25 March - Acts 7

Today we’re reading Acts 7 in the Tattoo Church Reading Plan. Below are a few things to think about:

1. When Stephen was confronted by the religious leaders he responded by retelling the history of how the Jewish people had frequently resisted God. Stephen told them they had persecuted all the people God had sent to speak to them and then killed Jesus who was the Messiah (called the “Righteous One” here). 
2. As you can imagine they did not receive this verbal lashing well. In fact, they stoned Stephen to death. Not that kind of “stoned.” As they were stoning him Stephen asked God to forgive them.

This is an intense chapter, retelling in detail the events that led up to the death of Stephen. When you read of people being stoned in the Bible I wonder if you have a full mental picture of what it was like. They would throw the person being stoned down, often in a lower area, against a wall or bury them up to their neck and pick up the largest stones they could and hurl them down on the person. It was a horrific way to die. It would often take many stones to kill someone. Stephen was the first Christian to be killed for his faith in Jesus. Today this is something many of us cannot fully understand but there are still places around the world where choosing to follow Jesus may mean you will be killed. However, in these places you find that people are still choosing to become followers of Jesus at an alarming rate. 

Did you notice how Stephen asked God to forgive those killing him? That’s pretty amazing if you ask me. I wonder if choosing to be baptized and become a follower of Jesus were punishable by death how many people would still want to. Would you? Does your love and commitment for Jesus mean that you would risk everything for a chance to follow him? Jesus doesn’t ask us to half heartedly follow him. He wants people who are fully committed. Luckily we live in a country where we can freely follow Jesus. I can’t help but wonder do we follow him with the level of commitment he deserves? What areas in your life could you be more committed to Jesus in? How do you plan on getting there?