Stephen Testifies of Jesus Christ
A courageous servant gives his life for his testimony
The Church was growing quickly. It was getting harder for the Apostles to take care of all the members.
The Apostles decided to call seven men who could help. They asked the members to look for men who were wise and full of the Holy Ghost.
One of the people they chose was Stephen. The Apostles gave him a blessing. Stephen had a lot of faith and did great miracles among the people.
Stephen taught about Jesus Christ with wisdom and with the Spirit. But the leaders of a synagogue didn’t like what he was teaching. They said he was speaking against Moses and against God. They brought Stephen before the high priest and other leaders.
Stephen’s face looked like an angel’s face. He reminded the leaders that God sent Moses to save the Israelites, but they didn’t always follow Moses. Stephen said that Moses was like Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to save His people, but the leaders didn’t follow Him. The leaders were angry at Stephen.
Filled with the Holy Ghost, Stephen looked into heaven. He saw Jesus Christ standing next to Heavenly Father.
When Stephen told the leaders what he saw, they became even more upset. They shouted in anger and grabbed Stephen. Then they dragged him out of the city.
They laid their coats at the feet of a man named Saul. Then they threw stones at Stephen to put him to death. Saul agreed with what they were doing. Stephen prayed. He asked the Lord to forgive the people who were hurting him. He also asked the Lord to receive his spirit into heaven.