Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

Stephena character study by Jeff S. SmithIntroductionStephen’s appearance on the stage of bible history is in reality a quite brief one. He is introduced in Acts6:5 as one of the men of good reputation selected to minister to the widowed Hellenist saints in theJerusalem church. The rest of the chapter recounts a popular opposition to his preaching and he defendshimself in chapter seven, wherein he is killed by a seething mob. But the name Stephen has earned itsplace in our hearts and traditions. Stephen was the first of many Christians to die for the cause of Christ.He was the initial saint to be caught saying the right things at the right time to infuriate the right crowdinto murder. While none of us hopes to meet with the same end, we all claim to want to emulate thecommitment that he displayed that day.DiscussionI. The Life of StephenA. Hellenist (Acts 6:1-21. Stephen was a Hellenist, that is, a Greek-speaking Jewa. usually the Hellenists were Jews who lived outside of Palestine in parts of the Roman Empirethat were further from Moses and closer to the influence of Greek cultureb. Stephen’s education would reflect “a broader outlook on life” (ISBE), including bothelements of classic Judaism and Greek philosophy, art and languagec. but none of this stopped Stephen from being a Jew to the core of his heart2. the very first conflict we learn of in the early church involves a dispute between the HellenistJews and the Hebrews over a daily distribution of benevolence to the needy widowsa. the apostles learned that the Hellenists felt they were being left out and so created a plan tosolve the problemb. seven men would be chosen from the congregation to see to the daily ministry of food whilethe apostles continued in prayer and the wordB. His Character (Acts 6:3-7)1. Stephen was among the seven men chosen, for he had the qualities the apostles soughta. good reputationb. full of the Holy Spiritc. full of wisdom2. Luke comments also that Stephen was full of faith, indicating the depth of his convictions andhinting at his willingness to share them boldly and forcefully3. the work of the seven allowed the word of God to continue its spread so that the number ofdisciples multiplied greatlyC. His Teaching (Acts 6:8-15)1. Stephen the Hellenist naturally shared his faith in the synagogue, eventually drawing theopposition of the Synagogue of the Freedmen, a group of Hellenist Jews like himselfa. although the Hellenists disregarded the Pharisaic customs that had been added to theperiphery of the Law of Moses, they nevertheless regarded the essence of Judaism as unchangeable andpermanentb. Stephen, on the other hand, understood from the teaching of Christ, that the temple was dueto be destroyed and that true worship would transcend Moses (Matthew 24:1-2)c. these were the very doctrines that brought Jesus to the ultimate moment of his life and theylikewise doomed Stephen (Matthew 26:59-66)2. the Freedmen were unable to defeat his arguments and so they resorted to a time-honored patternby bribing men to bear false witness against Stephen on the charge of blasphemy3. even as the wicked men made their speeches, it was impossible to ignore the angelic countenanceof Stephen, who looked and sounded innocent, because he wasCharacter Studies! 91