STEPHEN THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR

Stephen was no ordinary follower of Jesus. He was the first Christian martyr. His death catapulted the early Christian church from its local Jerusalem roots to a cause that spread across the entire world. Stephen was a man full of God’s grace and power. He did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. His revolutionary message got him hauled before the Sanhedrin, the same Jewish council that had condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy. When Stephen preached an impassioned defence of Christianity, a mob dragged him outside the city and stoned him.

His great influence

Stephen had a vision of Jesus and said he saw the Son of man standing at the right hand of God and he cried out, and (Acts 7:59-60). But, Stephen’s influence was even stronger after his death. A young man watching the martyrdom was Saul of Tarsus, who would later have an encounter with the living Jesus and be transformed