Todays Devotion (John 13-16) Instead of being intimidated because of persecution for Christ, stand tall and strong. If God is for you who can come against you? Please LIKE and SHARE on Facebook to spread the Good Word! When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God (Acts 7:54-56). Stephen was identified in Scripture as a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost (6:5). He was one of seven righteous men chosen by the Apostles to help with the day-to-day administrative duties of the young church. He was a man that loved the Lord passionately, And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people (6:8). These wonders and miracles soon drew the disapproving attention of the local Jewish leaders, who conspired together to bring Stephen to trial. Their goal was to scare him, and the other disciples, into silence. As the “trial” began, it quickly became apparent that these leaders were no longer in control. Stephen knew Old Testament Scripture well, and, with unshakeable faith, he faced off against the anger and jealousy of the religious authorities. He boldly reminded them: Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye (7:51). Then he went on to proclaim: Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers (7:52). Stephen could have avoided being stoned to death by tempering his speech and bowing to the authority of the Jewish leaders, but he remained true to the Lord Jesus. He made it clear to the hostile crowd that they were responsible for the murder of the Just One. Overwrought with the same fear and hatred which had demanded the crucifixion of Christ, these religious zealots threw Stephen out of the city and proceeded to stone him in the presence of witnesses, among them Saul of Tarsus. Knowing that death was near, Stephen called out to God and he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep (7:60). The martyring of Stephen soon proved to be just the tip of the iceberg. And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles (8:1). Instead of panicking, hiding, or worse yet, denying their faith, the believers rallied stronger than ever. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the Word (concerning Jesus Christ as the Messiah) (8:4). They wasted no time feeling sorry for themselves, instead they saw it as an opportunity to fulfill Christ’s charge; But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (1:8). Today, we live in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Instead of giving in to intimidation, let us learn from the experiences of the early Church and view every setback as a new opportunity to stand as a living testament of Christ’s grace. Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day His salvation (1 Chr. 16:23). Excerpts from SBC / BiblePathway / Delaney Baptist Church
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:41:22 +0000
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