This passage of Scripture is often only glossed-over in sermons, but I’ll bet you’ve never heard it explained like this.
Stephen, the first martyr, was a deacon. The word “deacon” meant a very different thing back in AD 30–he was basically a waiter, not someone on the Board of Directors of the Church in Jerusalem.
He was well-liked and had a servant’s heart, but he was just a dude.
There was one particular thing that was pretty impressive about Stephen besides his unwavering faith, and that was his incredible knowledge of the Scripture. His lengthy sermon covered large swaths of the Old Testament and he didn’t have Biblegateway to reference.
Check out this epic sermon:
Inspiring stuff. If you were inspired by this sermon, you can get yourself a copy of the painting Doug referenced in this sermon.
Doug’s original painting, “The Stoning of Stephen” is available on DougGiles.Art.
Limited Edition prints and Open Edition Prints are also available.
