The Spirit In Action MT 26:59-64/ACTS 6:8-15;7:51,54-56
“THE NEXT GENERATION”
We've been reading from Luke's sequel to his gospel called The Acts of the Apostles, or Acts for short. We've seen how Jesus' disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and then began going out and fulfilling their calling as his apostles by saying and doing the same kinds of things that he did.
Now in chapter six, Luke introduces us to the next generation of disciples. As we read last week: “The Twelve (Disciples) called a meeting of all the believers, and said, 'Select seven men who are well respected and full of the Spirit and wisdom.” (Acts 6:2) And with that, the baton begins to be passed to the next generation of believers. You remember the Next Generation don't you? These days the Captain and his first mate make regular appearances on Facebook telling dad jokes...
Picard: Number One, Did you know that I wanted to be a historian when I grew up.
Ryker: Is that right? Well, what changed your mind, sir?
Picard: Everyone said there was no future in it – but that's all in the past now.
Ryker: Wait - what?!
Picard: It's true, and at one point my mother forbade me from making breakfast puns.
Ryker: She did? Why was that? What did she say?
Picard: She said, 'One more time and you're toast...', but my Dad kept egging me on.
Ryker: Are you kidding me...?
Picard: Did I ever tell you, Will, that my first apartment only had a four foot high ceiling?
Ryker: It did?
Picard: Yeah. I couldn't stand living there.
Ryker: I had to ask! Why do I always have to ask?
Picard: My birthday is coming up and just so you know, green is my favorite color.
Ryker: Green? Really?
Picard: Yeah. I love it more than blue and yellow combined.
Ryker: But, sir..., green is – never mind.
Picard: By the way, I caught Wesley Crusher chewing on electrical cords the other day.
Ryker: Wesley was chewing on some electrical cords? So what did you do?
Picard: I had to ground him. I told him that was no way to conduct himself.
Ryker: How shocking....
Picard: I know, right? So, Number One, do you know what direction chickens swim in a pod?
Ryker: I'm sure I have no idea, sir.
Picard: They swim cluckwise, of course.
Ryker: You're killing me here, sir, you're really killing me....
Judge: On that joke alone I find humanity guilty of all charges!
That was The Next Generation of Star Trek. So what about the next generation of believers? Luke not only identifies the first seven by name, but goes on to spend the next two and half chapters telling us about the exploits of the first two so selected – Stephen and Phillip. All “seven were well respected and full of the Spirit and wisdom”, (Acts 6:3), but Stephen particularly stands out.
Stephen is known best, perhaps, for his M & M's. It's true. Five M & M's to be precise: his Merit, Mission, Message, Martyrdom and his Monumental Moment. Let's start with Stephen's merit.
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My dictionary defines merit as “an individual's commendable qualities”. Luke wastes no time identifying Stephen's commendable qualities. In addition to being wise, well respected, and full of the Holy Spirit, Stephen, we're told, is “a man full of faith...exhibiting God's grace and power”. What's more, we discover as his story unfolds that he is also a man of great courage and fortitude. When “The Jewish leaders became infuriated by Stephen's message, they shook their fists at him in utter rage, but Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked heavenward...” and stood his ground.
(Acts 6:5,8;7:54-55)
What stands out in particular about Stephen's merit, is how Luke chooses the same words to describe Stephen as were used in the gospels to describe Jesus – that he's full of God's grace & power! Earlier Luke noted that Peter and John “were recognized as men who had been with Jesus”, (Acts 4:13) but Stephen was not part of that crowd. He represents the next generation, those who were blessed because they believed even though they'd never met Jesus... Stephen's merit points to a great truth – though we've also never met Jesus in person, we too can come to exhibit some of his most com-mendable qualities – his faith in the Father, his grace and compassion, and his being full of the Spirit!
That brings us to Stephen's second M & M – his mission. When he's first introduced we learn that he's among seven wise and well respected men who are entrusted with the responsibility of food distribution. Stephen must've shined in this position because the next thing we know he's performing miracles and signs among the people. (Acts 6:4,8)
As a result, he's soon drawn into debates with the local leaders, and get this: “None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.” (Acts 6:10)
Once again, it echoes what was often said of Jesus: “The crowds were amazed at his teaching, because Jesus taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the Law.” (Matt 7:29)
Stephen has been released into a new sense of mission – to imitate the apostles who were imitat-ing Jesus - to say and do, in effect, the same kinds of things that Jesus said and did; and the fact that we see this happening in the next generation of believers implies that each generation is to do likewise.
Stephen's second M & M, his sense of mission, is our own – to say and do the kinds of things we see Jesus doing – to be Jesus' hands and feet, and ears and lips, to the generation at hand!
Stephen's third M & M was his message. That'll be the focus next week as we explore chapter seven, so I'll save that for John to cover but let it be noted for now that in this, too, we see Stephen imitating Jesus, as his lying adversaries protest: “This man is always speaking against the holy temple and against the law of Moses. We've heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” (Acts 6:13-4)
As we read earlier, Jesus was accused of no less: “They found some men who were willing to lie about Jesus, who said, 'This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.'” (Matthew 26:60-61) Jesus was pointing both to the good news of his resurrection and that he embodied the hope that the Temple represented – the means to come into God's presence/grace. Steve's messagee was merely that of trying to clarify how Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets.
The fourth M & M, is that which Stephen is perhaps best known for, his martyrdom. He is the first follower of Jesus to be killed for his faith in, and witness to, and the first of many martyrs to come. His story is recorded in detail to provide inspiration to a generation enduring intense persecution. Luke writes the book of Acts somewhere between 62-68 AD, right in the midst of Nero's bloody persecution of the church throughout the Roman empire starting in 64 AD.
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Stephen's faith, courage and fortitude provide a template for all who follow. In his death, Stephen once again looks and sounds incredibly like the one who died for him, echoing Jesus' words offering forgiveness...: “Lord, don't charge them with this sin!” (Luke 23:34/Acts 7:60) as well as Jesus' dying words uttered from the cross: “'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!'” (Luke 23:46/Acts 7:59)
That brings us to the fifth M & M: Stephen's Monumental Moment. It is here that we catch a glimpse of why Jesus is so worth living and dying for. It's here that we're offered a glimpse of the eternal, and with it, an opportunity to share with Jesus, and Stephen, a life-changing perspective.
“Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. And he told them, 'Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!'”
(Acts 7:55-56)
The thing is, Stephen's vision was not unique. It echoes the prophet Daniel's vision of a “Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven..., who was led into the presence of the Ancient One..., and given authority and sovereignty over all the nations of the world. His rule is eternal; it'll never end.”
(Daniel 7:13-14)
It echoes Jesus' prophecy: “In the future you will see the Son of Man in power at God's right hand!”
(Matthew 26:64)
Paul, another next generation believer, who ironically was standing there that day Stephen was ruthlessly martyred, later comes to faith and is given his own glimpse of the eternal: “I was caught up to heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don't know. I was caught up to paradise and heard astounding things...!” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
The Bible even ends on a similar note, from John's Revelation: “I saw a door standing open in heaven..., and instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it who was brilliant as gemstones. This Son of Man's eyes were like flames of fire...”
(Revelation 4:1-3;1:13-14)
It would seem that God wants us to catch a glimpse of the eternal through the witness of those who can offer us first hand accounts. Thanks to the advancement of medical science, more and more people are sharing their glimpses and experiences of eternity.
John Burke relays such accounts from those who've had near-death experiences who report very similar details as that of Stephen & co. Ian, for example, who'd lived a self-indulgent life, found him-self in utter darkness desperately asking for forgiveness as his mom had taught him in the Lord's prayer
“A brilliant light drew me out of the darkness. It looked like a white fire or a mountain of cut sparkling diamonds of indescribeable brilliance. A voice spoke to me from the light: 'Ian, you must see in a new light.' The words brought to mind a Christmas card I'd received that said, 'Jesus is the light of the world. God is light and there is no darkness in him.' A wave of unconditional love swept me.
I found myseelf beginning to weep uncontrollably as the love became stronger and stronger. It was so clean and pure, no strings attached. His love was healing my heart and I began to understand that there is incredible hope for humankind in this love.” (John Burke's Imagine Heaven)
Or consider Pastor Joe Infranco's recent book, sharing what has transpired thanks to a new tech-nology giving voice to young people with extreme autism. His interviews with them, held individually, in which no two people know what the others tell Joe, report seeing angels, and a hill where they gather with others like them, in the presence of Jesus. Among those Joe interviewed, is Brooke, who speaks through a computer and shared the following of how she too saw the eternal.
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“I found myself with Jesus, in this perfect meadow, sparkling in beauty and light. I knew inertly that it was part of my true home. It was where and how I was made to live, in a body moving uninhib-ited to the joyful sounds of worship filling the atmosphere. Later, on the tough days, I sometimes had a vision of that place, with Jesus by my side. It brought painful times into perspective.”
(Joseph Infranco's Decoding Cody)
So it was for Stephen in his moment in the sun, his face reflecting the light of the world. His vision helped him face the violence that was about to befall him. It put pain into perspective. As Luke notes: “Everyone stared at Stephen because his face became bright as an angel's.” (Acts 6:15)
I believe these glimpses of the eternal have been set down to encourage us all, to encourage you, to offer you Jesus' perspective, who was constantly talking about the kingdom of heaven, and how we could begin to experience and live our lives in a whole new light, now and throughout eternity.
As another next generation Jesus follower put it: “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven..., for your real life is hidden with Christ in God; and when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory!”
(Colossians 3:1-4)