Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Lord, do not hold this sin against them!

 Good morning. Remember that Stephen had said that he had seen Jesus standing at the right hand of God. But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Lord, do not hold this sin against them! That’s not what most people would say – they would say get them Lord! Having said this, he fell asleep. That is how the Bible describes Christians dying – falling asleep. Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. On that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And so finally they began doing what Jesus told them to do in Acts 1:8 - they became witnesses in Judea and Samaria. Until this day they merely stayed in the city of Jerusalem and surrounding area. Sadly it sometimes takes a cataclysmic event to get Christians to do what God has told them to do. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put him in prison. Father help us to willingly do what You have told us to do, and not have to have some cataclysmic event to force us to do it.

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