“Then he fell down on his knees. He shouted, ‘Lord, please forgive these men. Do not punish them because they are doing this to me.” After Stephen had said this, he died. (Acts 7:60 in the Easy English Bible)
Right from the beginning, Christians were persecuted. Stephen was even murdered, on false charges. You would expect someone in such a situation to react angrily and indignantly. But Stephen did not do that at all. He was “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5) and that became visible in his final hours.
When Stephen had an opportunity to defend himself before the Jewish Council, he delivered an impassioned sermon to convince them that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah. In response, “they were enraged.” They dragged Stephen outside the city and began to stone him. Again, we read that he was “full of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:55). That Spirit enabled him to see Jesus standing at the right hand of God and confidently surrender to Him. That same Spirit also enabled Stephen to respond exactly as Jesus Himself did during His crucifixion: he prayed for the forgiveness of those who wanted him dead..
The love, joy and peace that radiated from Stephen’s face were supernatural. These came directly from God, as the fruit of the Holy Spirit that filled this faithful believer.
Do you see how Christ’s Spirit caused Stephen to resemble Jesus? Do you also long to be like Him?