Pray

"As council members listened to Stephen, they became noticeably furious. But Stephen was of the Holy Spirit. He looked into heaven, saw God's glory, and Jesus in the position of authority that God gives. So Stephen said, "Look, I see heaven opened and the Son of Man in the position of authority God has given him!"

But the council members shouted and refused to listen. They they rushed at Stephen with one purpose in mind, and after they had thrown him out of the city, they began to stone him to death. The witnesses left their coats with a young man named Saul.

While council members were executing Stephen, he called out. "Lord, Jesus, welcome my spirit. Then he knelt down and shouted, "Lord, don't hold this sin against them." After he had said this, he died." Acts 7: 54-60

Stephen is considered the first martyr of the church. From that day to the present, millions of followers of Jesus have had to make the same stand as Stephen made. Most of us sit in the comfort and safety of our homes and rarely think about those who are being persecuted and killed for their belief in Jesus. We live in countries that allow this freedom of faith, and since we don't experience the persecution first hand , we tend not to think about it.

I encourage us all to pray for our brothers and sisters throughout the world. A good source to find news about what is going on with the our persecuted believers is the website Persecution.org. Bookmark that page and go to it often to pray for those who are truly living a persecuted life.

May the Lord Jesus come back quickly and may we remain faithful as we wait for His return.