Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and Children of God,

At the beginning of the early church, there were many conflicts and confusion as to what the church should be like. Scripture also tells us that there were false teachings, which we read about in many of Paul’s letters. There were Christian Jews who believed they should hold to some of the laws and also rejected the Gentiles, despite them choosing to become Christians and follow Jesus. There was certainly a lack of unity among everyone, which Paul often wrote about. There was much division in the early church. Of course, these conflicts and division began even before Paul had his transformation. We read in the early part of Acts when Saul (Paul) opposed the words the disciples and their followers were preaching.

Stephen was a man full of God’s grace and power (Acts 6:8), and he had been chosen to become a deacon for the church. While Stephen was preaching the word, he was seized and taken before the Sanhedrin. Stephen then began to speak to the Sanhedrin in a lengthy speech using the scriptures (Old Testament) of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and all the events that led them to that moment when Christ had come. Like John the Baptists and Jesus, Stephen spoke against the Jewish leaders. This angered the leaders, and they rushed Stephen, dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him (Acts 7:57-58). This is when we meet Saul for the first time as witnesses hailed him. Stephen was the first to be martyred, and in his final words, he said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60).

This week, a man of God lost his life for speaking, not only his opinions, but also about the unrighteousness in the world, including our country. He spoke, using scripture and basing his thoughts and views on the Word of God. He was the “Stephen” of our time. I am not sure what his final thoughts or words were, or if he had time to have them, but I would hope that they were similar to Stephen’s. The man who committed this heinous act should be punished for the wrong and sinful act of taking the life of a man. May he be judged fairly by the men of this world, but may God’s will be done as this young man is judged by the ultimate Judge, our Lord.

That being said, we should be careful in our response. Let us not raise the man, whose life was taken, above God, but remember his desire to share the gospel of the Lord. We should honor his actions and remember his faithfulness and service to God. We should remember his family, friends, and colleagues. We should remember the family of the one who took the life of this husband and father. As the days go by, our eyes should not be focused on the man but his work for the Lord, and we should honor him by continuing that work of spreading the gospel. 

The days and years following the death of Stephen, the church continued to spread the gospel. In fact, the one who led the crowd to stone Stephen became a voice for God. It was not without struggles and pain, but Paul (Saul) chose to preach the word of Christ to the Gentiles and further the church for God and His kingdom. We are to do the same.

Last week, we did not have Children’s Church; therefore, the little lambs will be reading and learning about David as a child, overcoming the Goliaths in life, and being a shepherd this week.

I look forward to worshipping the Lord with you tomorrow with songs of praise and dancing before the One who blesses us beyond all measure. If, for whatever reason, I do not see you tomorrow, may the Lord bless you with joy, peace, and above all, love, and may He guide you, protect you, comfort you, and heal you when you need it.

God bless you

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)