Let us pray. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Acts 7:59. My God, in the same way Stephen displayed an unwavering commitment to his convictions, unlocked this level of conviction in my life. In the face of authorities with the power to execute, Stephen remained strong as he stood and expressed what he knew to be the truth, both about Jesus and the religious leaders' stubborn hearts. In the same way, allow my life to resemble the same spirit and strength that Stephen possess. May my life prove that I have the presence of God in it. May my life prove that I base my commitment on a Biblical foundation. Allow me to spot out and see the error of past thinking and old ways of being. Allow my life to stay steadfast as I keep my eyes on you, Jesus. For I declare that commitment moves past the mind and emotions and go straight to the will. Thank you for my commitment that brings my mind and emotions into alignment to achieve my purpose at all cost. Like Stephen, I will look up to the heavens to gain my strength and encouragement.

In Jesus' name, Amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a year. Brought to you by Bibleinayear. Com.

I'm Cheryl McClellum, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer. Hear Kerry Lawson, daughter of the notorious serial killer BTK, weigh in on the accused Long Island serial killers children.

You show genuine interest, and you can't fake it. These guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be like, hold off, prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you out, and they're going to be like, Nope, I'm talking to somebody else. I'm not talking to you.

Here, great insight from one of New York City's finest, Detective Joe Jackalone, a cold case expert.

As well as I do, cops weren't even aware of it back then, so they're going to have some difficulty putting those cases together unless, of course.

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Hello, I'm Bishop TD, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast withpray. Com, called Sleep Psalms.

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A new enemy. In our last story, the apostles were beaten and imprisoned for preaching the name of Jesus, healing the sick and feeding the poor. Just as their Lord before them, the apostles found themselves suffering for the sake of restoration. Now we see a new character arise. A man named Stefan comes onto the scene to boldly proclaim the good news of Christ. However, there is an evil lurking near. A man by the name of Saul watches and waits for his opportunity to strike Stefan and any Christian who dare mention the name of Jesus, inspired by the Book of Acts.

Hello, I'm Pastor Jack gray of what today's episode of The Bible in a year. Thanks so much for joining us. In our last time together, we heard about the religious leaders as they threatened the apostles teaching and put them in jail. God then sent an angel to open the prison gates and send them to the temple, again preaching the gospel of Jesus. Their opponents could find no real reason to keep them in prison. At the council of one of their own, Gamaleo, they released the apostles, but only after beating them and warning them to never speak about the name of Jesus again. Of course, the apostles would never stop. You might as well tell the son to stop shining. They continued preaching the gospel of Christ and winning more and more people to a relationship with Christ, more souls for Jesus. Today, we'll hear about Stephen, the first Christian martyr who spoke boldly of Christ and paid the ultimate sacrifice and prize. We'll also meet a new enemy to the Gospel, a zealous young Rabbi named Saul who will lead the hunt for any who would proclaim the name of Jesus, persecution Christians. Let's listen now to this reading from the Book of Acts.

Jews, Greeks, Romans, and many others were catching on to the story of Jesus. One by one they joined the Apostles of Jesus. Together they served their communities and one another. They were committed to the feeding of orphans and widows, and daily they met with one another to pray and seek the truth of God. The church was becoming so large that the disciples could no longer meet the needs of everyone on their own. So they appointed men of good reputation and strong faith to meet the needs of the poor and destitute. Among these men was a man named Stephan, a man filled with God's spirit and boldness. Daily, Stephan would enter into the temple gates and preach the Gospel. His words were like sweet honey to weary hearts. He spoke of forgiveness, empowerment, and repentance. However, the enemy was at work among the religious leaders. They conspired against Stephan and spread false rumors about his character. Yet, Stephan seemed immune to such dissension. He continued to serve, preach, and love. No argument could come against the truth he proclaimed, and no rumor could undermine his good reputation as an honest man. They brought him before a court of leaders and judged him for words.

Do you speak out against Moses and Abraham?, they asked. Isn't your devotion to this Jesus and a front against our ancestors? Stephen looked around the room and saw scowls like wolves. Jesus was brought before this very court before he was crucified. He boldly stood before them and spoke only the truth. So Stephan would do the same no matter the cost. Stephan closed his eyes and prayed to the Lord for a moment. Then he lifted his eyes to all the men. You stiff-necked people. You are unclean in your hearts and ears. How long will you resist the spirit of God speaking to you? It was your fathers who killed the prophets of old, and it is you who follow in their footsteps by slaying the Messiah himself. You hold to the words of Moses so tightly, but you have missed their true meaning. The entire room erupted in anger. Stephan could not even take a second breath before he was stormed by temple guards. A club flew straight to his jaw as he fell to the floor and he was bound in ropes. Stephan was tackled to the floor. As he took kicks to his face and ribs, he peered towards the door.

A man was standing at the entrance smiling at him with a crooked grit. The man who had conspired against him and many others. The terror of all Christians. Saul of Tarsus. Stephan was drugged by his feet out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. An angry mob of templegoers and Pharisees followed as the guards tied Stefan to a pole facing the crowd. Stephan scanned his surroundings. They were outside the city gates, which could only mean one thing, stoning. Stefan's bruised eyes watched as men picked up rocks the size of their fist. Evil grins and angry scowls surrounded him. Stefan breathed in deeply and looked up to heaven. He fixed his gaze firmly to the skies directing his heart towards his lord. I see the King of glory. Stephan said his tears streamed down his face. I see the heavens opened and the son of God standing at the right-hand of the Father. As Stephan yelled this, the crowd erupted in battle cries and through their stones. One stone was hurled directly at his chest, cracking his ribs and sternum. Another cracked his knee and chin. Stefan gave out a blood-curling scream. Stefan had his gaze firmly fixed towards heaven.

As the barrage of stones flew through the air, Stefan whispered, Lord, do not hold this against them. Until another stone hit his temple, knocking him out. Stones continued to fly towards Stefan's lifeless body until he was reduced to a pile of flesh and broken bones. There behind the crowd, holding people's coats and garments was saw of Tarsus. As people took back their clothes and walked away, Paul stepped forward to observe Stephen's Mangled corpse. Paul spat at him. Blasphemous Christian, he hised.

Then he.

Turned away, hell bent on destroying and murdering every last man, woman, and child who dare to proclaim the name of Jesus.

As we begin today's reading, we find a growing number of Christian believers. The Holy Spirit is working through the disciples to bring more and more people to faith in Christ and into the fellowship of the Church. This Church, the community of faith, loved one another and served with the heart of Christ, caring for those in need, including the widows among them. As the Church grew, this task became too much for the apostles to take on alone. So seven godly men were selected and appointed as deacons. These deacons would handle the care of the community and the church. But just as the size and influence of the church was growing, even winning many religious leaders and priests to Christ, so also was the hatred of those who opposed the Gospel, who wanted to destroy this movement, the movement of Jesus Christ. We learned that one of the seven men chosen to serve the Church was a man named Stephen. What a man. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and had a desire to spread the good news of the Gospel. Soon Stephen began facing stiff opposition, and those trying to discredit him brought false charges of blasphemy against him because they could not tear down his arguments.

They accused Stephen of speaking against Moses and the law and saying Jesus would destroy their customs and places of worship. It is a reminder to us that the enemy does not fight fair. The devil knows he is no match for God's truth, and so he often attacks with lies, just as he did with Adam and Eve in the garden. These lies and half truths are an attempt to stop God's plan and God's purposes. Stephen was taken before the high priest and asked if he was in fact saying such things. He could have simply denied Jesus and tried to walk away by explaining himself. But Stephen saw this as an opportunity, an opportunity to boldly preach Jesus before a crowd of people. That's exactly what he did. He went all the way back in the scriptures to Abraham and traced the line of God's promise to the father of the Jewish faith all the way to the Jewish Messiah. It is quite a Bible study when you hear it, when you read it. He was showing them that everything written in the scriptures, both the law and the prophets, was leading up and pointing to Christ, who is the fulfillment of it all.

Yet the people listening, so many of them were still blind to the truth, rejecting Jesus, rejecting God's word. Just as they killed the prophets who spoke God's word and announced the Messiah's coming, they will now kill one of God's preachers. The words of Stephen enraged the council and those gathered and were told that they were grinding their teeth. They were just filled with rage. This is how much they hated hearing the truth. Then in Acts 755, here's what we read, But he, that is Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gaced into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right-hand of God. What encouragement just to see a little bit of heaven, a glimpse of God's glory. But rather than keep the vision to himself and hold on to the comfort of knowing that he was right, Stephen, again, spoke to the crowd, telling them what he was seeing. It was too much for them, so they rushed him, took him outside the city to be stoned. There he was martyred. Stephen became the first of many Christian martyrs that day. Just as Jesus had told the disciples before he ascended that soon they would be taken where they did not want to go.

They would face persecution. Stephen was then led to his death. Yet even in that moment, he echoed the very words of Jesus from the cross. Father, forgive them. Receive my Spirit. When we face opposition and resistance or cancelation, even persecution and suffering for preaching the truth of the gospel, how are we going to react? How will we respond? Will will we be courageous and confident? Or will we be cowardly? Will we keep sharing Christ no matter the consequences? Will we boldly stand for Christ in our generation? Will we see the glory of God and experience the grace of God and share that with others without compromise? What is our attitude to those who hate the Gospel or the Gospel that we preach? Do we fight back? No. In Christ, we submit our lives to God's hand and seek forgiveness, even for those who may oppose us and could even hurt us. Stephen, in the midst of these tragic circumstances, did not waver. He gave his life to follow Jesus all the way to heaven. Finally, as we closed out today's reading, we met a man who would soon break onto the scene as the most fierce enemy of Christ and the Church.

A young man, a rabbit, Rabbi by the name of Saul, who stood and watched as Stephen was stoned, even held the garments of those who stoned them, he watched Stephen die. Saul hated the followers of Jesus, and he was about to unleash a level of persecution that early believers had not yet experienced. But nothing could stop the movement of God's Spirit. Nothing could stop the Church of Jesus Christ. The next time, we'll hear how God worked through Philip to take the good news to Samaria and even to the ends of the earth. Let's pray together. Dear God, how we thank you for the example of Stephen's courage. May our faith be fearless. May we boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus. May we live and stand for our faith no matter what we may face. Give us your strength, O God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, may we live and die for you and for your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. Again, we thank you for listening to the Bible in a year podcast. I'm personally grateful for the incredible response that we're receiving as now 23 million people have downloaded the Bible in a year.

I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. I want to encourage you to pass the podcast along to others by telling people about what they can find at pray. Com and making prayer and Bible study and Christian living a big, big part of their lives. If you enjoyed this podcast, then share it with someone you know. I want to thank you for being with us each day. If you want more resources as to how you can grow in your faith, how you can share your faith and boldly stand fearlessly for the Lord Jesus Christ, then visit jackgraham. Org. That's jackgraham. Org. There you will find resources for Christian growth and maturity and witness. God bless you. We look forward to the next time together.

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Welcome to the Prenews podcast, where hope is our only bias. Each day, we will unpack the most prominent stories happening in the news and offer a Christian perspective. We won't shy away from the hard topics, and we won't dilute the hopeful message of Christ. This is more than a daily brief on the news. It's a way to be informed and transformed. Listen to Prairie News on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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I'm Cheryl McCleough, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone Seven. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer.

You show genuine interest and you can't fake it, but these guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call.

You out. Listen to Zone 7 with Cheryl McCallough on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello, I'm Bishop GD Jakes, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restoring your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep songs with Bishop TV, Jake, on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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