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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Acts 7:59-8:1
“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 was there giving approval to his death.”
Oh no! What will happen now?
That was the beginning of a severe persecution for the early church – such that the disciples (other than the apostles) left Jerusalem – the beginning of the Gospel spreading out from Jerusalem (see Acts 1:8).
Why was there persecution? The disciples were turning the world the ‘right way up’. Peter and John healed a man crippled from birth and went on to explain that it was not by them but through the Name of Jesus – the One the Jews had crucified and who had risen from the dead and returned to Heaven – just as their Scriptures foretold.
The Sanhedrin told them to stop. “But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard’” (Acts 4:19-20).
So they just carried on. Healings continued and lives were changed – in fact so much that the people ‘pooled’ their resources and gave to anyone who had need. However, Ananias and Sapphira pretended to give the whole of the sale price of their land to the Church when in fact they were lying. The Holy Spirit decided to ‘sort this deception out’ straight away and both of them died ‘on the spot’ so that truth would be upheld. The Church had to maintain its integrity – and be seen to do so (see Acts 5:1-11; see also Joshua 7).
The Sadducees were particularly upset because they did not believe in resurrection. (Which is why they are “SAD-YOU-SEE”?) So the apostles were arrested and put in the public jail but during the night an angel came and let them out. The leaders caught them again and told them to stop – but they refused and when they were about to be stoned, a Pharisee, called Gamaliel, told the Sanhedrin, “‘Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God’ His speech persuaded them” (Acts 5:38-40). It’s a ‘Ring of Truth’!
The church was growing so fast that the apostles could not ‘do’ everything. They were getting bogged down, so they appointed 7 deacons to look after the practical details of the ministry so that they could concentrate on prayer and teaching (see Acts 6).
Stephen was one of them. He was doing miraculous signs and great wonders and taken before the Sanhedrin, where he was falsely accused of blasphemy against God and Moses. Stephen’s face shone like that of an angel as he gave his reply to the charges. But the place erupted. He was taken out and stoned to death. People laid their excess clothing at the feet of a man called Saul, so they were ‘free’ to throw those fatal rocks.
Thus we encounter Saul, the subject of so much of the Book of Acts. He enters, consenting to Stephen’s death – a radical change will be required. True Christianity is never boring.
As Christians, as followers of Jesus, we must expect opposition and it is up to God whether we are ‘let out of prison’ or are ‘stoned to death’. (See also Daniel 3:16-18 and Habakkuk 3:17-19.)
One thing we can be sure of, however, is that if we are martyred, He not only gives us His strength to endure it, but He also stands in our honour as He did with Stephen.
Stephen said, “Look… I see Heaven open and the Son of Man STANDING at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).
Never forget this – Dead men don’t stand.
Jesus is alive. Hallelujah.
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