Stephen was one of the seven. He was also a man who performed great wonders and signs among the people. In an earlier post I noted that most of the miracles recorded in Acts were performed by the apostles, Stephen is one clear example where someone other than an apostle performed miracles. The example of Stephen also shows that in God's kingdom there is no clear distinction between people who do "spiritual" tasks and those who do more mundane tasks, such as "serving at tables".
Opposition arose to Stephen because of what he was doing. When the power of God is clearly demonstrated opposition will always arise. They argued with Stephen, but the Spirit gave Stephen wisdom to answer them.
Rational argument having failed, they resorted to false accusation (as the religious leaders had done so against Jesus), and falsely accused him of blasphemy. So Stephen was arrested and brought false witnesses against him. Interestingly the accusations were similar to those brought against Jesus. Even in this Stephen's face shone like an angel, perhaps there is an allusion here to Moses' face being radiant.
Stephen was a remarkable man. He was skilled in the practicalities of running a church, he could perform great signs and wonders, he could defend the gospel, and in the next chapter we will see him giving a devastating account of Jewish history to his accusers, and finally becoming a martyr.
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