In Acts 6 and 7 we meet a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ named Steven. Steven was the first Baptist martyr, and God's record of him in the book of Acts shows all the Lord's disciples from then til the coming of our Lord how to die for the Lord Jesus, who first died for us to save us from our sins. But dying for the Lord Jesus must not be romanticized. Dying well does not happen by accident.
Steven died the way he did, because Steven lived the way he did.
How Steven died____
1. Hated by the world, Acts 7:57-58.
2. Graced by the Holy Spirit, Acts 7:55.
3. Faithful to the Lord, Acts 7:2-53.
4. Forgiving to his enemies, Acts 7:60.
How Steven lived____
1. Dead to himself, Acts 6:5, 8.
2. Alive to Christ, Acts 6:5, 8.
3. Filled with the Holy Ghost, Acts 6:5.
4. Bold to proclaim Christ, Acts 6:8.
Thoughts to consider:
Under pressure, who you are is revealed. Steven grew into the man who died so well through the life he lived so well.
Steven's heart, deportment, and character were such in his dying as they were in his living.
If we want to be thought worthy of dying for our Lord let us first esteem our Lord worthy of living for.
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