Stephen’s life and death reveal a man who knew that following Jesus was worth any cost. A man changed by the gospel of Jesus, he returned to the people he used to worship with, risking rejection to tell them about Jesus. When faced with a no-win situation before the Council, he chose to bear witness to Jesus rather than compromise the truth. His witness ended with a warning that we risk judgment when we resist the Spirit by trading created things (like the temple) for the Creator. Why stand firm? Because Stephen knew the truth about God and what He had accomplished through Jesus, had experienced God as his treasure, and had confidence in a future with Jesus. God used Stephen’s death to get his church back on mission.|Stephen’s life and death reveal a man who knew that following Jesus was worth any cost. A man changed by the gospel of Jesus, he returned to the people he used to worship with, risking rejection to tell them about Jesus. When faced with a no-win situation before the Council, he chose to bear witness to Jesus rather than compromise the truth. His witness ended with a warning that we risk judgment when we resist the Spirit by trading created things (like the temple) for the Creator. Why stand firm? Because Stephen knew the truth about God and what He had accomplished through Jesus, had experienced God as his treasure, and had confidence in a future with Jesus. God used Stephen’s death to get his church back on mission.|Stephen’s life and death reveal a man who knew that following Jesus was worth any cost. A man changed by the gospel of Jesus, he returned to the people he used to worship with, risking rejection to tell them about Jesus. When faced with a no-win situation before the Council, he chose to bear witness to Jesus rather than compromise the truth. His witness ended with a warning that we risk judgment when we resist the Spirit by trading created things (like the temple) for the Creator. Why stand firm? Because Stephen knew the truth about God and what He had accomplished through Jesus, had experienced God as his treasure, and had confidence in a future with Jesus. God used Stephen’s death to get his church back on mission.|Stephen’s life and death reveal a man who knew that following Jesus was worth any cost. A man changed by the gospel of Jesus, he returned to the people he used to worship with, risking rejection to tell them about Jesus. When faced with a no-win situation before the Council, he chose to bear witness to Jesus rather than compromise the truth. His witness ended with a warning that we risk judgment when we resist the Spirit by trading created things (like the temple) for the Creator. Why stand firm? Because Stephen knew the truth about God and what He had accomplished through Jesus, had experienced God as his treasure, and had confidence in a future with Jesus. God used Stephen’s death to get his church back on mission.