Devotional Acts 7: Stephen's Speech and His Martyrdom Reflection on Acts 7: Stephen's courage in defending the truth before the Sanhedrin, his faithfulness unto death, and the example of forgiving enemies. Topics: Devotional, New Testament.

Devotional Acts 7: Stephen’s Speech and His Martyrdom

My devotional today was on chapter 7 of the book of Acts. This is the synopsis.

Synopsis: In this chapter, Stephen, one of the seven chosen by the apostles to attend to the needs of the people of Judea while they dedicated themselves to spreading the gospel and serving God full-time, was imprisoned under false accusations invented by the Pharisees and other haters of Jesus, who were envious of his abilities provided by the Holy Spirit and his influence among the people. Because Stephen believed in Jesus, he was blessed and had the Holy Spirit within him, which allowed him to perform wonders, signs, and miracles. Therefore, in this chapter, he defends himself before the Sanhedrin and accuses the Pharisees of persecuting and murdering all of God’s prophets. Enraged by these accusations, they stoned him to death.

Observations

These were my observations:

1. Speak the truth even if it costs you your life. When Stephen was defending himself before the Sanhedrin, he gave a retrospective of everything that had happened in the history of the people of Israel, according to The Word, to show them that throughout all those years, the supposed defenders of the law were actually the ones who disobeyed, persecuted, and killed all of God’s prophets. He knew that making an accusation like this before them would certainly enrage them and could lead to his death. But he knew and believed that, because of the Holy Spirit inside him, if he remained convicted in his belief and defended it with his heart and soul, even in his death, God would be glorified. So he persevered faithfully in the face of danger, because the most important thing for him was to defend the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. And he was killed for that boldness and faithfulness to God.
2. Forgive your enemies and ask God not to condemn them for the sin they commit. Stephen also followed the example set by Jesus Christ at His death, as he asked God not to hold this sin against those who were stoning him to death. This is one of the hardest things to do (i.e., forgiving those who want to kill you in every sense), and it demonstrates how he was a true disciple of Jesus. Are we, as Christians today, really so convicted and prepared to sacrifice ourselves in the name of Jesus Christ? This is the reflection we should all be making.