Stephen was dragged out of the city: A Growing Church P/6

 

                                                      Read Part One HERE

A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                      PART VII - III

"I, Stephen, saw Jesus standing next to the Father in heaven.... I told the religious leaders... They did not believe me.... They began to yell at me... They then rushed at me.... They next dragged me out of the city... The reason they took me out of the city was to stone me... I knew I would leave this earth soon... So I prayed for these men... While being stoned I noticed a young man.... He was not throwing stones at me.... Instead, he was watching over their clothes.... I wondered if he did approve of their actions.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn of a young man named Saul....

 

                     ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS

                                                                         PART VII -  III

After the religious leaders had ran towards Stephen, they dragged him out of the city in order to stone him Such was their anger towards this godly man as you can read in Acts 7:58 - Acts 8:1a

..... Dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was there, giving approval to his death....

While in the process of killing Stephen, they gave their clothes to a young man named Saul, who approved of his stoning, to take care of them. In his last moments before his death, Stephen prayed for his persecutors and he then peacefully died, in contrast to these very angry religious leaders.