Acts 6:8-7:60 - The Second Martyr

Big Idea: When God-given means become self-exalting ends, faithful men become martyrs.

1. (6.8-15) Stephen accused: You want to destroy the temple and change the law
2. (7:1-53) Stephen’s defense: God is never confined, you resist his spirit 
3. (7:54-60) Stephen’s Sentence: Public Stoning in false Zeal because of true testimony

Discussion Questions:
1. What practices or “good things” in our church life today are in danger of slipping from means to ends, and how can we guard against that shift?

2. Stephen charges the council with always resisting the Spirit (7:51). What are practical signs that we might be resisting the Spirit’s leading in our own lives?

3. Saul watched Stephen die and later became Paul. How does this long-range impact of Stephen’s witness encourage us when our own faithfulness seems fruitless or costly? Share examples where perseverance eventually bore unexpected fruit.