Not all followers of Jesus will become martyrs, but all of us must be prepared to face persecution in this life for Jesus’ sake.
Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit, lived and died much like his Savior lived and died. When men falsely accused him of speaking against Moses, Stephen indicted them for acting just like every generation before them. In every stage of Israel’s history, the leaders and people of Israel rejected God’s prophets. Now, in Stephen’s generation, they had even rejected God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.
Because Stephen spoke in the power of the Holy Spirit, these men could not refute him. So instead they sought to destroy him, just as they sought to destroy Jesus. But Stephen, seeing the eternal glory that awaited him, responded just as Jesus had responded to His own death, asking Jesus to receive his spirit and praying for the forgiveness of his persecutors.
Like Stephen, we must understand that for us who trust in Jesus, death is the doorway to the Kingdom of God. It is a coronation ceremony. May we live in light of the truth that this “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NASB).
Watch part 78 of the 365 Key Chapters of the Bible series, based on Ken’s Handbook to Scripture.
These are the last recorded statements of Jesus Christ before His death on the cross. Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and
Mortality and the purpose of life are prominent themes in Thomas Cole’s paintings. Through his paintings, he vividly brings out the human dilemma of mortality, a dilemma we ourselves must wrestle with. Given the inevitability of death, what are we to do with our days? We can try to stave
In the article below, Dr. Boa synthesizes material from several teaching sessions from his series Biblical Principles for Marriage and from portions of his spiritual formation text Conformed to His Image (primarily from chapter 18, “Holistic Spirituality”). Dr. Boa focuses on agape love as one of the five forms of loves (based on the different Greek words). After reviewing all forms, he gives reasons for why agape is the greatest.
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