BibleBlox
75. stephen
/ acts 6:1-8:3 /
/ listen as you follow along /
Stephen was one of the first 1️⃣ special helpers chosen by Jesus' disciples in the early church. ⛪️ He was picked along with six other men to help make sure everyone, especially widows and those in need, got enough food 🥘 every day. The Bible 📕 tells us Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Spirit - meaning he really loved 🥰 Jesus and wanted to follow Him.
Stephen didn't just help give out food 🍱 - he also did amazing miracles ✨ and told many people about Jesus. He was so wise 🧠 when he talked about God that even smart teachers 👨🏼🏫 couldn't argue with him. When he spoke, his face would sometimes shine like an angel's. 😇
But some people didn't like that Stephen was telling everyone about Jesus. 😠 They told lies 👿 about him and brought him to a special court 👨⚖️ to be judged. Even when people were being mean 😪 to him, Stephen wasn't scared. He stood bravely 💪 and began to tell a long story - starting all the way back with Abraham. He reminded everyone about Moses, King 👑 David, and all the ways God had helped His people throughout history. 👨🏼🏫
Stephen explained how Jesus was the special Savior 🙌 that God had promised to send. While he was speaking, 🗣️ he looked up to heaven and saw Jesus standing next to God! He was so excited 😆 that he told everyone what he saw: "Look! I see heaven open and Jesus standing at God's right hand!" 🫱
This made the angry 😡 leaders cover their ears 🙉 - they didn't want to hear anymore. They dragged Stephen outside the city walls. As they started throwing stones 🪨 at him, Stephen prayed out loud, saying "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then he knelt down 🙇 and prayed 🙏 one more time, asking God to forgive the people who were hurting him, just before he closed his earthly eyes 👀 for good. 😵
This was the first time someone died ☠️ for being a follower of Jesus, and Stephen was remembered as the first martyr - someone who dies ☠️ for what they believe about Jesus.
After this happened, many Christians had to leave Jerusalem 🏃💨 because they were being persecuted. But everywhere these Christians went, 🧭 they told more people about Jesus, so even more people came to believe in Him! 🤙 God used something tragic to help spread the good news 🗞️ about Jesus to many new places.
One final nugget 🐥 from Stephen’s story: a young Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus approved 👍 the stoning 🪨 of Stephen. At the time, Saul thought what they were doing to Stephen was right, and he even watched 👀 over everyone's coats 🧥 while the others threw the stones. 🪨 But after that day, Saul’s life was about to change in a really big way… 🔄
74. the disciples heal and are persecuted / 75. stephen / 76. saul's conversion
