As articles by others from the same source in this 'Ministry' group, the challenging article on Stephen, Not in Possession Only But Taken Possession Of is particularly valuable as
bearing witness to the Spirit's testimony to the truths advanced by those more prominent in the work of the Lord.
If you know the identity of E.H. please let us know.
How signally in the case of Stephen the Lord's words are verified: "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light".
And again, "The Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say";
and again, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also".
The blessed Lord was contemplating the benefits the disciples should enjoy when they would be empowered by the Holy Ghost dwelling in them.
While He was upon earth, and until He had glorified God in respect to sin, and God had glorified Him because of it, this could not be.
The Lord Jesus was the only one who was, as man, unhinderedly and uninterruptedly at every moment led of the Holy Spirit. Luke 4: 1; Acts 1: 2, 5, 8.
In Him was no sin or liability to it; He was conceived of the Holy Ghost; unlike all other, it was said of Him,
"That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God".
He could say, "The prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me".
There was absolutely nothing in Him to respond to the temptations of Satan, whether personally, as in the wilderness, or from his emissaries, the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, soldiers, rulers, received each in their turn a total defeat; powers visible and invisible could not move Him from the path of obedience.
A comparison of Isaiah 50: 8 with Romans 8: 34-39 will prove that this is what faith may embrace and use; and this is exemplified in Stephen, the excellency of the power being of God.
It was as man in the power of the Holy Ghost, that Jesus trod this earth and glorified God;
and going to the cross, perfect and spotless as man, became a fit substitute for man;
and being truly Son of God made expiation for sin – Hebrews 1: 2-3 – according to the holiness of God;
and by His sacrifice in death ended the sin state before God. Who but the Son of God could do this?
Hence when Nicodemus testifies to the evidence that He was "a teacher come from God: for no man could do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him", the Lord does not resent the slight that sees no further than the dignity of His manhood,
but leads him from these works, which related to the body and the time state – and therefore imperfect, because a leper cleansed, or a raised Lazarus, would alike go into their graves, being only brought back into the same imperfect state again –
to the work that He would do, which would be eternal in its results, and which would manifest not only that He was the Son of man, but also that He was Son of God – compare John 3: 14-15 with verses 16-17 –
a work surely eclipsing all other works, even as the heavens are above the earth, the work that effectually brings the believer into another state before God – a perfect state –
"By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified".
The sin state is gone, and the Holy Ghost is a witness to this glorious truth, for how could He seal an imperfect state?
No; the perfect sacrifice has brought the believer into a perfect state before God, and the Holy Ghost bears witness to the perfection of the work
of the Lord Jesus, in that He takes up His abode in the believer; "For
he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you".
It is evident if the perfect state be not received in faith, which the
work of Christ effectually brings the believer into, he cannot be a light for God here – "If any man hath not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His".
The Spirit in the believer is the positive evidence that he is of the same kind – "Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption".
I may be sorrowfully sensible that sin is in me, and the more I apprehend what Christ is before God and the perfection of His work, the more sensible I shall be of the sinfulness of my flesh, and justify God in having condemned it – Romans 8: 3 –
but I am not in the flesh but in the Spirit, and by the Spirit I look up and see what Christ is before God, and I say, "Of him are ye in Christ Jesus".
Thus the Holy Ghost glorifies Christ, not me. He is not a witness that my flesh is changed, though He bears witness that Christ will change my body, and that as I am in Christ before God so Christ is in me, by virtue of His Spirit dwelling in me.
"If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin: but the Spirit is
life because of righteousness"; and this is how my body becomes a vessel for the light to shine, the body becomes luminous, as was Stephen's;
in him we see how powerless every adversary was to put out the light which Christ had lighted in him – for in one sense the light is not out that was lit in Stephen, though the vessel was smashed – and in the power of the Holy Ghost was kept burning.
His eye was single and his body luminous. The Lord in His start
upon the path of service was "full of the Holy Ghost", and at the finish of it He prayed for His murderers, and committed His spirit to His Father.
Stephen, too, was full of the Holy Ghost at the beginning, and at the end, though the order is changed, says, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit", and prays that the sin be not laid to their charge.
We have said that the Lord Jesus was the only One before the cross who, as man, was anointed of the Holy Ghost; indeed, this was the signal proof to John that Jesus was the Son of God.
All others were sinful and in a sin state; the Holy Spirit descending and abiding upon Him was the proof that He was not of that order.
He needed no blood to make expiation before the oil could anoint Him. Being holy, the Holy Ghost could abide upon Him; this not only
marked Him out from among all others as the "Son of God", but as the One who would baptize with the Holy Ghost,
so that as man had been once possessed by a power that alienated him from God, he was to become the vessel to be possessed by a power for the glory of God, in contrast to the sin state.
This took place after the lifting up of the Son of man, and His taking His place as Man at the right hand of God, when He received the promise of the Father and the Holy Ghost was sent down;
so that the very vessels who were powerless to "watch one hour", before the cross, were empowered to bear witness before the same men who condemned and murdered the Prince of life.
"Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear".
"But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses".
Thus the ending of the Lord's life here, and His taking His new position in heaven as Man, was the means to bring those who believed upon Him into a new order characterised by power, and not weakness, which was remarkably and clearly seen in Stephen.
We read of the "seven" chosen in Acts 6: 3, that they were to be men "full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom".
Among these Stephen is prominent, as being "full of faith and power", and the opposers "were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which he spake".
This raised the indignation of the enemy, and false accusers laid accusations against him before the council – how this resembles the blessed Master! –
but power is in him as one possessed and controlled by the Holy Ghost; he is not irritated by the evil; he exemplifies Romans 8: 4, "Not in the flesh, but in the Spirit".
When the flesh has not been crucified – Galatians 5: 24 – it will be sure to manifest itself under false accusations. Job remained unmoved until his friends judge him falsely, then his pride was irritated, and he broke down.
But in Stephen, the greater the pressure the brighter the testimony, as one freshly anointed with oil, his accusers "looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel".
We, alas! are often a contrast to this; but we have this lovely
instance recorded, in the goodness of God, that we may have the
assurance that whatever the character of trial "He giveth more grace",
and as a proof of what is available for a believer now, not only to be in possession of a blessing, but to be taken possession of and carried
along by a power greater than that which is in the world, so that "not
I, but Christ liveth in me" may be practically true of him.
This is manifested in Stephen's defence, so-called, he does not retire before his enemies a single step, but goes forward in his evidence step after step; he is not a preacher but a witness in the fullest sense.
The word in his hands is the sword of the Spirit; he brings into prominence those points in the history of their fathers that would bear upon their immediate condition in respect to the death of the Lord Jesus.
The criminal is really the judge, and returns a verdict of guilty upon his judges.
This they cannot bear, and they send him after his Master; but the verdict is not cancelled but remains, and the blood of Stephen seals it, and all is over for that nation, they have lost their last opportunity;
the testimony of the Son of God and of the Holy Ghost have both been refused, and all is over in regard to earthly blessing.
Heaven is now opened, and a Man for the first time is seen in heaven in the glory of God.
He bears witness to the fact. "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."
This stamps the subsequent gospel which was to convert millions.
Paul becomes the chosen vessel for the message. What Stephen bears witness to as having seen, Paul testifies as having heard.
Stephen said, "I see glory of God and Jesus". Paul said, "I heard a voice saying unto me, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest".
Stephen has the highest privilege, he dies for Christ, and the fruit of his labour follows after. Paul and his gospel is the outcome.
Paul tells us how this may be ours. 2 Corinthians 3: 17-18.
Surely whatever be the kind of stones thrown at one thus gazing, they
would be ineffectual to divert him.
And how wondrously the love of Christ shines out in all its loveliness at this moment!
It was in the moment of Stephen's greatest need that the Lord gives him a sight of Himself. How deep is His love! "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."
May we have a single eye – so that our bodies may be luminous.