(མཛད་པ། 7:51-60)

 

51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” 54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together[b] at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:51-60)

 

Stephen is Executed

Stephen finished his speech by accusing his accusers of themselves being rebellious against God just like their forefathers. So in their fury they execute him.

It seemed that God’s purpose for his church to continue growing had been defeated. But not so; God had his own plans.

Chapter 9 of Acts tell us how, later on, the young man Saul came to believe. And then Chapters 13-28 are mainly the story of how God used Saul, now known as Paul, to help the gospel to spread.

(མཛད་པ། 8:1-3)

 

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. (Acts 8:1-3)

 

Stephen’s execution was the beginning of severe persecution of the church. And the young man Saul was very active in arresting believers to be punished by the law-courts, even to be sentenced to death.

However there was no further imprisonment of the apostles for a while. They remained in Jerusalem, where previously they had been freed from prison by God (Chapter 6:17-21).

(མཛད་པ། 8:4-6)

 

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city. (Acts 8:4-6)

 

Jews thought of the Samaritan people as heretics who did not keep the Jewish  dharma ( chos byas ) correctly. However Yeshu had said that the good news would be preached first to the Jews and then to the Samaritans (Chapter 1 verse 8). The time for them to hear had now come.

Philip, along with Stephen, was one of the seven who had been appointed as servants to the young church (Chapter 6 verse 5). He was also an evangelist, which is how a preacher of the gospel is termed.