But Stephen, ansported with enthusiasm and inspiration, was vouchsafed a vision of the glory of God, which he had mentioned in the beginning of his speech (Acts 7:2), and of Jesus, whose cause he had so gallantly defended (Acts 7:55). He relied on the Holy Spirit who showed him the right path. St. Stephen is often depicted with stones, a Gospel Book, a miniature church and a martyr's palm frond. Stephen explained how God fulfilled the promises He had made to Abraham through the events in history. In Western Christianity, 26 December is called "Saint Stephen's Day", the "Feast of Stephen" mentioned in the English Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas". Even before his death, he asked for forgiveness of his murderers, just like Jesus. Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. God's work is constantly unfolding and goes forth on his timetable. In this sense the speech of Stephen is a grand apology for the Christian cause which he represented, inasmuch as it shows clearly that the new religion was only the divinely-ordered development of the old, and not in opposition to it. It is 216 years old and the patron of this parish is St. Stephen, the first Martyr of the Church and it is situated beside Kollam Beach. Previous post: How Does The Bible Define Wickedness? We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so its important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. 6. Stephen was an evangelist. Stephen saw that Christianity was not simply a remodelled Judaism. He was deeply influenced by Christianity and shared a strong connection with God himself. of It is in reality a philosophy of Israels history and religion, and in so far it was a novum. Name: Stephen. is a pastor, author, Christian educator and Biblical counselor who has served in ministry since 2001. [6], There are at least five places where Stephen's re-telling of the stories of Israelite history diverges from the scriptures where these stories originated; for instance, Stephen says that Jacob's tomb was in Shechem,[Acts 7:16] but Genesis 50:13[Genesis 50:13] says Jacob's body was carried and buried in a cave in Machpelah at Hebron. Prejudiced and enraged as they were, the unanswerable arguments of Stephen, based on their own Scriptures, made them mad with fury, and doubtless through their demonstrations they stopped the speech. Stephen provided a point-by-point explanation following the Old Testament and put forth the various examples angering those who condemned Jesus. First, Stephen shows believers they can have a powerful impact for the kingdom, if even for a short period of time. 1. Many Jews grew up outside of Jerusalem due to an event known as the Diaspora. Stephen is known for being the first Christian martyr. But it's not the same type of evangelistic sermon, which Peter gave a few chapters prior. As Stephen by his life and work marks a period of transition in the development of the early Christian church, so his name is connected with an important new departure within the organization of the church itself, namely, the institution of the office of the Seven (Acts 6:1ff), who were entrusted with the administration of the work of relief in the church at Jerusalem the foundation of the diaconate. ", "LXXXVIII. There was no blasphemy on the part of Stephen, save by perversion of his words. He followed the Lord's path and just like Him, he pleaded for forgiveness for his murderers right before his death. Stephen reminded everyone of how Moses was directed by God to reach out to people and refrain them from worshipping idols and stopping their slavery. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. Bible References: The apostle James is mentioned in all four Gospels and his martyrdom is cited in Acts 12:2. The soul remains immortal and therefore, we must choose to stick to our faiths and beliefs. Stephen's preachings were of utmost importance to society, which led to a revolutionary consequence for the early Christians. The other two Philips in the Bible were servants of Christ and instrumental in the early church: Philip the disciple and apostle of Christ, and Philip the . Bible Study Guides . The result of these deacons being ordained over the care of the widows was the Word of God increasing as the apostles had more time available for their ministry work. The strong appeal to the will is made by holding up the figure of Moses type of the Law, in its vital significance, in such a way as passionately to apply it to the fundamental relation of divine plan and human conduct. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Even Philo characterizes the Law of Moses in distinction from the laws of other nations, as stedfast, immovable and unchangeable, placing it on a level with the laws of Nature. Jesus answered directly and clearly, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (verses 4-5). And now you have betrayed and murdered him. They dragged him to appear before the Sanhedrin, the supreme legal court of Jewish elders, accusing him of preaching against the Temple and the Mosaic Law. Gender: Male. Stephen's death taught us to speak boldly for our religion and not fear death, for it is the ultimate destination for all living souls. Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr. The Bible says that Stephen spoke with such spiritual wisdom that his Jewish opponents were unable to refute him (Acts 6:10). Thus he belonged to that class of Jews usually residing outside of Palestine who, though distinguished from the orthodox Palestinian Jew by a broader outlook on life due to a more liberal education, were Jews none the less, the original Jewish element predominating in their character, and who might be true Israelites indeed, as Stephen was. Acts 6:1-7:As the Apostles numbers grew, because of the size, certain people became overlooked, such as the Gentile widows (opposed to the Hebraic widows). Dr. Mike and his wife, Pamela Rose, live in Northeast Ohio and they have children and grandchildren that live in various states. Being a Greek-speaking Jew himself, Stephen went to the synagogue for Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem to try to turn his fellow Jews to Christ. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. the deep earnestness and spirituality, by which he spake so convincingly (Acts 6:10;Matthew 10:19,Matthew 10:20). This is because the Armenian churches maintain the decree of Constantine, which stipulated that the Nativity and Theophany of Jesus were to be celebrated on 6 January. He was also "full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people" ( Acts 6:8 ). She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. This revelation coupled with the splendid personality of Stephen, the testimony of his righteous life and the noble bravery of his sublime death, and above all his dying prayer, fell upon the honest soul of Saul with an irresistible force and inevitably brought on the Damascus event, as Augustine clearly recognized: Si Stephanus non orasset, ecclesia Paulum non habuisset. Judged by his teaching, Stephen may be called the forerunner of Paul. The tasking by the apostles pleased everyone and the brethren chose seven men who were full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. LITERATURE. Though the name of Jesus was not uttered by Stephen in his speech and does not occur until in his dying prayer, his hearers could not fail to notice the hidden reference to Him throughout the entire speech and to draw parallels intended by Stephen: As Joseph and Moses, types of the Messiah, had been rejected, scorned and illtreated (Acts 7:9,Acts 7:27,Acts 7:39), before being raised to be ruler and deliverer, so Jesus had also been repulsed by them. His sacrifice and sufferings taught us a very important lesson about the cost of faith. Of the seven men, all Hellenists, elected to this office at the occasion of a grievance of the Hellenistic Christians in the Jerusalem church against the Hebrew Christians, to the effect that in the distribution of alms their widows were being discriminated against, Stephen, who heads the list, is by far the most distinguished. 58 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. He showed that time and time again when it looked like the promise of coming of the Messiah would be prevented, God intervened. Among the most notable are the two sites in Jerusalem held by different traditions to be the place of his martyrdom, the Salesian monastery of Beit Jimal in Israel held to be the place where his remains were miraculously found, and the church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome, where the saint's remains are said to be buried. St. Stephen Protomartyr Catholic Church and Parish in St. Louis, Missouri. More than 400 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. (1912), I. Instead, under the power of the Holy Spirit, he looked up into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at Gods right hand. Here is something else you might like to read: Top 7 Bible Verses About Sowing And Reaping, 25 Encouraging Bible Verses About Strength, Words of Encouragement: 30 Uplifting Quotes, Why Your Church Needs Vacation Bible School, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part Three, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part Two, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part One, 7 Powerful Bible Verses About the Resurrection, 7 Bible Verses to Read When You Feel Like Giving Up, A Bible Study With Commentary on Romans One, Ice Dragon: Legend of the Blue Daisies Movie Review, Phoenix Wilder And The Great Elephant Adventure Movie Review, The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island Movie Review, The fact that Stephen was chosen to be a deacon speaks to his public testimony as a man that was a believer that lived his faith openly: Acts 6:5, Stephen took the humble position of a deacon waiting on widows and used it as an opportunity to demonstrate the power of God to do great things: Acts 6:8, Stephen demonstrated that he was well versed in Gods Word and could argue its truth with the wisdom that only the Holy Spirit could provide: Acts 6:9-10, Stephen did not back down when confronted by those who disagreed with the truth of Gods Word: Acts 6:11-15, Stephen used the spectacle of the public inquisition to share the truth with a much wider audience: Acts 7, Stephen received the strength he needed through faith to stand firm under the most extreme persecution one could suffer as a Christian: Acts 7:54-60, Stephen, like Jesus just before He died, pleaded for the forgiveness of those who were killing him: Acts 6:60. They then drove all the other Greek-speaking Jewish Christians out of Jerusalem (Acts 8:1-3). Man can only kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. His story is wholly contained in two chapters in the book of Acts, but it provides a glimpse into life in the early church and serves as an example of how our faith in Christ can lead to great things. 6. Furthermore, Stephen spoke about Abraham, the supreme patriarch, who was led by the Almighty to Israel from a pagan land. What Does It Mean That "Your Life Is Hidden with Christ"? Seeing themselves beaten, they took recourse to the ignoble method of declaring him a blasphemer and a heretic, by using the same foul means that the enemies of Jesus had resorted to, by suborning false witnesses to the plot, by stirring up the people against him, by appealing to their Jewish prejudices and to the scribes and elders, members of the Sanhedrin, and thus eventually brought about his arraignment. Although we dont have much information presented about Stephen in the sixth chapter of Acts, we can derive the following from the text provided. In appealing to their reason he calls up picture after picture from Abraham to Moses; the speech exhibits vividly the continuity and the progress of the divine revelation which culminated in Jesus of Nazareth, the same thought as that expressed by Christ inMatthew 5:17of the principal agreement between the Old Testament and the New Testament revelation. & # x27 ; s not the same type of evangelistic sermon, which Peter gave a chapters. 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