"Martha, Martha..." Part 8

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE????

*Martha is in a peaceful circumstance (providing a meal for Jesus) and yet is in a state of a personal RIOT  (loud, angry, annoyed, anxious, going to pieces). However ....
* Stephen (appointed Deacon in the New Testament: see Acts Ch. 6 and 7) is about to be stoned by a RIOTOUS crowd and yet is worshipping the Lord Jesus and is kind/compassionate/forgiving those who are stoning him.

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE????

Humanly speaking, Stephen is the one circumstantially who we would expect to be anxious, agitated, and going to pieces. Humanly speaking, Martha is the one who circumstantially we would expect to be worshipping the Lord. So the question is this; Why is Martha going to pieces when she should be at peace, and why is Stephen worshipping and forgiving when he should be going to pieces?

The answer lies in these few of verses recorded in the context of the story of Stephen's stoning. Here are the verses:
1) Stephen was a man set aside (ordained) by the early church because he was known to be "full of the Spirit" (Acts 6;3)
2) Stephen is described as "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6;5)
2) Stephen was described as "a man full of God's grace and power" (Acts 6;8)
3) In the midst of the raging, riotous crowd, Stephen was "full of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7;55).


How are we to understand this?
1) In the New Testament to be "full" of something, or to be "filled" with something means to be governed, ruled, controlled by that thing. So, when in the epistle of Ephesians the Apostle Paul tells Christians to "not be drunk on wine...Instead, be filled with the Spirit.." it means that we as Christians are not to be drunk/governed/controlled/ruled by alcohol, but rather are commanded to be "filled"/controlled/governed/ruled by the Spirit. Similarly, in Romans 1;29 we are told,"They (unbelievers) have become FILLED with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are FULL of envy, murder, strife..." Meaning, as idolatrous unbelievers they are ruled/controlled/governed by all manner of sin.
2) Stephen was full of the "HOLY SPIRIT" and full of "GOD'S GRACE AND POWER." To be full of "the Holy Spirit" is to be controlled/ruled/governed by Christ and the good news of the Gospel. That means that the controlling and governing truth that is dominate above all things in my heart at that time is the amazing grace, mercy, love, kindness, gentleness, compassion, forgiveness, and grace of God toward a very undeserving me.
3) Therefore, because Stephen's heart was controlled and governed by the stupendous, glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, he in turn was able to be bold, courageous, worshipful and forgiving even at a time of his murderous death at the hands of the religious rulers.

Beat this into your brains: It is not your circumstances that determine how you live your life and the choices that you make in easy (Martha) or in hard (Stephen) times. What your life will be like and how to live and react to your circumstances (easy or hard) is determined by what you are "full" of or "filled" with. Were Martha '"filled with the Holy Spirit" she would have been at peace (like Mary) instead of being in a personal riot. What enabled Stephen to worship and forgive was NOT an easy circumstance, but that he was "full of God's grace and power" (IE: the overwhelming beauty of Christ and the gospel).