Stephen's Big Confession Made the Church Smaller

Seventh Sunday of Easter

May 17, 2015

Acts 7:59

Stephen's Big Confession Made the Church Smaller

In the name of the Father and of † the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37)

I.

Before he was stoned to death, Stephen had just preached a masterful sermon. It connected directly to his Jewish hearers. It traced through the lives of Abraham and Moses. It preached Gospel and Law, culminating in these words:

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him—you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it." (Acts 7:51-53)

And what follows is our first lesson from Acts 7. They killed him for confessing the truth. Because of Stephen's big confession they killed him and the Church here on earth got a little smaller that day.

Every year our national church body, our synod, asks every church to report how many membership changes they've had. There's a spot for those who join a church by transfer from another Lutheran congregation. There's a spot for those who join who've had no previous recent connection to a church. There's a spot for those who have been baptized; there's a spot for those who've died. There's a spot for those who are alive, but no longer members. But there's no blank spot for martyrs, Christians who have been murdered for their confession of Christ.

But for Christians overseas, things are different. Last month Muslim terrorists murdered 28 Ethiopian Christians in Libya.* In February 21 Christians in Egypt were murdered by thugs of the Islamic State.* Many of the murderers are young men brainwashed by old Muslims. Christ, have mercy on the loved ones of these martyrs and have mercy on those who martyred them!

But as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, hatred is just another way of murder. So this last month the state-ruled Church of Finland defrocked five pastors. Their crime? They were serving congregations that correctly rejected having pastors who are women or men who exalt the evil of Sodom without shame.**

This corrupt Finnish state "church" (which doesn't deserve that term) demanded that these pastors throw out the Bible and preach the lies of our times. Hopefully separation from the rotten state church will open the eyes of a few Lutherans in Finland so that they see that the state church has rejected Christ and is dead. These bishops who serve the State are wolves in sheep's clothing who cover their ears so that they might not hear Christ's words. Christ, have mercy on these faithful defrocked pastors and on these bishops, who are white-washed tombs.

We see troubles even in our own Lutheran homes and churches over the true confession of Law and Gospel. Instead of instructing and encouraging the Scriptural practice of daily prayer at home and lifelong study of Christ's promises at church, some are tempted to grab onto the contemporary fads of promoting visions within the church and demanding that pastors become CEOs and charismatic leaders. These fads lead the shepherds of the Church away from the real job of a pastor: to be someone who cares for the souls of his flock. These fads also lead the flock away from their task: to be cared for a shepherd with Christ's words and sacraments.

This was the work that Christ had given to Stephen and it was work that he very much cared about: taking care of souls. For that congregation in Acts 7, Stephen cared for the souls of his hearers. He cared by telling them the truth. And they killed him for his caring. And the church in Jerusalem got smaller.

Now it might sound like God the Father did not protect Stephen from the Evil One. But listen to Stephen's last words and you will hear the Words of Christ on Stephen's lips.

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. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:55-60)

I am a coward and if I had been with him that fateful day, I would told him halfway through that sermon to shut it down. He would have ignored me. And when he started talking about heaven being open and seeing Jesus, the Son of Man, I would have begged him to be quiet. But Stephen always obeyed God rather than men. He wouldn't have taken my advice, praise be to Christ!

And as they martyred him, he clung to His Savior Jesus hanging from His holy cross. Stephen's final words echo the words of Christ on the cross:

"Receive my spirit; I commit My spirit."

"Don't hold this sin against them; Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

And then Stephen died. Because of his big confession, the church on earth got smaller. But the church in heaven got bigger.

As we receive His sacred words, may they fill us with the Holy Spirit and give us boldness to speak Christ first to ourselves, then to our family, and to those whom God has put into our lives. Because of Christ's promises, we will battle our flesh, our family might disown us, and our friends might desert us. But in the end we will be saved by these very Words.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. Alleluia! Amen!

* christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/april/more-martyrs-isis-executes-ethiopian-christians-libya.html (accessed May 14, 2015)

** wmltblog.org/2015/04/church-of-finland-removes-confessional-pastors/