Acts: The Mission in MotherhoodSample

Brave Perseverance

When I was a little girl, one Sunday afternoon after church, my two sisters and I were playing in the grassy area outside a restaurant while my parents finished lunch. I was about 7 years old at the time, and my sisters were 5 and 3. I remember two boys coming up to us - they were maybe 8 or 9 years old - and they were making fun of my youngest sister. They started chasing her in circles around a tree despite her cries for them to stop. In an effort to get them to back down, my determined and bold middle sister walked up to the boys, put her little hands on her hips and declared, “I’m a tomboy, you know.”

My sisters and I ran back inside to my parents and reported what happened. My dad immediately went out to confront the boys and notoriously told them that if they ever messed with his daughters again, he would hang them up by their socks from that very tree. We’ve never let my dad, or my sister live their comments that day down.

As I reflect on my sister’s boldness to stand up to the boys because she knew our dad would have her back, I can’t help but marvel at what a beautiful parallel it draws to the bravery we might possess as Christians who are backed by the strength of our Heavenly Father! The story of Stephen in Acts, while a much heavier account, is a perfect picture of the confidence Christ gives us.

In this series through Acts, we’re studying those described as being “full of the Spirit” and examining what it is that characterizes their witness for Christ. Stephen is a man who was chosen by the Apostles to serve in the church, and he is singled out in Acts 6:5 as being “full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit.”

One day, some of the Jews who are threatened by Stephen’s preaching of Christ confront him, claiming that Stephen is opposing God’s law and God’s temple. Stephen boldly stands up to his opposition, and he gives a speech recounting Israel's history of repeatedly rejecting God’s messengers and message. Stephen is highlighting the Jews’ failure to obey God’s revelation given to them in the Old Testament and pointing out their current rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.

The Jews are outraged, and they drive Stephen out of the city to kill him. As he is being stoned to death, Stephen calls out for God to receive his spirit, and then he prays for the forgiveness of those killing him.

In this story, we see Stephen undaunted by his opponents and confidently declaring God’s truth. We see Stephen hold fast to his faith even in a violent death, trusting the sovereignty of God and praying for his enemies. What was it that equipped Stephen with such bravery?

Like Stephen, we need confidence and strength to engage the world around us and point people to Christ. But it’s not just in evangelism that we need help. The ordinary things in our day-to-today often require immense bravery as well.

It takes bravery to be responsible for a child’s life and to discern how to navigate parenting well, even as we fear messing up.

It takes bravery to initiate reconciliation with a spouse, even when we’re scared of rejection.

It takes bravery to engage with what’s making us anxious instead of numbing ourselves with coping methods, like scrolling social media or distracting ourselves with work.

What is it that equips Stephen to face his circumstances with bravery? Beholding God’s glory. In Acts 7:55–56, we read this, “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’

God opens Stephen’s eyes to see His glory and to see Jesus standing at His right hand. To see God’s glory is to see His beautiful character, unmatched importance, and divine power. In describing his revelation, Stephen refers to Jesus as “the Son of Man.” This is interesting because this title is almost exclusively used by Jesus himself in the Gospels. Here, on the cusp of his own death, Stephen uses this title with purpose. He is not just seeing a risen Jesus in Heaven, but he is remembering Jesus’ suffering in His time on earth. As Jesus says in Luke 9:22, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Like Stephen, Jesus too was persecuted by the Jewish religious leaders and suffered to the point of death. But as this verse declares, Jesus was also raised on the third day! Stephen too would be vindicated and raised to new life.

What’s also significant in Stephen’s vision is that Jesus is standing. Commentators believe this signifies that Jesus is standing up for Stephen as his advocate. As Jesus says in Luke 12:8, “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God.”

In beholding God’s glory, Stephen sees the God who is with us in our suffering, who has secured for us an eternal victory at the end of our suffering, and who advocates for us. Christ: with us and for us. This reality is what gives Stephen boldness and bravery! Like Stephen, we can also fix our eyes on Christ and let our hearts be reminded that He is with us and for us.

We can look to Christ even in the busyness of motherhood by simply acknowledging His presence with us. We can look to Him by praying our requests and our praises throughout our day-to-day movements. We can look to Christ by prioritizing a moment in our day where He has our undivided attention, and we sit with His Word. When we look to Christ, we no longer have to navigate the challenges and anxieties of this season alone.

We can face what lies before us with boldness by reminding our hearts who is with us and for us: our beautiful Savior, who suffered, died, rose again, and now reigns in victory.