Target on Your Back!

Acts 6:12- And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. NKJV

Years ago, I read a testimony of a Russian who had become a Christian. When it was discovered that he believed in Jesus, he was arrested and sent to prison, in a cold and remote part of the land. To punish him, he was put outside in the elements with no clothes. While he was in the bitter cold, he prayed and worshipped God, and was warmed. When they returned him to the prison cell, other prisoners were so impressed, that they wanted to hear his testimony and many got saved. Such is the way of many believers. We are often targeted by the enemy to stop us, but in the end, if we allow God to use us, God will use that situation for His Glory! Such was the case for this young man we know as Stephen!

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 

Acts 6:8 NKJV

In my previous blog, we saw how the church grew rapidly and had to accommodate this growth by adding new leaders to help with the ministry. Stephen was one of those men, and Luke told us that Stephen was full of faith and power. In other words, he was on fire for God. As he handled the church’s business, he also did great signs and wonders among the people. Can’t you just picture the scene: widows were coming for money to meet their needs, and Stephen was ministering to their other needs (healing and deliverance) while they waited. That’s what I pray will begin to happen in our churches!

As God was using Stephen mightily, the devil got busy!

Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.

Acts 6:9 NKJV

First, the devil tried to distract Stephen from the work by sending people to argue with him. I know you’ve met those kind of people. The ones who want to argue with you about tithing not being scriptural, or the Bible was written by hypocrites, or there are two creation stories in the Bible, and my favorite, the Bible contradicts itself! This is the first tactic to get us sidetracked. But Stephen didn’t fall for this tactic. Luke wrote that they were unable to withstand the wisdom of God that Stephen used to handle their disputes. This is good advice for us today! If we trust God when people try to get us into their silly arguments, we will speak with such wisdom, that they will not be able to handle it.

Such was the case when the Jehovah’s Witnesses started visiting our home many years ago. The first time they came, it was two people “sharing” their propaganda. But as they talked with me, I was able to use God’s word to cause them to stumble. That didn’t go over too well with them, so the next week, they sent someone more skilled in their “doctrine”. That didn’t work either, so they sent the “general” who was over them to speak with me, and again, I was not moved by their lies. In my living room, my toddler was saying something like, “Close the door, Mommy!” I knew then that the Spirit of God was trying to get my attention. So I told them they would never convince me, and apparently, I would not convince them, asked them not to return to my home, and closed the door!

When that didn’t work, they sent men to lie on Stephen.

Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.

Acts 6:11-12 NKJV

If the devil can’t confuse us, and make us feel stupid, then he will send people to start rumors and lies about us. How many of us have been lied on by others simply because of our faith in Jesus? It happened to Jesus, it happened to Stephen, and will happen to us if we are living for God!

Stephen was arrested. He didn’t do anything worthy of an arrest, but he was brought to the council based on the lies that were being told about him. With no investigation, he’s dragged into court. But there was something unusual about Stephen. He was full of the Holy Spirit and the anointing of God radiated from his being.

And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Acts 6:15 NKJV

I don’t even know what that looks like! But I imagine that the Spirit of God was manifested in his body in such a way that he glowed with the Glory! You have to be pretty dim-witted to notice the Glory of God on an individual and not to respond to Him.

When the high priest asked Stephen if the charges against him were true, he preached a message that was recorded in scripture! He started with Abraham being called of Mesopotamia, moved on to the patriarchs and how they sold Joseph into slavery, how God used Joseph’s horrendous experience of betrayal to provide for His people during a famine, and how they carried Jacob’s body back to Shechem to bury him. He spoke of the bondage that Israel suffered at the hands of the Egyptians and how God sent Moses to deliver His people. And then he got really fired up and said:

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Acts 7:51-53 NKJV

At this point, the councilmen became outraged to the point of gnashing their teeth! I assume they were growling! After all, Stephe called them stiff-necked, uncircumcised in their hearts and ears, and stubborn people! He reminded them that they had persecuted many prophets in the past who prophesied of the coming of Jesus, and those present had become betrayers and murderers! Those are some harsh words! I can well imagine their offense at his words! But amid their anger, God was cheering Stephen on! We know this because Stephen said:

“Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Acts 7:56 NKJV

Jesus was so blessed by Stephen’s attitude! Instead of Stephen looking at the angry crowd, he was looking towards heaven! This is the only place in the Scriptures where we are told that Jesus was standing at the right hand of God! Everywhere else, Jesus is sitting! But I bet it isn’t the only time Jesus stood! I believe many believers since Stephen have caused Jesus to stand! And if He doesn’t show us that He is standing, we can certainly experience the peace that overflows us, that causes us to know we have made His heart happy!

As we go through this life, we should know that we have a target on our backs. The only thing you did to earn this target is that you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. We won’t all die a martyr’s death as Stephen and others have experienced, but we can all stand in the face of persecution, and choose to honor Jesus!

I believe that the reason we have such a lengthy account of what Stephen preached was because Saul was sitting in that audience. I believe Stephen’s message and the presence of God in Stephen made an impact on Saul that changed the course of his life and the church! Don’t let the target distract you, allow it to propel you to be the best witness for Christ you can be. You never know who is watching and how it will affect their lives. Wonderful Jesus!