Acts 7:44-60
“Long ago our people were in the desert. They had with them the holy tent. The tent was where the tablets of the covenant law were kept. Moses had made the holy tent as God had commanded him. Moses made it like the pattern he had seen. Our people received the tent from God. Then they brought it with them when they took the land of Canaan. God drove out the nations that were in their way. At that time Joshua was Israel’s leader. The tent remained in the land until David’s time. David was blessed by God. So David asked if he could build a house for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built the temple for God.
“But the Most High God does not live in houses made by human hands. As God says through the prophet,
“ ‘Heaven is my throne.
The earth is under my control.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
Where will my resting place be?
Didn’t my hand make all these things?’ (Isaiah 66:1,2)
“You stubborn people! You won’t obey! You won’t listen! You are just like your people of long ago! You always oppose the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your people didn’t try to hurt? They even killed those who told about the coming of the Blameless One. And now you have handed him over to his enemies. You have murdered him. The law you received was given by angels. But you haven’t obeyed it.”
Stephen Is Killed
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they became very angry. They were so angry they ground their teeth at Stephen. But he was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up to heaven and saw God’s glory. He saw Jesus standing at God’s right hand. “Look!” he said. “I see heaven open. The Son of Man is standing at God’s right hand.”
When the Sanhedrin heard this, they covered their ears. They yelled at the top of their voices. They all rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city. They began to throw stones at him to kill him. The people who had brought false charges against Stephen took off their coats. They placed them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While the members of the Sanhedrin were throwing stones at Stephen, he prayed. “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” he said. Then he fell on his knees. He cried out, “Lord! Don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he died.
Acts 8:1-3
And Saul had agreed with the Sanhedrin that Stephen should die.
The Church Is Treated Badly and Scattered
On that day the church in Jerusalem began to be attacked and treated badly. All except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly Jews buried Stephen. They mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. He went from house to house. He dragged away men and women and put them in prison.
