Mob Reaction Vs. Christ-Like Response
To the ends of the earth - Acts 7:54-8:1a (esv) - Pastor Tim Kroeker
Matthew 5:11:
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
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According to the organization, Open Doors International, 315 million Christians worldwide are living right now under extreme or very high levels of persecution. This past year alone, 4849 Christians have been murdered for their faith. 4712 imprisoned. The most dangerous countries to be a Christian are North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan. In North Korea, persecution is the result of dictatorial paranoia. In Somalia it is the result of Islamic oppression. The constitution makes it illegal to convert from Islam. Christians have no legal protections. In other places persecution is the result of clan violence, ethnic hostility, or organized crime.
We are blessed to live in a country that guarantees the free expression of religion. You and I cannot comprehend this kind of systemic oppression. Even so, perhaps you’ve been shunned by a family member because of your faith. Maybe you’ve missed out on a promotion at work for reasons of conscience or gotten turned into HR for saying something perceived as imposing your religion. Maybe you’ve been excluded from a group of friends because you talk and act differently. How should a Christian respond to persecution, however severe?
At the end of Acts 7 we read the dramatic conclusion to Stephens’ speech. The members of the Sanhedrin were enraged. They drug Stephen outside the city and stoned him. Though the angry mob was filled with hate, Stephen was filled with the Spirit. He responded like Jesus. Expressing his faith in Christ and love for his enemies, Stephen was a powerful witness of eternal consequence. There in the murderous crowd was a young man named Saul who would one day take the gospel to the ends of the earth. You never know who’s watching. Regardless of the mob, respond like Jesus.
