STEPHEN, THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR

by Tony Alamo

In Acts 2:4, the disciples multiplied by the thousands immediately after the day of Pentecost. “There arose a murmuring of the Greeks against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of food and other necessities. Then the twelve disciples called the multitude of the disciples together, and said, It is not good that we [elders] should leave the WORD of GOD to wait on tables and food preparation. Search out seven men of honest report, filled with the HOLY SPIRIT and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the WORD [preaching and teaching]. And these instructions pleased the entire multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the HOLY SPIRIT [and six other holy men]: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the WORD of GOD increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

“Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the SPIRIT by which he spake. So they recruited men to lie about them saying, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against GOD. And they [as the government, media, and antichrists do today] stirred up the people [the mob], and the elders, and the scribes [whom JESUS said were of their father, the devil], and came upon him, and brought him to the council, And [as they do today] set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this Holy place, and the LAW [of GOD]: For we have heard him say, that this JESUS of NAZARETH shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as [if] it had been the face of an angel” (Acts chapter 6).

“Then said the high priest, Are these things so? And Stephen said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The GOD of GLORY appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Go you out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land I will show you. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from there, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, where you now dwell. And he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. And GOD spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they [the Egyptians] should bring them [the Jews, not the Arabs or Muslims] into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. And the nation [Egypt] to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said GOD: and after that shall they come forth, and serve ME in this place. And HE gave them [the Jews] the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

“And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but GOD was with him, And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. Now there came a famine over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no food. Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, so he sent out his sons to get some. The second time Joseph was made known unto them; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his kindred, seventy-five people. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the cave/tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor, the father of Sychem.

“But when the time of the promise drew near, which GOD had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. This same king dealt subtly with our kindred [the Jews], and evil entreated our fathers [the Jews], so that they cast out their young children [the baby boys], to the end that they might not live. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months: And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him up as her own son. And Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

“And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that GOD by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, you are brothers; why do ye wrong one another? But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who has made you a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt you kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.

“And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the LORD [which was the LORD] in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the LORD came unto him, Saying, I AM THE GOD of thy fathers, the GOD of Abraham, and the GOD of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and dared not look. Then said the LORD to him, Put off your shoes from your feet: for the place where you stand is HOLY ground. I have seen, I have seen the affliction of MY people [the Jews] which is in Egypt, and I have heard their GROANING, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

“This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? the same did GOD send to be a ruler and a [judge (Exodus 18:13, 26)] deliverer by the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush. He brought them out, after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel [not Arabia], A prophet shall the LORD your GOD raise up unto you of your brethren [the Jews], like unto me [Moses, a Jew, which would be JESUS]; HIM shall you hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we haven’t a clue as to what is become of him. And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then GOD turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have you offered to ME slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? Yea, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures you made, to worship him: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

“Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as HE had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom GOD drove out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; Who found favour before GOD, and desired to find a tabernacle for the GOD of Jacob. But Solomon built HIM a house. Howbeit the MOST HIGH dwells not in temples made with hands; as the prophets say, HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, and earth is MY footstool: what house will you build ME? says the LORD: or what is the place of MY rest? Has not MY hand made all these things? You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the HOLY SPIRIT: as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the JUST ONE; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the LAW by the dispositions of angels, and have not kept it.

“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, looked up steadfastly into HEAVEN, and saw the GLORY of GOD, and [saw] JESUS standing on the right hand of GOD, And said, Behold, I see the HEAVENS opened, and the SON of MAN standing on the right hand of GOD. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses had laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon GOD, and saying, LORD JESUS, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, saying, LORD, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts chapter 7).

This same thing is happening today, and has been for two thousand years. Stephen has been enjoying the splendor of Heaven for two thousand years, and will be doing the same forever. However, those who have never repented their evil have been screaming their lungs out for two thousand years, and will be doing the same forever. 1 They will do this for millions of years, forever. Don’t let this happen to you. Repent of your sins, and believe the Gospel. Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31). Do it now by saying this prayer:

Prayer

My LORD and my GOD, have mercy upon my soul, a sinner. 1 I believe that JESUS CHRIST is the SON of the living GOD. 2 I believe that HE died on the cross and shed HIS precious blood for the forgiveness of all my former sins. 3 I believe that GOD raised JESUS from the dead by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT 4 and that HE sits on the right hand of GOD at this moment, hearing my confession of sin and this prayer. 5 I open up the door of my heart, and I invite YOU into my heart, LORD JESUS. 6 Wash all of my filthy sins away in the precious blood that YOU shed in my place on the cross at Calvary. 7 YOU will not turn me away, LORD JESUS; YOU will forgive my sins and save my soul. I know because YOUR WORD, the Bible, says so. 8 YOUR WORD says that YOU will turn no one away, and that includes me. 9 Therefore, I know that YOU have heard me, and I know that YOU have answered me, and I know that I am saved. 10 And I thank YOU, LORD JESUS, for saving my soul, and I will show my thankfulness by doing as YOU command and sin no more.11

Now that you are saved, serve GOD with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).12 Be baptized, fully submerged in water, in the name of the FATHER, of the SON, and of the HOLY SPIRIT.13 Diligently study the King James Version Bible and do what it says till the day you die.14

Then, as JESUS commands, be a soul-winner. You can do this by becoming a distributor of Pastor Alamo’s literature. We print Pastor Alamo’s literature in many languages, and we ship it all over the world free of charge. We spend millions of dollars on paper and shipping, so we need your prayers and financial help.

If you want the world saved, as JESUS commands, then don’t rob GOD of HIS tithes and offerings. GOD said, “Will [you] rob GOD? Yet ye have robbed ME. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed THEE? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed ME, even this whole nation [and this whole world]. Bring ye all the tithes [a ‘tithe’ is 10% of your gross income] into the storehouse, that there may be meat [Spiritual food] in MINE house [souls saved], and prove ME now herewith, saith the LORD of HOSTS, if I will not open you the win­dows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of HOSTS. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delight­some land, saith the LORD of HOSTS” (Malachi 3:8-12).


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Stephen, The First Christian Martyr footnotes:

1. Mark 9:43-48, Luke 3:9, 16-17, 12:5, 16:20-26, 2 Pet. 2:4-9, Jude 6-7, Rev. 14:9-11, 19:20, 20:7-15, 21:8 return


Prayer footnotes:

1. Psa. 51:5, Rom. 3:10-12, 23 return

2. Matt. 26:63-64, 27:54, Luke 1:30-33, John 9:35-37, Rom. 1:3-4 return

3. Acts 4:12, 20:28, Rom. 3:25, I John 1:7, Rev. 5:9 return

4. Psa. 16:9-10, Matt. 28:5-7, Mark 16:9, 12, 14, John 2:19, 21, 10:17-18, 11:25, Acts 2:24, 3:15, Rom. 8:11, I Cor. 15:3-7 return

5. Luke 22:69, Acts 2:25-36, Heb. 10:12-13 return

6. I Cor. 3:16, Rev. 3:20 return

7. Eph. 2:13-22, Heb. 9:22, 13:12, 20-21, I John 1:7, Rev. 1:5, 7:14 return

8. Matt. 26:28, Acts 2:21, 4:12, Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:14 return

9. Matt. 21:22, John 6:35, 37-40, Rom. 10:13 return

10. Heb. 11:6 return

11. John 5:14, 8:11, Rom. 6:4, I Cor. 15:10, Rev. 7:14, 22:14 return

12. Deut. 4:29, 6:5, 10:12, 11:13, 13:3-4, 26:16, 30:6, Josh. 22:5, Matt. 22:37-40, Mark 12:29-31, Luke 10:27 return

13. Matt. 28:18-20, John 3:5, Acts 2:38, 19:3-5, Rom. 6:3-5, Col. 2:10-12 return

14. Deut. 4:29, 13:4, 26:16, Josh. 1:8, 22:5, 2 Tim. 2:15, 3:14-17, James 1:22-25, Rev. 3:18 return