Zambia Hunt

Acts 6:8-15

On a cold January morning in 1956, five missionaries waded into the waters of a river in eastern Ecuador. Led by Jim Elliot, they were attempting to make contact with the Auca Indians, now known as the Huaorani people. All five men would lose their lives on “Palm Beach” that day, speared by the very people they had come to reach. The world called it a tragedy, a waste of young lives. Yet through their martyrdom, many Huaorani would eventually come to Christ, and their story would inspire thousands to missionary service.

This pattern – death bringing life, apparent failure yielding unexpected harvest – isn’t new in God’s kingdom. Nearly two thousand years earlier, another martyrdom would change the course of Christian history and propel the gospel beyond the confines of Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

Beyond Reputation

A few days ago, someone asked me what makes a life truly significant. As I considered Stephen’s story, I realized that reputation – what others say about you – pales in comparison to character – what you truly are. In our world of carefully curated social media profiles and personal branding, we’ve lost sight of what matters most.

Stephen wasn’t trying to build a following or create a legacy. He was simply serving tables, ensuring widows received their daily bread. Yet God had positioned him at a crucial turning point in redemptive history. His death would become the catalyst that launched the church into its global mission.

Like William Borden, who died of spinal meningitis in Egypt at 25 before reaching his mission field, or David Brainerd, whose brief 29 years among Native Americans seemed to end too soon, Stephen’s impact can’t be measured by the length of his ministry or the number of his converts. In fact, Scripture doesn’t record a single person who came to faith through his preaching.

The Pivot Point

What Scripture does record is even more remarkable. Stephen’s martyrdom marked the decisive moment when the gospel began its journey from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Until then, the early church had remained largely confined to Jerusalem. But as his blood soaked into the ground, it became like seeds scattered by the wind. The persecution that followed forced believers to flee the city, carrying the gospel with them into Samaria and beyond.

Among those watching Stephen die was a young Pharisee named Saul. As stones rained down on Stephen’s body, his face remained radiant. His final words echoed those of Jesus: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” This display of supernatural grace would haunt Saul, later known as Paul, throughout his years of persecuting the church. The seeds of his eventual transformation were planted in that moment.

Think about it: without Stephen’s martyrdom, would Saul have become Paul? Would the gospel have spread so rapidly beyond Jerusalem? Would we have most of the New Testament? One man’s courage became the hinge on which God turned the door of salvation toward the Gentile world.

A Faith That Changed Everything

When the Book of Acts introduces Stephen, it describes him as “full of faith.” This wasn’t the kind of faith that simply shows up for Sunday services or believes in God’s existence. This was a faith that transformed everything about his life. Like Job who declared, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him,” Stephen’s faith shaped how he viewed every aspect of reality.

I’m reminded of a father in the gospels who cried out to Jesus, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” How often do we find ourselves in that same place? While trusting God for our eternal destiny, we struggle to trust Him with our daily concerns. Stephen’s faith challenges our compartmentalized believing.

His deep confidence in God’s sovereign control over history, his unwavering trust in Jesus as the fulfilled Messiah, and his absolute certainty in Christ’s resurrection weren’t just theological positions – they were the bedrock that would enable him to face death with supernatural peace.

The Spirit’s Fullness

Being “full of the Holy Spirit” wasn’t a momentary spiritual high for Stephen – it was a continuous state of surrender to God’s control. Imagine a vessel so completely filled with water that there’s no room for anything else. That’s what Stephen’s life looked like – so filled with the Spirit that there was no room for fear, hatred, or self-preservation.

Grace Under Fire

The real test of Stephen’s character came when opposition arose. In first-century Jerusalem, over 400 synagogues dotted the landscape. Among them was the Synagogue of the Freedmen, filled with former slaves from various parts of the Roman Empire. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they couldn’t stand against his wisdom.

What happened next reveals the true nature of spiritual conflict. Unable to defeat Stephen’s arguments, they resorted to secret conspiracies. They stirred up the crowd – the same people who had previously held the early church in high regard. The Greek word used here describes the violent shaking of a volcano, painting a vivid picture of the explosive situation Stephen faced.

Yet even as they dragged him violently before the council and produced false witnesses against him, Stephen’s response was extraordinary. Those who looked at his face saw something remarkable – it was “like the face of an angel.” This wasn’t just poetic language. Like Moses descending from Sinai with a glowing countenance, Stephen’s face reflected the glory of God.

A Legacy of Light

Just as Hugh Latimer would later tell his fellow martyr Nicholas Ridley as they faced the flames, “We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out,” Stephen’s death would ignite a flame that would spread the gospel far beyond Jerusalem.

Among those watching Stephen die was a young man named Saul. As he heard Stephen’s final words of forgiveness for his killers, something began to stir in his heart. Though he wouldn’t realize it then, he was witnessing a demonstration of the very grace he would later proclaim throughout the Roman Empire as the Apostle Paul.

Legacy Beyond Life

When Elisabeth Elliot returned to the Huaorani people who had killed her husband Jim, she demonstrated the same spirit that animated Stephen. The seeming failure of Palm Beach became a gateway for God’s grace. Today, many Huaorani are believers, and their story has inspired countless others to take up the mission of bringing Christ to unreached peoples.

Similarly, Stephen’s apparent failure – no recorded converts, a life cut short, a ministry seemingly ended in violence – became the catalyst for the gospel’s expansion beyond Jerusalem. His influence on Saul/Paul alone would result in churches planted across the Roman Empire and letters that would shape Christian theology for two millennia.

Living Gracefully in a Graceless World

What does Stephen’s example mean for us today? In our world of instant reactions and viral outrage, his story challenges us to examine our own countenance. What do others see when they look intently at our faces during times of stress and trial? Do they see openness or deception? Acceptance or rejection? Joy or bitterness? Love or hate? Peace or anger?

True greatness isn’t measured by the length of our lives or the size of our platform. It’s measured by the depth of our character and the extent to which we allow God’s grace to flow through us to others. William Borden wrote in his Bible, “No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.” Stephen lived and died by the same principle.

Whether we’re serving at tables like Stephen, teaching in a classroom, working in an office, or caring for our families, we have daily opportunities to display the kind of character that changes lives. We may never know the full impact of our faithfulness, just as Stephen never knew how his death would influence the great apostle to the Gentiles.

The question isn’t whether we’ll achieve the world’s definition of greatness. The question is whether we’ll allow God to develop in us the kind of character that reflects His glory, even in life’s hardest moments. Will our faces shine with His presence? Will our lives demonstrate His grace? Will our deaths, whenever and however they come, serve His purpose?

The world still measures success by popularity, prestige, and material wealth. But somewhere today, in offices, homes, and churches around the world, modern-day Stephens are quietly demonstrating true greatness through lives full of faith, the Holy Spirit, grace, and power. Will you be one of them?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” – Hebrews 12:1-2