Testifying In Suffering

I hear it said by people that during a time of high stress they "lost their testimony". That is not true. No matter how we conduct ourselves, we are a living testimony of something. As Christians, how we act and what we say, reveals to the world what we believe about Jesus. We do not lose our testimony, but our testimony can be false because we misrepresent who Jesus is to the world. We all mess up, but we should not settle for messing up. It should be our goal to get it right, because we want to show the world Jesus in every situation. God gave us examples of people getting it right in his word.

---

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts 7:54-60

---

In our text, Stephen had just finished preaching both a great sermon and a phenomenal history lesson of the Jews. His message ended with the cross. Jesus died for their sins and he is God. This testimony cost Stephen his life. Remember that Jesus said, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven" (Mathew 10:32). Stephen was willing to confess Christ to the people and for that he got to see Jesus in Glory before his death. He testified "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!".

I don't know how much worse suffering could get than this. The crowd threw large rocks (like bricks) at Stephen, pelting him all over his body, until he died. I have been hit by baseballs and I now how just one of those feels. I cannot imagine the pain as bone after bone broke. As he lay dying, he again testified of the character of Christ. He said, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin" (v. 60). His final word of testimony revealed the love and forgiveness of God, just like Jesus did on the cross!

When we testify, we are making a sworn statement and as Christians, that sworn statement is of the character and nature of Jesus. It is He that we represent. He is who we proclaim to the world. When we lose our temper and cuss someone out, what are we saying about Jesus? Is that really what we want to communicate? What about when we get mad and hit something or someone? Is that really what we want to say about Jesus?

Father, help me to do better. Help me to always remember that my words and actions are to be a reflection of you. May I always represent you well and honestly. Thank you for your spirit that teachers me and equips me to be a good witness.