I can only try to imagine the scene. An angry, bitter crowd of self-righteous Pharisees, elders, teachers of the law and the High Priest; all eyes intently watching Stephen as he stood before them just a few minutes before his death. He started at the beginning, connecting with his audience as he retold Israel’s history. Story by story, Stephen walked through the facts of the past, craftily building up his argument to convict his hearers of their disobedience to God. 

Stephen made his point clear. “Brothers and fathers, listen to me!”, he plead, his voice echoing off the walls of the temple as he told his listeners that they rejected God when they rejected Christ. Although he knew what those words would cost him, the power of the Spirit that spoke through him gave him grace and strength to declare the truth. We know the ending; the crowd, enraged by his words, seized him and stoned him to death. 

Some time ago, we sat around a table on the floor with our Uzbek brothers and sisters who had experienced something similar. Tears streamed down my face as I listened to their recollection of their near-death experience. A furious crowd of “righteous” leaders who kept the Sharia law believed they were pleasing God as they surrounded the home of the new Christian converts. Under the sound of rocks hitting the windows and roof, they were given a few minutes to denounce their new Christian faith and return to the faith of their “fathers”. God alone gave them strength to stand on the truth and speak of their love for Jesus as the One True God.

They finished their story, and we sat silently; overwhelmed by the powerful message that we had just heard. 

The Sanhedrin listened to Stephen as he spoke the truth. 

The crowd of Muslims listened to our brothers as they spoke the truth.

Frankly; nothing matters more than having others listen to the truth.