This blog was submitted by ICC representative, Shane Bazinet.
“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7:54-60
The stoning of Stephen, a brutal act of mob violence, is known as the first case of Christian persecution in history.
Why was Stephen stoned to death? For condemning the Jewish leaders for rejecting Jesus – for being a defender of the Christian faith. After the stoning, Saul of Tarsus “made havoc of the Church (8:3).”
Today, more Christians are being persecuted than ever before.
On Nov. 1, a Bangladeshi woman and her family, who converted from Islam to Christianity, were beaten with sticks, iron rods, knives and machetes, when a group of Muslim neighbors demanded “owed” money from the mother. The attackers then filed a false case against the family and threatened to burn their house to the ground if they attempted to file a case against them.
When we see stories like this, a good question that arises is: why become a Christian? Certainly not for peace, joy and happiness. For what then? So you can go to heaven? So you don’t have to go to hell?
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Matthew 5:6a
We don’t need peace, joy and happiness. What we need is a right standing with God, because we will all stand before God on the Day of Judgment. Praise be to God that He made a way for us to get right with Him. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross so we wouldn’t have to go to hell – so we could have a right relationship with Him and receive the gift of eternal life. It’s the kindest thing that anyone has ever done.
How can we get right with God? Through repentance and faith – turning from our sins and trusting in the Savior.
Once we understand the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, we’ll view persecution in a much different light, and it will never drive us away from the Lord, but bring us closer to Him.
