I found a cd recording of my daddy preaching this sermon at Goshen Baptist Church near Wilmington, NC where he lived. I wish I had a recording of all his sermons. What a gift that would be! He could have no idea then how very much this sermon means to me right now. How much it means to all of us in the family as we wait for God to bring something good out of something awful that is happening to his first grandson, a young Christian man, baptized by his grandfather, who loves his God with all his heart but nevertheless is suffering persecution and lies that would be too much to bear were it not for his faith in God.
"I want to talk to you about a man named Stephen. To be influential for Christ is not without cost. It costs ambition. It might cost your life. The Bible says to gain life you have to lose life. Eternal life is gained when earthly life is put in proper order. The cause of Christ has to be first in your life. Stephen suffered death because of his conviction and loyalty to God. To have escaped death would not have been the victory for Stephen. God offers him a Christian reward and heaven has been prepared for the faithful. The way you meet trials and temptations will influence other people. Your greatest accomplishment might come through the lives of others. Stephen greatest contribution might have been the example of his life as he died before Saul of Tarsus. Stephen didn't know as he was being stoned to death that his death was giving birth to one of the greatest missionaries the world has ever know - the Apostle Paul. If there had been no Stephen it is very likely there would have been no Paul.
AUDIO:
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