Listen, we are part of the same human family so guess what..we are allowed to disagree with each other because this is America. It's so true that if God made any two of us exactly the same, then one of us would be unnecessary..but we don't need to be and act evil.
In America, we are allowed to think differently and be unique, even if you don't believe in the one God who gives us freedom and wants us to appreciate freedom on every level.
Sure, in America, we're allowed wonderful freedoms other Americans died for us to enjoy .. freedoms other nations aren't allowed.. that other nations don't enjoy.
Do you consider yourself a unique person of freedom? Are you a real American or just living here enjoying the benefits of other humans' sacrifice.. and of American soldiers' sacrifices?
If you've lost your humanity somewhere along the line and you're actually celebrating someone's death who simply wanted to hear and dialogue with you, then you need a change starting inside.. of heart and mind today. You desperately need a major course-correction too, before you end up with other heartless non-humans in an undesirable place.. in a Lake with an unending and extremely strong burning sensation. You were born a human, so search what's left of your heart, be changed, start over. Yes, have a new beginning and then act accordingly.
Q: How dead is spiritually dead inside, how depraved is real depravity? How very broken and lost are people in this world?
Jesus was human, too. He didn't have that or any evil inside--no, He had and still has a heart for those who agree or disagree with Him.
You were born into the human family, so please act like a human. Do you have a hardened heart? Can you still distinguish right from wrong? Do all murderers listen to other voices?
How did "The Fall" affect you and all humanity? Sup with "the fall?"
One of the immediate ill effects of the Fall was that humans started acting like they were non-humans. Yep, like animals gone stark raving mad, cuz they were now separated from a loving God. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect communion before their poor decisions.
What does it really mean to be human? What is a man or a woman, a boy or a girl?
God created man and woman, that is, mankind--you, even, with a body, human spirit, and a soul inside that will exist forever in one of two places. The body is the material, whereas the soul is immaterial and endures beyond the physical surroundings. So have you discovered your specific human purpose here?
You know the creation mandate in the OT (found in Genesis 1:26-28), reveals that the purpose of man is to reflect God's image, to glorify Him, and to wisely rule over this creation.
Qs: Is your human soul mortal or immortal? Do you now have a seared conscience or a normal human conscience? We're all with value in the human family of sorts. Are we all children of God, or are only Christians God's children? Who are the people of God?
You and I are to live as humans--is there any goodness left? I'm talkin' about what sets human beings apart from the animal world.
What does the Bible say about your human heart and inner motives?
Is it even biblical to ask Jesus into your heart?
What!?.. there's such a thing as the fallen condition of human hearts? See Mark 7:21-23: “From within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality.."
He was caught, and he confessed to it. Was he sorry or sorry that he got caught? What does it mean that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.."
Do or can.. mentally ill people go to heaven? Why today is there so much schizophrenia?
What does it mean to be pure in heart? Can you be washed clean all the way, forgiven of sin, and have pure motives that please the Lord? Sure, but not make that happen all by yourself. You've tried to perhaps. Will all the consequences for my wrongdoings go away? No.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). And blessed are those who mourn too.
Be careful, little tongue, what you say, freak out and yell, or post? You want to stay employed, right? What are idle words (Matthew 12:36)?
Can He really enter and rule as a kind Lord inside? What did Jesus mean when He said, “I stand at the door and knock.."?
Have you heard this.. "if you would only “open your heart's door” and let Jesus into your life, all will be well. Uhh, yes, and no. You might just experience fierce opposition for dialoging with kids about what's so and get shot in the neck!
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.
Have you been mourning, grieving, and troubled inside? So sorry about that. It's indeed a process to go through. So many people around the world have been wearing a heaviness after the shock from the attack against Charlie Kirk. God loves you. He can heal and help you. When Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” He was comforting His disciples with those words, who definitely had troubled hearts. Please become His (not my) disciple.
What does the Bible mean when it says that we humans will receive a new heart? God in the Bible speaks often of the human heart, mind and inner motives. What's a motive? It's the underlying reason for any action. Proverbs 16:2 says, “All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD."
But they were not able to successfully withstand and cope with the wisdom and the intelligence and the power and inspiration of the Spirit by whom he was speaking. Acts 6:10 amp
Stephen’s life, brief as it was, was used of God to make a monumental impact. His influence came not from the length of his ministry, but from the fullness of his faith, courage, and submission to the Spirit. In many ways, he bridged the apostles’ ministry to the global mission of the church. Through persecution, God’s plan moved forward. Through Stephen’s martyrdom, the gospel reached new lands and hearts.
We can look at Stephen and see what God still desires in His people: courage, wisdom, grace, faith, and a life so surrendered that even death cannot shake it. His story reminds us that significance is measured not by years, but by depth, faithfulness, and alignment with God’s will.
(NKJV), They were "not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit" by which he spoke.(NIV): "But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke."(NLT): "None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke."(KJV): "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake."(NCV): "But the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him."52 "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who received the law as ordained and delivered to you by angels, and yet you did not obey it!”54 Now when they heard this [accusation and understood its implication], they were cut to the heart, and they began grinding their teeth [in rage] at him. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit and led by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory [the great splendor and majesty] of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Look! I see the heavens opened up [in welcome] and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and together rushed at him [considering him guilty of blasphemy]. 58 Then they drove him out of the city and began stoning him.. (yep, to death for simply having true ideas other than theirs.) amp
My Current Musings and Reflections:
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“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” – C.S. Lewis
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“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
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“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” – Tertullian
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“Grace is the beauty of form under the influence of freedom.” – Friedrich Schiller
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“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28
It all began with a local church problem (think early church). Some of the Hellenistic widows—Jewish women who had come to faith in Jesus but were from Greek-speaking regions outside Jerusalem—were being overlooked when it came to the daily distribution of food. The Jerusalem widows, those familiar to everyone, were cared for diligently, but these others quietly slipped through the cracks.
To ensure fairness and provision, the apostles decided that someone needed to oversee this work. Seven men were chosen, described in Acts 6:5 as “of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom.” The first on the list is Stephen—a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. From this point, Stephen takes center stage in the narrative of Acts 6–8.
Stephen was a Greek-speaking believer, a Hellenist, familiar with Jewish synagogue life but also navigating a world that was partially foreign to him. Yet he, along with the other six, was entrusted with the care of those widows who needed it most. And this was just the beginning of what God would do through him.
By Acts 6:8, Stephen emerges as “full of grace and power, performing great wonders and signs among the people.” His ministry stirred opposition. Members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen—including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others from Cilicia and Asia—challenged him. Yet they could not withstand the wisdom and Spirit guiding his words. Out of envy, they arranged for false witnesses to accuse him of blasphemy, dragging him before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest demanded a response. Stephen spoke at length, recounting God’s faithful work through Israel and culminating in a vision of Jesus at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55–56).
When his audience rejected his words, they stoned him. In his final act of faith, Stephen cried, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” and, astonishingly, prayed for his killers, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:59–60). Saul, the future apostle Paul, was present, consenting to Stephen’s death, and from this moment persecution scattered the believers, sending the gospel outward to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1).
Stephen’s life was brief in human terms, yet its significance is immense. He was not a deacon—those came later—but he served tables faithfully. He was not an apostle, yet signs and wonders confirmed his divine calling. He was not a prophet, but he preached the truth of God with authority. He bridges the early apostolic ministry of Peter and the later mission to the Gentiles under Paul.
His choosing reveals the esteem in which he was held. The church selected seven men from thousands for this responsibility, and Stephen’s name heads the list. His name, Stephanos, means “crown,” and indeed, he earned the victor’s crown through martyrdom. Acts 6:5 highlights his character: “full of faith,” completely governed by a consuming, unwavering belief in God’s promises.
Stephen believed in the God of the Old Testament, in the sovereignty of God over history, and in Jesus as the Messiah, risen and exalted. He trusted fully in the Holy Spirit, yielding his life entirely to God’s guidance. He spoke with wisdom that confounded his adversaries, and his grace was evident even as they sought to kill him. In Acts 6:8, he is described as “full of grace and power,” a man whose life radiated the Spirit’s presence.
His courage was extraordinary. Straightforward Stephen confronted those who were angry, very hostile, violent and resistant to truth, boldly proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, even at the risk of death. The Synagogue of the Freedmen and other Hellenistic Jews rose against him, yet he did not retreat. In Acts 7:51, he rebuked them with clarity, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears… you have now become the betrayers and murderers of the Righteous One.” This was not timid evangelism—it was heroic faith.
Finally, Stephen’s countenance reflected his inner life. Acts 6:15 records, “All who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.” Even under accusation, threatened and surrounded by false witnesses, the glory of God shone through him, reminiscent of Moses after encountering God in Exodus 33–34. The Holy Spirit manifested visibly through his presence, a living testimony to God’s sustaining power.
Stephen’s martyrdom was not the end—it was a beginning. It triggered the scattering of believers, fulfilling Jesus’ promise in Acts 1:8 to spread the gospel beyond Jerusalem. The very man who would become Paul likely carried in his memory the image of Stephen’s unwavering face, a vision that would shape his own transformation and mission.
Today, Stephen is still a model of what God is looking for on earth. He wants more people to one day join Him in heaven. He saw in Stephen such a courageous faith that dominates old fleshly nature (not the new nature or Holy Spirit in Him). He saw godly wisdom that confounds the corrupt world system and fallen angels even. He saw a robust muscular yet respectful grace (He as God put in there..) that extends even to real enemies, courage that faces death without hesitation, and a life wholly surrendered to the Spirit. His brief ministry illuminates the enduring truth that it is not the length of life, but the depth of faithfulness, that changes the world.
READ some more on speaking truth in love, and sometimes suffering or dying for it:
Please don't hate, just appriciate.. God, Christians, and other people too.
More importantly: Come to Christ here and now just as you are.. willing to be changed by Him.
Do you want knowledge? Go for knowing the Lord and having His godly wisdom first. Then have all the true facts ..instead of some fake facts and half truths. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30
THEN Wisely Mirror Who He Really Is. Charlie Did That!
John the baptizer had boldly called the sin in Herod’s marriage to Herodias as sin (see the contexts - Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29). It cost him his head.
See Deuteronomy 22:5 (often used in debates on gender expression) — Kirk himself quoted from this.
Muse on Leviticus 18, and 20 (on sexual immorality, same-sex relations).
Think about natural law - God “created male and female” – Genesis 1-2.
Jesus’ teaching the truth in love was offensive to some. People chose to get triggered by what they shouldn't have been triggered with (e.g., John 15:18-20; Matthew 10:34-39 about being a divisive message). Jesus wanted and still wants people to come to repentance, faith and God's free salvation but some just won't have it. What did Jesus mean by coming to bring a sword in Matthew 10:34-36?
