Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, was the first Christian to die for his belief. The opposition couldn’t stand up against or deny Stephen’s divine insight and knowledge, for his life was firmly residing in his Savior, Jesus Christ. So instead they stirred up the people with false witnesses that slandered, maligned, and defamed Stephen’s character. But in spite of a masterful, Holy Spirit inspired, presentation of his faith, (see Acts 7) Stephen was interrupted by a furious mob, charged with blasphemy, and stoned to death. Persecution for the faith comes in all shapes and sizes…from simple harassment, to actual suffering for one’s beliefs, but we can, like Stephen, take heart in the words of Jesus when He assured His disciples in Luke 21:15, ” I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”
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