In these two chapters of Acts, the church was growing so much that the 12 Apostles needed help, so they chose 7 men who had a good reputation and full of the Spirit and wisdom to be in charge of taking care of the people in need, especially the feeding of the widows. They were Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch (6:5). Nowadays we would call this the first deacon ordination. Stephen also performed great wonders and signs among the people which cause the Synagogue of the Freedmen to come before the council. They had false charges against him, like Jesus did. The high priest asked, "Are these things so" (7:1)? Then Stephen went into the history of the Jews and how Abraham was not from here. Then Abraham had Isaac, and Isaac had Jacob and Jacob had the 12 patriarchs who were jealous of Joseph. Then from Joseph in Egypt to Moses, and how the Jews always rebelled against Moses. Through Moses came the tabernacle, and with King David wanting to build the Lord a house, his son Solomon did, but God's plan was not to dwell in a building built by hands. Then Stephen said the council was just like the Jews of the OT, they constantly rebel against God and persecuted the prophets that the Lord sent. This angered them so much they stoned him to death, and a young man named Saul watched and was in agreement to the whole thing.
