Worship

“Lamb” by Elevation Worship, featuring Tiffany Hudson

Scripture

“When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 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.

And Saul approved of their killing him.” -Acts 7:54-8:1a

The First Martyr and the Glory of Jesus

“And may the Lamb receive His reward in me / And may the Lamb receive all the glory” – Elevation Worship, Lamb

Although this was the cry of the Moravians, Stephen’s life unto death exemplified the same honor to Jesus. It’s something to ponder the martyrdom of Stephen—the first man to die for his faith. Since then, and with an uptick as the last days intensify, more and more have given their lives for Jesus. He counts each precious life until the full number of saints to die for Christ fulfills Scripture (Revelation 6:10-11).

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” -Psalm 116:15

As the witnesses disrobed their outer garments in preparation for the strenuous job of execution, they didn’t want their robes stained with the blood of Stephen. Their hearts were blackened with the words of slander, accusation, and gossip, but what would people think if their pure robes were blemished? These white-washed tombs, as Jesus called them, were about to prepare a tomb of execution for this man of God who lived and died with Jesus on his lips.

Stephen’s Final Words: Forgiveness

And who guarded these treasured garments but Saul—a young man, somewhere between the age of 18 and 30, giving full approval of this public execution, standing just like Jesus as Stephen breathed his last.

As Jesus and Saul stand in approval—both for different reasons—Stephen goes lower and lower still.

Kneeling, Stephen shouted with a loud voice, praying. His last words formulate a petition to the Lord (probably Jesus as in verse 59), asking him to pardon those stoning him. The “sin” Stephen referred to is the sin of executing a witness of Jesus who has spoken the truth about Jesus’ resurrection and exaltation.

“The verb translated as ‘hold’ refers either to legal enforcement (of the penalty for their sin or executing an innocent man), or to the record or balance sheet (in which their sin will be entered). In praying for the Lord’s forgiveness for his executioners, Stephen follows Jesus’ command to pray for those who abuse you (Luke 6:27-28), and he follows Jesus’ example on the cross (Luke 23:34). Since Saul, guarding the clothes of the executioners, was later converted to faith in Jesus, Stephen’s prayer was answered. Stephen’s death is described with a verb that means literally ‘to fall asleep,’ an expression often used for the sleep of death.” -Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

Stephen looked like Jesus, spoke like Jesus, reflected Jesus, and submitted to the purposes of God in word and deed as Jesus did. His death would be catalytic to the spread of the gospel as persecution always is. But the beautiful response of Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, was to stand in love and honor of the life Stephen lived and the death he died for his faith. The fullness of Christ who filled Stephen was on display and made his mark on the Church even for us today. Augustine once said, “If Stephen had not prayed, the church would not have had Paul.”

“The fires … in the olden days never made martyrs; they revealed them. No hurricane of persecution ever creates martyrs; it reveals them. Stephen was a martyr before they stoned him. He was the first martyr to seal his testimony with his blood.” -G. Campbell Morgan

In just this portion of Scripture, we see two champions cross paths—the one who would die for Jesus to spark the spread of the Church from Jerusalem and the one who would wreak havoc on the early Church and then become the greatest champion for Christ and the gospel. This marks a profound passing of the baton that none could recognize at this moment. But Luke did, and that is why he made such a dramatic note of Saul’s placement in this segment of Scripture.

Do you ever think that Stephen, had he been rescued by the Lord, could have preached to so many more people, served the widows with more of his life, healed more sick people, and could have done more wonders to those curious about Jesus? Somehow, this was God’s means of redemption to get the Church ready to go. Jesus was glorified in the death of Stephen. He was magnified and worshiped the lower Stephen got. In our human reasoning, we could have rewritten a script that would have been easier for us to wrap our heads and hearts around. His life was seemingly cut short, and this accomplished the purposes for which Stephen was created? We have to believe God’s purposes prevailed and that the answer to that question is yes.

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” -Psalm 138:8, ESV

When Dying Serves the Gospel

The Church was being prepared to be sent as the plot began to dramatically shift following Stephen’s death. But as we stand on the edge of this story, there’s a baton that’s being handed to you. It’s called the gospel, and you’ve been commissioned to carry it, even in the reality of hardship and persecution. And this is where the crux of this story finds its way to us today.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?’” -Matthew 16:24-26

Sometimes it’s harder to die to ourselves than it is to die a physical death. We want to hold onto the life we know, and following Jesus to the life He has for us requires dying to our will in order to submit to His will. This is the way of the cross. In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “… the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

I want my life to figuratively mirror Stephen’s life. He knew Jesus, and Jesus lived His life wondrously through this surrendered man. There was no limitation on God as Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:55), and Jesus stood as the final authority in his comings and his goings—all the way to the arms of Jesus.

The way of the cross is death to self that we may live for Jesus.

Nothing withheld. All to Jesus I surrender—in life and in death.

If I have Jesus, though it cost me my whole life, I have gained everything.

May the Lamb receive the reward of His suffering through your laid-down life.

And there, may the cross of Christ be what marks you in all of History.

Your death, His legacy.

A Few Key Notes

• Join us at the upcoming Arise Luncheon on August 23, 2024. Lock arms with other women as we welcome author and Bible teacher Kat Armstrong as our special guest! Tickets are $15. Register today!
• Two more dates are available in our Arise Summer Series. Join us for a cross-cultural dinner on July 11 and August 15. We will enjoy a meal while learning about other cultures and faiths. You will experience an evening of sisterhood, education, and conversation as we discuss what God is doing among three major world religions. Registration is free; you will only have to pay for the cost of your dinner.