Acts 7:55 “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.”
Stephen is brought before the religious leaders and he stands boldly before them and speaks the story of truth to them. He tells them of how Israel rejected God over time and told the story of human brokenness and sin. As he speaks this truth the establishment of the day does not want to hear this truth. Stephen crosses the line in speaking this truth to power and the power steps in and takes his life. However, in these moments it seems that Stephen experiences a peace that transcends all understanding and he gazes into heaven and sees the glory and honor of the one he represents. I imagine God smiling at Stephen and saying, “well done, my good and faithful servant.” The reality is, the power and authority that Stephen represents is greater then the power and authority of these religious leaders and in losing his life, Stephen truly finds life. Stephen understands that speaking truth for God regardless of the audience is where true life is found.
I can’t helped but be moved by this story of faithfulness on the part of Stephen. At the same time I am frightened by this faithfulness because as I read this text it compels me to desire to pick up Stephen’s mantle and continue this testimony of truth to the establishment of the world; especially the establishment that claims to be honoring God but their hearts are far from Him. I live within a culture that assumes God is on their side and every action done by this country is in some way in line with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth is that any actions on the part of any empire (including this empire and others seeking to be an empire) to become greater at the expense of another is fundamentally against the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ kingdom is made up of people that sit and eat with sinners; does not fight evil with evil but combats evil with love; loves enemies; turns the other cheek; bends down and washes the feet of others; takes the last seat at the banquet; cares for the least, last, lost, and lonely; offers forgiveness instead of condemnation. However, like those leaders in Acts 7, the establishment of today will not be able to hear this truth and will do anything to extinguish this truth even if it means ridding themselves of the messenger. I am reminded today of a story I heard this week of a Vietnam vet that came home and every church wanted to thank him, honor him, and give appreciation for him. When asked about this the vet said, “the last thing I wanted or needed from the Church of Jesus Christ was a thank you, but what I desired most from these folks representing Jesus was forgiveness.” This vet left the church and decades later has returned to a church that embodies the message of Jesus and has offered forgiveness to this man that so desperately wants to be free from the sins of his past.
Lord, I come to you today knowing in my heart that as I stand before the establishment you are at the right hand of God looking at me hoping that I will respond to the grace of the Holy Spirit and follow in Stephen’s footsteps. I feel compelled in my soul to continue this legacy and then the sin of my mind is pulling me in the other direction. My mind tries to rationalize why this is not my role; my mind tries to rationalize away what speaking truth really is; I realize that I cannot stand before the establishment on my own for it is too much. If you want me to follow in Stephen’s footsteps then you are going to have to do a work of grace in my life; you are going to have to pour the Holy Spirit upon me and empower me to step forward and be your mouthpiece. Only through you can I live into this legacy; so may you give me this grace and use me as you desire. Help me to remember today that your power and authority is greater then any power, authority, nation, empire, leader, weapon, group, etc within this world and that you are the only one worth pledging allegiance to and that you are not aligned with any one set of people and against another but you are aligned with your kingdom that is embodied through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; may I be a part of that kingdom and that kingdom alone. Amen!
Through the grace of God I can pick up Stephen’s mantle and continue the proclamation of the Truth.
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