Stephen

“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55
Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7 was given in response to the accusations by the religious authorities that he was blaspheming against God. In reading through it, we find a common theme: leaders of the nation who were rejected by the people the first time, but accepted the second time. He gives examples of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, and no doubt would have gone on to show from the Scriptures how Messiah would be rejected the first time but accepted the second. However, he doesn’t get that far. Instead, he met with stony-faced resistance himself. His frustration shows in v51: “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: you always resist the Holy Spirit!”
But then comes Stephen’s reward: to see Jesus, standing at the right hand of God in heaven, approving of his witness. What encouragement that must have been to him – not only in the light of the resistance, but also as he was being stoned. Instead of being frustrated, he prays for those who are stoning him (v59-60). This is a powerful lesson to us: that if, when we share the gospel with someone and they don’t respond favourably, we can know that God still approves of us.