Thinking about Stephen’s sacrifice in Acts 7 begs the question, “What motivated him to sacrifice his life?” After all, Stephen, who was a leader in the early church, made a sacrifice that many would not have made in order to stand up for his faith. He boldly shared his faith even when the religious leaders threatened him. He continued to boldly share his faith even when his life was threatened. Why did he do this? He knew what was most important. He knew that everything on this earth was temporary, but the souls of others his own soul were eternal, so he sacrificed what was temporary for what was eternal.
Jesus taught the importance of living for what truly matters in Matthew 16. In this chapter, Jesus urged His disciples to follow Him even though they would face hardship and loss. He told them to count the cost if they were going to be his follower. He said, “If any one of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (verse 24). This was a call to sacrifice. After all, the cross was a Roman death instrument. Jesus was explaining that if they wanted to follow Him, they would have to sacrifice. He also explained that the reward for following Him and sacrificing far outweighed the cost (verse 25). Why? The benefit outweighed the cost because nothing is more valuable than souls. That is way Jesus said, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul?” (verse 26). He continued by asking a question: “Is anything more valuable than your soul?” (verse 26). The implied answer to this question is “No.” Nothing is more valuable than our souls. Nothing we have to give up is more valuable than our souls. Because of that, any sacrifice we make on behalf of Christ is worth it.
Stephen sacrificed because he believed what Jesus said in Matthew 16. He believed that His own relationship with God was more important than anything he would sacrifice. He also believed that reaching the lost in order that other souls would be saved and come to know Christ was worth any sacrifice. He focused on what truly mattered, his own soul and the souls of those who are lost. Let’s follow the example of Stephen and live for what truly matters: souls. After all, nothing is more valuable on this earth than souls.
One of the ways we can reach out to those who are lost is by inviting them to one of our worship services. Think of someone who you have thought about inviting to one of our services but have been nervous because you worry about how they will respond. Reach out to them and invite them to join you for one of our services this weekend. Your invitation could be the method God uses to teach out to them.
"From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
