Stephen showed the greatness of his character because he endured his hardship the way God intended for him to endure it. Out of the thousands of men in the Jerusalem church, he was one of seven men chosen as a deacon to distribute food to the Hellenists widows. It’s his name that appears first on the list, in fact. And the fact that the apostles would choose him as its chief lay-leader shows us what high regard the Church had for Stephen.

In this comprehensive sermon series, Pastor Ronald H. Gann travels the dusty roads of the Mediterranean world alongside Peter and Paul and examines the key events in the formation of the early Church.