God’s Grace And Power
Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed
great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from
members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and
Then
they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak
blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
So
they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They
seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false
witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy
place and against the law. For we have
heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change
the customs Moses handed down to us.”
All
who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that
his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 6:8-15
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious
and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up
to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right
hand of God.”
At
this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city
and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet
of a young man named Saul.
While
they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he
fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:54-60
Stephen was confronted with a hostile crowd. A panel of
religious authorities listened to lying witnesses accuse him of blasphemy.
Stephen responded by speaking the truth of God’s Word, which reinforced his
faith in Christ. Many Christians are not confronted with this much hostility. All
of us need to stand up for our Lord, when the pressure is on. We can’t let
others silence our voice for Christ. Speaking up for Jesus does not always win
the crowd’s favor here on earth, but it does ensure His approval in heaven,
where it matters the most!
If you meet opposition, maybe it shows
that you are doing something that counts.
Our Daily Bread –