Reading: Acts 6:8-15 NLT

Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia.

None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law.

So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.

Prayer: Lord Jesus – Stephen was the first of a long line of Christian martyrs. In the face of imminent danger, he did not back down. Fill your people with wisdom and the Holy Spirit in the face of danger. Give us the courage to speak the truth in the face of false witness… to declare the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not to defend ourselves. And give us confidence and courage in facing the consequences. For your name’s sake. Amen.

Hymn: “The Voice of Truth” –  Mark Hall and Steven Curtis Chapman