There's something that stuck out to me as I was reading Acts 7 again recently: the way it opens and the way it closes. They're like bookends. The chapter opens with Stephen describing "the God of glory" (v. 2), and it ends with him seeing "the glory of God" (v. 55). That could just be fortuitous, but I see it as a signature, a little mark by the Holy Spirit.

In this chapter, we read about Stephen, but we're also introduced to Saul of Tarsus. Both were young men used by God. Both were remarkable in their gifting, but at this point, they were enemies. As Stephen gave his message—his defense for his faith—to the Jewish council, Saul was listening, and it would make an impact on him. But at this stage, you couldn't have two more opposite men. That all changed by Acts 9.

From chapter 7 onward, Saul of Tarsus becomes the dominant figure in the book because of his conversion and how he took the gospel to the Gentiles. I smile as I think of that because I mentioned that Stephen and Saul were young men. I'm convinced that Christianity has, in large part, always been a youth movement. Jesus was doing His ministry between ages thirty and thirty-three, and He attracted young men as disciples around him who had an excitement, in part, because of the energy of youth.

Usually, churches are planted by young men or young couples. They have the energy and the vision, and they go out and do it. But over time, if left unchanged, churches historically age out. Unless you intentionally infuse them with younger people, they just sort of grow old with time and die out. Movements are always on the lookout for those young men and women who are on fire for the Lord. I love when I see that spark in their eyes.

That fire in the belly, so to speak, was in Stephen. The sad part is that a young man with such power became the church's first martyr. And yet, it was the seed of that young man's death that I believe was one of the goads that Jesus referred to in Acts 9 when He said, "Saul, why are you persecuting Me?... It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (vv. 4-5).

A goad was a sharp stick that a farmer would use on his oxen when they refused to move and pull the plow. He'd jab them in the rear, and sometimes they would kick against the stick. So Saul was being prodded, and I think the goads of conviction were Jesus' life and Stephen's death.

Saul was a contemporary of Jesus. He may have actually heard some of the messages Jesus preached. He would certainly know of the thousands of Christians in Jerusalem who swore that Jesus was still alive, and he would've seen their changed lives.

The other goad was Stephen. As he was being stoned to death, Stephen said, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin" (Acts 7:60). Saul probably played a key role in the execution, and he had seen many men die but never like Stephen—with love and forgiveness in his heart. I think these things were goading his conscience and took Saul over the edge at the moment of his conversion.

Remember how Acts 7 began with Stephen talking about "the God of glory" (v. 2)? At the end of the book, the text says that Stephen, "being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God" (v. 55).

I look at this as a principle. When your life is surrendered to—and you live for—the God of glory, you will see the glory of God, as Stephen did. If you want to experience that for yourself, keep that singular focus on the God of glory.