"I wasn't meant to hold the greatest place of honor in the Lord's Kingdom—a martyr! Nor did I wake up that crisp, dry morning planning to die!" The First Martyr - Stephen
When I asked my mother why she named me Stephen—“the stoned one”—I laughed, thinking it gave me license to live numb, to chase pot smoke and shadows. But I was wrong. That name wasn’t permission—it was prophecy. Like the martyr in Acts, I was marked to be stoned for Christ’s sake. Not by rocks alone, but by rejection, ridicule, and the cost of truth. My name was a calling: to stand, to speak, and to surrender—even when the world throws stones.
A few months ago I read that passage and had a big whoa moment as I realised that Jesus was standing… I think that the followers of Jesus up to that point must have known that Jesus was seated because of that bit in Peters speech in Acts 2 vs 34 so then for Stephen to see Jesus standing… 🥹
When I asked my mother why she named me Stephen—“the stoned one”—I laughed, thinking it gave me license to live numb, to chase pot smoke and shadows. But I was wrong. That name wasn’t permission—it was prophecy. Like the martyr in Acts, I was marked to be stoned for Christ’s sake. Not by rocks alone, but by rejection, ridicule, and the cost of truth. My name was a calling: to stand, to speak, and to surrender—even when the world throws stones.
Wow!
A few months ago I read that passage and had a big whoa moment as I realised that Jesus was standing… I think that the followers of Jesus up to that point must have known that Jesus was seated because of that bit in Peters speech in Acts 2 vs 34 so then for Stephen to see Jesus standing… 🥹
Yes! What an honor to Stephen!