It is hard to imagine praying for the people actively trying to kill you. Stephen does exactly that, asking God to forgive the very men stoning him while a young man named Saul watches at the edge of the crowd, holding the coats. The first Christian martyr dies praying for his murderers, and one of those murderers becomes the missionary who later carries the gospel across the empire. This chapter shows what it looks like to die the way Christ taught us to live.

The Rev. Mark Loder, pastor of St. James Lutheran Church & School in Howard Lake, MN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 7:23-60.

To learn more about St. James Lutheran, visit stjameshl.org.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.