Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1909-02-18
Stephen the First
Christian Martyr
Ssndsy SeAsd Lesson for Feb. Il. 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

|
calling upon God. and saying: Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit. Acts 7ss.
| ,TIME.-About A. ID. IS. &c. Ramsay and
Harnack place IL earlier. 30 and 80. Ac-
coraing to Prof. Riddle there was an in
terregnum OF the Roman governors about
A. ID. 36 when PLATE was deposed. which
made II easier for the Jewish rulers to
/ put stephen to death contrary to Roman
| law.
, PLACE.-Jerusalem The city, the syn
agogue of the Abertines, the council
chamber. and outside OF st. Stephens
gate opposite Gethsemane.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
1--WE now enter upon new epoch
of continuous development which will
lead us without pause to Acts 1925,
/. e., from Hebrew disciples at Jerusa-
lem to Greek Christians at Antioch. -
Rackam
There were two classes of Jews at
Jerusalem. "The Grecians" ". -.
r. ". "Grecian Jews" Hellenists,
those Jews who had settled in Greek
speaking countries. who spoke the
common Greek dialect in place of the
vernacular Aramaic current in Pales-
tine, and who would be more or less
influenced by Greek thought and Gus
toms, and broadened to accept of
the necessary new development of
Christianity. Against the Hebrews"
". -, the Jews of Palestine, who COM
posed by far the larger part of the
church of Jerusalem
Between these two classes there
arose complaint and murmuring be-
cause the widows of the foreign Jews
did not receive their natural share of
the support given to the home Jews.
And yet they needed ii even more than
the widows who were among acquain-
tances and friends.
The Difficulty Settled by the Or
ganization of Laymen for the Work.
The church elected seven men to at
tend to this and similar duties, leav-
ing the apostles free to give their
whole time to preaching, prayer, and
training the disciples.
The qualities required in these Off
GERS of the church were CD of good re-
port, CD full of the Holy Spirit, go
of wise judgment, (4) full of faith.
Character Sketch of Stephen.
"A young man of such original genius
and special grace that there was moth
ing he might not have attained to had
he been allowed 10 live His wonder
full openness of mind; his perfect free
dom from all the prepossessions, pre-
JUDGES, and superstitions of his day;
his courage, his eloquence, his spot
less character: with a certain sweet,
and at the same time majestic man.
ner. all combined to set Stephen in
the very front rank both of service
and of risk, He was already all but
the foremost man of his day Alex
ander Whyte, Bible Characters.
2. He was man of power the
power of faith and character afame
with the Holy Spirit.
3. He was full of grace, and of
| graces, and the beauty Of holiness.
Grace and power do not always go to-
I gether Some things are beautiful. but
not strong. Some things are strong
and not beautiful. How seldom is a
/ Boanerges (son OF thunder) at the
same time a Barnabas Ia son of con-
solation). But the highest characters
combine both. They that wait upon
4 the Lord shall renew their strength
and the beauty of the Lord
/ God shall be upon them Pres.
Mark Hopkins, Strength and Beauty
4. The source of his power was that
he was filled with the Holy Spirit ".
! 81. Prof. Bruce said of Phillips
/ Brooks: The man is just a great
Waterman attached to the everlasting
reservoir of Gods truth and grace and
love. and streams of life. as by a
heavenly gravitation. pour through
/ him to refresh weary Prof.
/ A. V. G. Aliens Life of Phillips Brooks.
3 The fruits of his power were
/ deeds of healing and love, wonderful
miracles, signs" which were God s
Endorsement of his teachings. II is
almost impossible to prove that ones
teachings are from God, except by
deeds that only God can do-miracles
of transformed character, or miracles
of healing and help.
Stephens Argument of Defense Be
fore the Sanhedrim. Acts 7:1-53.
l. Stephens address is not direct
but a real answer to the charges
against him.
2. His very use of the Scriptures is
proof that he received them and did
not blaspheme by repudiating them
g. He defends what the Christians
thought of. the temple by the history
in the Bible they accepted.
a. He shows that the Jesus he
preached was the one foretold by
Moses
5. He shows that they who pretend
ed to uphold the law were themselves
breaking IL as did their fathers, whom
the prophets condemned.
Saul standing by and deeply i'm
pressed by the scene, and not long aft
erward changed into a disciple OF
Jesus, shows how the blood of mar
y tyrs became the seed of the church
A seemingly ordinary man was con
rerted. opened his heart to receive
the Holy Spirit, and became one oil
the most influential Of men. So II
may be true of us. ~(F
Out of troublous times. difficulties
and prosecutions. as from Jacobs pill
low OF stones. there may. arise a path
way to sG6d and heaven, the clear
shining hills OF Beulah above the
mists OF distraction and the thunder
bolts of suffering"
Ct~..x.xs. rh~<atso~ No. 49, -.