How To Have A Death Proof Ministry
Acts 6:8-15
(January 2023)
There are certain people throughout the history of this church who have left a lasting legacy. There are others that I never had the privilege to meet because they went to glory long before I arrived. But their stories, legacies and ministries live on. Their faithfulness to this church, their service to the Lord and their impact on the lives of others continues even though they are in Heaven. There are some here today who will leave the same type of legacy.
As Christians we all have certain gifts, talents and abilities. God has given us these gifts in order to use them to bring Him honor and glory. Our desire should be that Christ is glorified through our service. We should seek to serve our Master every day that we are blessed to live on this earth
Have you ever considered the fact that your service to the Lord can (and should) continue even after your death. If you will invest your time, talents and treasures wisely you can continue to store up treasures in Heaven, long after you leave this earth.
Stephen was the first Christian martyr. His ministry was brief, but powerful nonetheless. He was a man who truly left behind a lasting legacy. Stephen’s biography shows us that it is possible to have a lasting (and eternal) impact for Christ. He lived and served for only a short time, but almost 2,000 years later his ministry lives on
- I would like to walk through these verses and see "How To Have A Death Proof Ministry".
If you want to have a death proof ministry Jesus Christ must be the focus. Your service must be by Him, though Him and for Him. This was certainly the case for Stephen. Notice:
I. THE ORIGINATION OF A DEATH PROOF MINISTRY V5
Stephen is introduced in Acts 6:1-7. The Apostles instructed the church to choose 7 men that they could appoint over the ministry of caring for the widows in the church. Verse 5 says that "they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost". It was apparent to his peers that Stephen was a devoted man of God.
- Like all servants of Christ, his ministry began with a calling. Consider:
A. THERE IS A CALL
Long before the church "chose" Stephen, God had called him. In fact, God had a plan for Stephen before he was even born. The same is true for us. God knew you before you were born and He has always had a plan for you. God told Jeremiah " Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5). Just as He had a plan for Jeremiah and Stephen, God has a plan for you!
- Our ministry begins with a call; In fact, this "call" is a two part call.
1) THERE IS A CALL TO SALVATION
In His Grace, God calls sinners to surrender to Christ and be born again. Each of us was born into this world as lost sinners. There was nothing that we could do to change that fact. Thankfully, Jesus came, lived, and died to make a way for us to receive eternal life. Through His infinite mercy, grace and love God draws us unto Him. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and convinces us of our need of a Savior. When we respond accordingly we are born into the family of God. This does not happen without the call to salvation.
- The second part of this "call" is the call to serve the Lord.
2) THERE IS A CALL TO SERVICE
God has a plan and a purpose for each of His children. This means that there is a job for you to do, there is a task for you to accomplish; there is a ministry for you to perform. God knew what He wanted Stephen to do long before He saved Him, and God has a specific plan for you as well!
- There is a call, but notice also:
B. THERE IS A COMMISSION
The word "commission" means to send out. Once God calls us to service, He then sends us out to accomplish that mission. When God moves in your heart and reveals His will for your life, He will commission you. He will 'send you out" to work for Him. You can serve Him with confidence that He will lead, guide and direct you. The all-powerful God will equip you and open the doors necessary for you to serve Him.
Perhaps you are unsure of your specific duty for God. If that is the case then let me remind you that there is a universal commission for all believers. Each and every Christian is expected to be a witness of Christ. (Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.)
Stephen may have been chosen by the church to be a servant of widows, but God also commissioned Him to be a witness of Christ. If you continue to read into Acts 7 you will see that Stephen faithfully fulfilled his duty. If you seek to have a death proof ministry you must be willing to obey your call to serve and fulfill the commission to be a witness of Christ.
- Now that we have seen "what" we must do to have a death proof ministry let us also consider "how" to do it. Let’s examine:
THE OBLIGATIONS OF A DEATH PROOF MINISTRY
There are certain requirements that must be met in order to have a ministry that will endure. We must realize that apart from Christ we can do nothing! We must seek God for wisdom, knowledge and direction. We must be steadfastly devoted to the mission that we have been called to accomplish. This requires us to be bold, courageous and refuse to compromise even in the face of persecution.
- As we consider requirements of a death proof ministry we will see that
C. DEPENDENCE IS NECESSARY “Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people." (v8)
Until this point, only the Apostles had been used by Jesus to work miracles. Now we see Stephen, doing something supernatural. This was possible because Stephen was a man "full of faith and the Holy Ghost" and "full of faith and power". The signs and wonders that were visible on the outside were a manifestation of what was going on inside of Stephen. Stephen had no power on his own, but he was filled with the Spirit and the power of God. Stephen was able to do signs and wonders was because he was controlled by faith in Christ, he was directed by the Holy Spirit and he was controlled by the power of God.
We tend to put Stephen on some pedestal and think that it is impossible for us to have that type of impact. But when you consider the fact that it was God moving through him, it is clear that we have the same opportunity that he had. We are indwelt by the same Sprit that controlled Stephen. This means that we can be used of God in a mighty way today. We can have an impact on the world around us. We can have a successful ministry for Christ and there is the potential for us to have a death proof ministry. But in order for this to happen, we must faithfully depend on the Lord. We cannot do anything positive apart from Christ. Therefore we must be filled with the spirit
- Another requirement for a death proof ministry is discernment. Notice:
D. DISCERNMENT IS NECESSARY - v10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
Stephen was filled with wisdom. He didn't just DO miracles... he KNEW the Savior! His accusers could not deny the wisdom and Spirit by which he spake. It is interesting that their opposition was not fueled by the miracles that he performed; rather, it was the message that he preached that caused the persecution. Verse 9 says "Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen."
As Stephen preached these Jews began to dispute the validity of what he said. Stephen took the time to answer their objection and preached the Gospel of Christ in the process. Verse 10 goes on to say that his accusers were unable "to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.”
When you minister for Christ there will be opposition. When you witness to others they will have questions. Some are of these questions come from a legitimate desire to know more. Some of these questions are designed to trip you up, confuse you or discredit the message that you share. Therefore we must be prepared answer our accusers. Peter said to " sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (I Peter 3:15). It is not enough to have knowledge; we must have the wisdom to use that knowledge properly. Remember, our goal is not to win debates; we must seek to win souls.
- There must be dependence and discernment and as we move further we will see the importance of devotion. Consider:
E. DEVOTION IS NECESSARY - Acts 7:1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken;
Chapter 7 will show us that in the face of great persecution; even when faced with death, Stephen was devoted to the ministry he had been assigned and the Savior that he served. Given the chance to compromise, Stephen remained devoted to Jesus. He was faithful to his Master and he stayed true to the scriptures. He obeyed the command to be a witness of Christ. Furthermore, he was a man filled with compassion. He truly wanted his accusers to hear the Gospel and respond accordingly.
In order for our ministry to last far beyond our years on earth, we must be devoted to Jesus while we are here. We must live each day for the Lord; we must follow His direction and obey His commands. We must know and defend the Holy Word of God. We must refuse to water down the message or to compromise the gospel. And it is imperative that we have compassion in the process. We should desire to see those who would harm us come to faith in Christ. No matter how hot the fire, no matter how intense the persecution, we must remain devoted to the Lord.
- We have seen the origination and the obligations of a death proof ministry, as we move further I would like to consider:
THE OUTCOME OF A DEATH PROOF MINISTRY
It has been almost 2,000 years since Stephen became the first Christian martyr and we are still talking about his ministry today. There is no way to accurately measure the impact that this man has had throughout church history. Stephen only lived and ministered for a short while, but his ministry is still active today. He is still being used to bring people to faith in Christ. Only one sermon that he ever preached was recorded, and it is still being preached today. More important than the fact that Stephen's ministry lives on is the fact that his Master lives on as well.
The truth that Stephen preached before this assembly of people so many years ago is still true today. Jesus is the Messiah and He is the only way to God. Jesus is still saving souls and you have the opportunity to receive eternal life today. If you have never been saved I would like to encourage you to surrender to Jesus today. Humbly bow before Him, repent of your sins, confess Him as Lord and you can be born again. You can leave here with full assurance that you possess eternal life.
If you have been saved, you have been called to serve. God has a plan, a purpose and a ministry for you. And there is a way for that ministry to be a death proof ministry. Stephen did not have much time, but the time he had he used for the Lord. None of us know how much time we have left, so let us seek to use every moment of every day to serve the Lord. Our goal is not for our name to be glorified long after we are gone; but it is wonderful to know that our brief time on earth can be used to glorify our Savior here on earth, even when we are in His presence in Heaven!
May we do what we can to ensure that our work for the Lord endures long after we are gone, perhaps we too can have “A Death Proof Ministry”.
