Day 30 — Stephen Accused (Acts 6:8-15) | May 25

Day 33 — Stephen's Defense: Moses Part 1 (Acts 7:17-29) | May 28

Moses was born under a death sentence, raised in Pharaoh's palace, educated in all the wisdom of Egypt. At forty, he saw an Israelite being beaten and intervened, killing the Egyptian. He assumed his people would recognize that God was giving them deliverance through him. They didn't. The next day, he tried to make peace between two fighting Israelites, and one turned on him: 'Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?' Moses fled to Midian and spent the next forty years as a shepherd, wondering if he'd completely misread his calling. He hadn't. God was still writing the story. Rejection by people is never the final word when God is the one who sent you.

Day 32 — Stephen's Defense: Joseph (Acts 7:9-16) | May 27

Stephen's history lesson moved to Joseph, and the parallels became impossible to ignore. The patriarchs, jealous of their brother, sold him into slavery. They thought they were getting rid of him. God was positioning him to save them. 'God was with him.' Four words that reframe everything. The pit didn't end Joseph's story. Neither did the prison. God gave him favor before Pharaoh and elevated him to power in Egypt. When famine struck, the brothers who betrayed him had nowhere else to turn. On the second visit, Joseph revealed himself. Stephen was building an argument: Israel's deliverers always come in two movements. First rejected, then revealed. Joseph. Moses. And now, Jesus.

Day 31 — Stephen's Defense: Abraham (Acts 7:1-8) | May 26

The high priest asked Stephen one question: 'Are these things true?' Most would have defended themselves or apologized. Stephen told a story. He started with Abraham, the father everyone in that room revered. And the first detail he highlighted was devastating: God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia, pagan territory, nowhere near Jerusalem or the promised land. Before the temple existed, before sacred geography mattered, God was already moving. Abraham spent his entire life as a wanderer in the land he'd been promised, never owning a foot of ground, holding only to God's word. Stephen's point cut deep: God has never been confined to a location. Faith follows Him wherever He goes.

Day 30 — Stephen Accused (Acts 6:8-15) | May 25

Stephen was chosen to serve tables. He ended up debating scholars in the synagogue and getting dragged before the Sanhedrin. Full of grace and power, he performed signs and wonders that drew opposition from the Synagogue of the Freedmen. When they couldn't win the argument, they changed the rules. False witnesses were bribed to accuse him of blasphemy against Moses, God, and the temple. The charges echoed the ones leveled at Jesus. Public opinion began to shift. And in the middle of the chaos, everyone in the courtroom looked at Stephen and saw something they couldn't explain: his face glowed like an angel. Faithfulness attracts opposition, and peace under pressure tells a story words can't.

Day 29 — Seven Servants Chosen (Acts 6:1-7) | May 24

The church was exploding with growth, but cracks were starting to show. Greek-speaking widows were being overlooked in the daily food distribution, and a complaint rose that threatened to divide the movement from within. The apostles faced a critical choice: abandon their calling to fix the problem themselves, or empower others to step up. They chose wisely. Seven Spirit-filled servants were selected, all with Greek names, uniquely positioned to serve the overlooked community. The result? The word of God spread even faster, disciples multiplied, and even priests started coming to faith. When everyone plays their part, the mission accelerates.