Acts 7:54-8:1 - "When they heard this (this being Stephen's statement that they had persecuted the prophets then persecuted the Righteous One that had been predicted to come), they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was there, giving approval to his death."
Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, we are called to continuously be filled with the Holy Spirit to the point that we are overflowing. Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and look at what he experienced! He looked up to heaven "and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." If that doesn't get you fired up to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit, nothing will. So, he begins to tell these people who are ticked off at him about his Kingdom experience and they cover their ears and yell at the top of their voices. Haha, I just get this mental image of a little kid (or probably me last week) putting their hands over their ears and screaming "la la la la la" whenever somebody is trying to tell them something they don't want to hear. Ever done that, I have. Then they drag him off and stone him to death. I don't know about you, but I have never been stoned for being a believer. I have, however, experienced numerous times when I've tried to witness and whoever I was trying to witness to simply did not want to hear what I had to say. Usually when we try to witness but people just ignore us, we get discouraged and give up. Stephen kept sharing to the point that the only way they were gonna shut him up was to stone him to death. As he is dying he says "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" and died. Sound like anybody else that died in the New Testament? (Jesus' crucifixion) And it makes perfect sense that it does. We are called to live a Christ-like life and that includes a Christ-like death. Jesus didn't quit preaching of His coming kingdom when people didn't want to hear it; Stephen, being the Christ-follower that we should all be striving to become, didn't quit preaching of Christ's Kingdom either. He lived a life of Christ and died the death of Christ. How much living and dying for Christ are we willing to do in our comfortable "Christian" society?
A key part of this passage is the last verse "And Saul was there, giving approval to his death." This is the same Saul that becomes Paul, an apostle of Jesus, in just the next chapter. You think maybe Stephen's death and willingness to die for Christ might have made a major impact on Saul? The same Saul who became Paul, the world's greatest missionary. Even if somebody may oppose you now to your face, may later turn to Christ because of the impression that you left and how you responded (either out of commitment or giving up in disappointment).
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