Will You Die For Him?

Stephen in Acts 7 was speaking truth to high priests who should have known how to conduct themselves in the performance of their priestly duties as well as how not to be hypocrites.

Stephen preached everything from the time Abraham was led out of Mesopotamia to the Israelites being led out of Egypt by Moses to Solomon building a temple.

He preached it all and he shucked that corn all the way down to the cob.  The high priests needed to hear this from one of our first deacons - and also who would be considered Christianity's first martyr.  This is what he said that really torqued off the high priests:

"51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.  52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:  53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.  54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.  55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,  56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.  57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,  

And this was the results of a Christian standing up for what was right:

58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.  59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Imagine for a minute if you will:  The government comes to you and demands that you denounce God.  They tell you that the Bible is "hate speech" and they crusade to destroy it all.  But destroying the Word isn't enough.  After all much of early Scripture was passed down by voice - generationally.  Without hardcopies and with Scriptures removed from the internet by social media companies (as fake news) - the last way it can endure is through word of mouth. 

Can you imagine a day in the near future in which the Bible is considered hate speech and deemed not appropriate?

What if you were commanded to renounce God?  Would you prefer death over denouncing Him?

Are you ready for this fight?

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