Jesus Died for Us

Acts 6:11         Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God."

 

Last night, I stayed in the office until about 11.00PM. I was answering some emails from pastors who seem to be blissfully unaware about the brutal killings that are going on in places like Iran. I watched a video of a stoning that took place under Iran's Sharia laws. It was gruesome and inhumane. It was barbaric and satanic.

 

The video had been secretly taped and it showed a savagery that only religious fanatics could incite. Thugs and bullies gathered in a circle around the victims, who were wrapped in white sheets and stuck in the ground up to their waists. Rocks the size of baseballs were thrown and blood spattered everywhere. You couldn't hear the cries of the two people being stoned because the violent mob continually cried “Allah Akbar!” – God is almighty! It was a sickening sight and each time a rock hit the person beneath the sheet, he or she writhed in agony. After fifteen horrific minutes, the execution was over. Blood, torn flesh, and brains were all over the ground. What was once a human being had become a gory pulp.

 

This had a profound affect on me and when I started reading about Stephen this morning in today’s chosen passage, I realized that he underwent the same shameful death. All he wanted to do was to spread the gospel and bring people to Jesus. All the religious fanatics wanted to do was to spread lies about him and have him stoned to death for blasphemy.

 

For too long we, as Christians, have forgotten about what our faith has cost. We take our beliefs for granted and go into denial about the evil forces in the world today. As we quietly read this devotion or listen to it from the comfort of our homes or the safety of our workplaces, we, of all people, should not be taking our faith so lightly. Martyrs like Stephen didn't die so that we could enjoy the blessings of comfort and joy. They died so that we could carry on the message of salvation to a world that is driven by greed and gore, banality and brutality, savagery and sin.

 

We need to take time out today from our busy schedules and honestly ask God this question: what do You want me to do for You and to whom do You want me to take Your Gospel message?

 

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You died for us, but we say that so often that it has lost its impact on our hearts and souls. YOU DIED FOR US! You underwent the savagery of a shameful and barbaric death in order to cleanse the world of sin and win eternal salvation for us. You died for us, and yet we still find it hard to fully surrender ourselves to You. Forgive us, Lord of Death and King of Life. Forgive us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.