Monday, September 10, 2012

The Victory of Stephen

This message is a part of a series of teachings that I have been giving in conferences in Africa.  This teaching describes one of the most amazing spiritual victories that has ever been won.  During the days of the early church, a spiritual victory was won by one of God’s servants, Stephen.  This great victory changed the entire world.  It is even possible that this great spiritual victory has affected every believer today. 



The War in Heaven

To understand this victory, it is necessary to look beyond this natural world, and into the realm of the spirit, into the heavenly realms.    There is a battle that takes place in the heavenly realms that surround this earth, to determine who will rule over this earth.




Revelation 12:7-12
 (7)  And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
(8)  but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
(9)  So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
(10)  Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
(11)  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
(12)  Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."

Revelation chapter twelve describes a war that takes place in heaven between Michael and his angels and the devil and his angels.   This war has been going on a long time.  Revelation twelve describes the final victory in this war, when every demon, principality and power will lose their place of authority in the heavenly realms and be cast down to the earth. 

You might wonder why these evil rulers are in the heavenly realms at all.  Didn’t Jesus defeat every evil spirit?   The bible says that Jesus disarmed the principalities and powers, triumphed over them,  and made a public spectacle of them (Colossians 2:14-15).  So if Jesus has defeated all these evil spirits, why are they still sitting in heaven?

They are still there.   Even after Jesus rose from the dead, the Apostle Paul  writes that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”   He clearly states that these evil rulers  are still ruling in the heavenly places.  They have not yet been cast out of heaven. 

It is clear that there is more than one heaven.  The bible tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Paul tells us that he visited the third heaven where he heard inexpressible words that are not lawful for a man to utter. 

The third heaven is a place of God’s eternal glory.  There are no evil rulers there.  However, there is also a “second” heaven.  This heaven is the spiritual realm that is connected to this fallen earth.  In this second heaven, there are thrones, dominions, principalities and powers (Colossians 1:16).   Whoever sits on these seats of authority rule over the earth.  Right now, evil spiritual rulers are still seated on these thrones that are in the second heaven. 

Why are these evil rulers still sitting there, ruling over the earth?  They were all defeated when Jesus rose from the dead, bursting up through the heavens until he seated himself at the right hand of the father.  But even though Jesus defeated these evil rulers, he allowed them to continue sitting on their thrones, ruling over the earth.  Why do you think He did this?

Who did God give the earth to?  When God created the earth, who did he want to rule over the earth?  God gave the earth to man.  God blessed Adam and commanded him to have dominion over the earth, to rule the earth.  He said to man: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.(Genesis 1:28).    Adam’s dominion over the earth included  spiritual dominion over the earth, because Adam was made in the image of God, with a spirit, not just a physical body. 

So if there are thrones in the heavenly realms that are connected to this earth, who do you think God intended to sit on these thrones?  Who did he want to rule over the earth, to have dominion over it?  He intended man to have dominion over the earth. 

That is why these evil rulers are still seated on these thrones.  God gave the earth to man, and therefore, the rulers of the earth, seated in the heavenly realms, are the rulers that man allows to sit there.  When man fell and gave his authority to the devil, he gave legal right for the devil and his angels to rule over the earth.  They will continue sitting there until the ones whom God intended to sit on those thrones are ready to replace them.  They will sit there until the sons of God arise and prove that they are ready to sit on those thrones with Christ.

That is why the battle in heaven is connected to the saints on the earth.  Revelation 12 describes the final victory in the heavenly battle, the time when the devil and his angels will be cast down from their thrones.  This victory didn’t happen when Jesus arose from the dead.  This victory takes place when the saints living on the earth overcome the evil one by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they love not their lives unto the death. 

The battle in heaven is connected to the saints who live on the earth.  When the saints who live on the earth overcome the evil one, then Michael and his angels will be ordered by the Lord, “Cast down these evil rulers.  Don’t let any demon, principality or power continue to sit on these thrones.  My sons are ready to sit on these thrones.” 

These thrones are your thrones, intended for the sons of God.  When you prove that you are ready to sit on these thrones, Michael and his angels will cast down the evil spirits that are seated on your throne.  You prove that you are ready to sit on the thrones when you demonstrate that you love Jesus Christ more than your own life. 

If a battle is going on in heaven that is connected to the saints on the earth, how can we win this battle?  The key to victory in this battle is found in Rev. 12:11: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”    Whenever a church overcomes the evil one by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they love not their lives unto death, there is victory in the heavenly realms. 

The blood of the Lamb represents our covenant with God.  In a covenant, two become one.  When I got married, my wife and I became one.  If my wife decides to take some money from my wallet while I am sleeping, can I go to the police and charge her with theft? Of course not.  My wife and I are one.  My money is her money.  It belongs to her, because of the covenant. 

In the same way, when we have a covenant with God through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, two become one.  We belong to God, and He belongs to us.  He becomes our God, and we become His people.  Everything we had belongs to Him.  He takes away our sins.  We give our lives for Him.  Everything He has belongs to us, including healing and power and the Spirit of God.  He gives us a full inheritance of all His riches and splendor. 

This covenant comes through “the blood of the Lamb”.  When we put our faith in the Lamb who died and rose again, we enter into covenant relationship with God.   However, this covenant alone does not defeat the enemy.  Victory comes by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony. 

It is not enough to just have a covenant.  We also need to open our mouths and speak the words of God if we hope to achieve a victory.  When Moses confronted Pharaoh, the fact that he had a covenant with God did not defeat the Pharaooh.  He still needed to go to Pharaoh  and declare (through Aaron) “Let my people Go!”

It is not only the testimony that brings victory.  Something else is needed: “And they loved not their lives unto death!”  It is the testimony that has a high cost that carries great authority in the spiritual realm.  When you speak the words of God without fear, even though you know that the words you speak might get you killed, it brings victory in the heavenly realms. 

The Testimony of Stephen

Act 6:1-15
(1)  Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
(2)  Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
(3)  Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
(4)  but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
(5)  And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
(6)  whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
(7)  Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
(8)  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
(9)  Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.
(10)  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
(11)  Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."
(12)  And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.
(13)  They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;
(14)  for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us."
(15)  And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

In Acts chapter 6 we read the amazing story of Stephen.  Stephen was one of history’s greatest overcomers.  Stephen overcame by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of his testimony, and he loved not his life unto the death. 

As the story of Stephen begins, the early church is growing rapidly, with all the excitement and stress that are caused by rapid growth.   The church was led by mighty apostles, men who had been personally trained by Jesus Christ Himself.  These were bold men, powerful leaders. 

But as the church grew, a dispute arose among the widows.  The church was helping those widows who needed help.  There were two different groups of widows.  Both groups were Jewish, but one group of Jews had been integrated into the Greek culture, and one group held on to Jewish culture.  If this story happened in Kenya, maybe one group of widows would have been Kikuyu, while the other group was Luo.  The Luo widows began to complain that the Kikuyu widows were receiving more help from the church than they were. 

The mighty apostles who led the church didn’t want to be bothered by these fighting widows!  They were mighty apostles, who should be spending their time studying the word of God and praying.  So they looked for some young men who could become administrators to take over the job of feeding the widows and bring peace to the situation.  They chose seven young men who were full of the Holy Spirit and Wisdom, men with good reputations, to become administrators over the widows.  Stephen was one of the young men who was chosen.  The apostles laid their hands on Stephen, and he began his new job. 

If you are a young man, full of faith and ambition, do you think it is very exciting to feed the widows?  If I find some young Kenyan preachers, and tell them that their new job is to feed the widows, do you think they will be happy?  Probably not.  You men love adventure, and challenges, and feeding the widows doesn’t really satisfy those desires. 

But Philip did his new job with all his heart.   The area under his administration was done with such excellence, that peace came to the whole situation.  The Bible says that the word of God spread, and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem as Philip helped the apostles by taking care of the widows.

The First Level of Testimony:  Colossians 3:23


And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, (Colossians 3:23)

There are three levels of testimony that Philip demonstrated as he overcame the evil one by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of his testimony, and by not loving his life unto death.  The first level of testimony can be seen as Philip took care of the widows, using his gift of administration to bring peace and order to that area of ministry.  In the first level of testimony, whatever it is that you are called to do, do it wholeheartedly for Christ.

If you have a job, work your very best, as if Christ Himself were your boss.   If your job is sweeping floors, sweep them as if Christ the King was about to walk on them.  If you cook a meal, do it with excellence, as if you were preparing a meal for the Lord Himself.  If your job is taking care of children, do it with excellence, training them in the ways of the Lord.   
As Stephen served with excellence,  the Lord began to move in a new way in Stephen’s life.     The bible says that Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
This is the second level of testimony that we can see in Stephen’s life; the ministry of faith, miracles, and evangelism.    Stephen began to demonstrate the Kingdom of God on the streets.  He began to run ahead of the apostles, who were  reading the bible together and discussing great things together in an upper room.  Meanwhile, Stephen  was running the great race,  preaching and demonstrating the Kingdom of heaven every day in the streets. 

It was amazing that a simple young man could do such damage to the kingdom of darkness.  The devil and his angels began to fear and resent Stephen more than all the other servants of God who were in Jerusalem.  The devil began to send out his most highly trained workers to try and stop Stephen.  He sent his most hateful, religious Pharisees, to argue with Stephen in the streets.  The devil is called the accuser of the brethren, and the devil’s servants tried  to accuse  Stephen and find some sin in his life that they could use to  accuse him and bring him down.  

But every time one of the devil’s servants had an encounter with Stephen, they went away in shame.    The bible says  “they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. (Acts 6:10)”
Stephen always had an answer for them.  Instead of destroying Stephen with their accusations, the accusers were the ones whose lives were exposed.  Stephen spoke such accurate, powerful words, that soon  men feared to attack him. 

The devil decided that Stephen must be stopped at all costs.   The devil and his servants hatched a plan to put Stephen on trial.  They would mobilize all their  accusers at once.  They would pay witnesses to lie and say that Stephen was a blasphemer.  Stephen would be put on trial, judged, and put to death.  

And so it happened. Stephen was put on trial.  Satan’s servants worked feverishly to stir up the elders and leaders of the people against Stephen.  Once on trial, men were paid to lie and to say "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place (the temple) and the law.”

The Third level of Testimony: Exposing the sin of a nation


This is the third level of Stephen’s testimony. The first level of testimony is to do whatever you do unto the Lord, wholeheartedly and with excellence.  The second level is the work of faith, evangelism and miracles.   Now we see the third level, as an anointing of holy fire came upon the servant of God.  His words become a light that exposes the darkness, a light that confronts the sin of the nation. 

Bu this time Stephen had begun to glow with the light of God.  His face literally began to shine like an angel.  As the false accusations were  declared against him, Stephen prepared himself to speak.  Then, as the Spirit prompted Him, he opened his mouth and began to preach his last sermon. 

Stephen’s sermon was so radical, so confronting, that there were really only two choices for listeners to make.  Either they could repent with all their hearts and cry out to the Lord for mercy, or they could harden their hearts and act with murderous rage against the preacher. 

Stephen preached a sermon that exposed the sin of Israel from beginning to end.  He preached about the ways God had reached out to Israel through Moses and other servants of God.  He preached about the ways that Israel had repeated rejected the Lord.   When the Lord delivered the Israelites at the hand of Moses, the Israelites were quick to worship idols.  The Pharisees were accusing Stephen of committing blasphemy, but it was they and their ancestors who had repeatedly blasphemed God and rebelled against Him.

Stephen  preached:  “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.  Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it." (Act 7:51-53)

As the leaders of Israel listened to this terrible message, their sin and rebellion was exposed.  Instead of putting Stephen on trial, the whole nation of Israel was being put on trial by the Lord.  The sin of the nation was exposed.  The sin of the Pharisees and their ancestors was exposed.   The ancestors of the Pharisees murdered the prophets who had prophesied the coming of Christ, and the Pharisees had murdered the Christ himself. 

As Philip finished his message, the demons that controlled the Pharisees began to manifest in them.  They became so enraged they began to look more like animals than men.  Their hearts were cut upon by the word of God, and they reacted like wounded beasts.  They put their hand s over their ears so that they couldn’t hear Stephen’s words any longer.  They gnashed their teeth in distress and hatred.  Finally, with screams of anger they rushed at him to kill him with their bare hands. 

As Stephen faced his death, he gazed into heaven and said "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 

As he said this the demonic mob dragged him out of the city, picked up stones, and stoned him to death.   

The Victory

What was Stephen seeing as he said “I see the heavens opened”   Stephen was seeing a great victory.  The heavens were opened.  .  Great principalities and demons that sat on their thrones, ruling over the earth in the second heaven, were being cast out of their thrones.  The angels of God were casting down these evil rulers, so that these rulers could no longer rule over men.  As they were cast down, they could no longer block men from gazing directly into the throne of God.

Stephen overcame by the blood of the lamb, by the word of his testimony, and he loved not his life unto the death.  As he overcame, there was a great victory taking place in the heavenly realms.  Jesus Christ Himself rose off his throne, standing up and calling for all of heaven to witness what was taking place.  An overcomer on the earth was winning a great victory.  Stephen was proving that he was ready to rule and reign with Christ.  He was proving that he was ready to sit on one of the thrones of heaven.

The Gentile world receives the Gospel


From an earthly perspective, it didn’t immediately appear that a victory had been won.   When the devil loses his thrones of authority in the second heaven, his evil rulers are cast down to the earth where they torment mankind.   After Stephen’s victory, persecution actually increased on the earth.  But even as the devil raged on the earth, he was losing his grip over multitudes of people who previously lived in darkness. 

Act 11:19-21
 (19)  Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.
(20)  But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.
(21)  And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.



As persecution increased believers were scattered far and wide.  At that time the gospel had only been preached to Jews, not to the Gentiles.    But now a great victory had been won in the heavenly realms.  Some of the believers who were scattered began preaching not only to Jews, but also to gentiles.  A great number of gentiles believed the word of God. 

Can you see what happened?  There was victory in the heavens, and suddenly their was a great explosion of the gospel.   The principalities that ruled over the gentile peoples lost much of their authority, and they could not longer keep the gentile peoples in darkness.  Africans and Europeans are gentiles.  Our fathers were pagans.  It is possible that we believe in Jesus today at last partly because of the victory that Stephen won. 

The heavens were opened, and amazing things were happening.  An evil, religious Pharisee was standing and watching the stoning of Stephen.  This man led much of the persecution against believers.  Now he watched with approval as Stephen was killed.    But now the heavens were opened.  Saul the Pharisee was riding his horse a short time later.    Suddenly, a great light shined all around, and Saul fell from his horse.  A voice spoke, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  Saul met the Lord Jesus Christ, and he became Paul, the great apostle to the gentiles.

 When the heavens are opened, we  see the supernatural ministry of angels, instead of the oppression of demons.  People begin to meet the Lord supernaturally.  Angels help the saints as they testify of Christ.  New doors are opened into places that never heard the gospels.  Even Moslems begin to have encounters with the Lord, meeting him in dreams and visions as they give their lives to Him. 

The High Call of God


This is a prayer for those who desire the high call of God: “ Lord, let me live my life like Stephen did.  Let me do everything for your glory.  If a have a job, let me work as if my boss were Jesus Christ Himself.  Let me work wholeheartedly and with excellence.   
And Lord, as you give me grace, let me testify.  Let me preach the gospel with power everywhere you send me.  Let me demonstrate the kingdom of heaven with signs and wonders.  Let me never be afraid, but give me boldness to preach your word. 
And Lord, if it be your will, when I have finished my testimony, let me seal my testimony with my own blood, winning a great victory in the heavenly realms, and let me come home to you.  As I come home, let a thousand men replace me because of the victory that has been won. 

If you do this, you put the devil in an impossible situation.  He can’t stop you from preaching.   You are fearless and bold.  Everywhere you go you damage the devil’s kingdom.  He can’t allow you to continue doing this.  But if he kills you, he seals your testimony with blood, and he suffers a great defeat in the heavenly realms.  He kills one man, but a thousand men replace the one that was killed, because of the victory in the second heaven.

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