At Gateway Church in Austin, we continued a series looking at the early church in the book of Acts.
What if faith was never meant to be boring, but an adventure? The book of Acts is the story of ordinary people encountering an extraordinary God, and stepping into a life they never expected.
It started with an invitation. To wait. To be filled. To trust God in a new way. And that invitation became an adventure; full of courage, purpose, and impact.
And here’s the best part, that same invitation is still open to you. No matter where you’ve been
or where you’re starting, there’s a place for you in the story.
ACTS: The Invitation… and The Adventure.
Don’t just watch it…step into it.
Digging Deeper:
Message Video from Gateway South Austin:
Message Audio from Gateway South Austin:
Message Notes from Ricky Echeona:
Acts 6:8-15; 7:51-60
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
If you are taking notes, the title of this message is simple- Suffer Well. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a complete sentence- Suffer well. It’s probably not what you came to hear today, but for the hope-sick heart in the room today, here is the challenge of the Lord who loves you- Suffer Well.
Over and over we will see this theme throughout Acts and all of the New Testament really, followers of Jesus who consistently run into problems in the midst of carrying out the purpose the Lord spoke to them. They have been commisioned by God and they keep running into criticism. They are given DIVINE OPPORTUNITIES, and over and over face HUMAN OPPOSITION.
What do you do when you are trying to live the life God has laid out for you and you keep running into PROBLEMS? How do you move forward when there’s this 500lb barbell dragging your soul called PAIN? How do you make sense of a season when you are trying to walk the path of integrity and you hit the wall of PERSECUTION?
God, you asked me to start this business, so why does it feel like doors keep closing in my face?
Lord, here I am giving you my all and I’m GATHERING, GROWING, GIVING, and GOING, so why is my body breaking down?
Jesus, here I am showing up well at work- loving people, trying to do what’s right- and there’s an injustice that I’m now facing.
It’s one thing when predicaments come and you can trace them back to bad decisions you made or even disobedience. It’s another thing altogether when you are PURSUING God, and it feels like problems, pain, or persecution are pursuing YOU.
I know I can’t be the only one who has faced a season where you say- “God, I’m trying to do what is RIGHT! So, what’s WRONG?”
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
Here we have Stephen, a devout man; follower of Jesus; gifted with administration- remember last week we learned that Stephen and 6 others were in charge of the distribution of food to the widows.
That’s Stephen- gifted. And throughout Acts 6-7, four times it will say of Stephen- “He was filled with wisdom”, “He was full of faith”, “He was full of grace and power”“He was full of the Holy Spirit.” Yet, here he is suffering.
If you are in the middle of suffering the question is “What are you full of?” Because what you are full of, will eventually come out. Remember Jesus said “…Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Meaning what you are TRULY full of, is eventually revealed.
And nothing reveals what you are made of like suffering, like testing.
- See if you are full unforgiveness in your heart, what comes out in a SUFFERING SEASON is bitterness and resentment toward God- “I can’t believe you are allowing this to happen!”
- If you are full of yourself and full of pride, what comes out in suffering is SELFISHNESS- And now everyone has to tip-toe around you like you’re the only one going through something.
- You ever met someone selfish in their pain? “You know so and so is battling pneumonia.” And they’re like “Well I’ve been without work for 4 days and ain’t nobody checked on me!”
- That same energy that will upload a pic of the hospital bracelet and caption it like “Crazy when no one is there for you (broken heart emoji)”
- If you are consumed by fear, ANXIETY will come out
They say pressure makes diamonds, but pressure also bursts pipes. What’s on the inside will come out.
But in the midst of the trying times of your life if you are filled with the Spirit of God. What comes out is the FRUIT of the Spirit
My boss maybe treating me with RUDENESS and I can still kill em with KINDNESS
In the midst of my GRIEF I can still have the JOY of the Lord
When I’m suffering through the LIES that are hurting my reputation I can still walk in SELF-CONTROL
We’ll find that Stephen in the midst of criticism, lies, and persecution is utterly unfazed.
How do you suffer well? You arm yourself full of the Holy Spirit.
As Proverbs 3:5-6 says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Lean not on conventional wisdom. Lean not on the wisdom of the world. But submit your heart, intentions, decisions, and life to the One who loves you and knows you better than you know yourself. And He will make your paths straight. Notice it does not say EASY.
9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
It says OPPOSITION AROSE. Stephen is doing the Lord’s work and life gets harder. The haters get louder. The road gets tougher. Come on, as followers of Jesus can we normalize OPPOSITION? When you are walking in your purpose, when you are endeavoring to live a life worthy of the call of God- It is supposed to be hard!
I would venture to say if there is no spiritual opposition in your life, maybe, just maybe, it’s because the enemy does not see you as a threat.
So they can’t hold a candle to the POWER and PURPOSE within Stephen. They’re losing every argument. So because they’re losing, they start lying. See, the enemy can not stand against the truth of God inside of you if you are full of the Spirit, so what does he bring your way- LIES. To distract you and destroy you.
And here’s where we start to see Luke mirroring the trial of Jesus. Lies and false witnesses rise up. Stephen is starting to suffer and he is UNBOTHERED. Totally unshakeable. If I’m honest and that’s me, I’m like- “What yall not gon do is LIE! If you can’t debate, just say THAT.” If I’m Stephen, I’m looking at all these professional lawyers, and I’m like… hold this L… hold this L… 2 for you (lol).”
He does none of that. Why? Because the truth is unafraid of lies. And in this miscarriage of justice, in this suffering, Stephen shows us- PRESSURE CANNOT PREVENT PURPOSE.
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. -1 Peter 4:12-14
PRESSURE CANNOT PREVENT PURPOSE
Some of you are battling personal attacks on your character, but I wish I had a few people that could say:
- “I may be under attack but I am unmoved in my allegiance!”
- Because I serve a suffering Messiah, who like a lamb led to the slaughter was silent in the face of persecution
- I know you may be fighting through illness. I know you didn’t ask for the cancer or the organ failure, but is there anyone here that knows
- “You can break my body, but you can’t break my boldness.”
- Because I serve the one who was pierced for my transgressions, and crushed for my iniquities… and by HIs wounds I am healed
- You can shake my circumstances but you cannot shake my conviction.
Stephen does not allow the injustice to make him indignant. Look at verse 15
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Here’s what I found interesting about this, in order for Luke, the author, to get this insight- that means some of the men in the Sanhedrin reported it to him later and he put it in the Bible. Catch this, don’t miss it- some of Stephen’s ACCUSERS become ATTESTERS.
If you want to SUFFER WELL realize: How you process persecution and pain, will preach to the very people provoking you!
In other words- your response to HATE is a revelation to your HATERS.
Do you realize some people are watching how you persevere through this season in your life and your testimony is the breakthrough they need? It is not in vain my friends.
You can walk FULL of the Spirit, and not be in despair.
Just like Stephen – You can be going through HELL and still look like HEAVEN.
I love that old church mom phrase- “I don’t look like what I’ve been through”
See we all, suffer that is a universal human exprerience. But you can go through the hardest seasons of your life simply focusing on the LACK- what you DON’T have. OR, you can go through those same seasons focusing on what you are FULL of- the Holy Spirit.
And be able to say- I may be losing it all, but if I have Jesus I have all I need.
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. -Hebrews 12:2-3
They ask Stephen what do you have to say for yourself? And homeboy starts PREACHING. We get a hole chapter of Stephen recalling the history of Israel, just to get the audience to the point of no return. He essentially says you think I’m the one guilty of blasphemy… it’s actually you. You killed the Son of God. You’re just like your ancestors who murdered the prophets. In other words, the words that can take you from 0-100- “You’re just like your father.”
54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Stephen on the brink of death, gets this beautiful divine revelation of our Lord and Savior. Btw this vitriolic response is the same response Jesus gets when questioned by the high priest, when He essentially says you think you stand in judgment of me but I’m the one Daniel spoke of and the next time you see me I’ll be riding on the clouds in judgment of you.
I felt like the Lord showed me this- look at the reaction of his accusers- it says “they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him”
Gnash- it’s the same verb btw when Jesus gives this description of hell throughout the Gospels. Gnashing of teeth in this moment shows their fury, hatred, deep anger, resentment. Which shows you hell isn’t some torture chamber you accidentally wind up in- but rather a place of your choosing a state perpetual anger, rage, resentment, and unforgiveness.
Juxtapose that for a second with Stephen… WHO IS THE ONE BEING UNJUSTLY LYNCHED… and he says “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
Friends if we are to SUFFER WELL, it’s time to let go of the bitterness in your heart. To deal with your unforgiveness before it deals with you.
Some of you are living in hell right now because you have allowed the hurt to define you. You’ve allowed the abuse to embitter you. You’ve allowed the lies to make you resentful.
Don’t let bitterness be your story.
How do you know you suffer well? You can forgive. Bitterness is not your story. Unforgiveness has no roots in your life.
Because you serve a God that forgives you. A God in Jesus who took your punishment. And gives you HIs Spirit that allows you to:
- To no longer HATE and wish hurt on those who abused you
- To no be bitter at the EX who handed you a reality you didn’t see coming
- To no longer resent the doctors who steered you the wrong way and now your body is suffering for it
You can live FREE. Free from the chains of bitterness. Free from the prison of trauma. Free fromt the poison of hatred and resentment.
What’s the mark of suffering well- You would not wish what you went through on anyone, and you no longer wish it away.
Stephen says 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
How do you suffer well? You keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and remind your soul- He is still on the throne!
You keep your eyes on Jesus.
He sees me. He has not forgotten about me. He will not forsake me. Even if this sickness lasts a lifetime- in light of eternity- it’s still TEMPORARY. My God is still on the throne!
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” -Job 1:21
Friend, keep your gaze on His glory. I know it’s hard. I know they hurt you. I know you are suffering. But it all dims in the light of who HE IS.
You have no idea what He is up to. That does not mean “everything happens for a reason” please don’t say that. Sin is senseless. Evil is chaotic. We don’t serve a God that needs to use evil.
But in a broken world and fallen world we do believe in a God that can turn anything for GOOD.
What if the suffering is accomplishing more than just the present pain?
The verse says the men stoning Stephen lay their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. This same Saul who is looking at Stephen… who is looking at Jesus… in 2 chapters will have his own radical encounter with the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. Jesus who will say to “Saul, why do you persecute me?”
And while Saul is struck with blindness for 3 days. He’s got time to think. I wonder if he thinks of Stephen. We know the rest of the story, Saul in his conversion becomes Paul who goes onto be the greatest church planter and writes 2/3rds of the New Testament.
And I think the testimony of Stephen NEVER leaves him. Because he was there. Paul will face the same persecution he dealt out. And I think everytime he feels like falling into self-pity he remembers Stephen and he writes words like:
Philippians 3:10- 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
What if the suffering of Stephen was the seedbed of perseverance in the life of Paul when he says
Romans 8:18- 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
What if your suffering is producing fruit you can’t quite see yet? But if you keep your focus on Jesus you will get to know Jesus through suffering in a way you could not otherwise. You can’t see it yet, but trust that He SEES you.
And he wastes nothing. The pain is not in vain. The suffering can be leveraged for His glory. And He still brings life out of dead things. Your story is not over.
