Dr Paul Allen

Christians need clarification and encouragement. When things are difficult, asking why they are so hard is easy. There may or may not be specific answers to this question, yet the Scriptures remind us that the people of God have, in every season, faced opposition—yet not without purpose. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his commentary on Acts 6, said: The Church has had to fight for her life from the very beginning. We have seen how the apostles were arrested and thrown into prison, how they were threatened, and how they were commanded to stop preaching. From the moment it was born, the church has faced a world that has done everything it could to exterminate Christianity. Although this tempts us to be more anxious than anchored, it reminds us that what we face is not entirely unprecedented. It also causes us to look to the early church to see how they faced difficult circumstances and remained faithful. The life of Stephen, in particular, can help us understand how we are to live. Stephen wa

It is not uncommon to find Christians who are confused and discouraged by the times. When things are difficult, it is easy to ask why they are so hard. There may or may not be specific answers to this question, yet the Scriptures remind us that the people of God have in every season faced opposition—yet not without purpose. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his commentary on Acts 6, said: The Church has had to fight for her life from the very beginning. We have seen how the apostles were arrested and thrown into prison, how they were threatened, how they were commanded to stop preaching. From the moment it was born, the church has faced a world that has done everything it could to exterminate Christianity. Although this perhaps tempts us to be more anxious than anchored, it reminds us that what we face is, in fact, not entirely unprecedented. It also causes us to look to the early church to see how they faced difficult circumstances and remained faithful. The life of Stephen, in particular, c

English: Repent window, Mathon church, near to Mathon, Herefordshire, Great Britain. Beneath the left side: Repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" and the right: "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness". (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit . As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Acts 7:51–53 Stephen goes on to tell them the end of the story in order to make his point: God ’s people, the nation of Israel , time and time again, rejected God’s provision for them. They complained to Moses their deliverer, and rejected and killed the prophets that God raised up for them. What Stephen is saying is, “You’re doing the same thing! You n

St Peter at the Beautiful Gate (Photo credit: Lawrence OP ) And Stephen , full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians , and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in t