In the book of Acts of the Apostles, we find many occasions when the believers were placed in front of the authorities of the time and they were asked to justify themselves and express their believes. We hear speeches given by Peter, John, and Paul, to name a few.
There is one particular character in that book that gets only 2 chapters, we do not know much about him before these two chapters, but he has become a beacon of faith for his beliefs. I am talking about Stephen. In Acts chapter 6, we find that the church was going through some disagreements between the believers. The Greek believers were complaining that their widows were not receiving the same consideration and care as the Jew widows. Faced with this problem, and under inspiration from God, the Apostles decide to choose deacons that will work in the service of God in order to ensure that the offerings and resources are distributed fairly among the needy. After prayer, they choose 7 righteous men. One of them is Stephen.
Stephen, says the Word of God, "was a man full of God's grace and power, (who) performed great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8). He became a great instrument in the hands of God and well-esteemed by the early church. Of course, his popularity brought the attention of the religious rulers of the time, who seized him to be tried. As they had no evidence of his wrong doing, they produced false witnesses to build a case against him. Then Stephen was given an opportunity to refute his accusers.
Chapter 7 of the book of Acts then presents us with Stephen's speech. He starts with Abraham and goes through history all the way to Moses then to David and Solomon, proving that Jesus was the Messiah that the forefathers and prophets had spoken about. He spoke with such clarity and conviction that they could not refute him. The anger in his accusers' faces was so evident, that he looked at them knowing their evil intentions and reproached them with harsh words (verses 51-53).
Stephen, says Ellen G White in the book "The Story of Redemption" chapter 36, knew that he was not going to live through this, so he gave his best possible testimony.
Stephen was killed for his faith and his convictions, but his testimony was not in vain. Many of those who witnessed this were converted to the cause. Among those was Saul, who later became Paul.
Now, if you were placed in that situation where you had to explain Salvation in Jesus Christ, just like Stephen, Peter, John, Paul and many others, what would you say?
Write a summary of at least 250 words on salvation in Jesus Christ
There is one particular character in that book that gets only 2 chapters, we do not know much about him before these two chapters, but he has become a beacon of faith for his beliefs. I am talking about Stephen. In Acts chapter 6, we find that the church was going through some disagreements between the believers. The Greek believers were complaining that their widows were not receiving the same consideration and care as the Jew widows. Faced with this problem, and under inspiration from God, the Apostles decide to choose deacons that will work in the service of God in order to ensure that the offerings and resources are distributed fairly among the needy. After prayer, they choose 7 righteous men. One of them is Stephen.
Stephen, says the Word of God, "was a man full of God's grace and power, (who) performed great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8). He became a great instrument in the hands of God and well-esteemed by the early church. Of course, his popularity brought the attention of the religious rulers of the time, who seized him to be tried. As they had no evidence of his wrong doing, they produced false witnesses to build a case against him. Then Stephen was given an opportunity to refute his accusers.
Chapter 7 of the book of Acts then presents us with Stephen's speech. He starts with Abraham and goes through history all the way to Moses then to David and Solomon, proving that Jesus was the Messiah that the forefathers and prophets had spoken about. He spoke with such clarity and conviction that they could not refute him. The anger in his accusers' faces was so evident, that he looked at them knowing their evil intentions and reproached them with harsh words (verses 51-53).
Stephen, says Ellen G White in the book "The Story of Redemption" chapter 36, knew that he was not going to live through this, so he gave his best possible testimony.
Stephen was killed for his faith and his convictions, but his testimony was not in vain. Many of those who witnessed this were converted to the cause. Among those was Saul, who later became Paul.
Now, if you were placed in that situation where you had to explain Salvation in Jesus Christ, just like Stephen, Peter, John, Paul and many others, what would you say?
Write a summary of at least 250 words on salvation in Jesus Christ
RSS Feed