The First Christian Martyr

Do you recognize these faces?

What do they have in common?

They are Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

One of the reasons they are so well known is because they did not die of natural causes, or because of an illness or old age.

Their lives were taken from them.

They were both shot by evil men.

But why were they killed?

Why were both of these great men killed?

Some say that Abraham Lincoln was killed because of his belief that the southern states should not be allowed to practice slavery.

Abraham Lincoln was determined to abolish slavery in this country.

…some would say that because of this position, he was killed.

Similarly, Dr. King fought for the civil rights of African Americans in this country.

He believed that all men were created equal and should enjoy the same basic human rights and freedoms.

…and for this reason, he was also killed.

Both men died for what they believed in.

I am almost certain that you do not know who the couple in this next picture are.

They are David and Natalie Lloyd.

They were missionaries that were sent to the country of Haiti.

They were in that country to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

However, Haiti is a very unstable country and tragically on May 23, 2024 as they were leaving their church, they were shot by armed gang members.

…they lost their lives even as they were serving Jesus Christ.

They became Christian Martyrs.

I want all of us to learn a new word - is a word that we do not often use in every day conversation - the word is martyr.

Originally, the word martyr simply meant someone that was a witness.

If you witnessed an accident, someone may ask you to be a witness. You may end up in court to describe what you saw with your very own eyes the day of the accident.

The early christian believers like Peter and John, Mary Magdalene, and many others were witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

They witnessed to others that they were 100% certain that Jesus rose from the dead and that anyone who believes in him would receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

However, very soon, the word martyr would take on a different meaning - as it started to be used to refer to people that lost their life because they believed in Jesus Christ.

You see, when the first christian believers started to tell others about Jesus, many people hated them for doing so.

Many people did not want Christians sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and for this reason, many christians were thrown in jail, they were whipped, and eventually many christian believers were executed.

…their lives were taken from them because they insisted on telling others about Jesus Christ.

…and by loosing their lives, they became Christian martyrs.

In our study today, we will learn about the first Christian Martyr - his name is Stephen.

The Bible says that he told others that Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead and offered people forgiveness from their sins.

The religious leaders hated Stephen for talking about Jesus and they were determined to destroy Stephen:

Hechos de los Apóstoles 7:54–60 NIV

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

See how in verse 58, a great number of people grab Stephen and drag him out of the city.

…and suddenly they each grab a stone and aim at Stephen. Their goal is to throw the stone with such force to cause the greatest harm - until Stephen can no longer stand, soon he will no longer be able to breathe or open his eyes.

…but just before he dies - consider his hope - he prays to God and says:

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

…and Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

…even as these people are throwing stones at him - he feels the need to pray for them.

This is one of the saddest stories in the Bible because we are witnesses to the death of someone in our Christian family.

It is indeed a great tragedy…but at the same time…

…it invites us to consider our own faith.

…it invites us to cry out to God that he me strengthen our own faith.

…it invites us to pray that we may also have a strong faith until the end…even though we may be called by God to give up our life for believing in Jesus Christ.

Let’s pray:

Our Father, as we consider the death of your servant Stephen…we are amazed at how he stood strong in the face of those who despise the message of Jesus Christ. Stephen stood firm believing that Jesus rose from the dead…and for this he was killed. But even to the end - his faith did not fail. Strengthen our own faith…that we may believe even as we face trials and difficulties, or even if we were to face the threat of death for your sake. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.