Stephen: A Role Model
Tom Shrader walks through Acts 6:8–8:4, tracing Stephen's false accusation before the Sanhedrin, his Spirit-filled defense rehearsing Israel's history, and his death as the church's first martyr. Shrader highlights the parallel between Stephen's trial and the trial of Jesus, and draws out the significance of Christ standing — rather than seated — at the right hand of the Father as He welcomes Stephen. The teaching closes with a direct evangelistic appeal, urging those without faith in Christ to respond while drawing on the example of D.L. Moody and the witness of ordinary believers who were made extraordinary through obedience.
“What would be a tragic life? To live 50, 60, 70 years and to never be a factor in the kingdom of God, to never be used by God to accomplish anything.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Acts
Recorded: 1999 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 42 min
Themes: martyrdom, faithfulness, courage, obedience, witnessing, suffering, evangelism, role models, new believer, young adult, feeling ordinary, facing persecution, questioning purpose, searching for faith, living with fear, doubting your impact
Scripture: Acts 6:8, Acts 7:2-50, Acts 7:37, Acts 7:51-53, Acts 7:54-60, Acts 8:1-4, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:34, Acts 22, 1 Peter 3:15, Jude 3, Isaiah 66:1-2, John 5:46, Luke 22:69, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 8:1, Hebrews 10:12, Hebrews 12:2, Leviticus 24:14
Theological Themes: soteriology, gospel call, christology, christ as advocate, pneumatology, spirit-filled living, perseverance of believers, biblical history
Full Transcript
Introduction: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Obedience
I had not been a Christian very long when someone introduced me to the person of Jim Elliot, to his writings, and to some movies and tapes about him. The more I read about him, the more I was swept away with this relatively young man — at the time of his death, 24 or 25 years old. One of the first books I read was his diary, *Shadow of the Almighty*, and every page struck me with the reality of this young man, 18 or 19 years old, writing profound truths and having a perspective on life you would expect from someone who had lived a great deal more of it — especially an understanding of the temporariness of life.
He was a good student, a charismatic leader, a wrestler, active in student government, and very much an outspoken person for the cause of Christ. He married a woman named Elizabeth, and shortly after graduation became convinced that God wanted him to reach out to an Indian tribe in South America. On his first journey to that tribe, he was martyred for his faith by those very people.
I remember reading this and thinking, this is really sad — this is a tragedy. I remember talking to someone else about it, and they said it was not only a tragedy but just awful, that so much life and opportunity had been missed. But the more I thought about it, the tragedy is not that he died for his Savior. There is nothing tragic there. A tragic life is living 50, 60, or 70 years and never being a factor in the kingdom of God — never being used by God to accomplish anything. To sit at the end of your life and look back, perhaps with substantial success in the world and a fine family, and yet see that nothing was done with eternal value.
I was not around at the time, but I am convinced that when word came back that Jim Elliot had been killed, there were many who spoke of the tragedy of it and missed the reality that he had the opportunity to die for his Savior. I am going to guess that the church had a similar reaction when Stephen died.
We look today at the life of Stephen, the first martyr of the church. In both the life of Jim Elliot and the life of Stephen, and in the lives of many others, there is a tendency to look at them and say these are extraordinary men and women. It is so important to remember that is not the case. They are ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things because they were obedient to what God had for them.
Background: Stephen and the Early Church
We met Stephen last week. There was a task that needed to be done. The early church had a controversy — not a large one, but it was producing a real problem. The Hellenistic Jews, those who were Greek-speaking and culturally Greek, were at odds with the native Jews — those who spoke Hebrew and Aramaic and were born in Palestine. The Greek-speaking Jews were saying they were not getting their fair share of the distribution, especially to the widows. This problem was brought to the apostles, who said, "You choose some people, and we will let those people solve this." Seven men were chosen, and they happened all to be from that minority group, the Greek-speaking Jews. Two of them now become the focus of our study — Stephen this week, and Philip next.
Stephen is a man of great character. We are told in Acts chapter 6, verse 8, that he was filled with grace and power. Like Philip, he was performing great wonders and signs among the people. Stephen is a man controlled by his obedience to God. He is full of the Holy Spirit, and his life is under the direction of the Holy Spirit. He is about to face perhaps the greatest challenge any human can face — whether he will give up his life — and he does it in a way that brings honor and glory to the Savior.
The False Accusations Against Stephen
As we look at this passage, Stephen is accused falsely. The accusations come against him, and in Acts chapter 6, verse 8, we are told they were unable to cope with what he was saying. Stephen is delivering the truth, and they cannot argue against it. They cannot find a way to break down his argument because it is an argument of truth driven by the Holy Spirit.
Verse 11 tells us: "Then they secretly induced men to speak against him." The phrase "secretly induced" means literally to prompt or suggest. They gathered false witnesses and said, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God." We have no idea what Stephen was actually teaching at the time — we do not have his words. But here is the charge: they stirred up these men and told them to say they had heard him speak blasphemously.
Verse 12 continues: "They stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and dragged him away." They seized him and took him away in a violent fashion and brought him before the Sanhedrin, where they put forward false witnesses. Here is what those witnesses said in verse 13: "We heard him incessantly speak against the temple and against the law." And in verse 14: "For we heard him say that this Nazarene — that is, Jesus — will destroy this place, this temple, and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us."
So here is the pattern. They have false accusations against Stephen. The accusations are that he speaks in a blasphemous way. Blasphemy is to speak evil of something that God has deemed sacred. In this case, they are saying Stephen spoke evil against the law of Moses, against God Himself, and against the temple. That is the charge.
Verse 15 tells us that something incredible then happens. They fixed their —
Prepared to Make a Defense
The Sanhedrin looks intently on Stephen. All who were sitting in the council saw his face, and it was the face of an angel. They had dragged Stephen in, and rather than seeing an evil-looking person or a man filled with bitterness and rage because he had been falsely accused, they looked at him and saw the face of an angel. It was as though God answered the charge and said, this man is not guilty of anything. It was as though God moved and declared that this was totally bogus — he was not guilty of anything.
Then comes the great question. The Sanhedrin wanted to know the truth, so they asked: "Is this true? Are these things so? Have you spoken blasphemy against God, against Moses, against this place? How do you plead — guilty or not guilty?" Stephen prepared to make a defense, but it was not a defense designed to gain him an acquittal. He was not going to try to explain this away or apologize for it. What Stephen decided to do was to proclaim the message of Christ in terms these Jewish leaders could understand.
He issued ultimately not just an answer to the charges, but an indictment of the leaders for their failure to understand Jesus and who He is. The opportunity came, and Stephen was prepared to make a defense. Are you?
Here is the charge that Peter gives you and me in 1 Peter 3:15: "Be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you to give an account of the hope that is in you, and do it with gentleness and reverence." Jude writes in Jude 3: "I felt it necessary to write to you to appeal to you to contend earnestly for the faith." How about you? Are you ready to make a defense like Stephen does?
Are you prepared for the people who will ask you this week what it means to know Jesus? They may not use exactly those words. They may say it this way: How come your marriage works and mine doesn't? How come you can submit to that husband and I fight so hard against mine? How can you love her when she is so unloving? How come your home seems peaceful in the midst of this chaotic world? In the midst of this dump we work in, how is it that you keep your perspective? How can you handle it here in school when they put us down again and again and again?
The Challenge of Readiness
Over the last few months there have been many opportunities to talk casually with college students, especially those at ASU, about the constant barrage from staff and faculty there — so often with a total negative bias against the Christian faith. Not always, but so often. The ridicule that some of those students feel is real. Are you ready to make a defense and to do it with gentleness and reverence?
Have you even prayed and asked God to give you an opportunity to make a defense of your faith? I am convinced that one of the reasons we do not evangelize much is because we do not care that lost people go to hell. I really believe that for many of us. And I will prove it to you — when is the last time you prayed, "Father, give me someone to share my faith with"?
I had a man in one of the studies who came up afterwards and said this never happened to him — he never had a chance to share his faith. I told him there had to be opportunities all around him that he simply was not recognizing. He acknowledged that might be the case, so we prayed together and asked God to give him an opportunity he could not miss. My prayer was something like this: "Father, I pray for him. I pray that very quickly You bring somebody into his life who would ask him what it means to know Jesus."
We shook hands and off he went. I will confess that I thought, "Well, whatever" — I figured God was never going to answer that prayer. But he called me the next day and said, "You are not going to believe what happened last night." He said they had a couple over for dinner, and after the meal the women went off to talk. He slipped away with his friend, and the friend said, "I have a question for you. What does it mean to know Jesus Christ? I know you are a Christian — what does it mean to know Jesus Christ as Savior?" This man then had the opportunity to lead someone he had known for years to Christ, being used by God to deliver the gospel to his friend. Are you ready for that?
Stephen's Defense: A History of Faithful Remnants
I do not think that at the beginning of that day Stephen was setting out saying he was ready for this defense. I think he was simply prepared for it. The accusation came in, and Stephen responded. As you can see, his defense runs from Acts chapter 7, verse 2, all the way through verse 50. What he does in this defense is give the council an overview of the history of their ancestors — and they would have loved this. He spoke primarily of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses.
In each case, what Stephen was trying to do was answer the charge and point out that God always had a remnant that was faithful to Him, but that frequently — indeed, consistently, in the case of the prophets — the Jewish leaders themselves came against the very instruments God was using. In the life of Abraham, Abraham was a man who understood the promise of God. He was called by God, he moved, and he followed the commands and promises of God, even though it took great faith on his part to believe he would have the children and the lineage that God had promised. Joseph was a man who was abused by his own people, and yet a man of great integrity in the midst of all that abuse.
Stephen Accuses His Accusers
Moses was accused of being blasphemous against Moses. He answers that charge primarily throughout verses 20 to 43. In Acts chapter 7, verse 37, Stephen is talking about Moses — what Moses failed to do early in life, and then how God used him, prepared him, and used him in a powerful way. He said, "This Moses, this Moses that you love to talk about, this Moses is the one who said to the sons of Israel, 'God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.'" He is speaking prophetically of the coming of Christ — this Moses himself said there will be a fulfillment, that a Messiah is coming.
It was also the charge that Stephen blasphemed the temple by saying it wasn't a house of God. He quotes to them from Isaiah in Acts chapter 7: "Heaven is my throne, as God speaks. The earth is the footstool of my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or where a place is there for my repose? Was it not my hand which made all these things?" He says to these men: you charge me with blaspheming the temple, with perhaps speaking the very words that Jesus spoke — that if you tear down this temple, He will build it in three days — not speaking of the temple as a building, but speaking of Himself. He answers those charges, and then he does something they do not expect.
Stephen now accuses the accusers. In Acts chapter 7, verse 51, he says: "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in the heart and ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. You are doing just like your fathers did." They did it to Abraham, they did it to Joseph, they did it to Moses — they missed it again and again. "Which one of the prophets didn't your fathers persecute? They killed those who previously announced the coming of the Righteous One" — a term his audience would recognize, speaking of the Messiah, a term Jesus used to identify Himself — "whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, and you have received the law ordained by the angels, and you don't keep it."
Here is that same charge from the New Living Translation, verses 51 through 53: "You stubborn people, you are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? But your ancestors did, and so do you. Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute. They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, the Messiah, whom you betrayed and you murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God's law, though you received it from the hands of the angel."
Those Jews loved to hear about their ancestors. When Stephen begins talking about Abraham, then Joseph, then Moses, these are sweet words to them. Then all of a sudden he shifts gears. No longer is he answering their charges — he is leveling his own. He is saying: you proud, stubborn, stiff-necked people, you refuse to bow before the one true God? Your heart is not repentant? Even Jesus said, "If you believed Moses truly, you would believe me, for he bears witness of me" — John 5:46. If you really believed this, you could not miss it, because the whole Old Testament is pointing to Him — at this moment, at this hour, the Righteous One.
The Contrast: Rage and the Holy Spirit
Stephen is now given an opportunity to make the ultimate investment. Those Jews had sat quietly, but this was all they could take. Verse 54: "When they heard this, they were cut to the quick" — literally, sawn in half, cut in two. They began gnashing their teeth at him. They were seized with rage and anger and could no longer control themselves.
Look at verse 55 and the contrast it presents. In contrast to their response, "full of the Holy Spirit, Stephen gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And behold, I see the heavens open up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." They are filled with rage. He is filled with the Holy Spirit.
That contrast continues in verse 57. Jesus had said to these men, "You are blind guides of blind people," and now they are blind with rage. They had heard Jesus' teaching. They had seen His miracles. They had killed Him and thought that was the end of it. Then the church began to grow. They listened to Peter and John, arrested them — and thought that would stop it. It did not. They arrested all the apostles and beat them, they witnessed miracle after miracle, and nothing would stop it. They could not handle it anymore.
The word picture in verse 57 is vivid: "They cried out with one voice, and they covered their ears." It is as though they are saying, I cannot take this anymore. I do not want to hear this again. Haven't you encountered people like that? They will say, get that book away from me, as if it is going to get them somehow. Don't invite me again to Christmas, or Easter, or church, or anything. Get it out of here. That is exactly what they are saying.
Driven Outside the City
Verse 58 notes that when they had driven him out of the city, the irony drips from the text. In the midst of yet one more execution of a man of God, they follow the law — Leviticus 24:14 — which required that the one condemned to capital punishment must be taken outside the city.
The Stoning of Stephen
They began stoning him. The witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Stoning was a form of capital punishment, and here is what happened. They would take the criminal out, put him on a ledge, and shove him off. The witnesses were the ones who did the shoving, so to free themselves up for this, they removed their outer garments and laid them at the feet of Saul. It is as though Saul is supervising the execution.
In the process of stoning, if the fall did not kill you, they would then pick up boulders and throw them on you until you were dead. This is very important to remember. Stoning was a form of capital punishment — that is what it was meant to accomplish. This was a death sentence.
Verse 59 describes how Stephen responds as they continue stoning him. He called upon the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Having said this, he fell asleep. What a beautiful way to describe death for a believer. Remember when Jesus said Lazarus was asleep and that He must go to him? His followers said, "If he is asleep, leave him alone," and Jesus said, no, you did not understand. As 2 Corinthians 5:8 tells us, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Death for us is simply to fall asleep.
Saul's Agreement and the Scattering of the Church
Here is all this animosity, all this energy, all this opposition, and finally they have this man in their hands. They are saying that now they will kill one of these followers and that will put an end to it. And then we read something striking: Saul was in hearty agreement. This is the second time we have heard his name in just a few verses. Many know him as Paul the Apostle, but at this point he is not one of God's men. He is active — literally saying, in effect, go get him.
Persecution then arises in the church in Jerusalem and the believers are scattered. They are scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. All except the apostles were scattered, and some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.
Parallels Between Stephen and Jesus
Consider the similarities between the trial and execution of Stephen and that of Jesus. Like Jesus, Stephen spoke boldly in his confrontation with religious leaders. Both were falsely accused. Both were charged with blasphemy. Both were innocent but convicted. Both prayed for their executioners as they were being killed. Both were executed outside the city, and both were buried by sympathizers.
Saul Ravages the Church
Saul now becomes the focus. In verses three and four, we read of him for the third time. Saul ravages the church. The word used there is the same word used to describe a wild animal as it tears apart and devours its prey. Saul is tearing this church apart. The opposition is intensifying. They come not just for Stephen but for all those following him. They are equal-opportunity persecutors — they drag off men and women alike and put them in prison.
And yet the result, in verse four, is that those who were scattered went about preaching the word. This event never left the mind of the apostle. In Acts chapter 22, as Paul shares his testimony, he reflects back to this moment, this stoning of Stephen, and the effect it had on him. That reflection prompted St. Augustine to write: the church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.
God's Purpose in Persecution
Remember what God said in Acts chapter one, verse eight? "You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the remotest part of the earth." This is both a command and a prophecy. God said He would accomplish it no matter what. And what He uses to scatter them is persecution.
They were likely enjoying the church in Jerusalem. The church there was humming along — there was fellowship, there was witnessing, they were making a few short trips out but never going far from home. And God said the word must spread. If they would not go voluntarily, He would get them out there. He brought persecution, and with that persecution the church scattered.
Look at the life of Stephen across these verses. We see his character. We see him face false accusations boldly. He is given an opportunity to speak and he speaks the truth. He then confronts his accusers — telling them they have missed it. And he pays what might be called the ultimate price, or better, makes the ultimate investment. All of this is accomplished within the plan and purpose of God. God will not be stopped. You cannot stop a move of God. And God sees the blood of the martyrs as nothing less than nourishment for the rest of the believers who carry on the message.
Jesus Standing at the Right Hand of God
Going back to Acts chapter seven, verses 55 and 56: "But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'" Stephen is a full and obedient man.
When we think of Jesus at the right hand of God, most often we think of Jesus sitting. Almost instinctively, that is what comes to mind, and rightly so. Jesus Himself said in Luke 22:69, "The Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." Acts chapter two, verse 34 quotes from the Old Testament, with Peter speaking: "The Lord said to my Lord" — that is, the Lord said to Jesus — "sit at my right hand." Ephesians chapter one, verse 20 says that God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Colossians chapter three, verse one says, "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."
The Vision of Jesus Standing
The things from above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Hebrews chapter one, verse three: "When he had made purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high." Hebrews chapter eight, verse one: "Now, the main point is this, we have such a priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesties in heaven." Hebrews chapter ten, verse twelve: "Having offered one sacrifice for sin for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God." And finally, Hebrews chapter twelve, verse two: "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Stephen, in the midst of this persecution, looks up and sees Jesus standing — not seated, standing — at the right hand of God. Here is his vision: "I see the heavens open and the Son of Man is standing at the right hand of God." When we speak of Jesus seated at the right hand of God, the message communicated is that His redemptive work is done. He made His sacrifice once and for all. He paid the price for the sin of His people, and He is seated at the right hand of the Father.
So what is it that Stephen sees? Most of the studying I did suggested that it is probably Jesus fulfilling His promise: "If you confess me before man, I'll confess you before the Father." It is Jesus confessing Stephen before the Father. It is Jesus welcoming the first martyr of the church, saying, "That's my boy. That's Stephen. Well done, Stephen." Ray Stedman, reflecting on this, writes one sentence: "It's my conviction that every believer who dies sees this event" — sees Jesus standing at the right hand. It is my funeral song. I see the Lord. It is what I see.
D.L. Moody and the Land of the Living
There is a relatively new biography on D.L. Moody. In Moody's last days, true to the male of the species, he is very ill but does not tell anybody. He is in Kansas City for a series of revival meetings to share the truth and the gospel. Looking back on it, one author writes that there was a difference in his messages — a greater emphasis on earthly death and the hope of heaven.
These are Moody's words: "We say this is the land of the living. It is not. It's the land of the dying. What is our life here but a vapor? A hearse is the most common sight. Families broken in two. Over there, one who's lost a father. There, one who's lost a mother. There a place vacant. There a sister's name is no more heard. There a brother's love is missed. Death stalks triumphantly through our midst in this world. Only yesterday I met a mother who lost her baby. Death is in front of us. Death behind us. Death to the right of us. Death to the left of us."
Then his scene shifts to heaven: "But look at the other world. No death, no pain, no sorrow, no old age, no sickness, no bending forms, no dimmed eyes, no tears. Joy, peace, love, and happiness. No gray hair. All young. Think of it. Life, life, life without end. And yet so many men choose this life on earth instead of the life that's in heaven. Don't close your heart to eternal life."
A couple of weeks later, Moody is clearly dying. At six o'clock in the morning of December 21st, he wakes up. His son-in-law is there, and he says to him: "Earth recedes and heaven opens for me." His son says, "You must be dreaming." He replies, "No, this is no dream. It is beautiful. It's like a trance. If this is death, it is sweet. There's no valley here. God is calling me and I must go. What a beautiful sight." And then, using the words of Scripture, he fell asleep.
The Land of the Dying
How about you today? If God allows you the opportunity to be on that deathbed, is that the scene you will play out? We think this is the land of the living — it is not. This is the land of the dying. Everything here is dying. Everything here is fading away. We've been in this building two years. I love this building, and I love the ones that will come after it. But I also know that not too many years from now, they'll be in here rehabbing this, upgrading it, and saying, "Let's build something more cost effective." This is the land of the dying, and we are headed to the land of the living.
If you know Christ, you are moving toward that scene where you see Jesus standing at the right hand of God. What a beautiful scene. But what about those of you here this morning who don't know Christ? You have made a decision to live in the land of the dead. You have heard the message, perhaps over and over again, and yet you have continued to refuse to respond to it.
A Daughter's Final Plea
I talked to a man this week, and I love this story. I asked how his week was. He said he had just been to a funeral, and it was great. As you know, if you have been around, I love funerals — they are so good. I asked what made this one great. He said the woman who died was 45 years of age, and she had suffered and died of cancer. Her parents were not believers. They did not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
So she had one request of the pastor who would preach her eulogy, and he came through. He promised he would deliver, and he did. In the course of his eulogy, he looked down at this woman's mother and father and said, "Here is what your daughter wanted me to say to you. She knew that at this moment you would be thinking that she is in heaven and that one day you will see her again. She wanted me to be very clear: if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will never see her again."
How much did that daughter love her mother and father? So much that even from the grave, one last time, she pleaded with them. What more do you need? How about you today — have you responded? For those of you who are not Christians, why are you here today?
An Invitation to Come
Are you here today, perhaps for the first time, with no intention of ever coming back? Why now? Why today? Why this moment? Why does God have you here? I think He has you here to hear this message, to give you another opportunity to hear the truth.
Maybe you have been around here for almost a year. You were driving in this morning thinking, "I'm doing pretty well. My sin pile used to be this high, and I've got it way down. I'm giving, I'm serving, I'm getting involved in the church, and things are really clicking along." But deep down inside, what you know is that you have never come to Christ in repentance and faith.
Maybe you haven't been here a year. Maybe you have been here since we started. Maybe you have had the opportunity to sing up front or to serve in a lead position as an usher. But all you have done for all these years is fool yourself and fool those who say they love you, and your heart has never been converted.
Why would you not come? Why wouldn't you come today? Why wouldn't your deepest desire be: "I am living in the land of the dead, and I want to go to the land of the living"? I want to go to heaven — not just to have my life spared from hell, but to be with my Creator, my Savior, my Lord forever. You have an opportunity to come today, right now.
A Prayer of Salvation
We are going to pray, and we are praying specifically for those of you who are here and do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Some of you, at this very moment, may move from death to life. God may move you right now into His kingdom through this heartfelt prayer on your part.
Do not take it lightly. Do not just move emotionally. It is a life prayer that says, "Father, You are my Savior. I have sinned. I am separated from You." What it means is: God, You take control of my life and do whatever You need to do. You make me obedient to You. I want to follow You and You alone. Nothing else is important.
Let's pray together. Father, we pray this morning especially for the men and women and students who are here right now in this room who have never come in repentance and faith. God, You know who they are. We would ask You to touch their hearts right now and save them — not just to spare them the agony of hell, although what a great blessing that is, but to experience life as it was meant to be, to be moved to a place where one day they will be united with Your Son Jesus forever. Father, right now, in their heart, more than anything else, this is what they want. So we pray that You would move them.
If God is moving in your heart right now, I would invite you to pray with me. Father, I am a sinner, and Your Word says that the wages of my sin is death — separation from You. God, my life is filled with junk and sin and guilt, but I just heard that there is hope. Father, I want that hope. I want Your Son, Jesus Christ. God, come into my heart. Make me alive now. God, I want to spend not just eternity with You, but every day on this earth with You, living for You. God, I accept that forgiveness, that salvation, now. God, I understand that that means my life will change. God, give me the strength to live that new life, whatever it means. And God, bring into my life a friend, a Christian, who can walk with me and share with me and be with me every step of the way. Father, I love You. I want to serve You and praise You. And God, I pray to You right now as honestly and as openly as I can, acknowledging You as my Lord and my Savior. I pray to You in Jesus' name, amen.
Next Steps
If you prayed that prayer today, would you let us know? Feel free to come and talk to me, or call the office. We have someone who wants to meet with you, communicate with you, and talk with you about what it means to be a Christian. One of the great ways to get started is to be here tonight at 5 o'clock as this body comes together in worship and praise. We will see you tonight at 5 o'clock.