Reading: Acts 7:1-60 After giving his address on the call of Abraham, the Jewish leaders rebelled, and Stephen became the first martyr of the Christian Church (but certainly not the last). We can get a lot from this passage of scripture. First, we see that Stephen was not only tried in a manner similar to that of the Lord Jesus, but he also died with similar prayers on his lips (in Luke 23:34, Jesus, while dying, says: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing". and in verse 60 of this passage, Stephen, also dying, says:" Lord, do not hold this sin against them."). God gave Stephen the grace to forgive his murderers and to pray for them! I think something must also be said about the fact that Saul was present during Stephen's stoning. Both Stephen and Saul were highly earnest, fearless men. Yet what a contrast between them! Stephen was spiritual, a humble believer in Jesus Christ, saved by faith alone, defending the gospel of Jesus. Saul, o...