They thought that by killing Stephen they could kill the faith. Not so. In fact, it had the opposite effect — it served as an explosive catalyst for the message and mission of Jesus!
God has a way of turning what looks like dead ends into doorways. Faithfulness is never wasted. Just because you can’t always see the fruit of your labour, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any.
In this sermon from July 4, 2021 on Acts 6:8 – 7:60 I share the moving story of Stephen’s martyrdom, and highlight four themes in his speech which continue to be relevant:
- God’s faithfulness in the past assures us of God’s faithfulness in the present
- Knowing the Scriptures well enable you to better apply God’s wisdom to your own modern life
- The beautiful power of Christlikeness
- Faithfulness is never wasted
The YouTube version of the sermon is here, and the audio-only download is underneath. Also provided is a link to the extra background material called “growing deeper” as a part of The Pulse Podcast.
Audio-only download:
As mentioned, you can also access the extra background content as a part of The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan by going here (or by finding it wherever you subscribe to podcasts — iTunes (Apple), Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or TuneIn). It’s called “Stephen’s martyrdom and the un-killability of faithfulness.”
Subscribe wherever you enjoy podcasts:
MatthewRuttan.com 