“And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” Acts 8:1
September 15, 2025
The martyrdom of Stephen had a major effect on the spread of the gospel in the early days of the church, “Now there were those who were scattered about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). It was Tertullian, a church father, who said, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” It would seem that once again this is being born out through the death of Charlie Kirk. It remains to be seen how his martyrdom can remain unclouded by merely political ends. True, freedom of speech and challenges to the orthodoxy of radical left ideas can be impacted. Thousands of “Turning Point” chapters will be springing up. But the fact remains that the seed of the gospel is spread by the winds of persecution. We need to be praying that this will happen. Something is happening that seems extraordinary such as prayer vigils and huge demonstrations that are taking place in many places. Pray that Satan will be thwarted in his attempts to distort and detract from the saving message of Jesus Christ. One of the consequences of Stephen’s death was the conversion of the apostle Paul (Acts 9) who had approved of Stephen’s execution. God has a way of turning the devil’s designs upside down for the glory of God. Think of the cross of Christ. The death of Stephen also became a challenge to the apostles. They were made to realize that what Jesus said about taking up one’s cross and following Him and laying down one’s life for Him was a real experience. It had happened to one of their own.
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“O Sovereign Lord, I pray that the death of Charlie Kirk will turn loss into gain. Strangle Satan’s attempts to substitute false gospels for the one for which your servant died.”