What a contrast between the last session and this one! In the last story Ananias and Sapphira are killed on the spot because they lie to the Holy Spirit. In this story Stephen is killed because he proclaims the truth in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Think of Stephen as a member of your own church, someone you talked with occasionally, someone who took time to stop and talk with your kids. Think of him as a member of your church who was brutally stoned to death because he was brave enough to tell the truth to the religious leaders of his day. He declared to the leaders that they had betrayed and murdered Jesus, the Messiah, and had disobeyed the very law they claimed to defend and teach.

The book of Acts tells the story of the church moving outward from its beginnings in Jerusalem. That movement isn't only geographic---it's also social. The Christian faith began among the Palestine-dwelling, Aramaic-speaking Jews. They were the core members of the first Christian community. They tended to regard themselves as the true children of God and now saw themselves as true followers of Jesus Christ. This also led them to treat some fellow Christians unfairly.

As today's story opens, Hellenistic Jews are complaining that Hebraic Jews are not treating their widows fairly. Hellenistic Jews were those who had left the land of Israel and settled in other parts of the world. Because they had daily contact with Gentiles, these Hellenistic Jews, also called Diaspora Jews, were considered less holy than Palestinian Jews. Before they could enter the temple they needed to purify themselves with special rites. At issue in the story of Stephen was whether these Hellenistic Jewish believers, whom he represented, had equal status with Palestinian Christians.

Stephen's powerful ministry and his martyr's death settled that question. Clearly the Spirit had shown that the Greek-speaking Christians were fully as worthy and qualified as any of the Aramaic-speaking ones.

Stephen was falsely charged with blaspheming "against Moses and against God"---charges almost identical to the charges brought against Jesus.

In his long speech, Stephen didn't so much defend himself against the charges as accuse the Jewish leaders of misunderstanding the temple's true significance and of disobeying the law themselves. He boldly pointed out that God's revelation was never restricted to the law of Israel or to the temple. The Lord first appeared to Abraham in a foreign land and to Moses in Midian. Further, instead of being true guardians of the Law of Moses, the Jews had been a rebellious people, rejecting God's Word and killing God's prophets again and again. This rebellion culminated in the death of the greatest prophet of all, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

While his accusers grew angrier by the minute, Stephen saw a vision of heavenly glory with Jesus standing at the right hand of God. When he told them of this vision, they could contain their rage no more. They dragged him out of the city and stoned him. Like his Lord, Stephen prayed for his persecutors as he was about to die. As the stoning took place, Saul stood by with a smile of approval on his face.