When your story is history, and your story is his story, your story will become ministry and prophecy. In this message, Paator Jamie Nunnally shares the story of Stephen from Acts chapters 6 & 7.
Acts 6:1-4
Church growth requires division of labor. If you try to do everything, you’ll succeed at nothing.
Acts 6:5-6
POINT #1 The world promotes people into power, but God promotes people into service.
In the Kingdom, authority is given based on humility, not ability.
Mark 10:42-45
If you want to be a big deal to God, make serving others a big deal.
Acts 6:7-8 “… Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.”
(For the record, signs wonders and miracles were not for the apostles only)
Acts 6:9-15
POINT #2: In order to make a difference, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
So far, during this account of Stephen’s story, he has been said to be full of faith, full of grace, full of power, full of wisdom, and twice so far he is said to be full of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8a “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”
The Holy Spirit doesn’t fill you with power so you’ll act weird in church. He fills you to empower you for personal maturity and public ministry.
Ephesians 5:18
We are to be in a perpetual state of infilling, because we are in a perpetual state of leaking.
Acts 7:1
Acts 7:51-60
POINT #3: Christian maturity is not a matter of self-help, but self-death.
Most likely, God will not ask you to die for your faith. There are around 5000 Christians killed for their faith every year. We are blessed to have active ministry in 2 of the top 4 most dangerous countries for Christians to live in.
“Thy will be done” only works when we say also say “my will be gone.”
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
Don’t try to correct what God is trying to kill. Don’t try to improve what God is trying to remove. Don’t try to civilize what God is wanting to crucify.
Acts 8:1b,4
The gospel got to you through Stephen’s death. In the same way, your death—death to your will and you way—will lead to the spread of the gospel, too.
What story are you writing?