"A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL!"

Acts 7:54-60                     (ESV)
"54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.
55 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.
56 And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the SON of MAN standing at the right hand of GOD."
57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.
58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of "A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL".
59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "LORD JESUS, receive my spirit."
60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "LORD, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep."



It has been said the only solace of living in this world is knowing where we are going when this life is over.   In the story of Stephen above, he was ready to surrender his life on earth for his eternal reward in Heaven.  His life on earth didn't have as much significance as this world tries to place on it.  He understood that his new home would be where he wanted to spend eternity, and that was where he desired to be.

The stoning of Stephen is one of the most overlooked stories in the Bible.   Not only did a servant of GOD get rejected by this world (Acts 7:54;57), but a future slave for GOD (Romans 6:22) was there witnessing the terrible happenings.  Saul, later known as Paul, had the garments of the people stoning Stephen laid at his feet while they performed the deathly act.  He could say that he had nothing to do with the death of Stephen, but his silence certainly was no deterrence for the crowd!

Not being a part of a tragedy doesn't mean we are absolved from the consequences.   If we are led to speak up and we are silent, we can be just as guilty as the people throwing stones.  Why do you think GOD's WORD puts the verse in here that "the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of "A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL"?  Do you think GOD may have had a purpose for Saul being present at the stoning?  Do you think GOD works in circumstances?

Is it any wonder that Saul was blinded by the LIGHT in Acts 9:3?  Indeed, GOD has a Plan and we don't have to understand the intricacies of HIS Plan.  We are called to live by faith and follow GOD's Plan for our lives.  Stephen was called to follow all the way to his physical death.   "A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL" was called to observe!  Just because we have a plan doesn't mean that GOD's Plan has to surrender to our plan, as "A YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL" soon found out!