The Christians in Jerusalem were very sad that Stephen had been stoned to death. He was one of their greatest champions, but they should have expected it. Jesus had predicted that this kind of persecution would arise. “You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles,” Jesus had said (Matthew 10:18). The church continued to suffer persecution in Jerusalem, and after the stoning of Stephen things went from bad to worse.
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