More to Explore
Answers to real-life questions and even more Scripture to explore!
What happened to the early church after Stephen’s death?
Instead of silencing Stephen, his accusers actually spread the Gospel to more people! Acts 8:1 says: … 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.
Because of persecution, the good news of Jesus was spread farther than ever before. This is the exact opposite of what Stephen’s accusers wanted. What Satan meant for evil, God meant for good. Many people accepted Jesus as their Savior because of this scary situation!
Was the apostle Paul at the stoning of Stephen?
Yes, Acts 7:58 says Paul, who was named Saul at the time, watched Stephen be stoned. He is mentioned again in Acts 8:1-3 as a chief persecutor of the early church. After his conversion, he became one of the strongest voices and leaders of the early church. Your memory verse for the week is from the book he wrote to the Romans. Just like Stephen, Paul was persecuted and understood there is nothing that can ever separate us from God’s love!
Who is the Holy Spirit?
In the Bible, we read about the one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4), Who shows who He is in three different persons in the Bible. We call this the Trinity. It includes God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. In John 16:7-15, the Bible tells us more about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, guides us to truth in God’s Word and glorifies God. The Trinity is hard to explain and something we won’t completely understand until we reach heaven, but we can believe what God says is true!