“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 7:55-60)
Stephen was a man full of the Holy Spirit, believing in God
and knowing full well where to turn in times of need. He saw with clear vision Jesus standing at
the right hand of God, proving the fulfilled promise of ascension into Heaven. Stephen exclaimed the great news in hopes
that others may feel the same and believe in our Savior.
Quite the opposite occurred.
Stephen received a punishment unimaginable. First, the crowd removed Stephen from the
city limits. If only they stopped at
that, simply banning Stephen from their city for such gibberish they believed
he spoke. No, they continued the
punishment, one stone at a time. Stephen
did not run, hide or fight back. Stephen
took the punishment on behalf of faith.
He stood firm on belief and knew that each stone thrown and the pain
felt would all be worth it when he met our Savior face to face.
Stephen even went as far as to show ultimate forgiveness,
holding no grudge against those hurting him.
His words reflect our Savior’s Words.
He asked God to not hold this sin against them. Stephen clung to faith, trust and hope in our
Savior. He knew the men throwing the
stones failed to see the goodness of our Savior. They remained empty, falling victim to peer pressure
and approval of man.
But, now let’s look at another character mentioned in the passage:
Saul. He cast not one stone. Innocent in this gruesome murder of a
believer? I think not. As I read that one sentence, I judge Saul
guilty for aiding and abetting a crime.
He stood watch over the crowd’s coats without lifting a finger to help
Stephen. Why? At this point Saul, later Paul, had no
backbone. He remained empty, failing to
believe or receive the gift presented from Heaven. Saul stood by to watch the murder without
saying a word. Though no stone touched
his hand, guilty of murder would be my verdict.
This conclusion labels me a hypocrite! Countless times I stand in a group of
individuals lacking a backbone. Even as
a firm believer and filled with love for my Savior, the verdict would find me
guilty for aiding and abetting in the destruction of others. Gossip occurs and I listen without uttering a
word to stop such action. Bashing of
another I hear but fail to stop or pull out positive features of the person
being bashed. I stand by watching the children
argue without teaching healthy confrontation for that would take too much
energy. The day took all I had to make
it through, I come home to a husband wanting to talk and receive a warm
greeting; I give the opposite or display the silent treatment.
Example after example appears along our journey when we
stand without a backbone. Seeking
approval, falling victim to peer pressure, robs our spirit of strength. The individuals in the story were blind and
have no faith in our Savior. We can
understand why they lacked a backbone.
Not an excuse, but it brings understanding. We as Christians have no excuse. The Holy Spirit is active, ready for use,
each day and with each situation faced.
We must stand firm on Truth, holding strong in Faith and Trusting our
Savior to provide the backbone needed to shine brightly for Him.
How? By refusing to
seek approval of man and going against the grain. If the words cannot move from spirit to
mouth, just walk away. Remove yourself
from the situation. You may find that
the simple gesture of not partaking will set an example to others. Let us resemble Stephen and stand firm, full
of the Holy Spirit, loving others despite human nature and speaking Truth
during the toughest of times. And
always. . .
Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
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