What is Acts chapter 7 and who was Stephen?
Acts chapter 7 is Stephen's sermon, delivered by one of the six deacons appointed in Acts 6, a man full of the Holy Spirit. In it he appeals to Israel, recounting their history to convince them that the one they crucified was their Messiah.
Les explains that Acts chapter 7 is merely Stephen’s sermon. Stephen was one of the six deacons appointed in Acts chapter 6, a man full of the Holy Spirit. By this time, about seven years after Pentecost, Peter, the eleven, and other believing Jews had been presenting Israel with their king, even though they crucified him; God had raised him from the dead, and he could still be their king. Stephen begins an appeal to the nation of Israel, trying to convince them that the one they killed was their Messiah, and he goes through their history. For example, he recounts Joseph: the patriarchs moved with envy and sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him, delivered him from his afflictions, gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, and made him governor over Egypt and all his house. Les also notes the pattern of a Jew foreign in a Gentile land becoming a top government man, like Daniel.