Conversion is vital to the Christian church, as the three examples in Acts 8-10 show. Jesus does not build his church through political change, cultural reform or simply by attracting people with kindness. Rather, it requires a work of his
Witnessing and evangelising
There are events which shape history; Stephen’s appearance and death fit into that category. He triggers a personal turmoil for Saul, a young (Ac 7:58), law-keeping, studious (Ph 3:4-6) and rich (Ph 4:12) council member (Ac 26:10) who is left
A brush with danger
For many of us there have been points in our lives when danger has come very near but we’ve not seen it. In these verses that happens to the group of important men who form the main Jewish council in
Mistaken
Jesus warned his generation about their failure to understand themselves (Jo 8:31-33). In our passage, Stephen does the same with a speech that draws down on Israel’s history. His hearers are mistaken about it, which means they are mistaken about
Unexpected hero
God loves truth (Jo 17:17). But we, at times, twist or corrupt it through lies, half-truths or in other ways. This results in us deceiving others and, even, ourselves. Such self-deceit may leave both individuals and groups with false ideas
Raw nerve
Stephen’s potted history of Israel is the longest speech summary recorded in Acts. Its content may seem surprising to us but Stephen’s words brilliantly question his hearers’ assumptions about God and themselves. Evangelism should have this personal edge to it,
Face like an angel
When we speak freely about what we believe, it can provoke many different types of response including opposition. But though some would simply challenge us through counter-argument, there are others who believe they must close down the conversation, with violence
A really useful complaint
It’s time for a new phase in the church’s life as Jesus takes forward the plan he outlined to his disciples (Ac 1:8). Their focus thus far has rightly been on Jerusalem in general, and the temple in particular. But