Celebrating courage

"Stoning of Saint Stephen" by
Pietro da Cortona (1660)

Written by Cheryl Odden

By the middle of the second century, the early church was experiencing waves of persecution in the Roman Empire. As the church grew and became more organized, it developed traditions that live on today. During the second century, the church began celebrating “saint days,” honouring their brethren’s courage on the days they were martyred. Today, some churches still celebrate saint days.

Today—December 26—is the day that honours the early church’s first martyr, Stephen, whose story is told in Acts 6-7.

A man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, Stephen was gifted in preaching the gospel and defending the Christian faith. Chosen as one of seven men to ensure Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Jewish widows were receiving the food they needed, Stephen continued his preaching ministry. Hecklers were no match for Stephen. So, some chose to silence him for good.

When rumours spread throughout the city that Stephen had blasphemed God, the Law and the temple, he was hauled before the Jewish legal council called the Sanhedrin. Stephen answered the accusations through a lengthy monologue, telling God’s redemptive history from the time of Abraham to Jesus Christ. However, the Sanhedrin’s interest turned to anger when Stephen accused their forefathers of persecuting the prophets who told of Christ’s coming and crucifying Him.

With those words, they were done listening. In fact, Scripture says they were so mad that they gnashed their teeth. But Stephen wasn’t intimidated. He looked up and told the rage-filled crowd that he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Covering their ears and drowning out his voice with shouting, the crowd hauled Stephen outside the city gates. Despite rocks hitting his young frame, Stephen prayed for his persecutors.

All the while, a young man named Saul stood watching, holding the cloaks of those who hurled the rocks, ending Stephen’s life.

Soon after Stephen’s death, Saul enacted a crackdown on the church, arresting the fleeing Christ-followers. But one time as he pursued them, he encountered Jesus Christ, setting this zealous persecutor of the church on a different course.

Today, take a few minutes to thank the Lord for Stephen’s courage. Ask God to continue filling His people around the world with the power of the Holy Spirit so they can witness boldly for Him amidst hostile situations as Stephen did.

The Voice of the Martyrs has published a children’s illustrated storybook about Stephen called God’s Witness: The Courage of Stephen. To order, visit our website at http://www.persecution.net/.

The man behind the holiday

It’s St. Patrick’s Day once again! The following is excerpted from an article written by a Benedictine monk and medieval historian in which he shares some of the background behind the historical figure, and man of faith, whose life is commemorated today.

Patrick was born in the year 389 into a  comfortable Christian background in Roman-occupied Britain. Like others, he took his family, his faith and his good fortune for ­granted.

All this changed when a group of Irish raiders captured him and sold him and his young companions into slavery. Snatched from the comfort of his Roman villa, he found himself herding sheep and fending off wild animals on the side of an Irish mountain.

Exiled, abused and exploited, Patrick turned to Christ in his desperation, and the relationship of faith that followed transformed his own life and the lives of the Irish people.

Escaping from captivity, he returned to his family and became a priest.

He would perhaps have settled into a comfortable clerical career had it not been for a dream in which he heard the "voice of the Irish" begging him to "come and walk once more amongst us." This he took as a summons to return and proclaim the freedom of Christ in the land of his captivity. It was a courageous decision and one that demanded all his reserves of courage and forgiveness.

Personal challenges

But Patrick's story doesn't end there. From the "Confession" we learn that his mission was anything but an easy one: He was subjected to threats and extortion, his converts were enslaved and brutalized, and his own personal integrity was called into question.

For Patrick had a dark secret. Around age 15, he had committed a very serious crime. What the nature of this offense was he does not reveal, but it would have been an obstacle to his ordination had it been disclosed.

He confided this to a close friend, who subsequently betrayed his trust. In consequence, Patrick's mission was called into question and the "Confession" contains an anguished defense of his ministry in the face detractors, whom he dismissively addresses as "you men of letters, sitting on your estates."

You can read this article online here.