Before we look at ‘Stephen The Martyr Today’, we need to look at Acts chapters 6 and 7 of how the death of the first Christian Martyr actually took place:
Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s. Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?” This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me (Stephen gave an eloquent recap of Jewish history from Abraham to their present day after which he rebuked their sin)……you stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. (Acts 6:8-12,15 & 7:1-2a,51-60 NLT)
Now we can move on and speculate how Stephen’s speech may have gone if he was alive in the United States in our day and age:
“You stubborn people! You have grown heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you resist the Holy Spirit, whom you once were tender to? You deliberately disobey God’s law, even though this once great nation was founded upon the principles of God’s Word, the Bible. You murder babies in a mother’s womb, knowing perfectly well they have a heartbeat and are just as human as you are. You allow women to claim a right to what only God has a right to. You pervert love when you are commanded to hate sin. You call God’s Word, the Bible, a book of hate and intolerance when you know it is a love letter to a dying world. You claim there are many ways to heaven, when the God who breathed life into you and died for you, tells you emphatically that there is only one way through Jesus Christ alone. You despise and are intolerant of Christian Missionaries who devote their life to telling the world there is a better way. Instead of teaching your children the ways of the LORD, you pollute their tender minds with your perverted ways. You want to obliterate anything in our Government that makes anyone uncomfortable with the life of debauchery they lead. You call that which is good, bad. You call that which is bad, good. You plant signs in your front lawn saying, “Hate has no home here!” Yet you hate and despise anything that speaks out against sin. You allow what is abominable sexually to be shoved into the light on a pedestal and label it with pride. You hijack God’s rainbow in mockery and display it in an attitude of violence.” The people were infuriated by Stephen’s accusations, and they shook their fists at him in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and began to beat and stomp him to his death.
My question to you is, “Where would you be in all the melee?”
“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5a NLT)
After much prayer and Scripture searching, I believe the Lord wants us to present the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in as much of a peaceful way as possible. We are to do it in godly love and not retaliate if persecution comes as a result of it. The key verse is the last part of the above Scripture:
“Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:5b NLT)
Annointing 