Sunday Morning, Feb 10, 2008,

This morning, Bro Joe brought an outstanding lesson on the life of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The motto could well have been "Do right...despite." We don't know a lot about this true man of God, but what we do know about him is powerful.

1. He was full of the Holy Ghost and faith.
2. He was chosen by the church (not his own doing) and ordained (set apart) to be one of the first deacons.
3. He was misrepresented by the religious leaders of his day because of the threat his life posed to their religious system.
4. He was called upon to be a representative of the truth.
5. In presenting the cause for truth, he did not defend himself or talk about himself. Rather, he spoke the truth in as thorough manner as humanly possible, with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
6. He was bold in crying out against wrong doing and faced his foes head-on.
7. He was a sacrificial lamb, slain by those in the religious system.
8. Even in his dying, he was forgiving and showed a spirit of humbleness.
9. God honored his life by standing up in Stephen's defense, not only in his life, but in his death as well!!

Today, God is calling all of us to be like Stephen. He is asking us to stand up and defend the truth by reasoning from the scriptures and living a life of holiness and godliness, no matter what the cost may be. While our enemies, those who oppose truth, may not be able to take our literal lives, they can and sometimes will attempt to kill our testimony, our influences, and our character. However, as the children sing, "God is bigger than the devil". Let us not draw back from the fight for truth and holiness, but let us not have a fighting spirit. Let us be bold, but not brassy. Defenders of the faith, but not ourselves. Faithful, and not fearful.

Let a holy life tell the gospel story. If we stand up for Him, He will surely stand up for us!