The amount of Scripture Stephen either quotes or references is overwhelming. I don't think for a moment that most of us would be able to walk people through so thorough a study of the people of God without notes at the ready. By my count, he references at least twenty passages from the Old Testament. I do not doubt that if Stephen had survived this ordeal, he would have been a faithful proclaimer of the goodness of God available through Jesus Christ. I would have loved to know more about the man and get glimpses into his life and ministry than the few lines we have. Even in his death, his attention and affection were on Jesus. In his final breath, he prayed for the pardon of those who were in the act of killing him. His character was above reproach. There was a purpose in his death, but I will address that tomorrow.