Hello parents! This week we were in our 43rd lesson of The Thread series. It’s been cool to see our students engaging with the big-picture story of the Bible for this long. This week’s lesson was entitled “The Murder of Stephen and Persecution.” We looked at the stoning of Stephen and how it sparked the widespread persecution of Christians. While that sounds like a bleak topic, we got to see how the Lord used the scattering of Christians during that time to spread the Gospel to different regions.

We then looked a little deeper at Jesus’ promises that His followers would experience mistreatment on His behalf. That, too, sounds bleak, but Jesus assured us that while we have trouble in this world, He has overcome the world. These are the passages we looked at during this week’s lesson.

We looked at the following Scripture passages:

• Acts 6:8-8:3

• John 15:18-21; 16:33

As you read these scriptures, think about the lives we live today and what it means for us to experience mistreatment from the world because we follow Jesus.

Next Steps . . . 

During the week set aside a few moments to discuss these questions with your teenager:

• What are some things we learned from Stephen and the attitude and perspective he had as he was being killed?

• Have you ever been mistreated because of your faith? Tell me about it.

• Does Jesus’ promise that He has overcome the world resonate with you? How does it give you confidence as you go about your day-to-day life?

I hope this resource is a useful tool for you and your student. If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to contact me.