Did Stephen blaspheme the temple? God had tabernacled among men in the person of Jesus Christ and they rejected the true temple for a great building of stones in Jerusalem. Stephen comes to the climax of his response and speaks directly to the council that put Jesus to death.
What about Moses and the temple? Stephen had been accused of blaspheming Moses, the temple, and the law. In his defense, he spoke of Abraham and Joseph and now turns to Moses.
What do you have to say for yourself? Stephen was arrested and charged with blasphemy. His experience was paralleling Jesus’ experience before this same council. As Stephen begins to answer the charges, it becomes clear he is not interested in pleading his own defense. He has a message to deliver to the council.
Faithful in Little and Faithful in Much Stephen was one of the seven chosen to serve tables. Soon after, wider ministry opportunities opened up for Stephen. He preached Jesus in Jerusalem and Jews disputed with him about Jesus. He spoke in the synagogues and they couldn’t answer the wisdom of Stephen in showing that Jesus…
Can a church do it all? The church in Jerusalem experienced explosive growth, going from 120 to thousands in weeks and months. That kind of growth was not without its growing pains. They began with the twelve Apostles in leadership and they were administering everything. The church was threatened by the inability of the Apostles…
Destined to fail? The first church in Jerusalem experienced similarity with the ministry of Jesus. At first, their message seemed well received and they had favor with the people. It didn’t take long before that changed as they continued to preach openly and rebuke that generation of Jews for killing the Messiah. It might seem…
Have you heard the one about hypocrites in church? We’ve all heard the comments, complaints, and criticisms about hypocrites in church. It may shock you to find out, but hypocrites do exist, and some of them go to church. Nearly every church in the New Testament had this problem, including the first church in Jerusalem.…
Where are we going? Life in the church in Jerusalem is described at the end of chapter 2 and chapter 4. It’s an idyllic picture we would be hard pressed to beat if we were tasked with drafting the image of perfect church life. As beautiful as those passages are, they’re not the only passages…
How did the church respond to persecution? From the early chapters of Acts, we would have to include prayer as one of the characteristic marks of a true church. The fact that they prayed in response to persecution tells us something. What they prayed for also tells us something.
Who should we obey? The council has heard Peter and John’s testimony and must decide what to do. They command and threaten to prevent them speaking anymore in the name of Jesus. Peter and John respond with boldness.