From the very beginning of the Christian church, there was opposition, and persecution, and martyrdom.
When Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke boldly about Jesus in the face of the Jewish leaders who didn’t like the convicting message, they were so enraged that they stoned him to death.
The last straw for them was when Stephen looked up to heaven and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.”
When Jesus ascended back to heaven, the Bible says he sat down at the right hand of God.
But as Stephen became the first martyr for the Christian faith, Jesus stood—He gave Stephen a standing ovation for his bold witness and sacrifice.
I believe Jesus does the same for every martyr since then.
“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”