Acts 6:8-7:1 "Responding With Grace is Hard"

I mentioned the other day that I thought the Cybertruck looks pretty cool, and the person I was talking with was like, “Yech! It looks like a toaster on wheels.” Then they proceeded to tell me how bad the batteries are for the environment, how the electric grid can’t handle charging all these cars—”What are you going to do when the power goes out? Just stay home?” I had apparently hit a nerve. “I hope you enjoy destroying the Houston economy!”

I’m like, “Lighten up, Francis!” (That’s not their name, it’s from the movie “Stripes” about a guy who takes himself a bit too serious) “I didn’t say I wanted a Cybertruck, Francis, I just said I think they look cool.” Keep in mind, I’m the guy who bought a Honda Element and a Ford Flex. I like weird cars that look like they were drawn by a six year old kid. Besides, I don’t want a Cybertruck until it can go like 1,000 miles on a single charge—or until they make one that runs on gas. Ha.

People are so ready to take anything you say and assume the absolute worst about you.

I said in a Bible study one time that when God gave Adam dominion over the earth, that included the responsibility to take care of it—we’re to be proper stewards of the planet. I was accused of being a tree hugging, climate change advocate, who wants to ban all cars, planes, modern conveniences and force everyone to live in caves and cook vegan meals over a small campfire. Apparently, I must have been turned into an unhinged, anti-corporation environmentalist by that old commercial where the Native American sheds a single tear as he looks at all the litter and pollution. I will admit when I see someone throw trash out their window, I want to pick it up, chase after them, and smash it in their face. Don’t mess with Texas! That’s what I’m talking about!

Today we’re going to continue the story of Stephen, one of the seven guys the early church put in charge of the food distribution program. He was apparently a talkative fellow. He had a lot to say about Jesus and what it means to follow Him—what Jesus taught the apostles about the temple and the law and Moses. Things that would have been very interesting to the mostly Jewish members of that massive church in Jerusalem.

We’re going through the Book of Acts line by line, we pick up in chapter six… 

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. Acts 6:8-9

Other than the apostles, Stephen is the only one we’re told was also doing signs and wonders—miracles, healings—doesn’t mean other people weren’t also doing these things, maybe. Definitely shows it was possible. Says he was full of grace and power. That’s the right combination for a Christian. Not just power, also grace.

Stephen was a Greek speaking Jew who heard the Gospel and started following Jesus. He was a leader in the church—but not one of the apostles. People were intimidated by the apostles, they were afraid to argue with them or confront them. But Stephen is just a Greek Jew who works at the food bank, so... 

Some men who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen, along with other Greek speaking Jews from other places started harassing him. Showed up just to argue. Like Facebook trolls.

The Freedmen were not only Greek Jews, they were also from families who used to be slaves. They had been set free, made Roman citizens—but were also really into Jewish traditions, the Torah, the temple, the law of Moses, the sacrificial system, the prayers, the rabbis. Their whole identity was wrapped up in all those very Jewish things—they knew their Old Testament. There’s a pretty good chance Stephen used to be part of their synagogue. 

So, they showed up to argue with him, why is he forsaking his religious heritage? Why is he following this Jesus thing? And they did not like his answers. 

But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Acts 6:10

Whatever zingers they thought they could nail Stephen with—man, he just effortlessly knocked all their arguments down. Gracefully. With kindness—with a ton of Scriptural knowledge. I imagine the Freedmen and the other Greek Jews were surrounding him, yelling at him with veins popping out of the red faces—and Stephen gently answers everything with a smile and good humor—showing how all the Scriptures point to Jesus. He wants his brothers to get it. But they weren’t interested in what he had to say, they just wanted to win. When they couldn’t, they went to violence… 

Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” Acts 6:10-14

I’m sure they mostly repeated words Stephen had actually said—but not in the context of how he said it. They didn’t just present the facts, they created an imaginary story first, then used his words as evidence to back up their story. 

Stephen certainly did not blaspheme God or put down Moses. But they could take little quotes and make it seem like he did. They got a bunch of the angry mob to testify against him, saying things like,  “Everytime Stephen opens his mouth, he says something about how much he hates God, hates Moses, thinks the temple is a waste of time, and tells everyone that Jesus is going to destroy the temple and ruin everything that’s special about being a Jew.

They had arrested the apostles a couple times, but were afraid to charge them with serious crimes because it might start a riot with all the Christians. But this guy wasn’t an apostle. He’s just a Greek dude who delivers food to old ladies. 

So, they arrested him and accused him of a bunch of trumped up charges.

This whole thing should remind you of how Jesus was treated in His trial. The way Jesus kept getting in trouble for saying all the same kinds of things—that He’d destroy the temple and that He spoke against the law of Moses and traditions of the Pharisees.

Stephen’s in a tight spot. Standing in front of the Sandhedrin, on trial, accused of crimes punishable by death. 

And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” Acts 6:15-7:1

All of a sudden Stephen’s face lights up with a supernatural glow. Like the shekinah glory that lit up Moses’ face after the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Like Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Like the angels at the tomb on Easter morning. Suddenly Stephen has their full attention.

Not that a supernatural miracle was going to change their mind. They had already seen a crippled man who was healed—an angel break the apostles out of prison—they had heard about all kinds of miracles—a lot of these guys had probably seen them with their own eyes. They saw all the strange things but didn’t believe God was the one who did any of it. They’re looking at Stephen and thinking it’s Linda Blair with Lucifer inside. The fact that Stephen’s face was strangely shiny wasn’t going to make them drop the charges or change their mind.

But it was going to make them pay attention to what he had to say.

The High Priest, in his official duty, gets the trial underway, “How do you plea? Did you say these things or not?”

Next week, we’ll get into his answer. He had a lot to say. He’s going to repeat for them some of the things he actually said about Moses, the law, the temple, and Jesus. I recommend you read through his answer before next week and look up anything you’re not familiar with—all of chapter seven. It’s a bit of an Old Testament survey from a Christian perspective.

What do you think you’d say if you were in Stephen’s position?

Like, if you got put in Facebook jail for talking about your faith. They accuse you of hate speech, being racist, homophobic—of trying to cram your religion down people’s throat—all because you actually believe the Bible is true and talk about your faith in public.

How do you handle that? Are you indignant? Angry? Do you get defensive? Do you go on the offense? Do you retaliate? What authority do you look to for help? Is your first thought to pray to God for your accusers to hear the truth of the Gospel? Or, you know, do you remind people of your constitutional right to free speech? Freedom of religion? Those things are great blessings we should wake up and be thankful to God for every day but they are not God—we shouldn’t turn to them in our hour of need. Our help comes from the LORD, He alone is God, it is His word that endures forever. Where we immediately go for help when we’re attacked is something to notice. It’s going to make all the difference in how we react.

When someone argues with you, would people describe you as being full of grace? Full of wisdom and the Spirit? Would they be amazed with how you stuck to the facts and didn’t attack them back? How you spoke the truth while at the same time showed them patience and humility while you gently and with kindness explained what you meant by what you said? 

Don’t lie. I’ve seen some of you when you get out of Facebook jail. I’ve also seen why you were put in. I don’t remember thinking I was seeing the face of an angel. Ha.

The thing is, Stephen was enthusiastically sharing what he believed was true—and we have every reason to believe he was right about everything he said. That he spoke the truth. But his words were deliberately twisted and used against him by his enemies.

The same thing might happen to us but we need to remember who our real enemies are.

“We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

Our true struggles are not with the people who attack us, they’re not with other people at all. This is why Jesus told us to love our enemies—they’re not really the ones we’re fighting against. There is always an invisible war going on behind the surface. Being patient and kind to the people in front of us is one of our most important weapons in defeating our true enemy—the one who’s trying to keep people amped up with anger and hate toward us. We defeat them by speaking the truth in love. Truth spoken with patience, kindness, humility, self-control. Love.

Imagine you’re in Stephen’s situation, being accused by a bunch of angry men bent on murdering you for nothing more than talking about your faith in Jesus. You’re not going to get anywhere by using their demonic tactics—that’s what they expect, that’s what they want you to do. Don’t stoop to their level—don’t twist their words, don’t attack them, don’t act like a demon.

Instead, remember who you are. You’re a baptized child of God. A member of Christ’s church, His family, you represent Him. Take a breath. Say a little prayer, ask for the Spirit to speak through you. Remember what love is: patience, kindness, gentleness, humility, self-control. Respond with grace and truth. Truth in love. Let your words be seasoned with kindness, wisdom, and grace.

These are the most important moments of your ministry. These are the true crucial conversations. This is your opportunity to shine the light of Christ. When it gets dark even a little light can be seen. 

They’re going to expect anger, defensiveness. They’re going to expect you to retaliate. This is when you can blow their mind with a sense of peace and a clear witness to what you actually believe. This is when you can show them that your faith is real. That it’s not just talk. That it’s something you hold onto and will follow even in the worst situations.

This is exactly what Stephen does. Spoiler alert—It’s still going to cost him his life but there are seeds planted in the hearts and minds of some of the people in that room. The Holy Spirit is going to grow those seeds and do some really big things—later—Stephen isn’t going to see any of it, not in this life, but it’s going to be the fruit of his faithfulness.

When you get into a situation where you’re attacked for your faith, or for things you said about your faith, even faith-adjacent things like politics, be careful. You’ll be tempted to defend yourself, to strike back. But in these situations, you’re not just defending yourself—you are being called to bear witness to the One who saved you, to be His representative. How you act, how you treat people, is just as important as anything you say. 

Last week, we talked about how we’re tempted to go to silence or violence. We can’t let people intimidate us into not talking about our faith, telling the truth—silence. And we can’t let them bully us into acting just like them, either. Acting out in anger—violence. Jesus shows us a better way.

So, let’s circle back to where we started—how people can take something you say and twist it into something entirely different. Whether it’s mentioning that you think a Cybertruck looks cool and suddenly being accused of wanting to destroy the Houston economy, or suggesting we should take care of the earth and getting labeled as a radical environmentalist—people are quick to misunderstand and misrepresent us.

But here’s the thing: when that happens, when our words are twisted and used against us, we have a choice. We can get defensive, angry, and lash out, or we can remember who we are in Christ. We’re God’s children, saved by His grace, and called to live differently.

We see the world differently. We know we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. The real battle isn’t against the person in front of us who’s trying to get us to lose our religion and fight with them. The real battle is against the spiritual forces of evil that want to see us respond with anger, fear, and hate. But we don’t have to do that—Jesus already won that battle for us.

On the cross, Jesus faced the ultimate twisting of words and false accusations. He was accused of blasphemy, of trying to destroy the temple, of being a threat to the Roman Empire—none of it was true, and yet He didn’t defend Himself. Instead, He bore all those lies and accusations silently, with grace, knowing that His sacrifice would bring us life.

Because of what Jesus has done, we also don’t have to fight back with the same weapons the world uses. We can respond with love, because Jesus has already fought and won the battle for us. He took on all the sin, all the lies, all the accusations, and paid the price so that we could be free. No longer slaves to the world, the flesh, and the devil. True freedmen.

When Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin, his face shining like an angel, he wasn’t just filled with grace and power on his own. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that fills us today. Stephen was a witness to the truth of the Gospel, even when it cost him everything. And that’s what we’re called to be too—witnesses of Jesus’ love and truth in every situation, no matter what it costs us.

And here’s a comforting promise: Jesus is with us in every trial, in every moment of misunderstanding, in every twisted word. He’s there, giving us the strength to respond with grace, the wisdom to speak truth in love, and the peace that surpasses all understanding. We’re not alone in these moments; He’s right there with us, guiding us, and giving us everything we need to do what He’s called us to do. We have the promise that we don’t have to muster up a perfect response on our own—We will be given the words when we need them as a gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

Remember who you are. You are a child of God, redeemed by Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit. You don’t need to defend yourself with anger or attack others to prove anything. Instead, let the light of Christ shine through you—let your response be seasoned with grace, with patience—with love.

No sacrifice for the Gospel is ever wasted. Stephen’s story doesn’t end with his death—his witness planted seeds that would continue to grow until the end of time. In the same way, your witness can have an impact far beyond what you can see. Amen.