R1430 Stephen’s Story

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton in this edition of The Encouraging Word returning to the book of acts chapter 7 in just a moment.

As Dr. Wilton's message on Stephen some of the snow parts of the story today will discover even more and see how his life is witness's testimony can in fact the way that we live our life are witness our testimony today as we study the word together. Know that we are here for you were connecting online in tewonline.org RG. Many folks are asking about the book the pumps or what you climb on give you all the details in a minute but you can take a peek right now online@ewonline.org about this remarkable book.

Dr. Wilton's friend Warren Mears because written details@gwonline.org. Now today's message Dr. Don Wilton take your Bibles and turn to chapter 7. I want to just I had a number of other verses that I was going to read to you out of chapter 6 and I will refer to them, but I want you to be in acts chapter 7.

This is the story about Stephen under the leadership of Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham evangelistic Association. There was convened in Washington DC ice Summit.

I will Summit on the persecution of Christians. I was privileged to attend and to participate. They were representatives there from over 156 countries in which there is the systematic killing of Christians taking place just because they know and love the Lord Jesus.

It will rank as one of the most significant events in my life because for the first time I sat next to people from countries you and I read about Yemen Eritrea, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, many from Syria, and on the list goes in which literally hundreds if not thousands of people are losing their lives because they love the Lord Jesus Christ who paid the ultimate sacrifice for them and they determined because of what Christ had done for them that they would not in any way compromise the Christian faith.

Now that's easy for me to say I'm a Christian man and I call upon everyone who knows and loves the Lord Jesus Christ to stand up for what you believe as a Christian because you love the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus himself called us to the he said if you want to come off to me. You have to deny yourself and take up the cross and follow me. Jesus was the one who paid the ultimate sacrifice persecuted because of who he wants and went to the cross in order that I might have life in the Bible we are told this incredible story about Stephen. Most of us of grown-up we know about the stoning of Stephen. He was an incredible man and I could spend a lot of time giving us somewhat of a background to his story. They feel holding him in front of the people. They both false witness against freight use was rampant, but kept telling lies and stories.

They were out to get it and they were very serious about it. They could not tolerate someone who followed the Lord Jesus Christ. It's frightened they treasury it interfered with their authority it up safe a status quo and I picked up in chapter 7 and verse 54 now when they heard these things, they were enraged and they ground their teeth at him.

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazing to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Just a word here. This is one of the only passages in which we get a picture of Jesus standing at the right hand of the throne of God. Remember when he ascended into heaven, he was seated Jesus. When it came to what was about to happen to one of his choice service. One of his followers. This 57, but they cried out with a loud voice and stop there is night together at him and they cost him out of the city and they stoned the witness laid down the garments at the feet of a young man named Saul and as they were stoning Stephen he called out Jesus received my spirit and falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them and when he had said this, he fell asleep.

When I heard one testimony off to another over it today.

In Washington people that had been tortured and maimed beyond anything that I can describe to you, there is not a single one that didn't get up there and speak, love, forgiveness, it rocked my world.

I was on the highway coming back from Wilmington with my wife and an old man came out of and in the section and merely calls the major Rick.

He was wrong man and he's children that nearly at 70 mile an hour potentially could have lost their lives the way this man came in and just cut them off.

He went all over the road. I was right behind him. I understand everything but he was so enraged he went ballistic and understand. Made me think about these people.

Nothing. Nothing should upset us more. Nothing should get our hearts more than listening to what Stephen told us so eloquently.

A moment ago about the British having the city to kill out people like us dying the guns at our flag. But what does this produce who will weed today. What does Jesus teach us what I can say about this man. Milani love the Lord. That's pretty clear number two believers followed him. By the way, have you noticed how much we love and admire people that just stand up, take a stand. You take the military. I'm just I can hardly stop myself. I'll be in the airport and here comes someone in uniform and I might be in such a hurry and I wish I can say always do that but I'm just drawing.

I want to look up to them and just say thank you for your service time notes a little thing.

I'm just going to have you noticed you not church you noticed in our church leaders. The men and women who just stand up they do what's right that day. You can count on them. They faithful have you noticed how people follow them. There are scores of people in our church that I could call on right now you just said one word that's it done is not because your team will because you is just because you follow the Lord believe is falling number three was unashamed of the gospel go back and read chapter 7 we got up there in front of all these people he knew his life was online, and yet Stephen just presented the gospel before he paid the ultimate sacrifice. I think of men and women over the years. You don't suppose someone in that forte all those years ago, staring down those British guns every time they picked up that flag. They picked it out of the hands of a dead body. Basically what they were saying is for this flag I'll become another dead body. What does this teach us wait wait is where does this leave us as believers. Couple of thoughts. Someone that loving Jesus, the moms action so I just simply say out of the love in my heart. I call you out some of you, you need look at me right now some of you know the Lord Jesus you love them, you be the first one to say it is no action.

Where are you where are you. You have no action you benign.

You say you love the Lord.

But as soon as you get out there on Sibley Street.

It doesn't matter soon as you are on the golf course. You just like the rest of them. She's going to that campus.

It's like who would know any different. I'm not asking you to put a halo on your head and walk around like an old fuddy-duddy you know you know I'm not like that lookout you put up with me. I you and I have the best fun we go places we lost our heads off. We eat good food. We are in life we we love one another. We therefore one another. But thanks be who we say we are church and some of you need to start standing up and some of you, dad. You are so insipid in your Christianity you kids are growing up. They see you. They they know what you profess, but they watch you as a man without action and you leading your teams down the garden path and you gonna play a big price for your kids are going to grow up and I got to go everywhere which way but loose because you've given them nothing to follow. You might say to me those people and that God all those years ago. All of them because I will not and I cannot forget Jesus Christ gave me change my life gave me life that I myself cannot in this world is looking people and the meaning of five sacrifice some frightening reality, as we understand you cannot sacrifice the power begin to make some sacrifices marketable thing to put back in the more valuable we started to work together would love to connect with you and connect with friends resources that will help you beyond this 30 minute broadcast on a daily basis spend time in God's word. For example, the daily Encouraging Word email Dr. Don send it out every morning about 6 o'clock in the morning you can sign up online right now@twonline.org begin receiving your date that's DEW online.org to sign up for the daily Encouraging Word email or if you like to text the word daily, right now to 30500 will send you a quick link and sign you up that way. Just know that we're here for you now back to today's message on Stephen Dr. Don Wilton loving Jesus to moms action loving Jesus, come on recognition. I'll give you want to become somebody be a man be a woman of action when it comes to the things people just gravitate because the human soul wants people who mean what they say and say what they mean. You loving Jesus, come on recognition. This is going to happen and God bless you because you placing so many others you're inspiring so many others.

Number three that loving the Lord carries opposition does are you kidding me folks do you really think what you done that. I really think just everybody thinks I'm the greatest thing since bubblegum you really think everybody just loves the fact that you love the Lord that you bought a Christian marriage that you actually do say no to some things that you don't have a between two opinions. Opposition is very real. The world hates God and hates righteousness hates holiness.

The world would do anything and our world today is doing anything and everything you can do anything in America.

But before you get up and talk about Jesus by going to change the Constitution to try and make sure that we can no longer talk about Jesus if it carries on like that and you can become a beatnik you can be a beatnik you can sit in a corner, you can cross your legs backwards hold up your hands and hum for 50 minutes and everybody will say wow look at Amy's doing a thing. And nobody will touch you, but you get up and say I love the Lord Jesus. There will be opposition. So what is this teach us what we learn. Loving Jesus, the moms action and Kaman's recognition carries opposition loving the Lord Jesus can also lead to execution. What happened, Stephen. I had sitting next to me in Washington. Three men who were Coptic Christians from the Middle East. All three were brothers of some of the 21 million were marched onto a beach on the Mediterranean on the Libyan coast in orange jumpsuits and will be headed by sat next to me.

Most of us know that when those Coptic Christians who were murdered on a bus going to pray ritual. They will all lost again. All you have to do right now on the speech while you kneeling is just re-can Jesus just deny Jesus, and you live and to the lost man everyone of those 21 man refused to and they paid the ultimate sacrifice so Sam Davison are sitting there and Washington together in next to me is a very fine looking man obviously from someway in north Africa and sitting next to him is a most beautiful young lady, beautiful skin very straight up very dignified 35 years of age. Maybe I had no idea until she stood up and spoke and she told how that just three years ago she got arrested in her country. Just because she was a Christian. They took her and they threw her into a ship container. Have you seen them going by on trucks and we just had a heinous crime. Even in our own community in which containers were part of the instruments of death.

Nothing more heinous. Nothing more vicious. She, together with a whole lot of other young girls were thrown into the shipping container I get this for 36 months. No air, no light hardly any water. No facilities. They couldn't breathe 36 months. I would draw the not if you would allow me go into what else happened to them almost every night by miracle of God after 36 months.

Somehow she escaped out of this container and she managed to somehow get across the border into a neighboring country where a refugee organization, found she was shipped off to Norway where she now lives and she said in her emasculated condition that when she arrived there she saw a church she walked across to this church, weeping in the church had a big padlock on it and there was some means standing. Then she said, isn't this a church can we go in and worship to which one of the man replied, you gotta be kidding me we don't deal with that, nonsense anymore. Who wants to deal with God and Jesus and all that Norway is a free country.

So if you were called up to active service right now to defend this nation.

Who amongst us would be the first to go if the flag fell in the mantle of the woman holding that flag had given their life in order to hold it up.

Would you be the first one to go and pick it up, would you send someone else. If you lost give up Jesus will live in a shipping container which one would you do if you had a knife to your head in you that you could live if you could just even just say the words. I mean who cares about words. Would you say the words to spare your life would Jesus mean enough to you to say I would give my life for my Savior. You know those are questions I don't think any of us can really on. So when we knock their icon tell you that I have the stick ability and the fortitude, the nerve enough but Stephen did Col. Ted Balla did Andrew Conard wind out and didn't John McCain did. I could go on. I look around the audience today and I see you sitting there from the great wars that we for dry heroes in Korea to Vietnam Grenada Desert Storm the conflicts going on. Even now in the Middle East. I thank God for you and if there is any way that I can. I'm following you. And if there was any way that I could do and be who you are. I would do and be who you are praying that only God himself could give me the gumption to be able to actually carry through with my words and the things that are deeply in my heart, but this one thing that I know is that Jesus Christ came into my life in my lap was headed in the wrong direction. He intercepted and I painted my sin and by faith I see Lord Jesus that you love me and you got your life from your point across without you I'm nothing. You made me you created me and you purpose for me in my life is empty in my soul, spirit lead to become the man of God that you want me to be. Let me be a man.

At the very least would be a Christian husband and a Christian father Christian citizen of the United States of America. Let me be a man who's willing to stand up for my convictions had to be bold and to be resolute to love people with no strings attached that for me because I don't know that I can do it for me.

I'm too weak vacillate too much. I'm too drawn away by people I want to be popular. I want to be accepted all the time, but everyone Lord Jesus, would you do that you know the most wonderful thing about the sacrifice of Jesus is. It's not just one has done us because of what he did on the cross gets what he has given to us through the cross and his spirit comes into our hearts gives us the key is the one three, and of righteousness and judgment as my sister in your heart about the sense of conviction of understanding what it's like to be judged by God. God convicts us. Here's the good news promises and there is a way to solve that conviction that guilt knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior. Not just going about knowing as Savior and I knew a lot about Jesus before I ever knew Savior and printed today take this next moment with our pastor Dr. Don Wilton giving Jesus.

Are you ready to give your life to Jesus Christ. I'm so happy to hear that. Why don't you pray this prayer with me today they are gone. I know that you love me very, very much and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came God on the cross so that I might be forgiven of my sent today I repainted myself. I confess my sin to you, and I invite you to come into my heart into my life in Jesus name I pray, if you prayed that pray for me.

The first one to welcome you to the family of God. This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying how very important this is for me so we can make. You can begin this one is spoken to the passages of Scripture through pastors preaching another pastors heart that is joined. Next we have wonderful resources. Dr. Don has prepared just for you absolutely free if you just call and let us know you gave your heart to Christ. We dedicate your life to Jesus numbers 866899 Chinatown start your cell is 866-899-9673 and would love to connect with you, pray for you and connect to those great resources can also be this online. It line.org I think there's a lot right there online little thing all the details using tearing the friend and imprisoned on W.T online.Christian bookstore at your fingertips when he thought how is browse our source and ministering evens to your friend for you again WW.W online.much difference in their life and ministry. Stay connected online in GW online.org calls for 24 hours a day at 86689996