STEPHEN’S FAITH AND SPIRIT 

Acts 6:8-7:60

Key Verse 7:59-60

“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then, he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he said this, he fell asleep.”

Read 6:8-10. What kind of man was Stephen? (6:3, 5, 8, 10, 15)  Who arose to oppose Stephen? (6:9-10) Why? (6:10) Why did these Grecian Jews become angrier against him?

Read verses 11-15. Why and how did these Jews plot against and lie about Stephen? (6:11, 13 14) How did they escalate their campaign against him? (6:12-14)  Why was their charge against Stephen before the Sanhedrin serious? (Ex 20:7, Lev 24:16)  How did these attacks affect Stephen? (6:15)   What can we learn from these events?

Read verses 7:1-16.  What did the high priest ask Stephen? (7:1)  Where did the glorious God appear to Abraham what did he command Abraham to do? (2-3)  What did God promise to Abraham? (5, Ge 12:2-3, 7) Why did the patriarchs sell Joseph as a slave into Egypt? (9) Why is jealousy sin against God? How can we see God’s providence in the life of Joseph? (9-16)

Read verses 7:17-29. When and how did God prepare the Israelites to leave Egypt? How did God save and educate Moses? (20-22)  How did the Israelites treat Moses? (25-27) How did their rejection of Moses parallel with their rejection of Jesus?  Why did Moses leave Egypt? (29) What training did he receive in Midian?  Read verses 30-34.  How and why did God call Moses? (30-34)  What is ‘holy ground’? (33)

Read verses 35-43.  What did Moses do as a ruler and deliverer? (36)  What were the living words and the promise which Moses received and passed on to his people? (37-38)  How did their forefathers begin the history of disobedience and rejection? (39-41) How did this continue and what was the tragic result (42-43)?

Read verses 44-50.  What did they have in the desert (44)? Why was it called the “tabernacle of testimony”? (Ex. 25:16, 21) What was the history of the temple? What did the prophet say about it? (Isa 66:1, 2) How does this answer one charge regarding their accusation: “speaking against the holy place” (6:13)?  Why does the Most High not live in houses made by men? (48-50) 

Read verses 51-60.  How did Stephen rebuke them? (51-53) What does ‘stiff-necked people’ mean? What were their sins as well as their fathers’? (52-53) What was the main point of Stephen’s message? (53)  How did they respond to Stephen’s message? (54)  Whom did Stephen look up to at the critical moment and how did he testify? (55-56) What was their response to his testimony? (57)  Why did they put their clothes at the feet of Saul (58)? What do you think the role of Saul was in this event? (58, 8:1, 1Ti 1:13) 

When he was being stoned, how and for whom did he pray to Jesus? (59-60) How did his prayer resemble Jesus’ prayer? (Lk. 23:34, 46)  What was the promise to him who is faithful, even to the point of death? (Rev. 2:10)  

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