“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55).
TEXT — Acts 7:54-60
Message
Two men stood behind bars in a prison facility. One held the cold iron rods firmly, distressed as his mind wandered far into the outside world. Concern was written all over him as he agitated over his circumstances and a future without hope. The other confined person was also gripping the bars and casting his gaze across the distance. But he saw freedom ahead when, without fetters, he hoped to leap into joy and fulfilment. Unlike the other inmate, he described a brighter scene than the prison conditions offered.
The glory of heaven awaiting Stephen, as revealed by the Lord, gave him hope even in the face of imminent execution. The taunts and assaults of the haters of the gospel of Christ did not move Stephen. He focused instead, on the vision of his Lord, who was waiting to welcome him into heaven. The earth receded very fast from him, while God’s abode beckoned on him, leading him to pray for his murderers and to declare: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Genuine believers in the Lord are endowed with inner spiritual eyes to perceive the glory and joy of salvation, which the world does not see. While we rejoice when troubles arise, the people of the world easily fall into despair and defeat when they encounter the storms of life. God’s children are inseparably joined to Christ and because He has overcome the world, we can “be of good cheer”, no matter the intensity of the persecution we face for our conviction. Indeed, believers can laugh at the storms of life because Jesus is in the vessel sailing with us.
Given the panic and anxiety these last days, Christians must reflect steadfast faith in the Lord wherever they are. We must let the world see what we see: Christ is the difference between us and them. With Jesus, there is hope of joy here on earth and greater bliss hereafter. Without Him, there is misery in the world, to be followed by eternal torment after death.
Thought for the day
Hasten to embrace the victory in Christ before crisis consumes you.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
