God’s Defense Tuesday, January 20 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:59 Recommended Reading Daniel 3:16-18 In the fullest version (1563 edition) of his work (Foxe’s Book of Martyrs), John Foxe chronicled, in more than 2,300 pages, the lives of Christians who were persecuted, and often martyred, in England and Scotland during the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. Though it is true that many faithful ones lost their lives, something else is true: God defended each one who died in true faith. Which raises a question: If God defended them, why did they die? Which begs an answer to this question: What does it mean to be defended by God? The story of Stephen in Acts 7 gives insight. When Stephen stood firm for Christ in the face of Jewish persecution in Jerusalem, he was stoned. But just before the stones began to fly, he had a vision of Jesus in heaven standing at the right hand of God, waiting to receive Stephen’s spirit. Normally, Jesus is pictured seated at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 8:1). But Jesus stood in honor of Stephen’s courage and commitment. There is something more important than life, and that is eternal life. God defends the eternal life of all who, in true faith, stand for Him. And walls of salvation surround the soul [God] delights to defend. Augustus M. Toplady Read-Thru-the-Bible Exodus 14-16 © 2015 Turning Point
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 11:13:45 +0000
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