Hey Peter who's the new guy? Oh, that's Stephen.

Jim explains how Acts Chapter 5 ends with one of the Jewish leaders, Gamaliel, stating that the apostles should be freed to spread their teachings. He proclaimed that if they were wrong, their campaign would fail of its own accord. If true, even their deaths would not stop its advancement through the presence of God. The apostles were eventually released, but not before suffering brutal beatings. They continued on with their preaching and miracles in the name of Jesus.

As the number of disciples increased, a conflict began between the Hellenistic Jews and the Hebraic Jews. The former group thought that their widows were being treated unfairly because they were not receiving the same amount of food as other widows.

The apostles decided to address this matter with the disciples. They explained that their primary task was to spread the Word of the Lord rather than spending time serving anyone food. The apostles told the disciples to select seven trustworthy people that were known for being very wise and full of the Holy Spirit.

Once these seven individuals were in charge of the task of handing out the food, the apostles could return to preaching the Word of God without any disruption. This way, more people could be converted to the faith since the apostles could focus their efforts on preaching.

The disciples were very pleased with the suggestion put forth from the apostles. They opted to pick a man named Stephen to be in charge of the task. He was known for his wisdom and also for presenting himself as someone who was filled with the Holy Spirit.

As Stephen began doing wonderful things, some people tried to argue with his message. They could not prove him wrong, though. Instead, they bribed people to lie about him, saying that he cursed God and Moses. Stephen was brought to the High Council where the false witnesses testified against him.