Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Acts chapter 7, verse 58, and they cast him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid

down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. So this is the verse that encapsulates

the first story of martyrdom we see in the Bible, the first person who dies specifically for

their proclamation of the gospel. Stephen, who we prayed according to Acts 6, 10, had spoken

with wisdom and grace and power, the gospel in front of these religious leaders, and people

could not withstand the spirit in him while he continues to proclaim the gospel and Acts

chapter 7, and they stoned him. Just imagine the scene, obviously it's horrifying, graphic to

see a man in the middle of a group in a sense a mob of religious leaders. Hicking up rocks,

large, heavy rocks, and hurling them at Stephen to kill him. For what he is saying, you can only

imagine the followers of Jesus seeing this happen and wondering why is this happening? And what will

happen as a result of this? In Acts chapter 8, the very first words we read is how there arose

on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. And we'll pray more according to

Acts 8 in the next episode, but for now, just to put yourself in the shoes of followers of Jesus

thousands of them now in Jerusalem who realize that their faith may cost their lives. And some of

them likely realize that before, but now it's really hitting home. You wonder, God, why is this

happening? Or where are you in all of this? And that's why I read this verse in particular because

it doesn't just stop with saying that Stephen was stoned. This verse, Acts 7, 58 says the witnesses

laid down their garments of the feet of a young man named Saul. And we know what's going to happen

with Saul as this story progresses. Saul, who's persecuting the church, will soon become a

proclaimer of the gospel. And Acts 7, 58 is a reminder that we don't always see all that God is

doing, especially in hard moments where we don't understand why something is happening. When God

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