Summertime StoriesSample

Acts 7:54-56

54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 

55 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. 

56 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!”

BOLDNESS. If I could sum up Stephen from Acts in one word, it would definitely be boldness. Stephen is a biblical legend. He is known as the “protomartyr” - the first person to die for spreading the Gospel. Stephen is standing trial before the very people who sent Jesus to Pilate to be crucified. He doesn’t shrink back or even defends himself. He also demonstrates that he is no ignorant follower of Jesus. He is learned. He knows the entire Old Testament and how it points to Jesus. He boldly proclaims Jesus as the promised Messiah even at the risk and the eventual cost of his own life. 

In his last earthly moments, Stephen is privileged to see something spectacular - the ascended Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. What jumps out about this is the fact that Jesus is standing and not sitting where He is usually depicted. In ancient courtrooms, judges were always seated, but witnesses were always standing before the judge. Stephen had just stood as a witness about who Jesus was before the Jewish judges, and now Christ stood as a witness before His Father testifying about Stephen! What an amazing picture of Jesus - the One who stands before the Father on our behalf. Even when we receive judgment and rejection here on earth because of the Gospel, we can delight in the fact that there is One who will never reject us because He has already been judged in our place. This revelation should give us great boldness to stand for Jesus in any situation, no matter the cost.