Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
11Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."
12So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."
15All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:8-15)
Stephen was one of the original deacons chosen by the people earlier in this chapter. His zeal and witness for Christ is so evident in this chapter that it does not take long for the enemies of Christ and His church to single Stephen out and to desire his death. What the Sanhedrin had failed to do with Peter and John, another group of prominent Jews (called the Synagogue of Freedmen) are more careful this time to gather evidence (or concoct it) that will be sure to destroy Stephen. Gamaliel's presence at the previous session of the Sanhedrin brought restraint. But since Gamaliel is not a member of this Freedmen's group, his counsel is either ignored if it is known at all. These men are considerably less learned and probably not as politically connected- perhaps a collection of tradesmen and laborers from the areas noted in the Scriptures who would be more inclined to demonstrate violence than the cultivated Sanhedrin. They lost no time in accusing Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God. At some point they then take Stephen to the Sandhedrin and noted his angelic face. Persecution is coming down upon him quickly, but Stephen maintains his dignity. He does not plead for his life or lash out in his own defense. Instead he continues to preach the Gospel to these learned, respectable, but lost men. He is hoping that someone will respond to the message of Christ before he dies. He demonstrates absolutely no fear, and demonstrates his boldness in the power of God.
As Christians, we do not realize that there is a sentence of death upon every one of us as far as the world is concerned. They will, sooner or later, mark us out for persecution. We might be tolerated for a time but even now the world's patience with us is growing thin. This is because the Holy Spirit has convicted them of sin and they refuse to listen to it any more. I expect that in the years to come it will become more and more difficult. It is already difficult to present the Gospel message in the public arena. It is technically against the law for a preacher, for example, to say anything negative against those who indulge in homosexuality- making it a hate crime even though no hateful intent is given from the pulpit. It is against some federal income tax regulations to advocate political candidates or positions from the pulpit; putting at risk the church's federal tax-free status. These are just some minor examples. The day when the church enjoyed the freedom to practice her faith and had the government's protection is over.
Perhaps that is a good thing for the church. When the church was driven underground in the 1940s, the church in China experienced great persecution. But since then it has grown in an alarming rate to the point that the communists cannot keep pace with the church's rapid growth.
Are you ready for the kind of persecution which has befallen people like Stephen and the church in communist China? I believe it was the early Roman theologian and historian, Tertullian, who said "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Are you willing to be part of that seed today?
Have a blessed day!
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