Stephen
Acts 7:1-8:2
Scripture: Acts 7:1-8:2
Memory Verse: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of
God to salvation for everyone who believes…..” Romans 1:16
Lesson Focus: Even in death Stephen was full of the Spirit and spoke of Jesus! * We
need to be bold in telling others about Jesus
Activities and Crafts:
Introduction: Stephen is the first Christian to be killed for his faith. Stephen is the first
martyr. √Do you know what a martyr is? (some one who is killed for what they
believe.) Stephen was known for living out his witness. That means that his life and
his words matched up!
Illustration: Show the kids a puzzle. Tell them that our life is like these two puzzle
pieces. When we say that we believe in Jesus then our life needs to match up to what
Jesus was like. When it doesn’t it confuses people. Because we say we believe and then
we act a different way. Stephen is the perfect picture of someone who lived the way he
believed. He was a witness for Jesus. His life, his words lined perfectly up with Jesus.
* We need to be bold in telling others about Jesus
Bible Lesson:
Review: Remind the kids of the lesson two weeks ago from Acts 6. Stephen was
a man chosen by the apostles to help with the needs of the growing Christian
community.
√ How did the Bible describe Stephen?
1. a man full of faith (Acts 6:5) (he trusted in God alone!)
2. a man full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5) (he was led by God)
3. full of power ( Acts 6:8)
4. did many miracles (Acts 6:8) (because Stephen was filled with the
Holy Spirit he was powerful. God did many wonders through
Stephen. We are not told specifically
5. spoke in wisdom and the Spirit (Acts 6:10)
6. his countenance looked like an angel (Acts 6:15)
Now the “religious” leaders set up “false witnesses” against Stephen. In other
words people who would tell lies. The lies they told where:
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1. Stephen speaks “blasphemous” words against the holy place and the
law
2. They said that Stephen said that Jesus would destroy the temple and
change the law that Moses gave to them.
Acts 7:1
Stephen is asked if these things are true.
Stephen answers by giving a sermon:
Stephen knows his Bible history and the history of his people. Stephen will speak
against the three things that the church leaders put their faith in.
1. The Land
2. The Law
3. The Temple
He will let them know that they should put no confidence in any of these things.
Their faith in God is not based on these three things. Their faith in God should be
based on who God is.
√ Where does Stephen start? (With Abraham)
√ Why do you think that Stephen started there? (Because this is the place
where all Jews trace back their heritage….it all begins with father
Abraham.)
Acts 7:2-50 Stephen’s Defense – it all begins with Abraham!
√ what story does Stephen tell of Abraham
1. God called Abraham out of his country and was told to go to a
new country.
2. God promised to give Abraham a child and through this child
all of the world would be blessed
3. God said that Abraham’s descendants would dwell in a foreign
land.
4. God told Abraham that his people would be slaves for 400
years
5. God gave Abraham a covenant (a promise) that would set apart
this people for God.
6. Abraham had Isaac. Isaac had Jacob. Jacob had the 12 tribes
of Israel.
7. Joseph was sold to Egypt, but God was with him and delivered
him and put Joseph in a place to rescue Israel from destruction
of a famine.
8. The Jewish people grew in number while they were in Egypt
and became the slaves of an evil pharaoh.
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9. Moses comes along and becomes a King of Egypt, when he is
40 years old he kills an Egyptian that is beating on a Jewish
man.
10. Moses flees Egypt, and 40 years later God appears to Moses
and calls him to return and to get the Jewish people out of
Egypt.
11. God leads his people out of Egypt by doing many miracles.
12. Moses prophecies of the coming Messiah (Jesus) in Acts 7:37.
Look at Matthew 17:5.
13. Moses received the law from God on Mount Sinai.
14. The Jewish people rejected God by asking for Aaron to make
them gods.
15. Joshua followed Moses and took them into the promise land.
16. David found favor with God, but was not allowed to build the
temple. His son Solomon built the temple.
√ Why does 7:48 stand out? God makes a point to say that God does not
dwell in a building. The temple was so important to the Jewish people
that many times they focused on the beautiful building and not on God.
Stephen then quotes 2 Old Testament passages to emphasize the fact that
God does not dwell in a building.
Isaiah 66:1-2 “Heaven is My throne and earth is my footstool.”
Psalm 102;25, “Has My hand not made all these things.”

We need to be bold in telling others about Jesus
Here is what Stephen is saying:
1. God blessed Abraham not with land but with the promise of
the Messiah.
2. Moses’ law could not save the Israelites. Moses said that God
would raise up a prophet that they should listen to in
Deuteronomy 18:15-19. That prophet was Jesus.
3. The temple is not where God dwells, you can not put God in a
box.
Acts 7:51-53 Stephen’s Accusations:
1. You guys are “stiff – necked” (stubborn)
2. You guys might be circumcised but your heart and your ears are not.
You take care of stuff outwardly, but you don’t take care of your
hearts. That means that their heart and mind are far from really living
for God.
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3. You resist the Holy Spirit. (They resist God speaking to them and
calling them. They are not sensitive to hear from God.) They have too
much pride.)
4. You are just like the Jewish “fathers” before you. They did not listen
and killed the prophets that came to speak for God and to tell us of the
coming of Jesus.
Stephen told them that they were guilty of the same thing that their
Ancestors where guilty of. Their ancestors killed the prophets that came
to tell them about God and now they killed Jesus who was the Messiah
and who was greater than any of God’s prophets.
Stephen was bold and told the truth. He was not afraid to speak truth!
* We need to be bold in telling others about Jesus
Acts 7:54 Their Response!
1. They were cut to the heart
2. They gnashed at him with their teeth
They were mad and they were convicted. But their hearts did not change.
Acts 7:55-56 Stephens Response!
1. Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit
2. He gazed into Heaven
√ Who did Stephen see?
1. The Glory of God
2. Jesus standing at the right hand of God (this is the only place in
Scripture that we are told that Jesus is standing at the right seat of God.
Every where else the Bible says that Jesus sits at the right hand of
God. Do you think that this is important?
3. Stephen describes what he sees out loud
Even in Stephens death there was beauty. The heavens where opened up
and he saw Jesus.
Acts7:57-8:2 The Death of Stephen!
√ What did they do to Stephen? (ran at him and took him out of town to
stone him to death.)
√ What does 7:58 tell us? (That a young man named Saul was there and
that they laid their coats at Saul’s feet)
√ As Stephen is being stoned what did he do?
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1. called out to God (prayed)
2. Asked God to receive his spirit
3. Asked God to forgive them
√ Who else prayed this prayer? (Jesus)
Stephen is the first of many who would die for their faith. After Stephen
die the Church as persecuted (that means that people where trying to hurt
and kill them.) The Church scattered too many different areas.
Conclusion and Application:
1. We need to be bold in telling others about Jesus. We need to share Jesus and
not be afraid of others and what they think of us. This does not mean that we
do it in an unkind way, because that would not be showing the love of Jesus.
2. Our life needs to match up with Jesus. If we say we believe then we need to
be studying the Bible, filled with the Holy Spirit and be connected to Jesus.
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You
Jesus
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