There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
A young man described by Luke, the physician, as “a man full of God’s grace and power” did great wonders and miracles among the residents of Jerusalem shortly after Christ’s ascension to heaven. But the religious leaders of the day didn’t much appreciate it. Thus, he was taken before the Sanhedrin. When the high priest asked him if the charges were true, Stephen proceeded to preach to them, but his sermon didn’t sit well with them, either. “When they heard this,” says Luke, “they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.” Eventually, they “dragged him out of the city and stoned him.”
History identifies Stephen as the first Christian martyr. He, however, was not the first to be a victim of religious persecution. From the opening chapters of Genesis to the latest edition of your news, history chronicles religious persecution. Daniel was in the lion’s den and exiled to Babylon. Jeremiah was harassed and eventually thrown into a slime pit where he nearly died. The book of Hebrews, chapter 11, is a gallery of the deeds of great men and women who were persecuted for what they believed and did.
Today, more Christians than at any time in history—with the possible exception of the first century—are on the receiving end of persecution. “So, what’s new? Shouldn’t that be expected because there are more Christians today than ever before?” It’s that mentality, that kind of indifference, which contributes to the problem confronting us today.
On the day Stephen was stoned, do you suppose that some of the Christians in the crowd thought, “This is not my business. Besides, I can’t do anything to change this, so I think I’ll just go home.” Surely what happened to Stephen shook them to the core. They knew the tide had turned; many packed up and left for other places, not understanding that persecution would follow as surely as do hunger and thirst.
When you read of churches being burned, how do you respond? Do you tend to say, “Well, that’s a long ways from where I live, and besides, I’ve got enough to worry about myself.”
“Why are you helping me?” or “Why do you care about us?” Those are questions I’m often asked overseas when I’ve done something to help someone or a group. “We’re family,” I respond, adding, “You’re my brother,” or “You’re my sister!”
How so? If you believe the Bible, you can think nothing else. It contends that God’s children are brothers and sisters, adopted into the body of Christ where there is neither race, gender, rank or social status. Please make a study of Galatians chapters 3 and 4, Romans 8, Romans 12:5 and Ephesians 4. Romans 12:5 says, “In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Do you hurt with Christians and brothers who are in pain somewhere else in the world? People you’ve never met; probably never will meet? It is your business when a Christian dad somewhere in the world knows that practicing his faith will mean his son cannot get into a university. Yes, I know you can’t fight every injustice in the world, but when you realize we as believers are one body—we have one Father, one faith—then all who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ become simply brothers and sisters who belong to each other.
In His prayer in Gethsemane, shortly before the cross, Jesus prayed that His own, His children, might be one, even as He and the Father were one. What binds us together is more powerful than what separates us.
Resource Reading: Acts 6:8-7:60
