Jesus stands in heaven supporting you as you testify about all he has done!

Often, Christians pause to pray before eating. This practice is not commanded in the Bible, nor is there one prayer that must be used every time word for word. At the same time, the practice of praying before a meal and the repetition of a few routine prayers along with situational or unplanned prayers allow Christian brothers and sisters and Christian parents to equip and encourage one another and children as disciples of Christ. The confidence and competence to pray even in public, even out loud and to share Jesus with others comes from the Holy Spirit working through Scripture. The prophets of the Old Testament and apostles of the New Testament recorded all the content we need, and the Holy Spirit gives us the confidence keeping our heart and eyes sure and seeing Jesus standing at the right hand of God in heaven supporting us.

Moms often get a special meal prepared for them on Mother’s Day. If you are one of the many who is treating mom to a special meal today, take the opportunity to pause and say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for your mom and all the blessings mothers bring, and for God to be the steady rock and support for moms in all they do for their families. Also, take the time to pray for those women who long to be a mother, but are still waiting or never were able to have children. Or if your mother has passed away, take a moment to thank God for the time you did have with her.

We learn of another kind of meal for women in our Old Testament reading from Acts 6. At that time, the early church in Jerusalem operated a welfare system for the widows among them who lacked family or government support. A daily distribution of food was given to the widows, but the growing need had caused some to be overlooked. To fix the issue, the Twelve, referring the twelve apostles, asked the disciples, referring to all the believers in Jerusalem, 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. Once the seven were chosen, 6 they presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. And with these additional men serving, the church in Jerusalem grew rapidly.

A man named Stephen was one of the seven men chosen to help care for the widows. In Acts 6, we read,

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.

Stephen and the other men helped care for the widows, and by the grace and power of God they served in other ways. While he was serving, an opposition arose against Stephen. The group that argued against him went to the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish ruling council, producing false witnesses to testify against Stephen.

When Stephen was brought forward to testify before the Sanhedrin, he gave a testimony beginning with God’s appearance to Abraham about 2100 BC to Solomon building the Temple in Jerusalem in the 960s BC. The conclusion to his testimony was a clear-cut rebuke for their rejection of faith in Jesus and thus resisting the Holy Spirit, recorded in Acts 7,

51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

Stephen summarized the history of persecution against the prophets. Then he charged the Sanhedrin with the same sinful agenda. Worst of all, in their stubborn unfaithfulness, they betrayed and murdered Jesus, the Righteous One.

All of Stephen’s words were true. He exposed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders who failed to keep God’s law and failed to recognize the Righteous One, Jesus the Messiah. And the reaction against him is recorded in Acts 7,

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.

It was Stephen’s testimony about Jesus that infuriated the Sanhedrin. Mentioning the name ‘Jesus’ exposed their guilt. Guilt that stuck to them because they resisted the Holy Spirit meaning they rejected trust in Jesus as the Messiah. They foolishly clung to God’s law, which was not given to be followed as the way to get to heaven but given to expose the humanly incurable thorough corruption of sin that leads to death, judgment and hell. They resisted the Holy Spirit, so they rejected Jesus’ work to remove their sin and restore their relationship with God.

We have all been in situations like Stephen. When I hear Stephen’s bold testimony of God promising the Savior to many individuals throughout history and calling out those who rejected the fulfillment of God’s grace to us in Jesus, I think of the times that I have not been bold. I think of times when I did not even whisper some of the gracious things God did to save me and the world, and how I have not called out stubborn unbelievers for rejecting Jesus. All of us can think back to moments when sharing what God has done and how seriously he takes sin and unbelief were necessary, but all we remember is silence. Or we remember empty words that shared none of God’s grace and no warning against resisting the Holy Spirit, rejecting Jesus and living by the law. Thinking back on those moments exposes our own hypocrisy, sin and lack of love for God and our neighbor.

Jesus was in a situation like Stephen. Jesus like Stephen and all of us was put in situations that necessitated sharing the work of the Savior and the seriousness of sin and unbelief. Yet, those moments were infinitely more important because it was Jesus. The most critical moment was when Jesus himself was brought before the Sanhedrin and testified to the truth that he was the Messiah, which he knew meant infuriating them leading to his death on the cross.

Jesus died for the truth about sin and himself, the Savior, to save us. Jesus carried our guilt for not speaking about him to others and all our sins to the cross. Then, he rose from the dead proving every word he said to be true. And he ascended into heaven where he stands testifying to the work he did to save the world from sin, death, the devil and hell. Stephen saw this after he gave his testimony as we read in Acts 7,

55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

By the grace of God, the power of the Holy Spirit and the reality of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, Stephen was assured that his words were true, and he had the full support of God Almighty behind him. The same God chose you to be his own dear child, his disciple, and to save you, and give you the gift of faith filling you with the Holy Spirit. In our New Testament reading from 1 John 5, we hear this truth and encouragement,

5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Through Jesus, you have overcome the world. For those moments you look back on with guilt, you have the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God supporting you with the unchanging truth of your salvation.

Also, for those future moments where you will have the opportunity to share God’s work for us or boldly call our sin, you have the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God supporting you with the unchanging truth of salvation for all. We are called to share Jesus and the truth about sin and unbelief even if it means opposition. When we share these truths, we entrust those resisting the Holy Spirit to the power of God’s word to work on their hearts. We pray that by addressing sin, we open the door to share Jesus and for the Holy Spirit to bring those standing in opposition over to stand with us in faith.

After Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, the angry mob rushed at him. We hear Stephen’s final words in Acts 7,

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Just before Stephen died, the Sanhedrin and Stephen both cried out in loud voices. Notice, the Sanhedrin’s words were not recorded, but Stephen’s were. The Sanhedrin’s words would have been empty of value and truth, filled instead with hatred, sin, rejection and evil. On the other hand, Stephen’s words were the same as some of the words Jesus spoke from the cross as we read from Luke 23,

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Even for those who were against him, Jesus sacrificed himself and prayed for their forgiveness. Stephen spoke similar words because he was filled with the Holy Spirit. In our Gospel reading from John 17, just before Jesus went with eleven of his disciples to the garden where he was betrayed, Jesus prayed to God the Father for his disciples and for you for the moments that you would face opposition saying,

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Your confidence and competence to share Jesus does not come from your personality or intellect, or because the moment is comfortable and there is not awkwardness or opposition. The joy, truth, protection and assurance to live each day sharing Jesus comes from God. You have his full support forever.

There are many ways to share Jesus. You might share Jesus by praying before a meal. You might show your mom that you are a child of God by the way you celebrate and give her thanks. You might also face opposition after sharing Jesus. For your guilt over those moments when you have not shared Jesus, and for the boldness to continue to share him in the face of opposition, you have forgiveness, joy and protection because Jesus stands in heaven supporting you as you testify about all he has done. Amen.