My travel to the Candler School of Theology for three years of seminary classes took me through some of the worst parts of Atlanta, Georgia. Traffic, multiple stop lights, confusing intersections, and impossible junctions were all part of the commute. I would sit at one particularly long red light every day and watch the progress of a new road being constructed that would eventually cut ten minutes off my ride. It was built adgacent to the Martin Luther King center. The day it opened I sailed along its long pastoral corridor and thought how aptly named it was. It was called “Freedom Parkway.” Its location was a fitting nod to the incredible work King did in his lifetime as he fought for civil rights for all people. A Baptist minister, King was exceptionally endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit to be bold, persuasive, persevering, and effective.

 In our reading today, Stephen was said to have the same power to persuade people about Christ. He was described as one who stood out for his notable wonders and signs and for his exceptional endowment of divine power. Many tried to argue with him in opposition to his theology, including some from the Synagogue of Freedmen. I find it ironic that freedmen resisted the freedom of the Gospel. But according to verse ten, none of them could resist his message. His wisdom wooed even the most ardent detractor, so eventually his fiercest opponents lied about his preaching and brought him up on false charges.

The parallels between King and Stephen really stand out in this passage. King was falsely accused and arrested for proclaiming the truth of God’s unconditional love, mercy, and justice for all people. Both men were bold, and both were persecuted for their faith.

Acts 6: 8-10 (Common English Bible)

⁸ Stephen, who stood out among the believers for the way God’s grace was at work in his life and for his exceptional endowment with divine power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Opposition arose from some who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Former Slaves. Members from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia entered into debate with Stephen.¹⁰ However, they couldn’t resist the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

I wonder if I am bold enough.

I wonder if I am persuasive enough.

I wonder if I am effective enough.

How about you? Is your witness powerful enough to be irresistible to those willing to listen and threatening enough to those who oppose the Gospel?

Stephen was full of grace, faith, and power. He also was willing. This is an unbeatable combination. Surely Stephen spent a great deal of time in the presence of God in meditation, study, and prayer. Surely he offered his gift of oratory to the Holy Spirit and yielded his own comfort to the call of being an itinerate preacher. Surely, he was not just willing, but able.

This is a reminder to us today that when we submit to the power of the Holy Spirit, we, too, can be outstanding in our witness. May we seek and know the Spirit’s irresistible power so that others may know Jesus through us and be freed.

Freedom Way by Kathy Schumacher