S5:014 Acts 7:54-8:3 – The first Christian martyr
Join The Journey
Watermark Community Church, Dallas, TX
5.0 • 879 Ratings
🗓️ 7 April 2026
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What is a martyr? Why was Stephen's death so pivotal? Do people still get killed for following Jesus? In this episode, Emma Dotter unpacks the death of the first Christian martyr in Acts 7:54-8:3 and the history of followers of Jesus being killed for their faith. Then, Watermark’s International Missions Director, Bruce Kendrick, joins to discuss how we should think about persecution and martyrdom today. We don't have to fear death because Christ promises eternal life.
// ADDITIONAL VERSES MENTIONED:
Luke 21: 16
// RELATED JOIN THE JOURNEY EPISODES:
- S4:266 – Acts 7-8 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-266-acts-7-8/id1600151923?i=1000735540307)
// RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY:
- The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken with Gregg Lewis - https://a.co/d/01I1REnl
- Serve international students in Dallas: https://www.watermark.org/outreach/international-students
- Learn more about international missions: https://www.watermark.org/discovermissions
- Learn about and pray for the persecuted church: https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/
// WHAT IS JOIN THE JOURNEY?
Join The Journey is a realistic daily Bible reading plan that helps followers of Jesus at Watermark Community Church and beyond enjoy abiding in Jesus together. Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents guide their kids in Bible reading through interactive and age-specific lessons. In 2026, we’re studying the book of Acts—one passage per week. For another year, teaching on Sunday will align with each week’s passage. Then, for the next six days, we’ll return to the same passage with fresh focus, exploring insights about who God is and how we can enjoy him more deeply. Monday through Saturday, we’ll approach the same passage from a different perspective each day—whether observation, interpretation, prayer, or another spiritual practice—to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for God’s Word. Then, watch or listen to the video podcast to tackle the week's toughest verses and discover key historical, theological, and practical insights.
Daily Bible lessons for adults: https://jointhejourney.com
Daily Bible lessons for parents and families: https://jointhejourney.com/jr
Weekly Bible podcast for kids: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
// MORE RESOURCES FROM JOIN THE JOURNEY:
Digital Bible study resources: https://jointhejourney.com/resources
Previous years’ print curriculum: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Waterma...
Contact the Join The Journey team: jointhejourney@watermark.org
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All right, all right, join the Journey family, friends, and guests. |
| 0:04.1 | You're listening to Join the Journey podcast with your host, Emma, daughter. |
| 0:09.0 | Thanks for joining. |
| 0:10.3 | This week, we are reading Acts 754 through Acts 8,3, and we're answering two important questions. |
| 0:17.8 | The first is how have believers viewed martyrdom throughout the history of the church? |
| 0:23.1 | And then for our second question, Bruce Kendrick will be joining us to talk about how believers are experiencing |
| 0:30.1 | martyrdom today. But first, let's start with the history of the church. If I were to ask you how Christians have viewed martyrdom |
| 0:39.5 | throughout history, I think most of us would probably, we'd probably jump to extremes. Like, |
| 0:45.3 | we think of dramatic stories, arenas, lions, burning at the stake, modern persecution headlines, |
| 0:52.6 | perhaps, and we tend to either feel inspired or honestly a little intimidated. |
| 0:59.5 | But what I want to do today is zoom out and give us a big picture view on how martyrdom has |
| 1:06.2 | evolved and changed throughout the history of the church. |
| 1:10.7 | When we do this, it actually grounds us, steadies us, and gives us a greater confidence |
| 1:17.2 | in who our God is and how he has been at work and is still at work, rather than instilling |
| 1:22.7 | fear, even though some of those more radical examples are actually true. |
| 1:27.4 | I want to start our conversation |
| 1:29.3 | today where Jesus starts. In Luke 2116, Jesus told his followers, you will be delivered up even by |
| 1:38.2 | parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you, they will put to death. That's not a maybe. That's not a worst-case |
| 1:48.5 | scenario. That's not a possibly. That's Jesus preparing his people for reality. From the very |
| 1:56.2 | beginning following him came with a cost, and for some some that cost would be their lives. The word martyr comes |
| 2:06.2 | from the Greek word Martus, which simply means witness. And over time, it came to specifically |
| 2:13.4 | refer to someone who bears witness to their faith at the cost of their life. In other words, |
... |
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