Exodus 11 Observations

Acts 6 Observations

Acts 6:5-15 I am not denegrating Stephen when I write these words of observation about Acts 6 and 7. This is just one person’s observation. You may not agree.

When I was in the Christian church, I heard the saying that is indeed true—New Levels, New Devils. Perhaps you have also heard these words. I believe this statement applies to Stephen’s case. He, Stephen, was appointed a deacon. He, along with six other men were “set before” the apostles.

Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.  Acts 6:6

Stephen and the other appointed deacons received the anointing to be deacons (to serve tables vs. 2), which means to minister to the needs of the people in their assembly. This included the widows mentioned in verse one. Yet, Stephen’s deaconhood was cut short through martydom.

Every call by YAH comes with the accompanying anointing to destroy yokes of opposition to the YAH-given commission. No matter the ministry, YAH enables lives to be possitively affected by the YAH-submitted works of the minister.

This leads me to questions about the events of Acts 6. When Stephen was arrested, was he doing the work of a deacon or of an appostle? Was he ministering to the widows in his assembly, or was he disputing with the rulers of the synagogue?  

As to be expected, the anointing to do the work of a deacon is not the same needed to do the work of an apostle. This does not mean that one is greater than the other or has more importance. They just have different functions and therefore different levels of opposition.

I submit that Stephen crossed over into doing the work of an apostle or even an evangelist, but he did not have the anointing needed to overcome or weather the recoil from the strongholds and gatekeepers he was disputing with (vs. 9). Yes, his words went forth into their ears, but Stephen’s deacon anointing and commission was not given to him to go into the territory of the synagogues.

By contrast, Paul frequently disputed in the synagogues, but he lived to write two-thirds of the New Testament. Yes, Paul was buffeted. He was even stoned like Stephen (Acts 14:19-23). Yet, Paul had the yoke-destroying anointing of an apostle that empowered him to get up from the stoning.

Also, Peter and John, also apostles, daily taught in the temple, but their ministries were not shortened. YAHUSHA, himself, boldly taught and did miracles in synagogues. When he read from Isaiah, the opposition came to take him out. They could not even locate him to do so. YAHUSHA and the apostles were anointed to handle the opposition. Stephen, with a deacon’s anointing, was not.

Stephen’s experience is a reminder to us to abide in our calling. The levels and power of devils that a deacon would encounter while ministering to the needs of the people in an assembly is not the same levels that an apostle would encounter in a whole religious system or a principality ruling over a territory, city or even a country.

A popular saying has been, “Stay in Your Lane.” Each call from YAH can be thought of as a lane. Every word spoken or performed for YAH has assigned adversaries. Adversay means one who opposes. YAH equips His servants to stand and overcome this opposition. His equipment (anointing that destroys yokes) is specific for the call from Him.

If we venture beyond what we are called by YAH to do, His anointing (which is not our own anointing) and His angelic hosts do not go with us. Remember His angels or messengers only hearken unto His Word (Psa. 103:20). They do not go beyond what YAH has instructed them to go.

When someone goes beyond their calling or assignment, it may appear that they are doing well in the work of YAH for a season. This is their natural giftings kicking in to compensate for the lack of true anointing from YAH. Everyone is born with giftings from YAH (Rom. 11:29). As they stay in the wrong lane doing the “work” of YAH, the residue of YAH’s anointing that was for their true assignment will eventually fade away and dry up. The timing for this varies according to how long their natural abilities sustain them. Stephen, no doubt, had natural speaking abilities (Acts 6:9 and Acts 7).

But evetually opposition that the person is not anointed to handle shows up in their wrong-lane work. The overwhelming buffeting that Paul speaks of comes (1 Cor. 4).

Being in the wrong lane has consequences even beyond the minister. Stephen’s martydom unleased additional persecutions because apostolic level opposition was awakened, emboldened and unleashed.

There are many reasons why people end up in wrong-lane work for the Kingdom of YAH.  One of those reasons is covetousness. Some workers for YAH covet another person’s ministry or even their anointing. I am not implying that Stephen was this way, but this does happen.

Whether covetousness is the reason or not, it may be tempting to do a ministry that YAH has not commissioned. Stephen’s experience is a reminder to not give into this temptation. We all have to be cautious about jumping on, hitching to, or even highjacking ministry bandwagons. Remember, the premise of this observation. Every ministry work comes with assigned devilish opposition. We have to be sure that YAH is leading us and equipping us with His anointing on the lanes of ministry that we go down.