“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and 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 the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, ‘We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.’
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, who testified, ‘This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.’ 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 6:8-15)
The embryonic church, the followers of Jesus Christ the Messiah, was soon to feel pressure to revert back to their old ways of thinking. It is not long into the book of Acts, and therefore the history of the church, that persecution arises. Jesus had warned his disciples often that they would be persecuted because they were following Him (Matthew 10:16-42; John 15:18-25).
It is not long into the history of the Church, that we see warnings being perpetrated against His followers and the first stages of this persecution and opposition arising. What was the Church to do? How did they react to all of this? Download or listen to the Podcast to discover more.
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Partakers Bible Thought - Walking with Jesus 02
Partakers Bible Thought - Walking with Jesus 01
Church Leadership 12 - God and the leadership team
Church Leadership 11 - What happens when it all goes wrong?
Church Leadership 10 - Marks of a good leader
Church Leadership 09 - Called to leadership
Church Leadership 08 - Example of Stephen
Church Leadership 07 - What can we learn from Timothy
Church Leadership 06 - New Testament Leadership Part 2
Church Leadership 05 - New Testament Leadership Part 1
Church Leadership 04 - Old Testament Leadership Part 2
Church Leadership 03 - Old Testament Leadership Part 1
Church Leadership 02 - Understanding the jargon
Church Leadership 01 - Who's in charge?
When Jesus Returns As King - Revelation 21 to 22 - Bible Thought
Leviticus 18 & 19 - Joy Get Its Hands Dirty - Partakers Bible Thought
Leviticus 16 - A God of Joy and His people - Partakers Bible Thought
Leviticus 9-10 - Obedient Service of God - Partakers Bible Thought
64. Leviticus Introduction - Old Testament - Exploring the Bible
God As Trinity - Bible Thought - WISE
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