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Acts 6:8-15 – Stephen is chosen as one of the first Deacons, and while preaching the word is brought before the council
Up until this point, no one had been killed for their faith. Sure, the religious leaders were not happy that people spoke of Jesus and had captured some and then let them go when they showed how they had been with Him, but no one had died. Stephen could have kept quiet and low key. Instead, Stephen proclaimed the Gospel and paid for it with his life.
What would you do?
Right now, in America, we cannot legally be killed for witnessing; however, we can lose friends, work, and reputation for being known as a believer. We are also seeing many that are persecuted for holding a standard that is consistent with the Bible– especially in the areas of homosexuality and marriage. People are losing businesses and their jobs for stands they take that would not have been an issue even a few years ago.
What are you willing to risk to spread the truth? Stephen was willing to risk it all.
God calls us not to die, necessarily, but to share and live the Gospel’s truth in our lives.
- He doesn’t tell us to change the laws of the land.
- He doesn’t tell us to be a nuisance, or take our employer’s time to share, but he does expect us to share.
What are we afraid of?
