The cost of Saul to Paul

Monday April 21st, Acts 7: the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. Saul later had his name change to Paul. The enforcer of entrenched orthodoxy would be swept up in these new teachings of Christ. In the name of God we must always be wary of the desire to silence the voices of opposition, either by force, or by fancy footwork. This story of Saul and Stephen is a stark reminder of what happens when a marriage takes place between church and state and the state starts pushing faith based initiatives. The true motive is never about faith and always about power. Grace is the victim.