By referring to the House of Stehanas as the firstfruits he was not only speaking of them as the first to believe but also as pre eminent. Paul is evoking the empire's ranking system in a new way. Not as a measure of power or status. Paul suggests this house is worthy of the applause of Heaven for a very untraditional reason. What the house of Stephanas has done is an inspired breaking with cultural norms of the the day. Not only are their actions revolutionary, they are displayed by Paul as a shining example of the Kingdom way of life.