I have always admired Stephen. It would probably be hard to find someone who doesn't. If you look up bold in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Stephen (if anyone had one!).
But it's not just his boldness that makes him impressive to me. Let me list a couple of pretty awesome qualities he possessed:
#1 He wouldn't be held back by the lack of a title. Stephen was not one of The Twelve. He was not a teacher. In fact, he was chosen to do the dirty work so that the teachers had more time to teach. But Stephen wasn't intimidated by the fact that he didn't have a title. He stood before the Jewish leaders, and starting with Abraham, brought them all the way to the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. Impressive.
#2 He was a faithful learner. He could have used his "ministry" as an excuse to be poorly taught. He was using a lot of time making sure the older ladies were taken care of. But none of that mattered to Stephen. He knew he had to move forward with his faith, and so he learned. And he learned well.
#3 Even knowing the end result, he still said what he had to. I think he knew what was coming. Acts 6:15 talks about the glow on his face. God had already spoken to him. I think he knew the end result.
#4 His Christ-like character. Stephen did the most Christ-like thing he could do as he died. He even mirrored Jesus' statement from the cross. He forgave those who took his life. It doesn't get more Christ-like than that.
Imagine what God could do with a church full of Stephens!
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