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Page 68
But Stephen did more than to look after the needy ones. He began to
preach the gospel of Christ, and to preach with such power as made every
one who heard him feel the truth. Stephen saw before any other man in
the church saw, that the gospel of Christ was not for Jews only, but was
for all men; that all men might be saved if they would believe in Jesus;
and this great truth Stephen began to preach with all his power. Such
preaching as this, that men who were not Jews might be saved by
believing in Christ, made many of the Jews very angry. They called all
the people who were not Jews "Gentiles," and they looked upon them with
hate and scorn; but they could not answer the words that Stephen spoke.
They roused up the people and the rulers, and set them against Stephen,
and at last they seized Stephen, and brought him before the great
council of the rulers. They said to the rulers:
"This man is always speaking evil words against the Temple and against
the law of Moses. We have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth shall
destroy this place, and shall change the laws that Moses gave to us!"
This was partly true and partly false; but no lie is so harmful as that
which has a little truth with it. Then the high-priest said to Stephen:
"Are these things so?"
And as Stephen stood up to answer the high-priest, all fixed their eyes
upon him; and they saw that his face was shining, as though it was the
face of an angel. Then Stephen began to speak of the great things that
God had done for his people Israel in the past; how he had called
Abraham, their father, to go forth into a new land; how he had given
them great men, as Joseph, and Moses, and the prophets. He showed them
how the Israelites had not been faithful to God, who had given them such
wonderful blessings.
Then Stephen said:
"You are a people with hard hearts and stiff necks, who will not obey
the words of God and his Spirit. As your fathers did, so you do, also.
Your fathers killed the prophets whom God sent to them; and you have
slain Jesus, the Righteous One!"
As they heard these things, they became so angry against Stephen, that
they gnashed on him with their teeth, like wild beasts. But Stephen,
full of the Holy Spirit, looked up toward heaven with his shining face;
and he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on God's right hand, and
he said:
"I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right
hand of God!"
But they cried out with angry voices, and rushed upon him, and dragged
him out of the council-room, and outside the wall of the city. And there
they threw stones upon him to kill him, while Stephen was kneeling down
among the falling stones, and praying:
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Lord, lay not this sin up against them!"
And when he had said this, he fell asleep in death, the first to be
slain for the gospel of Christ.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wonder Book of Bible Stories
Compiled by Logan Marshall
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WONDER BOOK OF BIBLE STORIES ***
***** This file should be named 16042-8.txt or 16042-8.zip *****
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