EBD | 1st Quarter 2023 | CPAD – Adults – TOPIC: VIVE YOUR WORK – The Scriptures’ call to the brokenness and power of God | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 07: Stephen – A Revived Martyr Slides prepared by: Celso Napoleon

1. Stephen – A Martyr Revived

2. GOLDEN TEXT
“But he, being filled with the Holy Ghost […] said,
Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of
Man standing on the right hand of God.” (At
7.55,56)

3. PRACTICAL TRUTH
Through the grace of God the Christian can be
faithful to Christ until death and behold his glory.

4. DAILY READING
• Monday – Mt 16.18 The gates of Hell will not prevail
• Tuesday - Is 43.13 God's will cannot be prevented
• Wednesday – Mk 16.17,18 Signs of revival in the Church of
Christ
• Thursday – Mt 10.16-20 Sent to the wolves under the power
of the Holy Ghost
• Friday – Ps 116.15 The death of the saints is precious in the
sight of the Lord
• Saturday - Rev 14.13 Those who die in Christ are blessed

5. CLASS BIBLE READING Acts 6:8-10; 7.54-60
Acts 6
8-And Stephen, full of faith and power, did wonders and great signs
among the people.
9- And some who were from the synagogue called the Freedmen, and
from the Cyrenians, from the Alexandrians, and from those who were
from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen.
10- And they could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he
spoke.

6. Acts 7
54- And when they heard this, they raged in their heart and gnashed their
teeth against him.
55-But he, being filled with the Holy Ghost and looking intently into
heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God
56-and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man
standing at the right hand of God.
57-But they shouted with a loud voice, stopped their ears and rushed at
him with one accord.
CLASS BIBLE READING Acts 6:8-10; 7.54-60

7. Acts 7
58- And, driving him out of the city, they stoned him. And the witnesses
laid his garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59- And they stoned Stephen, who invocation said: Lord Jesus, receive
my spirit.
60- And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, do not lay
this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep.
CLASS BIBLE READING Acts 6:8-10; 7.54-60

8. INTRODUCTION
The subject of this lesson is the martyrdom of Stephen, a revived hero
of the faith. As one of the seven men who formed the first body of
deacons in the ancient church, Stephen was “full of faith and power”,
“performed wonders and great signs among the people” (Acts 6.8). Due
to his performance as an authentic evangelist, in the anointing of the
Holy Ghost, he caused the envy of the opponents of the Gospel. The
book of Acts reveals Stephen's martyrdom because of his perseverance
for the Gospel. In that sense, we will see that he was a faithful servant
until death and will receive the crown of life (Ap 2.10).
KEYWORD: MARTYR

9. I – O TESTEMUNHO DE STEPHEN
1- Stephen used by God. Stephen's name appears for the
first time in the choice of deacons in Acts (6.3,5). Clearly,
the evangelist Luke makes prominent mention when he
says that the first martyr was a “man full of faith and the
Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:5). In verse 8, we learn of other
characteristics of Stephen: “Full of faith and power, he
performed wonders and great signs among the people”
(Acts 6:8).

10. This reputation caused envy and great opposition from the
church's opponents: "Some of the synagogue, called
libertines, from the Cyrenians, from the Alexandrians, from
those who were from Cilicia, from Asia, rose up and
disputed with Stephen" (Acts 6.9). Today, let us pray for
God to raise up believers like Stephen, full of faith and
wisdom.
I - STEPHEN'S TESTIMONY

11. 2- A cowardly opposition. The enemies of the Church
use shady, dishonest and evil means against the Christian
faith. Debating with Stephen, as they “could not resist his
wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke,” they used
bribery to entice ungodly men to accuse him of lies. These
adversaries brought “false witnesses” who accused him of
blaspheming “against Moses and against God” (Acts 6:9-
14).
I - STEPHEN'S TESTIMONY

12. These enemies also used violence against Stephen,
encouraging the political and religious leadership to
violently take him to the Sanhedrin. Despite this, something
surprised the impious accusers: “Then all who sat in the
council, looking intently at him, saw his face like the face
of an angel” (Acts 6:15). May God use his people in such a
way that they reflect the power of the Holy Ghost!
I - STEPHEN'S TESTIMONY

13. 3- The Fury of the accusers. After wisely summarizing
the history of Israel and its apostasy*, Stephen changed the
focus of the speech. He confronted the hardheartedness of
the Israelite leaders, saying: “You stiff-necked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy
Ghost; so you are like your fathers” (Acts 7:51).
I - STEPHEN'S TESTIMONY

14. In short, he denounced their betrayals and murder against
Jesus. Thus, in the face of such harsh denunciation, the
impious judges raged against him (7-54). However, true to
his mission, Stephen expounded with authority what the
Spirit of God had put in his heart.
I - STEPHEN'S TESTIMONY

15. SYNOPSIS I
Stephen remained firm in his Christian testimony,
even in the face of the fury of his opponents.

16. II - THE PRECIOUS DEATH OF STEPHEN
1- Filled with the Holy Ghost. After the fury of Christ's
enemies, the path of Stephen's martyrdom was traced.
However, before doing so, the first martyr of the Church
had a vision of the glory of God and saw Jesus beside the
Father, in a special moment, of such spiritual ecstasy, so
that death did not intimidate him:

17. “But he, being filled with the Holy Ghost and looking
intently into heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus
standing at the right hand of God, and he said, Behold, I
see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing the
right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). What a glorious sight! A
spiritually enlivened life beholds the glory of God in the
face of a great storm.
II - THE PRECIOUS DEATH OF STEPHEN

18. 2- The violence of the accusers. If his accusers were
infuriated because of Stephen's courageous confrontation,
they could not bear to hear that he saw the glory of God
and, Jesus, in the heavens. In order to execute him, they
expelled him from the city, stoned him before “a young
man named Saul” (Acts 7.58) and took him, with violence,
outside the city to make him the first martyr of the
Christian Church there. At that time, Saul of Tarsus was
the main persecutor of Christians.
II - THE PRECIOUS DEATH OF STEPHEN

19. 3- Forgiveness in martyrdom. In that moment of torture
and pain, Stephen showed no feelings of revenge or hatred:
“And they stoned Stephen, who invocation said: Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit. And falling to his knees, he cried out with
a loud voice, Lord, do not lay this sin to their charge. And
having said this, he fell asleep ”(Acts 7.59,60). What a grand
example! Stephen still exclaimed: “Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit [...].
II - THE PRECIOUS DEATH OF STEPHEN

20. Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:59,60).
What the Word of God says was fulfilled: “Precious is the
sight of the Lord, the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).
A spiritually revived believer does not harbor revenge or
hatred in his heart. He is ready to forgive his tormentors.
II - THE PRECIOUS DEATH OF STEPHEN

21. SYNOPSIS II
Stephen, filled with the Holy Ghost, witnessed the
manifestation of the Glory of God.

22. III – REVIVAL IN SUFFERING
1- Suffering and death of the apostles. The Bible does
not say how all of Jesus' apostles died. In Church History
books, there are records of oral information, or historical
traditions on this subject. Historical tradition, transmitted
orally, and recorded in some writings, says that, with the
exception of John the Evangelist, all the apostles died a
violent death.

23. The only thing that is certain is that they were faithful to
death and did not deny the name of the Lord. The apostles
were spiritually revived. How many times are we tempted to
deny Christ for trivial reasons, whether in the family, or at
school, or in the condition of a professional position?! May
God keep us from betraying the Savior!
III – REVIVAL IN SUFFERING

24. 2- Revival and suffering. Spiritual revival, motivated by
the glorious presence of the Holy Ghost, renews the
strength of God's servants to face difficult situations
because of their faith in Jesus. The Bible shows us this
empowerment of the Spirit to be resilient in the face of
difficulties.
III – REVIVAL IN SUFFERING

25. For the believer, spiritually enlivened, when faced with
suffering, the joy of the Lord is his strength (Ne 8.10).
That's why revival is a matter of necessity. The believer in
Jesus needs this support from heaven to overcome the
many hardships he goes through.
III – REVIVAL IN SUFFERING

26. SYNOPSIS III
The revived Christian remains faithful to God even in the
face of persecution and death.

27. CONCLUSION
Before the enemies of the Gospel of Christ and death,
Stephen's testimony shows us that God grants grace,
strength and emotional balance to the spiritually revived
believer. May the Lord help us to glorify him in the midst
of life's struggles. Following the example of the first martyr
of the ancient church, let us not deny Christ!

28. REVIEWING THE CONTENT
1- When, for the first time, does the name of Stephen appear?
A: Stephen's name appears for the first time in the choice of deacons in
Acts (6.315).
2- What did Stephen denounce?
A: He confronted the hardheartedness of the Israelite leaders and
denounced their betrayals and murder against Jesus.
3- What was the vision that Stephen had?
A: The first martyr of the church had a vision of the glory of God and
saw Jesus beside the Father.

29. REVIEWING THE CONTENT
4- What feeling did Stephen not show in the face of his
torture and pain?
A: In that moment of torture and pain, Stephen showed no
feelings of revenge or hatred.
5- What is the joy of the Lord for the revived believer?
A: For the believer spiritually revived in the face of suffering, the
joy of the Lord is his strength (Ne 8.10).

30. EBD | 1st Quarter 2023 | CPAD – Adults – TOPIC: VIVE
YOUR WORK – The Scriptures’ call to the brokenness and power
of God | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 07: Stephen – A Revived
Martyr
Slides prepared by: Celso Napoleon