Acts 7:54-60

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.^[1]

Many in the west have looked at stories of the murder of Christians as unfortunate factual accounts that happened long ago and only serve to encourage our faith today. The rationale of such an interpretation being that if these ancient believers could hold on to their faith with the very real threat of death then certainly we can hold on to our own in the face of the comparatively minimal persecution we face. But now we see and know that the murder of believers, called martyrdom, is very real. We read about it in our papers, hear about it on television and radio and can see videos of it on the internet. People are beheaded for no other reason than they will not reject Jesus and embrace Islam.

This faith we espouse is costly. Not only does faith require that we do something, it will be the cause of rejection, mockery, abuse, persecution and even martyrdom – death. That is not good news for many who lay claim to being Christian. We run from persecution and cave at the first sight of opposition. We want peaceful, happy, quiet lives devoid of conflict and will do what is necessary to possess it. But that is a false expectation. As far as we can tell Deacon Stephen was the first recorded martyr for faith in Jesus. His story, that actually begins in the sixth chapter with his appointment and ordination, is one of courage and boldness in the face of intense intimidation. Would that our faith was that strong today? How would you respond faced with the very real prospect of death if you refused to reject Jesus? How would you respond watching others murdered before your eyes because they loved Jesus more than life itself? Though it is not our reality yet, world events demonstrate that it could be. Is your faith strong enough to pay the ultimate price?

Dear Lord, we have been so insulated from the realities our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world face daily. We have been so blessed to live in a time and place where we are free to do as we please without fear of persecution. We cannot imagine the horrors being exacted upon Your Church and people all around the world. Our hearts cry out for justice even as they cry out for the protection of Your people. Do not let the martyrdom of Your people go unpunished. Use it to galvanize our faith in You that we might zealously win the lost whatever the cost. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ac 7:54–60.