The beginning of the persecution of Christians... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
Acts 7:55

The beginning of the persecution of Christians, which unfortunately still takes place worldwide today, is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. With an urgent sermon from the faithful disciple Stephen, God makes a final appeal to the spiritual and political leadership of the Jews at that time. They have condemned Jesus Christ, the completely guiltless one, to death. And Stephen holds this up to them in plain words.

When Stephen then gazes “full of the Holy Spirit, … into heaven”, he is allowed to see right in there. He cannot be silent about this and says, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

The listeners are beside themselves: they scream, cover their ears, and unitedly rush at Stephen to stone him. Thus, he becomes the first Christian martyr. Let us note that true Christians who become martyrs because of their faith always sow love and reap hatred. They never go to their deaths to harm others. Moreover, Christians do not have to sacrifice their lives in order to do their God a special favour. After all, God has already accepted them as His children through faith in Jesus Christ.

In the hail of stones pelting him, the dying Stephen prays, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”! Then he kneels down and says his last prayer in a loud voice before going to his Lord in heaven forever: “Lord, do not charge them with this sin”! What an attitude toward his executioners! And what a striking parallel to Jesus’ words on the cross, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit”, and, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:46, 34).

Today’s reading: Deuteronomy 10:12-22 · Matthew 24:29-36