The arrest and martyrdom of stephen

  What is martyrdom 

Martyrdom is the death on account of adherence to a belief or faith or to any cause especially the Christian faith. 

The arrest of stephen 

Stephen was one of the appointed deacons who was chosen by the church to oversee the equitable distribution of food for the needy widows. 

 He was full of the Holy spirit,  and a day came where they could not withstand the knowledge and wisdom in the spirit by which stephen spoke. 

 They put accusation of blasphemy against him, they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes against him and dragged him before the council. They said,: “this cease not to speak blasphemous words against this Holy place, and the law, for we heard him say,  Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and chang the custom s Moses handed over to us.

The defense of stephen 

Then the the highest chief council, asked stephen,  “are these charges true “

Stephen answered portraying the following:

1. God does not only appear to people in the holy place, God appear to our father Abraham in Mesopotamia, and to Moses in Egypt, which entails that God can appear to us everywhere 

2. God does not dwell in a house made with hands. Our body is the temple of the holy spirit. 

3. One does not need the law to be saved 

The stoning of stephen 

As stephen was speaking, he was full of the Holy spirit,  he looked up to Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Then he said ” look,  i see heaven open and the son of man standing at the right of God “.

 Hearing this, they covered their ears and  shouted, they all rushed at him and dragged himout of the city and stone him. Meanwhile the accusers dropped their cloths at Saul feet, who supervised the stoning,  but stephen prayed, “lord  Jesus  received my spirit and he fell on his knees and cried, ” lord,  do not hold this against them”. And he fell asleep. 

Stephen became the first Christian to die for Christ.