Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-14


subject to the Jewish authorities. So
stephen was brought before the
Sanheurim. False witnesses &C
cused him of continuing to speak
blaSphemous words against this holy
place, and the law: and to say that
Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this
place, aud change the customs
which Moses delivered to US"
SO evidently what Stephen had
been contending for had been a
wider proclamation OF the good
news. He of all the followers OF
The Way had caught something
of the Masters love for the world
which made him contend for the
universal spread of the gospel and
for mission of the church that
would include every man, woman
and child in the world. He alone
| had caught the purport of the
ChriStS last command to go into all
the world and preach the gospel to
i every creature.
The Ijbertines objected to this /;
they were not willing for the hated
Gentiles who had oppressed them to
enjoy any religious privilege. Saul
/ of TarSus, intense Jew that he was,
| though born and reared in foreign
| land, would not hear TO anyone but
| a Jew having any part in the re-
| ligion which had been given them
| by God when He called Abraham to
| leave his home and separate him
self from his people. These other
! foreign born Jews shared Sauls
prejudicies. And when Stephen got
| the best of the argument, they hired
men to pervert his words and make
accusations against him that were
utterly false.
When they looked at him intense
| ly, they saw his face as it had been
the face of an angel.
Defense
Space forbidS detailed study of
Stephens defense. II was a model
in many respects. He answered
every charge they had made against
him. and at the same time proved
his position to be spiritual and Scrip
tural. God had never confined Him.
self to one place. He appeared to
Abram before he came into Canaan.
He was with his descendants in
Egypt; and even after the temple
was built by Solomon, Isaiah had
said that heaven was His throne
and the earth His footStool. God is
a hillN tI sal NrOO. anu CduIEOl ne COH-
fined in this holy place. He also
showed that the charge of bias
phemy against Moses was false, for
even Moses had said what he had
been saying, that a prophet should
arise in his stead to lead the people
out of a greater bondage.
Then courag eous as a lion, Stephen
turned from being accused to &C.
cusOr. ''Ye stiffnecked and uncir-
cumcised in heart and ears" he said,
"ye do always resist the Holy
Ghost" And in no uncertain lam
| guage he accused them of following
in their fathers steps, but even go.
| ing further. They were the murder
ers of Jesus, the Messiah! The law
had been given them by angels, and
they had not kept it.
Stoned
This was more than they could
stand. 1t cut to the heart. They
CRASHED their teeth at him. AS for
him, he had given to him the privi-
lege of seeing the glory of God and
Jesus Christ standing at the right
hand of the Father. He had been
seated at the right hand of the
Father; now He is standing. Me-
thinks He had risen to receive the
spirit of His faithful servant!
But when Stephen spoke of it they
went wild-cried with a loud voice.
stopped their ears, ran upon him and
cast him out of the city. AS the tenn
pie is at the southeast corner, they
probably took him into the valley
of the Kidron near the Garden of
! Gethsemane. Casting his clothes at
the feet Of Saul as his chief accuser,
/ they stoned him to death. But
death did not take him before he had
commended his spirit to the Christ
whom he had seen and whose serv-
ant he had been. Nor before he
had prayed forthese who were his
murderers, that the Lord might not
lay this sin to their charge
The BODY mutilated almost beyond
recognition fell on sleep while the
spirit set free was received by
Christ as he had asked
Prayer-W Orhing
This stoning occurred in the early
part of A. d. 81. PLATE was re.
called the latter part of A. d. Sc,
The emperor died suddenly in the
early part of 81 A. D. and before an
/ other governor could reach Pales
| tine. 1t was during this inter
regnum that Stephen was stoned
for the Jews took things in their
! own hands and used their own
method of capital punishment-ston.
ing instead of crucifixion, the Ro
man method.
The blood of the martyr proved to
be the seed Of the church. Until
then-that is, for four yeacs after
Jesus had given His last command
the witness had been given To Jews
only and in Jerusalem only. Zut the
stoning Of Stephen began a persecu
ton of those who were Of The Way
which scattered them abroad, so that
they went everywhere preaching the
word. The apostles only were left
in Jerusalem. Thus that for which
Stephen had contended-the univer
salty Of the gospel and the world
wide mission of the church-was be
ginning to be accomplished, rot by
his life, but by his death. The chief
instigator of this persecution was
Saul of TarSus. Goaded by his de
feat in debate; Irritated by that face
of Stephens which he could never
forget (he was the one who gave
Luke his information about these de
IdlIo years dllci Wal W, cut " luS
heart by Stephens defense anC
charge; maddened by what he had
said about seeing the despised Naz
acne standing at the right hand OF
God when they all knew He was
crucified and buried-these things
put fire into the soul of Saul of Tar
sus and determined him to crush the
life out of every one everywhere
who dared to believe such things
But there was one other thing he
could not forget either that prayer
Of Stephens for him. 1t was finally
answered, and stephen did his great
est work through this answered
prayer.
Stephen-an outstanding private
member of the church, called to of
fetal service. full of grace and pow.
er. doing wonders, pleading irresist-