STEPHEN WAS SURE ABOUT HIS FAITH
STUDY ON STEPHEN,ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Acts 6:8-15 we read that Stephen was opposed for proclaiming publicity that Jesus Christ is God's Son and that only through Him can we receive God's forgiveness and promise of eternal life. Making a personal commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and so becoming a Christian is the most important decision you can ever make.
Being a Christian means that we are friends with God and everything and anything we have ever done that does not come up to God's perfect standards is forgiven. We receive new life, new meaning to life and a real purpose in living. We have the promise of eternal life and the fear of death and hell is removed. (Romans 5: 9-10).
The Christian life is one of joy as we place ourselves into God's hands. (Romans 5:11) but do not think that you will never face opposition. God does not wrap you in cotton wool. We often grow as Christians when we learn to face opposition, trials and difficulties in life.
So how should the Christian face opposition and other problems that arise? Stephen is a good example.
STEPHEN WAS SURE ABOUT HIS FAITH
If you read Acts 7 you will see just how sure he was. He knew Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. he knew that Jesus had come into our world and died on the cross for our sins. Stephen knew that we all need to come to the Lord Jesus in faith and repentance: that we need a personal, living experience of Jesus Christ for ourselves. It is not enough just to know about God.
Stephen knew that Jesus, and Jesus alone, can give us this new life. he is the only One who gives us salvation. Stephen had experienced this for himself. If you are unsure about your faith facing opposition or for that matter, the everyday trials and temptations in life that come our way is going to be very difficult.
We all know whether or not we are married! God gives us the same assurance about our faith in Him. Jesus said: "God loved the world so much that He gave us His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but receive eternal life." (John 3:16). God does not want us to be in any doubt.
YOUR WORLDVIEW
Your assumptions and what you really believe will colour the way you react in the situations in which you find yourself. Stephen's worldview was that God is in charge and He loves this world and has a plan for it, and those who trust Him will receive eternal life. His deep-down belief affected the way he faced opposition.
My friend - what you believe will affect the way you react in the situations you face. Actions speak louder than words. The husband who says to his wife: "I love you" but acts otherwise reveals his true feelings towards her. Those who say going to church on Sunday is important but rarely go reveal their true outlook on the issue. Christians who say that sharing their faith is important - but never talk to anyone else about Jesus, show what they really feel about this. If someone says they depend on God the truth of their profession will be seen in a crisis situation. This is how faith and trust are measured.
You will always live according to what you believe but not always according to what you profess. What you really believe is revealed by what you do more than by what you say. If you really trust God, that is going to make a difference to the way you live.
WE FACE OPPOSITION SUCCESSFULLY BY BEING ACTIVE FOR GOD
That was true for Stephen. He was looking after the poor. God worked miracles through him and personally I believe that involved healing miracles, and he talked to others about his faith.
We usually learn far more by hands-on experience than just by learning the theory.
You will face opposition or any other trials or problems in life if you are involved in actively serving God. Helping others often puts their own problems into perspective.
If you serve God through the local church you will spend more time reading God's Word (the Bible); prayer will be more important to rely on as you learn to rely more on God; the Holy Spirit will equip you just as he equipped Stephen. In serving God, you will find that you will get to know God better and He will undertake for you in all sorts of situations and difficult times that may lay ahead. Amen to that, dear friends! And when it comes to serving God, we read nowhere in the Bible of any Christian being unemployed and of no retirement date for serving God. What we do read is the words of Jesus who said: "The harvest is so great but the workers are few". (Matthew 9:37).
LOVE
In the midst of fierce opposition Stephen never stopped loving other people. He was concerned because their opposition resulted from their spiritual blindness. He wanted everyone to come to a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. we see in Acts 7 how Stephen never stopped loving those who opposed him (verse 60). Stephen did not say: "I suppose I had better agree with those who oppose me", but he did not stop loving them. He put into practice the words of Jesus who said: "Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you." (Luke 6:27).
The world says: "I hate that person!" The Christian says: "I love that person."
In his letter to early Christians the apostle John said: "God is love, and all who live in love, live in God - and He lives in them." (1 John 4:16). John also said that "anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:8).
If Stephen had shown hatred when he faced opposition and was arrested for publicly proclaiming that the Lord Jesus is God's Son who can give us eternal life, his message would have been destroyed. he would have been no different to anyone else.
The apostle Paul explained just how much God loves us and every Christian should emulate God's love. he said: "God showed us His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8).
God's love for us is undeserved and we should share His love with everyone. So let us pray that God's love will be evident in our lives even when others oppose us or make life difficult for us. other people are more likely to be won for Christ through love by standing up for our 'rights'. god will bless us richly as we demonstrate His love in our lives.Amen.
May God Richly Bless You, Love In Christ, Joylee.
The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strengh.
ImGoingOnWithJesusJustTheSame.
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