We read in the book of Acts that people took notice as the church began to grow. However, not everyone was pleased by what God was doing through the church. Many people, especially religious and political leaders, were unhappy that the name of Jesus was being preached and proclaimed. While some Christ followers may have been tempted to hide in fear, a man named Stephen boldly proclaimed the name of Jesus in the face of much persecution, even to the point of death. In our Bible study today, we will look at Stephen's story and be encouraged to stand up for our faith even when that has a cost.
BREAK THE ICE
On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being extremely bold and 1 being very timid, how would you rate your own personal boldness?
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
Bible Study Questions
1. When is a time you had to stand up for your faith when you knew it might not be received well? What happened?
WATCH SERMON RECAP
2. Read Acts 6:8-15. How is Stephen described in these verses?
Acts 6:8-15
"Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. 9 But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. 11 So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” 12 This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. 13 The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. 14 We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” 15 At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s."
"Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. 9 But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.
11 So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” 12 This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.
13 The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. 14 We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s."
3. Why did the men in the synagogue lie about Stephen?
4. Read Acts 7:51-60, which describe the end of Stephen’s defense after being arrested for his faith in Christ. What stands out to you about these last moments of Stephen’s life as he was being persecuted.
Acts 7:51-60
“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” 54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” 57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died."
“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died."
Application
1. What things hold you back when it comes to sharing your faith?
2. How can you follow Stephen's example in the face of persecution, whether that is boldness, speaking the truth, extending forgiveness, etc.)?
3. Who is someone you know in need of the hope of Jesus, but you have been nervous about sharing your faith because of how they might respond? How can you reach out to them this week? This is a great time to invite friends to our Christmas Tree lighting or Christmas Eve services. Here is a link for more information: https://www.sagebrush.church/treelighting/#times
MOVING FORWARD
We must not forget that many people throughout the world are facing persecution every day because of their faith. The Voice of the Martyrs has a website dedicated to serving the persecuted church. You can find a list of Christ followers who need prayer because they are being persecuted for their faith here. Pick one of these people as a group to pray for this person together. Pray for peace, protection, and renewed strength over them while they face persecution.
GOING DEEPER
Acts 8:1 tells us that as Stephen was being persecuted, "Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen." We will see later in this series that God had big plans for Saul that would radically change his life, but in this moment in the history of the early church, Stephen and Saul were direct opposites of each other. Let's take a moment to do a character study on both men and then discover what we can learn from both of them.
Stephen:
Individually skim through Acts 6:8-7:60, paying particular attention to how Stephen is described and what he says and does in these verses. Then, come back together when you all are finished to discuss what you learned.
1. How was Stephen described in Acts 6:8?
2. How did he live up to the description in Acts 6:8?
3. What stands out to you about Stephen in these chapters of Acts?
4. If you were to describe Stephen in one word, what would you say?
Saul:
Individually read Acts 8:1 and Acts 9:1-2. As you read, take special note of Saul's character and his actions. Then, come back together and discuss what you learned about him.
1. What was Saul communicating in Acts 8:1 when it came to Stephen’s stoning and death?
2. What stands out to you when it comes to Saul’s behavior?
3. If you were to describe Saul in one word, what would you say?
Reflect:Now that you have spent some time looking at Stephen and Saul individually, let’s compare and contrast these two fascinating characters in Scripture.
1. What similarities do you see between Stephen and Saul?
2. How were Stephen and Saul different?
3. Dictionary.com has defined a foil as someone in literature who makes another person's bad or good qualities even more noticeable. How is Saul the perfect foil for Stephen?
Both Stephen and Saul had boldness, but only Stephen's boldness pointed others to Christ and furthered His kingdom. Think of one bold thing you can do this week and share it with your group. Maybe your bold step is to invite someone to one of our Christmas Eve services or share your two-minute story with someone who is far from Christ. Then, when everyone has shared, pray for boldness together to have the same courage as Stephen, even when standing up for our faith is difficult.
MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE (Available for download on Sagebrush App)Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. 1 Chronicles 16:8
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