NLT Illustrated Study Bible - Book of Acts - Flipbook - Page 23
1979
Acts 6:5–8:2
Acts 11:19; 22:20
STEPHEN Powerful Witness of Christ
Stephen, like Barnabas (see 4:3637), was an
exemplary early Christian who, as a result of
the boldness of his witness, was arrested and
killed by the Jewish authorities. He is known
as the first Christian martyr.
A Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Jewish
Christian, Stephen was one of seven men
chosen to help administer the distribution
of food to needy Christians in Jerusalem
(6:16). He was the most prominent of the
seven and is singled out as a man “full of
faith and the Holy Spirit” (6:5). Manifesting
the grace and power of God in an unusual
measure, he did miraculous things (6:8)
and proved to be a bold and effective evan
gelist and defender of the faith (6:910).
His witness was so powerful, he was soon
arrested by the authorities and brought
before the high council for interrogation
(6:912).
When witnesses accused Stephen of
speaking against the sacred Temple and the
law of Moses (6:1314; cp. Mark 13:2; John
2:19; 4:21), he defended himself before the
Jewish high council (Acts 7:153). He spoke of
Israel’s long history of resisting God and his
servants—first Moses and now the Prophet
whom Moses had predicted (7:5153). The
Jewish authorities, infuriated by Stephen’s
bold accusations, dragged him outside the
city and stoned him to death (7:5460). As
he died, Stephen prayed that they might be
forgiven (7:60).
Stephen’s bold witness gave rise to the
first wave of persecution of the early Chris
tians (8:13). But it resulted in the Good
News spreading even wider as the believers
fled Jerusalem and proclaimed the mes
sage of Jesus everywhere they went (8:4;
11:1921). Stephen’s death provides the first
example of the maxim, “The blood of the
martyrs is the seed of the church.” His mar
tyrdom marks the beginning of the spread
of the Good News beyond the borders of
Judaism, which ultimately made Christian
ity, more than any other faith, a worldwide
religion. Stephen’s strong expression of
faith, even as he was dying, could have
been a factor in the later conversion of Saul,
who observed his stoning (7:58–8:1; see
22:1920).
Stephen’s life reminds us of the deter
mined opposition that a faithful Christian
witness can provoke. A bold testimony
for Christ may be costly (see 22:20; Rev
2:10, 13), but there is no insuperable barrier
to the growth of the church (see Acts 8:13;
Matt 16:18).
“Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” Acts 7:60