Ordinary Leadership - Ordinary Men
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Acts 6 & 7
Good morning, brothers.
When we read Acts 6 and 7, we’re struck by the sheer power of the story. The early church chose seven ordinary men as deacons, and one of them, Stephen, steps forward as a bold apologist, orator, and theologian. He debates the Jewish leaders so effectively that they cannot answer him, so they arrest him instead. Then comes the tragedy: false accusations, a rigged trial, and an unjust death by stoning.
It’s an amazing story that still leaves you a little hollow. No Disney ending here. I wish the Jewish council had repented, as the crowd did in Acts 2, but they didn’t. Jesus never promised us a rose garden, only a cross.
Stephen was no ordinary speaker. He was a master storyteller and teacher of Scripture, a true “doctor” in the original sense of the word: a teacher. Dr. Luke shows us a man full of the Holy Spirit who, even while being murdered, prayed for the souls of his killers.
Saint Stephen walked the council through the entire Bible story: Abraham, the wanderer who never owned land yet became the father of nations; Isaac; Jacob; Joseph; Moses; the exodus; the golden calf; the wilderness wanderings; Joshua; and David. Then Stephen looked them in the eye and said, in essence: “You are just like your fathers, stiff-necked, always resisting the Holy Spirit. You murdered the Righteous One, just as they killed the prophets.”
Needless to say, they didn’t take it well.
Yet this ordinary deacon shows us what real leadership looks like. He was ready to give an answer for the hope within him. He confronted evil. He carried his cross. And God used him to do extraordinary things: “Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). An ordinary day of leadership for the man of Christ.
The same God still uses ordinary men today: hockey dads, tradesmen, janitors, soldiers, and desk workers. The question is simple: Are we ready and willing to show what we believe by what we do?
Stephen’s epitaph could read: Humble servant, faithful deacon, bold witness, martyr. A noble man, an extraordinary man through Christ.
The great tragedy of Israel, and of many today, is that we have a Father who loves us and leads us, yet we keep looking for other gods. Money, power, pleasure, ego, they’re all too happy to give. But those roads all end in the same place: emptiness and hell.
We are a privileged people, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Let us not resist the Holy Spirit. Let us devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching, to Scripture, to the sacraments, and to the unity of the Spirit: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
Obedience matters. Jesus was blunt about it: “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). At the end, He will reward every man according to what he has done (Revelation 22:12). Faith that doesn’t obey Jesus Christ is worthless. As James tells us, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17).
The ordinary life of a regular fellow. Not a glamorous beginning for a novel, perhaps, but it’s the extraordinary life in Christ that we live. “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” (Romans 12:3). We won't. Jesus (and our wives) won't let us. But we know Jesus, who is indeed extraordinary. And through Him we will do great things.
I’ve prayed for you this morning. I trust God loves you beyond measure and calls you to hard things, good things.
In this continued Easter season (Pentecost is May 24), let’s take courage from the Church Fathers and from faithful men like Stephen. Regular guys speaking the truth and doing great things for Christ. Making disciples. The apostles rejoiced when they were beaten for Jesus’ name (Acts 5:41). Stephen followed their bold example. We can follow his.
As Pentecost draws near, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh, just as He empowered those ordinary men in the early church.
God uses humble men because they know they need Him. Pride brought Uzziah down (2 Chronicles 26:16), and it will bring us down too if we let it.
Ordinary men, shall we not follow their example? We have the Scriptures, the Spirit of Christ, and two thousand years of witness as God's Kingdom forcefully advances. By God’s grace, we have everything we need to build well.
Brave men, let’s keep growing in the knowledge and grace of Christ. You are loved beyond measure. The Creator of heaven and earth calls you son and friend.
By the grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ, may we succeed as we seek and follow Him. Amen.
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