A Champion Of Freedom

Acts 6:8  

"And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great 

wonders and miracles among the people." 

   The Church's appointment of these seven men had far reaching consequences. In other words the great struggle had begun. The Jews always looked on themselves as the chosen people; but they had interpreted chosen in the wrong way, regarding themselves as chosen for special privilege and believing that God had no use for any other nation. At their worst they declared that God had created the Gentiles to be fuel for the fires of hell; at their mildest they believed that some day the Gentiles would become their servants. They never dreamed that they were chosen for service to bring all men into the same relationship with God as they themselves enjoyed. 

   Here was the thin end of the wedge. It is not a question of bringing in The Gentiles. It is The Greek speaking Jews who are involved. But not one of the seven has a Jewish name; and one of them, Nicolaos, was a Gentile who had accepted the Jewish faith. And Stephen had a vision of a world for Christ.
   To the Jews two things were precious, the Temple, where sacrifice could be offered and God could be truly worshiped and the Law which could never be changed. Stephen, however, said that the Temple must pass away, and that the Law was but a stage towards the gospel and that Christianity must go out to the whole world. None could withstand his arguments and the Jews used force and Stephen was arrested.
   My Friends, Stephen's career was short; but he was the first to see that Christianity was not the perquisite of the Jews but God's offer to the world.
Amen!

Reading: Acts 6:8-15
Ref: HG SB, BSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross life Ministry