March 25, 2015 (Wednesday)
Tonight at Bible Study we will read and discuss the next two chapters of the Bible book of Acts (Chapter 6 and Chapter 7).
The church in Jerusalem had grown so large so quickly that there was a need to get organized in order to better serve the poor among them. They had a vote and elected seven men who loved the Lord, to administer a benevolent program. The plan worked well, and the dissension that had developed over the issue dissolved. One of these men was Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
Opponents of believers in Jesus as the Christ encountered Stephen and argued with him, but they found him to be a formidable foe in debate, so they hired false witnesses to accuse him of cursing Moses and God. Stephen was then arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, which asked him to speak in defense of himself. Stephen then proceeded to recite the history of the people from Abraham to their own day, showing that their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah was consistent with a long history of rejecting God’s servants. He concluded: “And you continue, so bullheaded! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Holy Spirit, you’re just like your ancestors. Was there ever a prophet who didn’t get the same treatment? Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. And you’ve kept up the family tradition–traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God’s Law handed to you by angels–gift-wrapped!–and you squandered it!” (Acts 7:51-53 MSG).
Enraged by his words they stoned him to death, and as he died he said, “Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!” His last words were, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin.” And he died.
His death opened the door to an all-out persecution of the church, with Saul of Tarsus playing a major role. Believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria and other places. Wherever they went, they preached about Jesus, spreading the word of the Lord. They began a mission work which eventually, over a long period of time, reached you and me. If persecuted, will you and I have the courage to speak up for Christ?