"Not your average church member...or is he?"
This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ (Acts 7:2, 3 NLT)
Stephen is your average first century church member. More like a preacher than a layperson, he gives the religious leaders an education on the message of the Old Testament. He is eventually stoned for his boldness in proclaiming Jesus.
We would look at Stephen & say that he is not your average church member. He knows his OT inside & out, he preaches, & he is even willing to die for this message. How many of us in the pew on an average week share these attributes?
But he IS the early church's average church member. See, we have created a clergy/laity divide that is not commonly seen in the NT. Although leadership is clearly defined, every member sees themselves as a missionary. We don't even know what Stephen did for a living. Know why? It wasn't what his identity was wrapped up in. You know what his identify was wrapped up in? Jesus. Jesus & His mission in the world.
This is what church members should be like:
(1) We must find our identify in the person & mission of Jesus.
We are missionaries. Many of us find our identify in our work, hobbies, family, success, etc. The list is endless. But Stephen sees himself as on mission with God. He exists to share the message of the risen Jesus. He lives everyday for a chance to share the hope of Christ. Do we? What do we find our identity in?
(2) We must know the Scripture extensively.
Stephen could have schooled a seminary professor with his Bible knowledge. We often see Bible knowledge as something reserved for pastors & "serious" Christians. But understanding the message & content of the Bible is essential for ANY Christian. Show me a Christian who doesn't know their Bible & I will show you a Christian who is struggling to be on mission with God. The Bible is not something we need to know just for our knowledge but to shape the way we speak about Jesus & the gospel to those around us.
(3) We must share the gospel no matter the consequences.
What is the gospel & mission of God worth to us? Is it worth our job? Family? Our stuff? Our lives?
I know many people who say, "I can't share the gospel at work, I may get fired!" I'm not saying we should be reckless but we have to be bold. Stephen shared the gospel & lost his life! The question is, what do we value more than sharing the gospel? And whatever that is always trumps the gospel. We will share it when it's convenient. We will share it when it's comfortable. We will share it when it's advantageous & doesn't cost us anything. But we will not share it when it's hard & maybe most needed.
How can we be more like Stephen? Just an average but amazing early church Christian who saw himself as a missionary first & everything else second.
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