May we find grace to walk in the Master’s steps.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

It’s Sunday afternoon, and I’m sitting in the garden of our home, which is near the church where my husband is the minister. I hear wafts of praise and worship music floating through the air in the Farsi language. Our church in London hosts a vibrant Iranian congregation, and we feel humbled by their passion for Christ as they share some of their stories of persecution and tell of those, such as the senior pastor’s brother, who have been martyred for their faith. These faithful believers are following in the footsteps of the first Christian martyr, Stephen.

Stephen, one of the first appointed leaders in the early church, garnered attention in Jerusalem when he performed “great wonders and signs” (Acts 6:8) and was brought before the Jewish authorities to defend his actions. He gave an impassioned defense of the faith before describing the hard-heartedness of his accusers. But instead of repenting, they were “furious and gnashed their teeth at him” (7:54). They dragged him from the city and stoned him to death—even as he prayed for their forgiveness.

The stories of Stephen and modern martyrs remind us that the message of Christ can be met with brutality. If we have never faced persecution for our faith, let’s pray for the persecuted church around the world. And may we, if and when tested, find grace to be found faithful to the One who suffered so much more for us.

Lord God, we believe You weep at the pain and anguish some of Your children experience because they love You. We pray that You will strengthen them in the midst of their suffering and send them Your grace.

愿我们靠主恩典，背起我们的十字架。

为义受逼迫的人有福了，因为天国是他们的。-马太福音5章10节

在一个主日下午，我坐在屋后的花园里，丈夫牧养的教会就在隔壁，教堂传来法尔西语的敬拜赞美乐声。那是一群来自伊朗的活跃基督徒，正借用我们在伦敦的这间教堂聚会。我曾听过他们分享生命的经历，他们对基督的忠心总让我们自愧不如。他们提到自己或他人如何为了信仰遭受逼迫，甚至许多人为此殉道，他们牧师的兄弟也是其中之一。这些忠心的信徒所面临的遭遇，正如第一位为主殉道的司提反。

司提反是初代教会选出的领导者，他在耶路撒冷“行了大奇事和神迹”（使徒行传6章8节） 而倍受瞩目，后来被带到犹太公会前为自己申诉。司提反为信仰激昂地辩护，最后他责备那些控告他的人内心刚硬，但这些人听见司提反的话并没有悔改，反而“极其恼怒，向司提反咬牙切齿”（7章54节） 。他们将司提反推到城外，在司提反为他们祈求主的饶恕时，用石头打死他。

司提反和历代殉道者的经历提醒我们，传扬基督的信息可能会遭到逼迫。若我们从未因信仰而遭到打压，就让我们为世界各地受迫害的教会祷告。若我们的信心受考验，愿我们能得着恩典，对这位为我们承受更多苦难的基督忠心到底。 

Acts 6:8-15New International Version (NIV)

Stephen Seized

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

整理：于姊妹