1 - Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?” 2 To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 3 Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ 4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live. 5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. 6 God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own. They will be slaves and mistreated. 7 And the nation to which they will be in bondage, I will judge,' God said, 'and after wards they will come out and will serve me in this place.'” (AFter the slavery and after the judgment - earthly, btw - then they will laud Him - micro fulfillment and example.)
8 “God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and also when Jacob became the father of the twelve fathers of the Israelite nation.” (On the “8th day” the “last great day” - Lev.23:36, Jn.7:37 - imperfection/“hamartia-missing the mark, translated sin, will be totally circumcised from off of mankind. God hides the Truth in plain sight and says it over and over.) 9 “Because the brothers were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace (and resources). 11 Then famine and its suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food. 12 Father Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons—our ancestors, the brothers—to buy some. 13 It was on their second trip that Joseph told them who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family. 14 Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all.
15 So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors, the fathers. 16 Later their bodies were taken back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor.
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Very Brief Outline of Acts:
Jesus returns to where he was with the Father before his advent/visit (his brief first one).
The Holy Spirit/Presence of God is poured out on the believers who were in Jerusalem on the late Spring holy day of Pentecost. Peter speaks, there are 3000 new believers that day.
The good news message spreads, Peter is invited and goes to a Roman’s house and all believe. The first record of non Hebrew believers (besides likely some on Pentecost).
Persecution breaks out.. jail. stoning. Pharisee Saul leads the persecution, but on his way to Damascus with papers for arrests, Jesus makes himself seen but is so bright Paul falls to the ground and is blinded. After two days he is healed and is a believer, and soon is called Paul. He wrote many (to most) of the New Testament letters, but spent a few years (it seems to me) exclusively listening to the Lord. He established many ‘churches’ in what’s called three missionary journeys, and met and worked with Mark and Luke, and quite a few others. (Luke wrote this Book of Acts.) His fourth journey is to Rome to trial as a prisoner. There’s a shipwreck on the way.. He wrote many of his letters while in prison and under ‘house’ arrest.
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