Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called) Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia - who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke . . . So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses . . . All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 6:8-10, 12, 13, 15
The more you mow us down, the more we grow. The blood of Christians is the seed of the Church.
Tertullian
Read
Stephen's Speech and Death - Acts 7; The Church Scatters - Acts 8:1, 4
Reflect
1. What details jumped out at you from this weekend's passage?
2. What lessons can you learn from Stephen?
3. What are some habits that you can form to experience God's presence and grace regularly?
4. When in life has God used community - people that truly see you - to help you?
5. What is the hardest thing about taking a stand?
6. How is God calling you to take a stand and live as a winsome radical this week?
Do
Refuse to give up.