Read the seventh chapter of Acts. This Stephen’s bold sermon before the Sanhedrin. Stephen was not an apostle and might have been one of those thousands who were born again at Pentecost. The Church selected him to serve widows in Acts six. His heart was pure, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he was gifted spiritually. He was also steeped in Judaism. His heart yearned for the world to know Jesus as he did. With his sermon, he schooled the religious leaders with Old Testament prophecies pointing to Jesus as the coming Messiah. That led to his toning by the same people who so desperately wanted to kill Jesus. Stoning was a slow, torturous way to die. As he was pounded with rocks and stones, Stephen interceded for murderers, asking God to not “charge them with this sin.” Their anger was intensified by Stephen’s heavenly vision of the Lord Jesus standing next to God the Father. Even suggesting that Jesus was equal to Yahweh/God was an affront to the Jews. They set on him like a pack of hungry wolves and stoned him as he prayed for them.
Most often in the New Testament, we read of the Lord Jesus being seated at the right hand of the Father. Check Ephesians 1:20 and Hebrews 8:1. Here in Acts seven, Stephen sees Him standing. Why was He standing? This was a welcome home, a respectful gesture by the Lord Jesus for a job well-done. On that day, Stephen had eloquently shared the Gospel with the entire Jewish religious council. He did it without fear and became the first martyr of the fledgling Church. He had represented the Lord Jesus well, especially with his dying prayer. It was a timely reflection of Jesus’ own prayer from the cross as He was crucified.
Stephen’s preaching and praying caught the attention of young man named Saul, who stood by watching the garments of those throwing stones. I have no doubt that when Saul found himself bucked from his horse, blind, laying on the road to Damascus, and hearing a voice saying, “I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting,” he remembered the powerful preaching and prayer Stephen. It has been said that “the early Church was so strongly influenced by the apostle Paul because of Stephen’s faithfulness.” You never know who you might be influencing when you pray with faith and share the Gospel with courage and expectation.
