And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
(Acts 6:8-15 ESV)
Stephen had a reputation for speaking and acting boldly for Christ. He was no bully; he just allowed the Holy Spirit to work through him. This brought great resistance. There was nothing about his words, actions or character that allowed them to attack him personally; he "looked like an angel." As the account goes on, he proceeds to tell the truth, and the bottom line is: they had rejected and killed the Messiah, an innocent man. This truth was more than they could bear, and Stephen became the first recorded martyr of the church. This set up a long chain of persecution. Being first is not always where you want to be; for your sake or for others. But Stephen was... for telling and living the truth. May we not be ashamed or afraid of the Truth.
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