“Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8 NLT)

 

In the months following Jesus’ ascension, the church grew at an amazing rate. Jesus’ followers, emboldened by His resurrection, spread the Good News near and far. And people responded. Acts 2:41 tells us that after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, “those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all” (NLT).

The church was also trying a radical experiment in community living. “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. . . . There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need” (Acts 4:32, 34–35 NLT).

“But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food” (Acts 6:1 NLT).

Jesus’ apostles had neither the time nor the training to deal with such matters. Their solution was to delegate the responsibilities to “seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3 NLT). The first person on their list was “Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit)” (verse 5 NLT).

One day a group of Jewish men started a debate with Stephen, but quickly realized they were overmatched. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with His wisdom.

The men got their revenge by persuading others to lie about Stephen and accuse him of slandering the temple and the law of Moses. Stephen was taken to the Jewish high council to answer the charges.

Instead, Stephen launched into an epic sermon. He traced Israel’s relationship with God, starting with Abraham, who left his homeland for the land God promised him. God also promised Abraham that his descendants would fill the land but would also be oppressed as slaves in a foreign land for four hundred years.

Stephen recounted how God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision and how He blessed Abraham’s descendants: Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve patriarchs of Israel. He explained how Joseph’s captivity in Egypt led to the slavery of the Jewish people for four hundred years. He also explained how Moses not only led them out of slavery but also prophesied the coming of the Messiah.

Stephen ended his sermon by making the connection between their ancestors’ rejection of Moses and the prophets and the Jewish leaders’ rejection—and murder—of Jesus.

Stephen spoke God’s truth boldly. He was prepared to sacrifice His life for His Savior. Acts 7:57–58 tells us that the Jewish leaders were so infuriated that they dragged Stephen out of the city and stoned him. Stephen became the first recorded Christian martyr.

There’s a powerful lesson in his story for all believers. We may never be called to give our lives for Christ, but we should be prepared to sacrifice our comfort, security, pride, relationships, plans, priorities, and anything else we hold dear for His sake.

 

Reflection question: Why is sacrifice an important part of our walk with Christ?

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