I Need A Hero
"At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with Jesus standing at his side. He said, "Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God's side!"
Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.
As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, "Master Jesus, take my life." Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, "Master, don't blame them for this sin"—his last words. Then he died."
-Acts 7:54-60
Stories such as Stephen's found in the book of Acts have always spoken to me, and left me speechless, with a yearning to be more like them. Other include, Paul, Timothy, Silas, Barnabas....read the whole book of Acts it's full of men who proclaim Jesus boldly even facing death because of it. I call this being radical for Jesus. I have talked about that a lot on this blog. Up until today, I didn't really know how to define or exactly explain a "radical environment." First and foremost, what is the definition of radical? As a noun it can be defined as "a person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles; extremist." In history class this morning we just wrapped up talking about World War 1, and in discussing the ups and downs of war as far as American citizens go, a down would be not being able to voice your opinion about something. That is what "creates" a radical environment. You feel so deeply about something that you are willing to give your life for it.
Stephen felt so deeply about Jesus, and spreading the good news to everyone, even where it's not allowed to be voiced. You'd have to have a pretty strong conviction to be okay with dying for it's sake. That is why I believe Christians should be radical. So what if they call us crazy, didn't Paul say "to die is gain"?
Eugene V. Debs, a Socialist, made a quote in his speech to the jury before his sentencing under the Espionage Act (1918), "In every age there have been a few heroic souls who have been in advance in their time, who have been misunderstood, maligned, persecuted, sometimes put to death...But they had the moral courage to be true to their convictions..."
Stephen was one of those heroic souls, the Bible is here today in our homes because thousands of Christians throughout history have given their lives to carry the gospel around the world. They died for the Good News. It is important for us to remember, thought, that a person cannot give his life for the gospel until they have learned to live their lives for the gospel. Stephens death left a lasting effect on Paul (then Saul), who changed from destroying the faith to radically defending it. Both Stephen and Paul's lives continually challenge Christians. Stephen was the first to die for the faith, and in his sacrifice a few questions arise: "How many risks to we take as Jesus followers? Would we be willing to die for Him? Even more so, are we willing to live for Him?
Before I close, I must tell you about the ultimate HERO. A Hero so awesome, even superman has gotta take his cape off. His name is Jesus. He died for you. He made the sacrifice of giving His life for our filthy sin covered lives. You see, when God created the world, He created it to be in perfect harmony with Him. But then man sinned, tearing that harmony and oneness with God. So God sent His son, Jesus to Earth to teach us to live, and to take all the worlds sin on himself as he died on the cross. Jesus tore the veil between man and God. He could have called 10,000 Angels to come rescue Him, but His plan was to rescue us from eternal separation from Him, a thought He could not stand. HE loves us that much!! Salvation is a free gift, it's nothing you earn, you just accept it, and love it, and live for it. See the tab "Gimmie Jesus" for more information.
Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.
As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, "Master Jesus, take my life." Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, "Master, don't blame them for this sin"—his last words. Then he died."
-Acts 7:54-60
Stories such as Stephen's found in the book of Acts have always spoken to me, and left me speechless, with a yearning to be more like them. Other include, Paul, Timothy, Silas, Barnabas....read the whole book of Acts it's full of men who proclaim Jesus boldly even facing death because of it. I call this being radical for Jesus. I have talked about that a lot on this blog. Up until today, I didn't really know how to define or exactly explain a "radical environment." First and foremost, what is the definition of radical? As a noun it can be defined as "a person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles; extremist." In history class this morning we just wrapped up talking about World War 1, and in discussing the ups and downs of war as far as American citizens go, a down would be not being able to voice your opinion about something. That is what "creates" a radical environment. You feel so deeply about something that you are willing to give your life for it.
Stephen felt so deeply about Jesus, and spreading the good news to everyone, even where it's not allowed to be voiced. You'd have to have a pretty strong conviction to be okay with dying for it's sake. That is why I believe Christians should be radical. So what if they call us crazy, didn't Paul say "to die is gain"?
Eugene V. Debs, a Socialist, made a quote in his speech to the jury before his sentencing under the Espionage Act (1918), "In every age there have been a few heroic souls who have been in advance in their time, who have been misunderstood, maligned, persecuted, sometimes put to death...But they had the moral courage to be true to their convictions..."
Stephen was one of those heroic souls, the Bible is here today in our homes because thousands of Christians throughout history have given their lives to carry the gospel around the world. They died for the Good News. It is important for us to remember, thought, that a person cannot give his life for the gospel until they have learned to live their lives for the gospel. Stephens death left a lasting effect on Paul (then Saul), who changed from destroying the faith to radically defending it. Both Stephen and Paul's lives continually challenge Christians. Stephen was the first to die for the faith, and in his sacrifice a few questions arise: "How many risks to we take as Jesus followers? Would we be willing to die for Him? Even more so, are we willing to live for Him?
Before I close, I must tell you about the ultimate HERO. A Hero so awesome, even superman has gotta take his cape off. His name is Jesus. He died for you. He made the sacrifice of giving His life for our filthy sin covered lives. You see, when God created the world, He created it to be in perfect harmony with Him. But then man sinned, tearing that harmony and oneness with God. So God sent His son, Jesus to Earth to teach us to live, and to take all the worlds sin on himself as he died on the cross. Jesus tore the veil between man and God. He could have called 10,000 Angels to come rescue Him, but His plan was to rescue us from eternal separation from Him, a thought He could not stand. HE loves us that much!! Salvation is a free gift, it's nothing you earn, you just accept it, and love it, and live for it. See the tab "Gimmie Jesus" for more information.
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