Lessons from the First Martyr, Part 1 | December 14, 2025
The Setup: A Deacon's Bold Stand
Sermon number seventeen opened a new mini series inside the book of Acts, introducing us to Stephen, one of the seven men originally appointed as a deacon to oversee the daily food distribution to widows. Pastor Justin reminded us that just because Stephen held a practical, behind the scenes role in the church did not exempt him from boldly proclaiming Christ. Acts 6:8-10 tells us Stephen was full of grace and power, doing great wonders and signs among the people, and when members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen rose up to dispute with him, they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
That set up the first point of the message, that the Christian life requires courage. Pastor Justin was honest that stories from two thousand years ago can feel distant, so he grounded the point in recent headlines. He told the story of Samantha Fulnecky, a college student at the University of Oklahoma who was failed on a psychology paper for answering an assignment about gender norms with biblical conviction, and who refused to be shamed out of her Christian worldview even as the story went national.
He paired that with the story of Aaron and Melissa Klein, the Oregon bakers who lost their business and were ordered to pay one hundred thirty five thousand dollars in damages after declining to design a cake for a same sex wedding, and with Coach Joe Kennedy, the high school football coach fired for quietly praying at the fifty yard line after games, whose case eventually reached the Supreme Court. Pastor Justin was careful to say none of these American stories compare to what happens to Stephen or to Christians being killed weekly in places like Nigeria, but they still show that courage costs something even here.
Matthew 10:26-33 anchored that courage in Jesus' own words, that we should have no fear of those who can kill the body but not the soul, and that everyone who acknowledges Christ before others will be acknowledged before the Father. Pastor Justin also pointed to Luke 14:26-27, Jesus' hard teaching that loving Him more than father, mother, or even our own life is what it means to be His disciple.
From there the sermon turned to the second point, that the Christian life requires integrity. Stephen's accusers could not refute him honestly, so Acts 6:11-14 tells us they secretly instigated false witnesses to accuse him of blasphemy, the same tactic used against Jesus. Pastor Justin noted that they had to lie about Stephen precisely because his life gave them nothing true to use against him.
He turned that principle toward the modern church, walking through the recent collapse of the Skit Guys ministry after co-founder Eddie James confessed to moral failure, the resignation of a Texas megachurch pastor over sexual sin, and the devastating case of Robert Morris pleading guilty to child molestation charges tied to decades earlier. Pastor Justin was direct that no platform or reputation shields anyone from the consequences of hidden sin, and he reaffirmed that The Crossings will always report allegations of abuse to the police rather than try to handle them internally.
He grounded the call to integrity in 1 Peter 3:13-17, which reminds believers to keep a good conscience so that when they are slandered, those who revile their good behavior in Christ are put to shame. Proverbs 10:9 and 2 Corinthians 8:21 reinforced that walking in integrity means aiming at what is honorable not only before God but before others as well.
Pastor Justin closed by reminding us that God cares far more about our character than our talent, our resume, or the size of our following, and that a church which resists darkness in the world must first resist darkness in its own leadership and its own hearts.
This Week's Application
So this week, is there an area of your life where integrity has quietly cracked, hidden from view but not from God? We would love for you to join us this Sunday as we continue walking through Acts together.