[0:00] Thank you for tuning into this message by David Entry. Every true revival is a product of the strong preaching of God's Word. May you receive a word from this message that will spark a revival in you.
[0:14] Acts chapter 6 verse 8 to 15. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
[0:26] Then there arose a setting of the synagogue which is called the synagogue of the Libertines. And Cyrenians and Alexandrians and of Cilicia and of Asia.
[0:42] Disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. Then they sobbed man which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.
[1:00] And they stared at the people and the elders and the scribes and came upon him and caught him and brought him before the council. And set up false witnesses which said, This man seizes not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.
[1:21] For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall change the customs which Moses delivered to us. And all that sat in the council looking steadfastly on him saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
[1:42] Here ends the reading of God's word. In Jesus name. Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Amen.
[1:53] Last week we saw how the Bible says that for church growth to happen some things must be in place. And two things that must be in place is the word of God must increase and some people must serve table or there must be administrative systems in place to handle the human side of things.
[2:17] So the spirit side of things is handled by the word and the human side of things is handled by administration. So you need the word and you need administration. And for them not to make sure the word does not suffer due to administrative needs.
[2:36] They said let's get people to handle the administration. And we all saw how the church grew and exploded. And Bible says that verse 5 of Acts chapter 6.
[2:48] And the same pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen. Let's read at the third line. One, two, three. To the Holy Ghost. Let's go.
[2:58] Let's read. Let's go. The same pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen. And I was told the faith of the Holy Ghost. All right. I know some of you struggle with the other names.
[3:12] The Prochorus and Timon and Paminas and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch. They chose seven men. But look at the text again. It said, and the same pleased the multitude.
[3:23] And the multitude acted. God the apostle said that you choose seven men of good reputation, honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom.
[3:34] And the same pleased the multitude. And they chose Stephen. They chose Philip, Timon, Paminas, Prochorus, Nicholas. The Bible, that's how you should have read.
[3:48] They chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicano, Timon, Paminas. How many of you know someone called Stephen?
[3:59] All right. How many of you know someone called Philip? How many of you know someone called Prochorus?
[4:16] How about Nicano? How about Timon? Paminas? Nobody? Okay, Nicholas. So only, but there are seven.
[4:29] Where are the rest? Where are the rest? Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch. So the Bible says that.
[4:40] Now let's read it again to the Holy Ghost. Is that okay? I want all of us to read it out loud this time. Shall we go? And the same pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.
[4:55] So they chose, that's okay, we'll get there one day. They chose Stephen, the first among the list.
[5:08] Did it indicate, was it choosing based on preference? Bible did he say that? I was like, they just chose him. But they took some time to explain and describe Stephen.
[5:22] They said, look for men of godly reputation. So you'll be a man of good repute. Full of the Holy Ghost. That one is all said when they chose him.
[5:33] And then wisdom. It wasn't said. But when they were choosing him, they said he was, they chose, verse 5, they chose Stephen, a man full of faith. That wasn't part of what they asked for.
[5:46] A man full of the Holy Ghost, that was what they asked for. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. So they added faith and they said it's full of the Holy Spirit.
[5:57] But already we knew that he was supposed to be full of the Holy Spirit. But it looks like this man's full of the Holy Spirit in this. It's really in your face. He was so full. And for that matter, it made him very unique.
[6:12] I present to you the uniqueness of Stephen. Stephen was such a unique man in the junction of the church history.
[6:23] I doubt if there has been anyone as unique as Stephen ever. As unique as Stephen ever. Very unique man. Look at what happened.
[6:33] And when this happened, we saw what happened. Verse 7 spoke about how the word of God increased. And the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.
[6:47] And great company of priests became obedient to their faith. Okay, wow. So they told at the end of the story. And look at verse 8. Then they start a new thing.
[6:57] They said, and Stephen. And Stephen. Shall we all say, and Stephen? And Stephen. Say it again. And Stephen. From now to the end of the chapter, and the whole of the next chapter, Stephen dominated everything.
[7:13] The choosing of Stephen and his cohorts took only seven verses. Out of the 15. The choosing. The choosing.
[7:24] And what led to the choosing. And the story about it. Took only seven verses. Verse 1. The problem arose. Verse 2. They called the multitudes. Verse 3. They told them what they should do because they can't spend time.
[7:36] Verse 4. They told them what their apostolic time was meant to be doing. Verse 5. Told us the state of the multitude and what they did. And the people they chose. Verse 6. Said that they prayed for them later and installed them.
[7:48] Verse 7. Said tell us the results. And the story is finished. Really looks like the summary of the whole chapter. It's that. It's just those seven verses. And then they start a new phase.
[8:00] And Stephen. And Stephen. They have to say it again. We've been told he was full of faith. Have to say it again. But really. When you look at the context very well.
[8:12] The old manuscripts used pistis. The grip where it is faith. But other manuscripts used charis. And major of the translations stayed with charis.
[8:25] A man full of grace. Charis. Grace. So when you look at NIV. New American Standard Version. New English Standard Version.
[8:36] Even amplified. And when you look at message. And New Living Translation. And practically all the other translations. Stayed with Stephen being a man full of grace.
[8:49] Not Mary. Stephen. He's the only person outside of Jesus. The Bible said he was full of grace. Jesus said. The Bible said.
[8:59] Of his fullness have we all received. So. There was something about Stephen. That was moving him towards a class of human Jesus. Stephen.
[9:11] The uniqueness of Stephen in church history. Which many have not been made aware of. Stephen is such a good name. Because of who Stephen represented.
[9:25] Even Paul. Paul. Apostle Paul. His rise was based on Stephen. I'm going to explain his name in him. Stephen. Stephen.
[9:36] I believe the next wonderful name. Apart from Jesus in the Bible. The next wonderful name from David. Is Stephen. Stephen. If you don't have David in your family.
[9:48] You have to believe God for one. You have to believe God. Because he's a reflection. Of an everlasting. Dynasty and reign. Who will be the father of Jesus.
[10:01] If David is not your family. Jesus is the. Son of David. Yeah. Jesus is not part of your family. Unless you have David inside.
[10:11] No. That's a joke. But Stephen. Stephen is such a unique person. In scripture. Let's explore Stephen a little bit.
[10:24] Then. The next time. We will capture. The entirety of chapter 7. Beautiful. The panorama. Of the. Old Testament history.
[10:36] In the New Testament. It's beautiful. But. Bible says that. They said. Choose people. And Bible said. And they chose Stephen. I believe. They never struggled.
[10:47] Yeah. They knew who to go for. Yeah. Stephen had this. Unique. Sense of humility. That. In spite of his reputation. In the church.
[10:58] Out of all the. Many. Thousands of people. People. He was the first. To be chosen. To go and. Serve tables. Do the menial work.
[11:08] That. People on the front seat. Wouldn't know what to do. Stephen. Had such a reputation. Amongst the people. But he was sent. To go. Can you stay at the door.
[11:19] And sign the people up. As they come in. He said. Oh no. But me. Me too. I can do puppet work. We know. But. At the moment. At the moment. We don't need anybody. On the puppet.
[11:30] The puppets. There's a lot already. But where the need is. He said. And Stephen. Didn't have a problem. Bible says. The multitude.
[11:41] With pleasure. Chose Stephen. And they. Chose Stephen. And Bible says that. He was a man. Give me. In the American.
[11:51] Standard version. I prefer that. They chose Stephen. They chose a man. Full of faith. And the Bible says. In the verse. Eight. And Stephen. Full of grace.
[12:03] And power. Stephen. Full of grace. And thank God. This amount of grace. Amazing. May you.
[12:13] Be a reflection. Of what happened. In Stephen's life. I'm talking about. The grace of God. Who filled. A man's life. So much. That. The trail.
[12:24] And the footprints. Of his impact. Can never be erased. From the church. Stephen. Stephen was. A trigger. The greatest trigger. Next to Jesus.
[12:35] For the church. Stephen. He triggered something. And produced something. For the church. The uniqueness. Of Stephen. It takes grace.
[12:47] To be able to do. Or to be able to. Be that kind of person. No wonder. He was. Full of grace. And. And. Stephen. Full.
[12:58] Of grace. And. Power. Was. He was. Performing. Great wonders.
[13:09] And signs. Among the people. Among. Which people? Where about. Anybody. Not. This is not just. In the synagogue. Or not just. Among the.
[13:19] Disciples. He said. The people. Stephen. Was. Performing. Now. First of all. I want you to realize. From the beginning. Of the New Testament. The gospel.
[13:30] The New Testament. This is the first person. Who never walked with Jesus. We didn't hear. That he walked with Jesus. Who was doing miracles. And signs. Jesus Christ.
[13:41] Was the initiator. Of signs and wonders. Right after Jesus. Bible says. In Acts chapter 5. Verse 12. 13. 14. Particularly from verse 14. And 16.
[13:51] He says that. Let's go to verse 12. Verse 12 says that. And by the hand of who? The apostles. It's very clear. The apostles. Not others. The apostles. By the hand of the apostles.
[14:04] Were many signs and wonders. Wrote amongst. The people. After that. Stephen. Joined that team. He was the first. To join the team.
[14:15] Of. The next generation. Believers. Who worked in signs and wonders. He was an indication. To us. That signs and wonders. Never only stayed. With the apostles. Stephen.
[14:26] Was a major statement. In the church. Because. It would have been like. Science and wonders. Were only. Repository. Or the exclusive. Preserve. Of the apostles.
[14:37] But Stephen. Becks to differ. The story of Stephen. And then. Philip. Continued. But the story of Stephen. Changes. The narrative.
[14:49] Stephen's story. So those who said. It's a miracle. Seeds with the apostles. It didn't. Because Stephen. So. They are forced to add. And they are. They are close associates.
[15:00] To the apostles. But. Stephen. Was a second generation. Believer. Was a second generation. He became a Christian.
[15:11] Not long after. He was even doing all these things. He became a Christian. After Jesus had left. Based on the preaching. Of the apostles. Stephen was not. And I believe.
[15:22] He wasn't part of the. Those in the upper room. Stephen. Didn't work with Jesus. Bible never said it anyway. So. Many theologians.
[15:32] Believe that. Stephen is a. Second generation believer. And yet. Bible says that. This. Second generation believer. was full of. Grace. Awesome.
[15:43] Translation. Full of faith. And power. And did. Stephen did great. Wonders. What are wonders? Wonders are. Amazement.
[15:53] Things that people watch. And. Wow. And it wasn't doing magic. Because it was full of the Holy Spirit. Amazement. But the beautiful things. Watch this.
[16:03] This is a very important point. I'm about to make. The beautiful things. About genuine miracles. In every church. In churches. Are. The sign aspect. Many people. Only do wonders.
[16:15] But no signs. I'm going to explain the difference. The difference between wonders. And signs. Is wonders. Provoke. Or generate.
[16:25] Amazement. Signs. Point. To something. So. Everyone who does. Signs. Is. Pointing. Out.
[16:36] To. No. Signs. Don't bring. Attention. To the one. Who is working. Signs. Bring. Attention. To somebody. Other. Or something. Other. Than the one. Doing it. And.
[16:47] So. When you are going to. Manchester. On the road. You see. Signs. Signs. Signs. It's pointing to something. You have to. Follow. When you get to the airport.
[16:58] And you are doing. Transit. They will tell you. Follow the signs. To where. You catch your plane. You have to follow. Signs. One of the things. That is nice. In the.
[17:09] In modern times. And civilized. Places. Is there are signs. It's an offense. And it's. It is not acceptable. In UK. It's against. Building. Standards.
[17:20] Of building. Regs. Regulation. To have an auditorium. Without. Fire. Exit. Doors. And signs. Any. Building. You go in. You see. If it's for gathering.
[17:31] Not your house. But. If it's for gathering. Of people. You will see. Signs. So. That. This is where you can. When you go through this door. It can take you outside. When you follow this door.
[17:42] Go through. There will be signs. When you get there will be signs. Signs. Signs. Signs. Signs. Stephen. Did signs. That. Will not. If you follow the signs. You will end up with.
[17:53] Jesus. And the truth of God. That is what is called. The true signs. Of an apostle. The signs. That point to. Jesus Christ.
[18:04] As the Lord and Savior. And it points to. The fact that. God's truth. Is embedded. In the revelation of Jesus. The truth of God. Stephen did signs.
[18:14] No. What does that mean? So. Because he was doing. These wonders. And signs. Because. We never were told. That Stephen. Watch this. Was preaching. It's not in the text.
[18:25] Look at the text. Let's start from verse 8. And Stephen. Full of. Let's stay with the. Near American for now. And Stephen. Full of grace. And power. Was performing.
[18:37] Great wonders. And signs. Amongst the people. Where was the preaching? I submit to you. The preaching. Is embedded. In the sign. Aspect of the. One. It says. Wonders.
[18:47] And signs. So as you get. It gives people attention. The signs. Were pointing to Jesus. So when you. When you give Stephen. Attention. You begin to challenge. Your. Existing.
[18:58] Paradigm. And understanding. Of who Jesus is. And so. If. You are. In a synagogue. And doesn't believe. That Jesus is Lord. When you see.
[19:08] What Stephen is doing. It's a big problem. For you. Because now. It's proving. That Jesus is Lord. It's proving. That this is not just. About laws. But it's about. Grace in Christ. It's proving.
[19:19] That this is not just. About the mosaic. Law. But it's about. The grace of God. That salvation. Comes through. Jesus and Lord. It's proving. That this is not just. About a temple. But it's about.
[19:30] The body of Christ. Stephen's. Behavior. What he was doing. Was loaded. With significance. Of the meaning. Of God's plan. For the church. Or through the church. In other words.
[19:41] He was. It's very interesting. He took. What. The interpretation. Of Judaism. Which people. Whose hearts. Were dull. Towards God. Wouldn't see.
[19:51] He took it. And made it so obvious. In their faces. That they had to rise up. If he did that. They would rise up. Against him. So that tells you. The next verse. Look at the next verse.
[20:03] Verse 9. Verse 9 says. And some men. You see that. Some men. From what was called. The synagogue. Of the free men. Freed men.
[20:13] I'm going to explain all that. See. And not only. The synagogue. The synagogue. The synagogue. The synagogue. The synagogue. Including both. Cyrenians. And Alexandrians. And some. From Cilicia.
[20:25] And Asia. Rose up. And argued. This is the argument. Why are you arguing. If someone is not talking. If the person is not talking. You don't argue with them.
[20:36] But if the person is talking. And making a case. That's when you are arguing. So the signs. That Stephen was doing. Is making a case for Jesus. That he's the one. The Old Testament was about.
[20:48] That Jesus is the one. The promised Messiah. He's the son of David. Who was supposed to bring. Redemption to humanity. He's the one. The law was about. He's the one. Moses. Stop focusing just on Moses.
[21:00] Read Moses properly. You will find Jesus. Moses was not an end. Moses was a means. So he was telling them. But don't stay. And get stuck in Moses.
[21:11] Keep going through Moses. You will find Jesus. And they arose. Against him. And started. Challenging. Arguing. And disputing with him. They had disputed.
[21:21] Now let me tell you about. These Syrenians. Or this synagogue. Synagogians. When you look at the King James. Let's look at the King James. Let me show you something. The King James says that.
[21:33] There arose. Certain of the synagogue. I thank God. That sometimes good Holy Spirit will help you. That's why when you're reading your Bible. Pray Holy Spirit. Help me to understand. I've always read this.
[21:44] The synagogues. Certain of the synagogues. Which were called. Synagogues. Of. The. Libertines. Cyrenians.
[21:55] So I taught. There are different. Synagogues. So one synagogue. Was for the Libertines. The other ones. Was for the Cyrenians. One. The Alexandrians. Cilicians. And the Asians.
[22:08] But. When you look at the text. Very carefully. It's one synagogue. But. This one. Is dedicated. To this kind of people. Yes. Who are the Libertines?
[22:19] Liberty. Theologians believe. That there are people. Who have been set free. From slavery. And so. Their mindset. Is even funny. So that's why.
[22:31] The other version. Use that. Synagogue. Of the freed men. There are free men. I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. War.
[22:41] War. I'm free. War. Synagogue. Of the freed men. Now. That means that. In Jerusalem. There were certain.
[22:52] Synagogue. That. When you go. It's a certain. People were there. It was in Judaism. So. These freed men. Some of them. Were from. They were Cyrenian.
[23:04] Not all of them. Would have been. Former slaves. But. The Bible makes us. Understand that. It's. From. What was called. The synagogue.
[23:15] Of the freed men. Including. Both. So there were. Cyrenians there. Not Irenians. Cyrenians. There were. Cyrenians there. There was. There were.
[23:25] Alexandrians there. There were. Cylicians there. The reason I'm saying that. And there were. Asians there. Cylicia. There's one man called. Saul of Tarsus. And Tarsus.
[23:36] Was a city. In Cilicia. You remember. Those who have been. Reading your. Acts. When he was brought. Before the. Festus. Festus said. What. Of what province. And when he found out.
[23:48] That Saul of Tarsus. Was of the province. Of Cilicia. He said that. Okay. Wait. When I go there. I'll call. I'll call it. So. So. In Acts chapter. I think. Verse 24. Acts chapter 24.
[23:58] So. Paul. Was from. Cilicia. And Tarsus. Is in Cilicia. That's how. Paul made an appearance there. Saul of Tarsus. Remember. So he says that.
[24:09] Chapter 23. Verse 34. He says that. And when the governor. Had read the letter. He asked of. What province. Paul was. And. When he had understood.
[24:19] That he was. Of Cilicia. That is why. He was. In that synagogue. Where. Stephen. Faced. That opposition. That led to his death.
[24:31] And Bible. Said. Paul. Saul of Tarsus. Was there. So. It was. A synagogue. That belonged to. It was like. Ethnic groupings. It's like. The way. You can have.
[24:42] The Asian church. The Korean church. Oh sorry. Korean church. In UK. We have. Eritrean church. We have. Korean church.
[24:52] We have. Spanish church. Is it bad? No. It's not really bad. It's not really bad. Because sometimes. Some people. Prefer to worship. In their native way. They can flow better. So it's not bad.
[25:03] It's not bad. But I don't. I think even. They have three churches. Yeah. Three churches. And. Eurobar churches. So. Are you getting a picture? And so.
[25:14] This synagogue. Was. Loaded with. People. Of that. From. That background. Now. Most of them. Were scholars. Like Saul of Tarsus.
[25:26] Who was. Raised. And trained. By Gamaliel. Saul of Tarsus. What Bible says. That. He was. A Pharisee. Of Pharisees. Wow. Philippians.
[25:38] Chapter 3. Said. He was a Pharisee. Of Pharisees. When he came to the law. He was perfect. It was. Or blameless. He was blameless. When he came to the. Righteousness. That regards.
[25:49] Concerning the law. He was blameless. And he called himself. A Hebrew. Of Hebrews. Wow. Paul. And he was. Very learned man.
[26:00] And so. Now. Paul. And his courts. And his. Associates. They were. Having their own. Synagogia. Life.
[26:11] Then. This guy. Comes in. And. He. Stops. Focus. From the synagogue. And everybody. Was giving attention to him. And so. When. He was working.
[26:22] These miracles. And signs. Amongst the people. There are some men. Including. Saul of Tarsus. The Bible didn't say. But I submit to his part of it. Including Saul of Tarsus. They rose up.
[26:33] And some. Men. From what. Was called. Synagogue. Of the freed men. Including both. Cyrenius. Alexandria. And some. Cilicia.
[26:43] And some. From Cilicia. And Asia. Rose up. And argued. With Stephen. What has he done? He was just pointing. To Jesus. He said.
[26:54] No. You can't be free. But what. What's beautiful. Is. When they argue with him. The. Verse 10 says that. And they were not. Able to resist. The wisdom. The wisdom.
[27:08] And the spirit. By which. So you see. His speaking. Was. Caracterized by two. Major things. One. There was. This wisdom. That.
[27:19] You ask him a question. The answer he gives you. Silences you. And the answer he gives you. Make you realize. How unwise you were. For asking that question. So he's not insulting you.
[27:31] But you realize. This guy is deeper than I. He makes me realize. I am so useless. He will answer you. In a way. You begin to answer. Ask yourself.
[27:41] About how come. I didn't think about that. Bible says that. The wisdom. By. With which he spoke. They couldn't resist it. They couldn't resist it.
[27:53] It was too strong for them. And not only the wisdom. And the spirit. It. It. To do outreach. The reason why you should pray. Evangelist. The reason why you should pray. Is so that you don't go.
[28:04] With enticing words. Of man's wisdom. The reason why. I have passed up. And pray before I come. To church. And if I'm coming. To before you preach. Is so that. Your preaching.
[28:14] Will not be void. Of the spirit. Of wisdom. That comes from God. Yeah. It's very important. So Stephen. Was churning out wisdom. Churning out wisdom.
[28:25] That the intellectuals. Could not. Could not stand. He. His wisdom. Was. Dwarfing. Their knowledge. That.
[28:36] To tell you. Stephen was well in it. Yeah. Yeah. But he wasn't just learned. Because one thing. Being learned. Is another thing. Now operating. In the wisdom of God. In other words.
[28:46] He understood. The subject matter. Very well. Is the spirit. Of God. Could breathe upon him. When they said. That we want to give ourselves. To the word of God. And prayer. He. After serving table.
[28:57] He will. Sometimes he will not sleep. Give himself to the word. Give him. Because his teaching. Telled you that. He was very familiar. Of the old testament. He was very well. He wasn't a Pharisee.
[29:08] But he mastered. The old testament. He understood. What the old testament. That doesn't come. By. Visions. He went to sleep. And you woke up. And you know. Anyone who woke up.
[29:18] And knew something. It's. It's not authentic. There are certain things. You don't know. Because you slept. And woke up. There are certain things. You know. Because you found out. You discovered.
[29:29] And through. Studies. Research. And. Holy Ghost. Is not against research. Sanctified. Minds. Can discover more.
[29:40] To help humanity. So. Stephen. So. Stephen. You could tell. That this guy. Was. No. Ignorant. And so. They started.
[29:51] Aguing. With him. And. When he spoke back. They couldn't resist. Bible said. They couldn't resist. One of the translations. Used. A certain phrase. A certain word.
[30:02] They couldn't cope. They just couldn't cope. With this thing. It was too much for them. The preaching of Stephen. Was too loaded. With wisdom. And Holy Ghost.
[30:13] Not. Miracles. Not miracles. They couldn't resist. Watch this. Said. They were unable. To cope. With the wisdom. And the spirit. With which. He was speaking.
[30:25] So. The speaking. Was a manifestation. Of the Holy Ghost. And wisdom. Which was different. From the miracle. He was doing. By the Holy Spirit. He's speaking. As well. It's like.
[30:35] When he spoke. They felt. Something was falling on them. They felt. There's a spirit. Behind this thing. That had. Stronger. Convincing powers.
[30:46] To people. Whose hearts were open. They have. Convinced people. The people come. As soon as they hear. Stephen. They realize. Oh. But you guys. No. What he's saying is better.
[30:57] And sometimes. He might not say anything unique. But the spirit. Dimension. On his ways. The spirit. Dimension. On his ways. May that be. Our testimony. Amen. This Jesus said.
[31:08] In Luke chapter 21. Verse 15. That. When. It says that. For I will give you. A mouth. And wisdom. Which all your. Adversary. Shall not be able.
[31:19] To gain. Say. Or resist. Yeah. God can give you that. Shout. Amen. Amen. In Mark chapter 13. Verse 11. It says that. When you are brought. Before. Authorities.
[31:30] And counsel. Mark 13. It said. When they shall lead you. And deliver you up. Take note. Thought beforehand. What you shall speak. Neither do ye. Premeditate.
[31:41] But. Whatsoever. Shall be given you. In that hour. That speak ye. For it is not ye. That speak. But the. Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit.
[31:51] Can speak to people. And. We have to learn how to. Even. In a basic life. Don't only depend on the Holy Ghost. For preaching. Or religious life. In your career. Sometimes there is a big problem.
[32:03] In the company. And the solution is not coming. Pray to the Holy Ghost. Like Daniel did. Say. Holy Spirit. Give me insight. Oh. I am telling you. People will begin to fear. He said. What is it about you? The boss is calling.
[32:14] He wants to meet you. He said. You know what. You want to give a package. So you don't leave this company. Because they have to learn by experience. That since you joined the company. Things are working. You are going for interview.
[32:25] It is good to prepare. But after you prepare. Ask the Holy Spirit. To speak to you. Because maybe. He is sending you. Not just for a job. But for a work. For a work of the Holy Spirit.
[32:38] As you speak to people. After the interview. Someone said. Someone will tell you. What is it about this guy? I have been having tummy problems. For the past two weeks. And every time.
[32:49] I almost didn't come to work today. But as he was speaking. I was feeling something was soothing my belly. And when he finished. Everything is gone. Call that guy back. I think. I want another interview with the guy. And you don't know what to have done.
[33:00] But the Holy Ghost. Is using what you are speaking. Say hallelujah. I believe in that dimension of Christian life. Where the Holy Spirit is saturating every aspect of your life.
[33:11] It's not only your church and religious life. But your family life. Your social and educational life. Your career. Everything you do. Everywhere you go. You are in the bus. And things are happening.
[33:22] Amen. Amen. You join the bus. And people can feel that somebody has come here. Somebody has come here. They don't know that. Somebody has come here. Somebody has come here. Because you carry God.
[33:32] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So. You could tell. That. They couldn't resist the wisdom by which he spoke. They couldn't resist it. They couldn't resist it.
[33:43] In Exodus. Chapter. 4 verse 12. He says. Now therefore. Go. And I will be with you. That's a nice one. I'm prophesying to you.
[33:53] Amen. God said. I will be with your mouth. I know some of you didn't get what I just said. He said. I will be with your mouth. And teach thee what thou should say.
[34:05] Amen. Oh yes. God can be with your mouth. Amen. God can be with your mouth. Amen. May God be with your mouth. Amen. As you meet people who matter.
[34:16] As you meet situations that matter. As you speak. As you speak. May God be with your mouth. Amen. And teach you what you should say. May he be with your mouth. Amen. In Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 9.
[34:27] He said. Don't be afraid of them. Jeremiah chapter 1. He said. The Lord put forth his hand. And touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto him. Behold. I have put my word in thy mouth. Wow.
[34:39] May God put his word in our mouth. Amen. Amen. So God can do a supernatural work with the words in your mouth. That's what happened to Stephen. They couldn't resist the wisdom by which he spoke.
[34:53] Then. And verse 10 says that. And they were not able. Reading from King James. They were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which he spoke. Verse 11 says that.
[35:03] Then they suborned men which said. Men which said. We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.
[35:18] Let's look at the New American Standard Version. Then. New America said. They secretly induced men to say. Oh yeah. You see what. It's very common with people.
[35:30] When they begin to challenge truth. And they face. What they can't resist. They now turn against you. And begin to slander your character.
[35:44] It always happens. And that's what. We pray that God will help our society. That. When people are propounding. Ideologies. That are not wise.
[35:56] But they are making. Forcing it on people. They now don't want. Discourse. Or debate. When people debate. They begin to use words.
[36:07] You are. A racist. You are. A bigot. You are. Something. Something. Different words. You are a bully. You are misogynist.
[36:20] You are fascist. Leftist. Or. Far right. Yes. Usually. Sometimes. Instead of. Us. Debating.
[36:31] And. Trying to come into the. The realm of. Intelligent. Intellect. Let's weigh what is being discussed. Once people cannot stand. Against the wisdom. And the strength.
[36:42] Of what others are saying. They flip. And become emotional. Become sentimental. Become temperamental. And begin to. Attack. People's character. Usually happens in court. When they can't win the case.
[36:54] Against you. Now they have to find something. To attack your character. And church. We have to be. Aware. That these are normal things. That will happen. To us. Especially with those. Who have the word of God. And we don't compromise.
[37:05] On the word of God. They will attack down. To slander your character. Things you haven't said. They will have. Jezebel did the same thing. Jezebel. When Jezebel. Wanted to collect. Somebody's land.
[37:16] He said. Let's throw a party. Naboth. Let's throw a party. And when he can't put you. On the head table. He will think it's promotion. He will be very happy.
[37:27] And then. As he says there. Let's bring men. To come and say. He said. What he hasn't said. 1st Kings. Chapter 21. Verse 10. And verse 13. Look at what Jezebel did.
[37:39] And. He said. At the party. He said. Set. Two men. Sons of Belial. Before him.
[37:50] To bear witness. Against him. Say. You see that saying. This one. They must have something to say. They should say something. That's the thing that happened. Stephen. They subound men to say.
[38:01] Particular thing. So. Set them to. Say. Doubt this blaspheme God. And the king. And then. Carry him out. And stone him. That he may die. Because. He hasn't said it.
[38:12] But get men to say. He said it. And once you have. One. Two witnesses. Or three. He said. You can kill the person. Look at verse 13. And. There came.
[38:23] In two men. Children of Belial. And sat before him. And the men. Of Belial. Witnessed against him. Even against Naboth. In the presence of the people.
[38:33] Saying. Naboth did blaspheme God. And the king. Then they carried him forth. Out of the city. And stoned him. With stones. And he died. Jezebel. He wanted to take his life.
[38:45] And said. Let's get rid of him. But we can't get rid of him. Until we turn public opinion. Against him. Let's turn public opinion. Against him. And put words in his mouth. And so.
[38:55] They put words in Stephen's mouth. Acts chapter 6. Verse 11. They hired men. Induced them secretly. Secretly. Brought men. Saying. We heard him. That means.
[39:05] He didn't say that. But they said. We heard him. Speak blasphemous words. Against Moses. And against God. You see what I was telling you. But Bible.
[39:16] Didn't comment. On Stephen's preaching. The comment. It started by talking about. Stephen did wonders. And signs. And then people. Rose up to.
[39:27] Dispute with him. And argue with him. And when they couldn't resist. What he was saying. And the wisdom. And the spirit behind this. What he was saying. They now gathered false witnesses.
[39:38] And said. Let's say this. What he has said. And just that. That's why you have to be careful. You know. Sometimes you have to pray. That God will silence. The voice of your accusers.
[39:51] Because. You know. In every time. Every season of a person. There are some seasons. You don't need accusation. False accusation. Can damage your chances.
[40:03] And your character. Permanently. Yeah. And you may never get the chance. To defend yourself. And explain yourself. And one of the easiest ways. To stop a move of God.
[40:13] Is to accuse the leaders. Of saying something. Or doing something. So. They. Gathered. These guys. To come and say.
[40:24] Something against him. And you know what that. When they said that against him. Because that. What they said. He has said. Was very inflammatory. Very inflammatory. So.
[40:34] It's gendered. Hatred. And anger. In three categories. In the people. In the elders. And the scribes. It says that. And they stayed.
[40:45] The people. The elders. And the scribes. Were people. Who would take. They've been employed. They've been trained. To write the Old Testament. So they understand the Old Testament. And you are coming to spoil our daily bread.
[40:55] And the people. Were Jewish people. Who. Has. The reason. And the meaning. For their existence. Is all in the Old Testament.
[41:05] And Moses. And in their God. And if you blaspheme. In those days. Against God. If. As long as there are. Two or three witnesses. You'll be stoned to death. So I said.
[41:16] Let's get rid of this guys. Let's get false witnesses. And so the false witnesses. It's always been the case. Against the church. It's always been. False witnesses.
[41:27] Who say things. We are not saying. They put words in their mouth. They said they are caught. Because they said. If you pay your salary. Don't give. Half of it.
[41:37] You cannot be a member. Where did this come from? They have a way. Of misinterpreting.
[41:48] So. False accusations. False accusations. And sometimes. Someone. Can make it their job. To sit online. And just. Blah blah blah. Blah blah. And you'll believe them.
[42:00] You'll believe them. And. I'm going to show you. Some of the things. They accused. Um. Stephen of. There might be. Basis. But they misinterpreted. What you were saying.
[42:11] So they will take. What he actually said. And twist it. To mean. What he never meant. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So. Did you mention Moses? Yes I did. Did you mention God? Yes I did.
[42:22] I said. Yeah. You are saying. We shouldn't follow Moses. I didn't say that. But that's what will be trending. That's what will be trending. Sometimes. People can even take preaching. Out of context. They take a little piece of it.
[42:33] And piece it. And then blow it up. And paste it. And the world is waiting for negative story. Because it's in human nature to steal prophets. So.
[42:46] Let's look at the text again. I have to run up. Because we have spoken about grace already. We have spoken about grace. And they stared at the people. And the elders. And the scribes. And came upon him.
[42:56] And caught him. And brought him to the council. Now come and answer to us. And then when they brought him to the council. Look. They told Adam. They brought him. Look at the next verse. And they set forth witnesses.
[43:08] Which said. This man sees not. It's like. That's all he's doing. Sees not to speak blasphemous words against the temple. The holy place. And the law.
[43:19] So now he spoke. First of all. They said. They spoke against Moses and God. Now they said. The temple and the law. And what did he say about the temple? Look at what he said. He said. For we heard him say.
[43:31] That this Jesus. So he spoke about Jesus. You see. This Jesus of Nazareth. Shall destroy this place. That's what they crucified Jesus for. In fact.
[43:41] Jesus thought. That destroyed this temple. And he was talking about his body. But they said. They said he meant the temple. And then secondly. Jesus said that. Not one stone will be left upon. On this temple.
[43:52] Because he was professing. How the Romans are coming to. Overrun. Foreigners are coming to take over. And destroy the temple. Jesus professed. And it was true. So he. It could have been done.
[44:02] In the discourse. He could have even mentioned. Jesus has even said it. The way you have fixed. Your heart on this thing. There's a better way. God has prepared for us. And they say. Ah. Yes. You say. He's going to destroy the temple.
[44:14] And so. There might be some basis. But they misinterpreted. What he was saying. Yeah. Yeah. And these were false witnesses. What they are saying. Must have a connection.
[44:24] To what you've been talking about. So. He actually would speak about the temple. But not in the way that he said he did. So. The core things he spoke about. Was Jesus of Nazareth.
[44:35] Who has now. He's now the temple. He made us the temple of God. Jesus of Nazareth. Who has brought enlightenment. And opened up. The. The people of God.
[44:47] Not to only restrict it to the Jews. But to all those who believe. Not only who. Those who follow Moses. But everyone. Because Moses spoke about Jesus. Everyone. So this is a basic teaching of the church.
[44:57] They. They flipped it around. They caught him. They brought him to the. Sahindri. And they wanted to kill him. Stephen is unique. And look at what happened. Let's quickly go to the text. For we heard him say.
[45:09] That the Jesus of Nazareth. Shall destroy this place. And shall change the custom. Which Moses delivered us. Oh. Verse 15. The last verse there. It says that. And all who sat in the council.
[45:20] Looking steadfastly at him. Saw his face. As it had been the face. Of an angel. What? What kind of face is this? The face was different.
[45:32] It wasn't ugly. It wasn't scary. But there's something glorious. The man's physical appearance. Began to change. It's not the amount of transfiguration. But they saw something unusual.
[45:44] That should have scared them. That should have scared them. But let me just point you to. Because of the uniqueness of Stephen. In the next. Quick. A few moments.
[45:54] Let me mention these points. You can write them. Number one. The uniqueness of Stephen. He became. He was a church growth agent. In what way? Church growth agent. Before the church.
[46:06] The number of the disciples. Multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. Who did they choose? Stephen. He was one of the catalysts. They chose him. And when Stephen was chosen. With the other six.
[46:17] The church. Grew. So he was a church growth. That's unique. How unique. And he was. Number two. He was first among the brethren. The agents were chosen. He was the first to be chosen.
[46:28] And him. Even when they chose him. His name. Or his. His. His abilities were spoken about. Or his uniqueness. Was clearly mentioned. And stated amongst all the seven.
[46:40] Do you understand what I'm saying? So. Uniqueness of Stephen. Number one. What was he? Church growth agent. Number two. He was the first among the brethren. To be chosen. Or among the chosen.
[46:51] Number three. He was. The first. I mentioned earlier on. The first. Next generation miracle worker. Does that make sense? I explained it. You know. The first. He was a next generation.
[47:01] He wasn't one of those who were religious directly. But Stephen. Was the first miracle worker. Outside of the apostles. Outside of the apostles. When God was now.
[47:12] Integrating others. Into the core of the work. Stephen was the first. Next generation miracle worker. Or first miracle worker. Outside of the apostles. It's easier. First miracle worker. Outside of the apostles.
[47:23] Number four. He was a catalyst for global evangelism. Catalyst for. Acts chapter 11. From verse 19. Bible says that. Upon the death of Stephen.
[47:33] And now. They were scattered abroad. Upon the persecution that arose. How? They went everywhere preaching. The preaching spread. Because of his death. God used Stephen.
[47:45] As a catalyst. For world evangelism. Because. Jerusalem was so good. They all stayed there. Meanwhile. Jesus said. Go into the world. And preach the gospel. Said. You shall receive power. And shall be witness unto me.
[47:56] In Jerusalem. In Judea. In Samaria. To the other most part. And they didn't do it. They stayed in Jerusalem. Until God said. Let me use you. So Stephen was like a match. Light. God lit. Spark.
[48:06] Light. Lit it. And then the. The revival flame. Burst out of Jerusalem. Stephen was a catalyst. For global evangelism. Number five. Stephen.
[48:18] Was a preacher. He was the. Preacher of the longest message. The longest message. In the early church. The entirety of Acts chapter 7.
[48:28] Next week. When we get into it. You will see it. He preached the longest message. Longer than Peter preached. So where were the apostles? This guy was a powerful preacher. And his preaching was loaded with the Old Testament explanation.
[48:41] Number. What number? Number six. Stephen expounded the Old Testament in the New Testament. He gave a panorama of the Old Testament history.
[48:53] Entity of the Old Testament. He. You go to the New Testament. You want to understand what the Old Testament is about. Stephen started it to explain it. This whole New Testament thing is. Can be traced to the Old Testament.
[49:05] He gave the panoramic view of the Old Testament. Or panorama of Old Testament history in the New Testament. Stephen was unique.
[49:16] Number. Seven. Number seven is very strong. Okay. Let me just go to this. This one. Let's go to number. Okay. Let me do. Number seven.
[49:26] Number seven. It's a serious one. Stephen became the foundation for the release of Paul's ministry. Maybe I'll throw a bit more light on that next week.
[49:40] Paul's major assignment was to take the message from the Jews to the Gentiles. And two. To explain properly. He wrote.
[49:51] Many theologians believe that Hebrews. Even though his authorship is disputable. Paul wrote Hebrews. And Hebrews is explaining the Old Testament. And showing Jesus in the Old Testament.
[50:02] Not just that. Paul wrote. From Romans. To Titus. Philemon. He wrote all these books. Over 13 books. Paul wrote them.
[50:13] And most of it was to explain. The church. What the church really was. In the light of what God has been doing from Adam. Stephen picked. Before Paul came in.
[50:24] And you remember I told you Paul was one of the Cilicians. Paul was listening to. As he listened to Stephen. Suddenly. He was an intellectual. He knew what the guy was saying was true. He knew.
[50:35] What? But. Out of hatred. He would not accept it. He was too proud. Bible says that. Knowledge puffed up. 1 Corinthians chapter 8.
[50:46] Knowledge. He knew so much. He was. That's why. Sometimes when you become so theological. You become pompous. When you listen to preachers. You dismiss them. You are not even listening to the spirit.
[50:58] You are so pompous. You feel. You know so much. So Paul knew. But. What he knew was made. Small. By the explanation of Stephen. Do you know what Stephen did?
[51:08] Stephen took all that Paul knew. And gave meaning to it. In Jesus. And Paul said. No. I won't accept this. I'm pointing to you something. Paul said. No. I won't accept this. Paul said. No. I won't accept this.
[51:19] Paul said. No. So Bible says. When they stole him. He was standing by. The last two verses. He was consenting to his death. Now. Before even that. Look at chapter 8. It said. And Paul was consenting unto his death.
[51:31] And at that time. Great persecution. So Paul was there. And Bible said that. He held the garments. When they were going to stone him. He held the garments. Acts chapter 26. I think somewhere from verse 12 or so.
[51:42] He was holding their garments. He was. So they would feel free. And have the chance to stone. The guy. Yeah. Paul. Says that. And when the blood. Watch it. When Paul met Jesus.
[51:53] He said. When the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed. I was standing by consenting to his death. And guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. Paul was.
[52:04] He was. He was the Cilician man. He was dead. And that left such an impression on his heart. He never was able to forget. How do I know? Because he was. He was an intellectual. He was a Pharisee or Pharisee.
[52:15] He understood the Torah. But Stephen explained the Torah. And made him small. He was arrested. But he said. No. I won't do it. So he was kicking against. What was arresting. He was. He was kicking. So when God called him.
[52:26] In Acts chapter 26. Bible says that. Verse 14. He said. Paul. It is difficult to kick against. It is hard to. You know. There goes. Some translations. They're pricks. It's the same thing.
[52:37] They use it. It's like spikes. To stop the animals from going left. Or going right. So if the animal tries to kick the spikes. They will bleed. So it's like spikes. To guard their horses.
[52:48] Or to prevent animals from going beyond. Hitting boundary. Spikes. And he says that. So there was a proverb. In those days. That it is hard to kick against the spikes. Against the pricks. Or against the goats.
[52:59] Goats. Don't kick. You will hurt yourself. Now when you are going to some shopping centers. The car park. No entry. They have the spikes there. Don't drive towards it. Because you are kicking against the goats. And Paul.
[53:10] Even though he knew the truth. He said. No. I won't receive it. So Jesus said. You are kicking against the goats. After hearing Stephen. You cannot deny it. Paul.
[53:22] It is hard. To kick against the goats. What you saw in Stephen. Stephen became. The foundation. For the ministry of Saul. Saul was the one who. Now when he got born again.
[53:32] He gave us a better understanding. Of what this whole. New Testament life is. In light of the Old Testament. Paul. Stephen. You see what God used Stephen to do? Last to not mention.
[53:43] The uniqueness of Stephen. Stephen. Not only that. This is very nice. That Stephen. Stephen. Jesus Christ. Just before Stephen died.
[53:54] Jesus. After resurrection. He went and sat at the right hand of the father. But Stephen. When he was about to die. Jesus stood. Jesus stood. The guy preached. Jesus in the Old Testament.
[54:04] So mad. Jesus stood up. He said. And he said. Being full of the Holy Ghost. Look steadfastly. Into heaven. And saw. The glory of God. And Jesus.
[54:15] Standing on the right hand. He should have been seated. Jesus said. When he resurrected. Bible said. And he was seated at the right hand. But when he got. Stephen preached. Jesus got up. Jesus got up.
[54:27] Jesus gave him a standing ovation. Jesus said. I'm about to fight for the church. This guy has done the job for me. Stephen. He's the only one. Who Bible records.
[54:38] That Jesus stood up for. After he went and sat. Jesus stood up for Stephen. The uniqueness of Stephen. Jesus stood up. He's the only one. Who died.
[54:48] Similar to the way. Jesus was dying. Praying for his. That's the last point. Number 10. He died. Praying for his killers. He died. Praying for. He must be full of the Holy Ghost.
[54:59] To be able to do that. Because as for me. I don't think. I don't see how I can do it. He died. Praying for his killers. The uniqueness. Of Stephen.
[55:11] May God raise. Stephens. In our generation. In our church. May he give us some of the grace. That made Stephen Stephen. You will not fail. In the mighty name of Jesus.
[55:23] So shall he be. Did you receive something? Hallelujah. I see the rise of modern death's TV's in the church.
[55:38] No. Don't be thinking about martyrdom. Some of you only think about martyrdom. He was the first martyrdom. In the church. But when you think. He's not. He's a witness. He's a catalyst. He's full of grace.
[55:49] The only one. That was full of grace. I see the rise. Of modern death's TV's in the church. So shall he be. Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry.
[56:05] We pray you have been revived towards God. You can connect with David Entry. On all relevant social media platforms. Including Instagram. And LinkedIn. You can also hear more messages from David Entry.
[56:16] On all relevant streaming platforms. And the Carish Church app. Don't forget to like and share the message. Be blessed. I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I think I