1/25/2026

Day 25: 

Stephen’s Martyrdom

Acts 7:54–60 (NLT)

Stephen’s death stands as one of the clearest pictures in Scripture of surrender carried to its furthest edge. He was not killed for moral failure or political rebellion, but for proclaiming Christ with clarity and conviction. As stones crushed his body, Stephen revealed the anatomy of ultimate surrender—not merely yielding his life to God, but entrusting his enemies to Him as well.

Stephen’s sermon before the Sanhedrin traced Israel’s history with prophetic precision, exposing a pattern of resistance to God. He concluded with words that cut deeply: “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!” (Acts 7:51, NLT). Truth spoken without compromise often provokes rage rather than repentance. Luke records that “the Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage” (Acts 7:54).

Yet Stephen was unmoved by their fury. Instead, “full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Acts 7:55). This vision is striking. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is described as seated at the Father’s right hand, His redemptive work finished (Hebrews 10:12). But here, Jesus stands. Whether standing to welcome Stephen home, to testify on his behalf, or to honor his witness, the message is clear: heaven was not indifferent to Stephen’s suffering.

Stephen declared what he saw—“Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” (Acts 7:56). That declaration sealed his fate. The crowd dragged him outside the city and began to stone him. As death closed in, Stephen prayed two prayers that reveal the deepest nature of surrender.

First: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Like Jesus on the cross, Stephen placed his life fully into God’s hands. He believed that death was not loss but gain, not separation but union. This is the faith Paul later articulated: “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better” (Philippians 1:21). Surrender trusts that to leave the body is to enter the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Then came the harder prayer: “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” (Acts 7:60). While stones fell, Stephen released his right to vengeance. He refused to become spiritually hardened by injustice. This echoes Jesus’ own words: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Stephen surrendered not only his future, but his grievances, trusting judgment to God alone (Romans 12:19).

Luke adds a quiet but chilling detail: “The witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58). Saul approved of Stephen’s execution. Yet Stephen’s prayer likely included him. That surrendered forgiveness may have planted the seed that later blossomed into the conversion of the apostle Paul—the very man God used to carry the gospel to the nations.

Luke concludes simply: “He fell asleep” (Acts 7:60). For the surrendered believer, death is not terror but rest. Stephen died seeing Jesus, praying like Jesus, and trusting God with both his life and his enemies.

Most of us will not be called to die as martyrs. But we are all called to die—to pride, to retaliation, to control, to unforgiveness. What grudge is God asking you to release? What injustice must you place back into His hands? Stephen shows us that true surrender is not passive resignation—it is courageous trust that God is worthy of everything, even our last breath.

“Surrender reaches its highest expression when we entrust our lives to God —

and our enemies to His mercy.”