Did Stephen waste his life?
Stephen is a great example of one who gave his life to advance the gospel. In a world where students give their lives to be with a girl or boy, the story of Stephen screams at them to give their lives to know Christ. In a world where teens spend much of their time living in a dream world facilitated by video games, ipods, movies, and a host of other things, the story of Stephen points them to live in the real world where people die every day and leave this world only to spend an eternity separated from God.
We waste our lives and do not love people if we are not pointing them to the good news of Jesus Christ in the cross.
Stephen pointed to the cross. He boldly proclaimed the message that Jesus is our mediator to God and is the only way to heaven. He proclaimed the message that Jesus has satisfied his soul more than riches, relationships and life. He died with the good news of Christ being shouted with this last breath. Stephen did not waste his life. He lived it to the fullest. For God's glory.
1 comment:
THAT is a great message for the students to get... I mean really "get." It's not uncommon for me to ask a student what they did during their week only to hear, "I played six hours of Grand Theft Auto 3 on Monday!"
In the midst of all of the desperate chasing after attention, acceptance, fun (in drinking, messing around with a girlfriend, or gaming... whatever is their "thing") I have come to realize that students are THIRSTY for something that is really worth living and dying for - Stephen is the perfect example of that.
The Phillipians (I think) 1:21 sentence haunts me when I'm pursuing something other than God's glory with my life. "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Chase anything besides the glory of Jesus Christ and death is loss because it will rob you of the pursuit of your life. Chase God's glory and death is gain... because you enter into the fullness of that which you were seeking.
Set this one before them and they'll drink it.
Post a Comment