How do you plead, guilty or not guilty?” Stephen does not answer with a simple, “Yes your honor”, … or “No your honor, what they are saying is not true at all”.
Instead Stephen gives an answer to the charge brought against him, and the answer will leave no doubt in anyone's minds about what Stephen believes about Moses and Jesus.
We will look quite closely at Stephen’s defense. The end result may not be what we are accustomed to calling “good”. But God has a plan.
Stephen has taken his stand for Jesus.
Do we remember the hymn, Stand up for Jesus? Here is the story behind it.
“Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus was a hymn inspired by the dying message of Dudley Tyng, a young preacher in Philadelphia who was forced to resign from his Episcopal church pastorate for speaking out against slavery in the mid 1800s.
In addition to starting a new church, Tyng and other ministers preached revival meetings at the local YMCA during lunch and soon began to attract thousands (this revival period is known as “The Work of God in Philadelphia.”) In March of 1858 Tyng preached a rousing sermon to 5,000 young men at the YMCA and over 1,000 made a profession of faith. During his sermon he supposedly said “I would rather that this right arm were amputated at the trunk than that I should come short of my duty to you in delivering God’s message.”
Only a few days later Tyng left the study of his country home to visit his barn where a mule was harnessed to a machine that was shelling corn. When he patted the mule his sleeve was caught in the cogs of the wheel and his arm was badly maimed. He passed away the following week from the injury.
Before he died, he was asked if he had a message for the ministers at the revival and he replied “Tell them, ‘Let us all stand up for Jesus.'” His friend and fellow preacher, Dr. George Duffield, was touched by the words and wrote the hymn Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus. Duffield concluded his sermon the following Sunday by reading the lyrics as a tribute to his friend.
Duffield’s Sunday School superintendent printed copies of the poem, the lyrics soon found their way into a Baptist newspaper and the hymn spread from there.”
There are some of you who are very familiar with the words of the old Hymn. But, for those of you who are younger, the words might be totally new to you.
I will close of this session with some of the lines of “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus”
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in his strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next, the victor's song.
To those who vanquish evil
A crown of life shall be;
They, with the King of Glory,
Shall reign eternally.