But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The lGreek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them. So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too. Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.
Acts of the Apostles 6:1-15 NLT
Stephen was not just good at distributing food – he was full of God’s grace and power. The apostles knew that they should not be spending their time on anything other than preaching the Word; they needed to delegate. In their wisdom they also chose strong people to be leaders of the ministry of distributing food. These men, like Philip and Stephen, became strong leaders in their own right, and even preached the Word. Stephen was arrested, mainly because he was Greek speaking and saw Jesus as the true Temple of the Lord. This offended some Jews from different parts of the world, and they conspired to have him killed. Unlike Peter and John who spoke mainly about Jesus and the Council’s fault in killing Him, Stephen would speak on the history of God with His people: He does not need a Temple, and His people had turned the Temple into an idol. This message of truth would get Stephen martyred.
We must always choose our leaders wisely. We never know who God will call to take a stand for Him. Peter was willing to die, but Stephen was the first one martyred for his faith in Christ. Being a church leader is about more than running programs; it is much more about faith, character, and leading others closer to Christ. Christian leadership always involves humility, serving, and sacrifice. May we also pray for our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who continue to die for the name of Jesus.
Take some time to pray for Christians around the world, dying for their faith in Jesus. How can you live the qualities of Christian leadership more faithfully?
