“And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:”
Acts 6:5 KJV
The proposal of choosing seven men to serve so that the apostles gave attention to prayer and preaching the Gospel was beautiful. Everyone in the church loved this idea. So they chose seven men. One of them was Stephen, who was known as a man full of faith and overflowing with the Holy Spirit. Along with him they chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas from Antioch, who had converted to Judaism. Stephen was not a gentile but a Greek speaking Hebrew believer in Christ. Stephen in English is Tzephaniah in Hebrew which means, “Yah has treasured”. When he addressed his hearers when the Supreme Council confronted him, he said, “My fellow Jews and fathers”. Although he was a powerful minister of the Word, Stephen was humble to accept the task that of serving. True freedom in Christ is not to indulge the flesh, but rather, to serve one another humbly in love - that’s Christ-like leadership. May we learn true leadership by being humbly willing to serve one another in love. Amen!
