Bold Stephen the “Heretic”
“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth…. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord.” Acts 7:54-57 (KJV)
Emotional and insecure, that’s how the religious leaders handled the case of Stephen before they stoned him to death. And it all started in a simple discussion he had with the members of the Synagogue of the Libertinos (Acts 6:9).
The topic? The Gospel what else.
Stephen may not be one of the Apostles, but he was chosen as one of the Seven Deacons who were tasked to help meet the temporal needs of the early church. The church was growing in number and so a logistical problem ensued (Acts 6:1). The apostles called in a general meeting and chose seven men to whom they can turn over the task distributing food so that they may concentrate on preaching and teaching the word of God. But Stephen is not your regular church goer. He is full of faith and is able to do great wonders for the church through the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5,8).
Unable to refute the Gospel presented by Stephen, the members of the Synagogue of the Libertinos got mad and got personal. They gathered a mob of false witnesses including their community leaders (the elders and the scribes) and they brought Stephen to stand trial before the high priest (Acts 6:12ff).
Many of these men appear to be in the right position to judge him. After all, they were the established authorities. And one could argue that indeed, God placed them there “for there is no authority except that which God established.” (Rom 13:1). They pretty much followed their own interpretation of the rule of law described in Deut.?17:6-7 in this trial. And man-made traditions aside, they are ones you may call “Biblical” in beliefs and practices.
The only problem was, they were not on the side of the Gospel. You see, you can appear to be Biblical and you may insist you have been placed by God as an authority but at the same time you can still be an enemy of the Gospel.
Take the Seventh-Day Adventists for example, they promote observance of the Sabbath and the Dietary Law of Lev. 11:1-47. One may argue that observing the Sabbath is Biblical in the sense that you’ll find it in the Bible, period.? It is in fact the fourth of the Ten Commandments (Exo 20:8-9; 23:12; 31:15; Deut 5:12; Lev 26:2). So, in Article 19 of the Seventh Day Adventist’s Fundamental Beliefs they say:
“The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a SIGN OF OUR SANCTIFICATION, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God’s kingdom” (Emphasis mine,??Fundamental Beliefs, XIX).
They reason that those who are justified by faith must observe the Sabbath and avoid pork. They appear to be Biblical when they look down on other Christians who do not observe the Sabbath. But is it in accordance with the Gospel? Col. 2:16-17 says:
“Therefore DO NOT LET ANYONE JUDGE YOU by WHAT YOU EAT eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or A SABBATH DAY.? These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (NIV)
You can be Biblical yet at the same time fall from grace if you insist on observing the Law in order to be righteous (Gal 5:4).
In the trial, their accusations portray Stephen as the heretic, or as the man who has a “rebellious spirit” for opposing the teachings of the leaders of his day. But at same time the trial gave Stephen a much larger audience to speak to (see Acts 17:1-53). He began his defense with the calling of Abraham in Gen 15, he continued up to the building of the Temple by Solomon in 1 Kings 6:1, and then closed with fiery rebukes reminiscent of that of the Lord Jesus’ (Mat 12:34).
Even though he was surrounded by hostile witnesses, Stephen found peace of mind (Acts 6:15). In contrast, his accusers, his judges and his executioners dealt with him on an emotional level before turning violent. They became furious and yelled on top of their voices as they all rush at him and drag him out of the city where they stoned him to death.
You see, the Gospel is not meant to tickle. When I heard that a new bible version removed the “Father” and? “Son of God” because they offend Muslims,? I remembered how different Stephen was. The Bible describes him as “full of God’s grace and power” (Acts 6:8). He preached with reckless abandon knowing that Gospel is not meant to flatter its listeners but to directly show them their sinfulness and their need to seek for forgiveness that is found only in the grace of God’s one and only son Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
I hope there will be many more Stephens out there.
Let us therefore pray for our religious leaders so that they will not deal with Gospel issues on an emotional level. And pray that they do not let their emotions blind them from the pure and pristine Gospel.
Let’s pray for one another, that we may find the courage to share this Gospel at all times. And that as we do, dare not water it down for the sake of political correctness.
Let’s also pray that the churches rise from mediocrity and become vigilant, ever watchful of those who try to make us drink a dangerous concoction of truth mixed with error intended to slowly poison our faith.
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