WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: Praise God for his goodness. Standing out There is a common trait among us humans: a desire to stand out from the crowd, to be noticed. We dream of one day being ‘discovered’, of someone recognising our potential. We imagine how others will watch our rise to fame and success with wonder and envy. Stephen was a man who stood out from the crowd without even trying. We saw yesterday that the believers had noticed him; today we see that he has also come to the attention of those outside the church. He wasn’t noticed because he wanted to be famous, but because of the life of God which flowed through him. Like Jesus So what was special about Stephen? We read yesterday that he was ‘full of the Spirit and wisdom’ (6:3) and ‘full of faith and of the Holy Spirit’ (6:5). Now we are told that he is ‘full of God’s grace and power’ (6:8) and speaking with wisdom and with the Spirit (6:10). Stephen stands out because he is like Jesus. He is full of the Spirit of Jesus, saying the kind of things Jesus had said and doing the kind of things Jesus had done. Sometimes standing out has good outcomes – like Stephen being appointed as a deacon. But other times standing out because of your Christlikeness can result in criticism, rejection and persecution. Is it worth the risk? Stephen seems to have thought so. Respond: Ask the Lord Jesus to make you more like him. http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-07-07