Acts 7:1-8

The call of Abraham Acts 7:1-8: The High Priest wanted to know if the things said about Stephen were true. Stephen's faith in Hebrew history was strong because he knew it was God at work. Stephen began his defense by showing that God called Abraham to leave Mesopotamia. He said, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee." Abraham came out of the land of the Chaldeans to sojourn in Canaan.

God did not give the land to Abraham but He promised it to his descendants. His descendants included Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve patriarchs. God made a covenant of circumcision with Abraham's descendants.

Stephen was a powerful preacher. He was a man well versed in what was taught in Old Testament Scripture. In Stephen's speech there are quotations of scripture following quotation. He was a man who was forced into action because of strong convictions. He was separated from the evil world of his day. A distinguishing mark of Christianity is separation from the world.