A lot has happened in the first five chapters of Acts. By this point, we’ve seen the early church survive some pretty fearsome attacks - two in particular: There was the attack of physical persecution in chapter 4 (then again at the end of chapter 5), when believers were rounded up, thrown in jail, and beaten to the point of death. Then, in chapter 5, there was the attack of moral corruption when we saw how a little fudging of the truth had disastrous results. In short, both attacks could’ve ended the early Christian movement in its tracks.

This week we see perhaps the most cunning attack of all. It’s an attack that’s much more subtle than the other two, and arguably most stunting to spiritual growth in the church today. What is it? What can we do about it? Come consider it with us on Sunday!

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From Series: "Good Problems"

This Weeks Sermon: "Grace Under Fire"

Stephen, often remembered as the first Christian martyr, was more like an unsung hero who just happened to be discovered because he was martyred. This by no means downplays the significance of his death; but we often don't realize the significance of his humble, faithful life leading up to it. Stephen never sought the attention of those that eventually opposed him. He was not an apostle, nor a missionary, nor a church-planter. He was a layman selected to help manage a crisis of poor administration. And yet, some scholars describe him as the leading example of faithful Christian witness in the Bible, second only to Jesus!

On Sunday, we take a look at the only biblical narrative that covers Stephen's life. So… what of this quiet hero’s life is worth modeling ours after? How are Christians to learn from and live more like him? This is what we’ll consider together.