Chapter 10.

Stephen Sees

The Risen Lord

 

 

In the weeks following the Day of Pentecost in A.D. 30, the Church in Jerusalem grew explosively.  Suddenly, there were more than 10,000 saved souls in the metropolis.  The Apostles faced many organizational problems.  Who would teach classes for enquirers and  for new believers?  Who would manage the monies the believers contributed to the work of the Church?  Who would administer the distribution of food and clothing to the aged and the poor?  And, who would care for the sick?  Inevitably, complaints and disagreements surfaced.

 

 

 

The Greek Widows

Felt Disparaged.

 

The Christians of Greek heritage felt that the Hebrew widows were receiving from the Church more attention and goods than the Greek widows were getting.  Luke says ...

... in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.  (Acts 6:1)

 

 

 

The Apostles Sought

A Team of Assistants.

 

The Apostles knew they needed help.  They were so busy administering aid to the needy that they were being kept from studying the Scriptures, praying and evangelizing the citizens of the city.  They proposed that the massive body of believers choose 7 men to assume the task of fairly distributing food and services to those who needed aid.  Luke discloses ...

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 

(Acts 6:2-4)

 

 

 

The Apostles Ordained

Seven Deacons.

 

Nominations were made, candidates were discussed, and 7 wonderful men were chosen to oversee the daily distributions with the delegated authority of the Apostles.  A simple ceremony was held in which the Apostles laid hands on the 7 and prayed over them.  Today, we regard them as the first Deacons of the New Testament Church.  Luke takes special notice of one of these men, Stephen, who would soon become the first Christian to be martyred for his faith.  Luke states ... 

... the saying [the proposal of the Apostles] pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.  (Acts 6:5-6)

 

 

 

God Prepared the Church

For Persecution and Dispersion.

 

As the Jerusalem Church expanded, the Holy Spirit guided its members into unconventional behaviors.  The Spirit knew that the Church would soon suffer severe persecution.  Many of its members would flee to other cities and nations.  They would abandon their houses, lands and livestock.  So, the Spirit persuaded these believers to sell their possessions, even as their unbelieving friends said they were behaving foolishly.  They gave generous portions of their proceeds to the treasury of the young Church, and they converted most of their wealth into small, precious items that could easily be transported and sold to provide funds for their re-settlement in other places.

 

And, the Holy Spirit knew that Jerusalem would be obliterated in less than 40 years.  The last rebellion of the Jews against Roman rule was about to commence.  Ultimately, the Romans, under a general named Titus, would throw down every structure in Jerusalem, bury the city, and plant a crop over it.  By that time, every Christian would have left Jerusalem.  So, the Spirit started moving the believers out immediately.  In a convoluted way, the coming persecution was a blessing.  It moved many Christians out of harms way.  And, it spread the Gospel to many cities and nations.

 

Luke declares ...

... the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.  (Acts 6:7)

 

 

 

The Holy Spirit

Richly Empowered Stephen.

 

The Holy Spirit led Stephen as he worked wonders among the citizens of Jerusalem.  Luke notes ...

... Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.  (Acts 6:8)

 

 

 

Agitated Accusers

Got Stephen Arrested and Tried.

 

Some Jews, who hated the Gospel, entered into fierce debates with Stephen.  Unable to resist his arguments, they became enraged and induced some wicked men to carry false accusations against Stephen to the rulers of the Jews.  He was arrested and put on trial before the Sanhedrin, the Highest Court of the Jews.   Luke states ...

... one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him [Stephen]. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God. This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.  

(Acts 6:9-12 NLT)

 

What Stephen’s accusers did not know was this; the words coming from Stephen’s mouth were initiated by the Holy Spirit.  In truth, Stephen’s adversaries were arguing with God.  They could not prevail.

 

This is what made the Jews angry:

 

·        Stephen announced, “The sin-sacrifices at the Temple are no longer valid.  On the Cross, Jesus died as the Ultimate Sin-Sacrifice.  So henceforth, to rid their souls of sins, penitent believers need to reach through time and space and place their sins on the dying ‘Lamb of God’.  He will take their sins and give them righteousness in return for their faith.”  The Jews viewed this doctrine as an attack on Moses and the Law.

 

·        Stephen taught, “God is clearly dealing with mankind through 3 personalities.  ‘Father God’ is on Heaven’s Throne.  Jesus of Nazareth, the ‘Son of God’, is now seated next to the Father.  And, ‘God, the Holy Spirit’ is now residing inside every Christian on Earth.”  The Jews felt this teaching violated the oft recited axiom, “The Lord our God is one Lord.”

 

·        Stephen prophesied, “Soon the beautiful Temple will be destroyed.”  This allegation embittered his foes.

 

Stephen’s opponents ...

... set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.  (Acts 6:13-14)

 

 

 

A Holy Glow

Flowed Forth From Stephen.

 

Stephen was a winsome, young Jew.  He was fully surrendered to the will of the Triune God.  As he listened to the testimony of his accusers, he surveyed the elegant Temple Council Chamber, the well-dressed rulers seated before him, the impressive Temple guard, clutching the chains clasped to his ankles, and the High Priest arrayed in regal finery.  He caught his breath.  A saying of Jesus flashed through his mind ...

... when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 

(Mark 13:11 NLT)

The Spirit strengthened Stephen, emboldened him, and caused a holy glow to emanate from his countenance.  He dominated the scene.  Luke discloses ...

... all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. Then said the high priest, Are these things so?  (Acts 6:15-7:1)

 

 

 

The Holy Spirit

Denounced Israel’s Rulers

Through Stephen.

 

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Stephen told the Sanhedrin, “You are fighting against God.  Too many times in the past, our forefathers have opposed God’s agenda for His chosen people.  And now, you are doing it again!”  Stephen knew that the Council members judging him had put Christ on the Cross.  For that, he held them in disdain.  He was sure they had heard of the miraculous arrival of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.  He was certain they knew that over 10,000 Jews had become Christians in the last few days.  In retaliation, the Sanhedrin had just charged him with blasphemy.  If they ruled that he was guilty of the charge, he knew they would stone him to death.  Still, Stephen was fully committed to voicing the message God wanted these rulers to hear.

 

Stephen’s glowing, angelic presence demanded the attention of the rulers.  Through him, they were denounced by God.  Of course, Stephen hoped that some of these judges would repent of their sins and seek salvation through Jesus.  He wished to see them receive the Holy Spirit.

 

So, serving as God’s spokesman, Stephen answered the High Priest.  He did not proclaim the main point of his message immediately.  He included it in his closing remarks.  But, if we jump ahead and read Stephen’s conclusion, it helps us understand his address.  The summation of his sermon is recorded in Acts 7:51.  However, before Stephen uttered those words, he strongly implied, “The Christian movement is simply the next step in God’s agenda for His chosen people.” 

 

Stephen’s judges hated his assertion.  So later, as he was finishing his remarks and he sensed that his listeners despised his words, he exclaimed ...

You stiff-necked and stubborn people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always actively resisting the Holy Spirit. You are doing just as your fathers did.  (Acts 7:51 AMP)

 

Prior to stating this conclusion, Stephen proclaimed the message that the Holy Spirit placed on his lips.  He began by noting that throughout history many of God’s chosen people had been led through disruptive changes by God.  He implied that the sudden appearance of the Church was a God-ordained change and that the Sanhedrin should see Christianity as the current event in God’s program for true-believers.  He offered many examples of godly men who had in the past experienced dramatic changes as they sought to abide in God’s will.

 

God, speaking through Stephen, reviewed many historic highlights of His agenda for His chosen people.

 

 

Abraham Moved To Canaan.

 

Long ago, God spoke to faithful Abraham and urged him to move to Canaan.  God gave Abraham no inheritance in the land, but God promised to give the whole of it to Abraham’s offspring, Israel.  Though the move was difficult, Abraham did God’s bidding, seeing it as the next step in God’s unfolding plan for true-believers.  Luke declares ...

... he [Stephen] said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.  (Acts 7:2-5)

 

 

Abraham Followed God’s Plan

Even Though He Foresaw

Israel’s Enslavement.

 

Abraham had amazing insight into God’s unfolding plan for His chosen people.  And, though it involved 400 years of bondage for his descendants, Abrahan trusted God.  Luke discloses ...

... God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage,  and entreat them evil four hundred years.  And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. (Acts 7:6-7)

 

 

In Slavery and Jail

Joseph Pursued God’s Will.

 

Throughout ancient history, God’s agenda for His chosen people involved many challenging changes.  Along the way, true-believers pursued God’s evolving plan.  Joseph, for instance, was sold into slavery by his brothers.  Yet, by pursuing God’s will, he rose to become the governor of Egypt and rescued his family, Israel, from a severe famine.  Luke states ...

... he [God] gave him [Abraham] the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 

(Acts 7:8-10)

 

 

Jacob Moved Israel

To Egypt.

 

Following God’s lead, Jacob moved his family to Egypt at the invitation of his son, Joseph.  At first, Jacob and his family enjoyed Egypt.  But, many years later, the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites.  Even so, that was no surprise to God.  Years earlier, He had told Abraham that Israel would be in bondage for centuries.  Luke has Stephen saying ...

Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.  (Acts 7:11-16)

 

 

Moses Was Adopted

Into Egypt’s Royal Family.

 

Many years after Israel moved into Egypt, a wicked Pharaoh ascended to the throne.  He placed the Israelites under martial law and enslaved them.  At the time of Moses’ birth, Egyptian soldiers were under orders to root out every male, Hebrew baby and cast him into the crocodile-infested Nile. 

 

After hiding Moses for several months, his family decided to pursue a plan to save him.  His mother, Jochebed, and his sister, Miriam, took him to a point on the banks of the Nile where the Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing.  They set Moses afloat in a watertight basket and Miriam directed the tiny craft into the royal bathing zone.  When Pharaoh’s daughter saw Moses, she was awed by his beauty and immediately adopted him.  He was raised as a member of the royal family. 

 

Bravely, Miriam approached the Egyptian princess and asked, “Do you want me to find a Hebrew woman to nurse this child?” 

 

The princess said, “Yes.”  So, of course, Miriam fetched her mother, and by God’s grace, Jochebed got to help raise her son.  In his formative years, Jochebed taught Moses the history of the Jews.  He was fully aware of his origins.

 

Stephen said ...

... when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months: And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.  (Acts 7:17-21)

 

 

Moses Showed

He Wanted To Deliver Israel.

 

Flavius Josephus, an ancient Hebrew historian, described Moses as a brilliant, powerful, young man who quickly rose to fame in Egypt.  As a general in Pharaoh’s army, he was honored for his heroic exploits.  About the time he turned 40, God filled his heart with compassion for the Jews, the people from whom he sprang.  He wanted to deliver them from slavery.  While moving among them, contemplating what he should do, he saw an Egyptian violently mistreating an Israeli.  He intervened, and in the ensuing struggle, slew the Egyptian.  He presumed that all Israel, having heard of this incident, would see him as “the one” who would deliver them from bondage, but the Jews did not universally adopt his view.  Stephen said ... 

... Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.  (Acts 7:22-25)

 

 

Again,

Moses Showed

He Wanted To Help the Jews.

 

The next time Moses visited the Jews, he encountered 2 Hebrew men in a heated quarrel.  When he stepped between them and sought to end the squabble, one of the men shoved him back and asked, “Who made you our ruler?  Will you kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”  Moses wanted to lead the Jews out of slavery, but, as this incident showed, many of them rejected his leadership.  Stephen said ...

... the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?  (Acts 7:26-28)

 

 

Moses Fled

Into the Wilderness of Midian.

 

Realizing it was widely known that he had slain an Egyptian soldier who was terrorizing a Jew, Moses fled into Midian to avoid prosecution.  He lived there for 40 years.  He married Zipporah and fathered 2 sons, Gershom and Eliezer.  While shepherding his flocks on the slopes of Mount Sinai, he spied a bush, burning with a flame that did not consume it.  He was intrigued.  He drew near, marveling, and found himself talking with God.  He shuddered, bowed his head, and closed his eyes in awe.  Stephen said ... 

Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the LORD came unto him, Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.  (Acts 7:29-32)

 

 

God Told Moses,

”I Will Send You To Free Israel.”

 

At the age of 80, Moses was commissioned by God to make another radical change.  He was to leave his pastoral life in Midian and return to Egypt, where God would establish him as the ruler of Israel, and he would lead the Jews out of captivity.  Stephen stated ...

Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.  (Acts 7:33-35)

 

 

Moses Led the Chosen People

From Egypt To Sinai.

 

Moses surrendered to God’s call.  He returned to Egypt.  God installed him as the leader of the Jews and made him His ambassador to the royal court.  Repeatedly, Moses enjoined Pharaoh to free Israel.  Again and again, his pleas were denied.  Each time Pharaoh rejected one of Moses’ demands, God had Moses call down a plague on the Egyptians.  Pharaoh finally relented after a plague killed the first-born male of each Egyptian household.  As God led Israel into Sinai, He had Moses divide the waters of the Red Sea.  And subsequently, in the wilderness, God had Moses call forth manna from Heaven and water from the rocks of the desert.

 

At this point in his oration, Stephen noted that Moses, the Hebrew hero, had prophesied that someday the Jews would be blessed by the birth of a very special Person ... a prophet, somewhat like himself, who would work miracles and teach them and lead them.  Stephen recalled that Moses had counseled, “Him shall you hear.”

 

Of course, Stephen knew that this special Person was Jesus.  Having just enumerated many of the dramatic changes Israel had experienced as the chosen nation of God, Stephen could not comprehend why these rulers of Israel did not see that the Christian movement was simply the next God-ordained change the Jews should embrace.  Stephen declared ...

He [Moses] brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us ... 

(Acts 7:36-38)

 

 

In Sinai,

Many Jews

Rejected God’s Agenda.

 

Stephen emphasized his main point, “Again and again, Israel has refused to follow God’s guidance.  Today, He is leading us, His chosen people, into the worship of Jesus, the Messiah.  But again, you rulers are fighting God.  You are refusing to change.  You are like the rebels in the camp of Israel after Moses led the Jews into Sinai.”  Then, Stephen reviewed the apostasy that erupted in the wilderness ...

... our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt. They told Aaron, “Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.” So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made. Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written,

Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel? No, you carried your pagan gods — the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon. 

(Amos 7:42-43 and 5:25-27)

 (Acts 7:39-43 NLT)

Stephen made his opinion clear ... there had always been a dissident faction in Israel, and they were the ones who had led the Jews into the rebellion against God that provoked Him into exiling Israel into Babylon for 70 years.

 

 

Even the Tabernacle

Was Changed Into a Temple.

 

Stephen held to his theme, the changes through which God had led the Jews.  In the desert of Sinai, God had motivated the Jews to make a Tabernacle ... a large tent ... to serve as their worship center.  But much later, in the days of King David, God had led the Jews into an effort to replace the Tabernacle with a stone Temple.  David wanted to lead the project, but, though God allowed him to make some preparations for the structure, the construction was completed by his son, Solomon.   Stephen declared ...

Our ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses. Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David. David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who actually built it. However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,

“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?” asks the Lord. “Could you build me such a resting place? Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?”  ⁽(Isaiah 66:1-2)

(Acts 7:44-50 NLT)

 

 

Through Stephen,

God Excoriated the Sanhedrin.

 

Stephen was amazed by the words passing through his lips.  He was speaking, but he was also listening to the message God was delivering to the Sanhedrin through him.  He knew he was in danger of death by stoning, but also, he knew that the men before him were headed for Hell unless they repented and gave themselves to Jesus.  Bravely, he laid God’s condemnation upon them.  He called them “stiffnecked”, referring to their obstinancy to the Gospel, and “uncircumcised in heart and ears”, indicating that their hearts and ears were encrusted in evil.  Then, he declared, “Your fathers killed the prophets who proclaimed the coming of the ‘Just One’, the Messiah, and now, you have betrayed and murdered Him.  You, who have been blessed with access to the scrolls containing God’s Word, have ignored them.”  Stephen exclaimed ...

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.  (Acts 7:51-53)

 

 

 

Radiant Stephen

Saw the Risen Lord.

 

The rulers of the Jews were stunned.  Then, they were overtaken by anger.  Seemingly, time stood still.  Bewildered, the judges fumed and  watched as Stephen, still glowing with a radiance imparted to him by the Holy Spirit, raised his eyes and looked through the high, ornate ceiling of the Council Room.  They listened intently as he said, “I see the heavens opened, and Jesus, the Son of man, standing on the right hand of God.”  Luke says ... 

When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.  (Acts 7:54-56)

 

 

 

Enraged Judges

Steered Stephen To a

Stoning Site.

 

Most of the rulers mobbed Stephen, agreeing that he should be executed for blasphemy.  Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and hopefully, some others held back.  They were Christians already.  They agreed with Stephen’s sermon.  But, they were powerless to stop his murder.  Luke discloses ...

Then they [the judges] cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.  (Acts 7:57-58)

 

 

 

Stephen Died Praying.

 

In the midst of the hail of stones pounding him, Stephen remained in contact with Jesus.  He prayed, “Lord, receive my spirit into Heaven and clothe it with my resurrection body as I relinquish this one.  And please, do not charge this murder to my enemies.  I hope some of them become followers of You.”  Then, he fell asleep, and the executioners finished their grisly task.  Luke states ...

... they stoned Stephen, [as he was] calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.  (Acts 7:59-60)

 

 

 

The Rulers of the Jews

Persecuted the Expanding Church.

 

The boisterous arrival of the Holy Spirit, the huge number of conversions to Christianity, and the Christian’s dour reaction to the martyrdom of Stephen alarmed the Jewish authorities.  They began a relentless persecution of Christ’s followers.  The Church used its funds and resources to help its members disperse from Jerusalem to the villages of Judea and Samaria and beyond.

 

One young Pharisee, Saul, who had assisted in the stoning of Stephen, became a zealous leader of the effort to snuff out the Church.  He pursued Christians to sites as far away as Damascus in Syria, arresting them and dragging them back to Jerusalem for punishment.  Luke declares ...

... Saul was consenting unto his [Stephen’s] death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.  (Acts 8:1)

Though the scattering of Christians was vicious, it yielded some positive outcomes:

·        The Christians carried their faith to the places where they settled and evangelized their new neighbors, thus enlarging the Church.

·        By evacuating Jerusalem, the Christians moved to safer sites.  The Holy Spirit knew that Jerusalem would be savaged, flattened and buried in less than 40 years by the Roman army.  As He spread believers across the globe, the Spirit led them away from the coming siege and destruction of Jerusalem.

 

 

 

Mourning Believers

Buried Stephen.

 

Stephen had been a blessed presence among the believers in Jerusalem.  He had been so full of the Holy Spirit that miracles had occurred when he prayed for those in distress.  The Christians were sure he was with Jesus in Heaven.  They knew they would see him again when they passed into Glory.  But, they sorely missed his encouraging presence.  Luke says ...

... devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.  (Acts 8:2)