Faith Like Stephen
Scripture reading : Acts 6-7
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As I was going through my daily bible reading, I was truly moved in Acts 6-7. Stephen, as the Bible describes as a Man full of Faith and of the Holy Ghost was one of the disciples of the apostles chosen to serve. He definitely was a bold preacher who spoke on the grounds of truth of Christ in the face of persecution. Local Synagogues accused Stephen for speaking of subsequent blasphemy against the Law of Moses.
Stephen was brought to the council to be questioned, and this is where he stood up boldly with unwavering faith against these religious leaders. Acts 7:52 says 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: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
In this verse Stephen makes the claim it is the Sanhedrin and Jewish religious leaders who, like in the Old Testament, rejected the Prophets, God’s Message and also the Righteous One who is Jesus the Messiah. Stephen was eventually questioned and stoned by the angry mob, marking him the first Christian Martyr.
There were two important traits that Stephen possessed which we all should strive for. Number 1, he had a secure stronghold on his faith in Christ, and two, he had abundant knowledge of the Word. In a sense, faith and knowledge can reciprocate each other. To have a strong faith, you need to lean 100 percent on God’s Word. In order to possess true knowledge, you’ll need to have faith in the Word.
Stephen took a stand for his faith and never stumbled on his accuser's questions because he had a solid knowledge of the truth. When the Jewish leaders accused Stephen of Blaspheming Moses and God, He responded with that they rejected Jesus, who came to fulfill the law. When They accused him of being against the Jews, Stephen responded and talked about the Abrahamic history and how the Jews were God’s chosen people. When they accused him of teaching against the temple, Stephen responded and reminded them about the tabernacle in the wilderness and quoted Isaiah 66:1 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool” what house will ye build me? Saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things? Stephen implied they treated the Temple as an Idol.
With every accusation they threw at Stephen, he had a response waiting for them. In the end the Jewish leaders couldn’t handle the conviction of Stephen’s preaching and eventually murdered him by an illegal stoning.
As believers, our faith needs to be unwavering and we need to back up our faith with our most powerful weapon, which is the word of God. Study it, dwell on it, ask God to press your daily bible reading on your heart. As a believer, Satan will mark as a target you and he will do anything to sway you from your walk with the Lord. You will go through trials and attacks, but stand strong as Stephen did.
Remember, our God is a never failing God who gives Grace, and mercy. Stephen’s only crime was his obedience to the Lord, and was ultimately rewarded with the Kingdom of Heaven. Stay in your walk with the Lord daily, dwell on the word and keep serving him today. Hope this helps God bless!