Lesson 8 - Acts 6:1-10 - CHOOSING OF THE SEVEN
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in Acts 5:25-35, 38-42, we covered the story of all 12 apostles being arrested and called before the Sanhedrin. Like Peter and John's in their previous appearance (4:1-12), when ordered to stop witnessing for Jesus Christ, the apostles, as a unified body, they refused, affirming that they must obey God rather the men and were empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses in the name of Jesus, the Messiah and Savior of Israel, the One whom they had crucified. When the Council determined they must kill all of them, the most respected Pharisee teacher Gamaliel, intervened on the apostles behalf, citing previous uprisings that had faltered, argued that if God was not behind these apostles, their efforts would prove to be fruitless over time. So, instead, the Council had them flogged and then released them, and the apostles went away rejoicing. The main truth of the lesson was that like the apostles, to be obedient to our calling, we modern Christians must persistently proclaim the message of life in Jesus Christ, no matter what the cost.
This week, in Acts 6:1-10, we will see how the early church in Jerusalem dealt with a problem caused by the rapid growth of the church, when seven proven men outside of the apostles are appointed to resolve the problem. We will also be introduced to the ministry of Stephen, one of these seven.
Read Acts 6:1-4 - SELECT SEVEN MEN OF GOOD REPUTATION
1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
v. 1a: "Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number," - The phrase "at this time" refers back to the end of Chapter 5, when after their release from custody, the apostles resumed teaching and preaching in the Temple and witnessing from house to house, so that the church continued to grow explosively. The term "disciple," in this context, refers to any believing Christian.
v. 1b: "a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews," - These "Hellinistics" were Greek-speaking Jews who had originally lived outside of Palestine, whereas the "natives Hebrews" were Aramaic-speaking Jews from the region of Palestine. The primary difference between them culturally was language.
v. 1c: "because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food." - In those days, "widows" (and their orphan children) were a very vulnerable group because most had received no inheritance and had no means to support themselves and their families. Among Jews, Torah Law provided for the assistance of widows and others in need (Lev. 19 and 25). While the text implies that the church had already set up a daily food distribution (Gk. kathēmerinē diakonia) to provide for the widows in the church, the Hellenistic members claimed their widows weren't getting their fair share. Although the text doesn't reveal the actual facts of the matter, the complaint was obviously a important concern to many in the church.
v. 2: "So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables." - The "twelve" as used here is a synonym for the apostles. The apostles believed that the distribution of the food merited their attention, but at the same time, they felt that proclamation of the gospel should remain their primary ministry focus. The words "to serve tables" (Gk. diakonein trapezais) is where we get the term deacon (diakonos).
v. 3: "Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task." - This solution reminds us of Moses and Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, when Jethro told him he couldn't solve all the peoples' problems and should appoint as many leaders as needed over the Israelites to administer justice (Ex. 18). Notice the three main criteria for selection, men who are known for: (1) "good reputation" - honest men with proven personal integrity; (2) "full of the Spirit" - born-again believers who are guided by the Holy Spirit; and (3) "wisdom" - men with levels of understanding and experience that enable them to make good decisions. This standard still applies to church deacons today. And we should notice that these are character traits rather than specific educational attainments, skills or talents.
v. 4a: "But we will devote ourselves to prayer" - The apostles knew that prayer was the most powerful and effective means of service in the kingdom of God. While we might marvel at the spiritual power of the early church, we cannot allow ourselves forget that a constant and effectual prayer life was the secret of its strength. God's church should be a 'House of Prayer' (Matt. 21:13).
v. 4b: "and to the ministry of the word." - This is the proclamation of the gospel-everywhere.
Read Acts 6:5-7 - THE WHOLE CONGREGATION APPROVED
5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. 7 The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
v. 5a: "The statement found approval with the whole congregation;" - Note that all the believers were pleased, not just the Hellenists who felt neglected, but the Hebrews as well. Whether there had been any rivalry or dissention, all of them were glad to hear of a proposal to deal with the problem. This speaks volumes about their faithfulness and their desire to do the right thing without argument.
v. 5b: "and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit," - Stephen's qualifications most likely receive special mention here because he will be martyred at the end of the next chapter.
v. 5c: "and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch." - All seven of the men selected by the congregation had Greek names, giving the Hellenists responsibility for settling a Hellenist problem-a wise move. One commentator has called it the first example of 'affirmative action.' The "Philip" named here isn't the apostle identified in the gospels but another Philip, who will appear again in Acts 8. Note that Nicolas...from Antioch" was a Gentile who had converted to Judaism.
v. 6: "And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them." - It was the whole church who chose these seven men and presented them before the apostles, who were then the highest authority in the church. In the OT, Moses laid hands on Joshua at the Lord's direction to commission him (Num. 27:18-23); and in the NT, the apostles laid hands on people to Heal them (Acts 28:7), impart the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17), or ordain them for a particular work (Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Tim. 1:6).
v. 7a: "The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem," - This phrase represents another of Luke's summary progress reports on the growth of the church in Jerusalem. The fact that the number of "disciples" (new believers) keeps on growing is significant. And we should note Luke's direct connection between spreading the "word of God'' and church growth. This cause and effect relationship-teaching and preaching the world of God in relation to church growth has continued throughout history.
v. 7b: "and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith." - This might seem surprising in view of the fact that priests had been some of Jesus most ardent opponents; however, there were as many as a thousand priests in Jerusalem in those days, and scholars suggest that the ordinary rank and file priests were more in tune with the people at large than the wealthy, chief-priestly families, like those on the Sanhedrin.
OBSERVATION: The perspective of vv. 1-7 helps us see several very important things about the priorities of the early church. First, the church showed concern for both spiritual and material needs. Its leaders gave priority to spiritual needs-prayer and the ministry of the word; but at the same time they also paid serious attention to correcting injustices and helping those in need. In summary, this reflected the Christians' commitment to loving God wholeheartedly and loving their neighbors as themselves, God's two great ethical commands. Second, the early church was willing to adapt its organizational structure and administrative procedures to minister effectively and to meet needs. It did not see its original structure and practices as carved in stone but adapted traditional structures and methods to facilitate the proclamation of the gospel and the welfare of the church. Finally, instead of blaming one another for problems that arose, the disciples in the early church simply corrected the problem so that their focus could remain on prayer and the ministry of the word.
Read Acts 6:8-10 - STEPHEN, FULL OF GRACE AND POWER
Note: This new section introduces Stephen and leads up to the events of chapter 7 surrounding his arrest, his defense before the Sanhedrin, and his ultimate martyrdom by stoning afterward.
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
v. 8: "And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people ." - "Stephen" was one of the seven appointed in v. 5, but the fact that he was "full of grace and power" and "performing great wonders and signs among the people" appears to be unrelated to this administrative function. This also tells us that Jesus and the Twelve were not the only ones who could perform miracles and signs.
v. 9a: "But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians," - This is the first occurrence in Acts of someone presenting the gospel in a Jewish synagogue. Until now, the disciples have taught in the Temple and from house-to-house. Historical records report as many as 400 synagogues in Jerusalem before the Romans destroyed the city in 70 A.D. Like local churches today, they attended to attract people with similar backgrounds and social preferences. All of these people were Hellenistic Jews who had their roots in Northeast Africa (Cyrene and Alexandria) and Asia Minor (Cilicia and Asia) (see map). The "Freedmen" were formerly Roman prisoners (or their descendants) who had later been granted the freedom. Stephen, himself a Hellenistic Jew, may have come from one of these regions.
v. 9b: "and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen." - Since Saul of Tarsus (later the apostle Paul) was from Cilicia, he might have attended this synagogue.
v. 10: "But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking." - These zealous Jews in this synagogue proved to be no match for Stephen as they disputed with him. The words which he spoke and the "power" (v. 8) with which he spoke them were overwhelming.
POSTSCRIPT: Verses 11-14 report that these angry and disgruntled Jews went as far to produce false witnesses who accused Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God, after which he was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, where these witnesses untruthfully quoted him as saying Jesus intended to destroy the Temple and abolish the Mosaic Law. I'm going to hand out a paper about Stephen and his defense before the Sanhedrin. Though we are skipping Acts Chapter 7, I strongly suggest that you read it in your spare time this coming week and study the paper I'm giving you. Though we all know that Stephen was the first Christian to be martyred, we still need to have at least a general understanding of the circumstances that led up to it.
APPLICATION-Solving Church Problems God's Way:
1. To solve problems in the local church, both the leaders and the people must approach them spiritually in submission to God's Word. Note our text's emphasis on this theme: The apostles hear of this problem in the church and their first response is, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God" (v. 2), then they reiterate this in v. 4: "We will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word," and the result was, "the word of God kept on spreading" (v. 7). The requirement for the men who were to deal with the problem was they were to be "men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom" (v.3). This is vital to solving any problem in the church! The entire congregation, especially the leaders, must walk in daily, practical reality with the living God, in submission to His Word, in dependence upon Him in prayer.
2. Spiritual leaders, like the apostles, must maintain their focus on prayer and the ministry of God's Word. Many local church pastors allow themselves to get carried away with building the church through management and marketing principles, to the neglect of God's Word. If a man is not committed first and foremost to the ministry of God's Word, he should not be the lead pastor of a local church.
3. Even spiritually motivated people have problems. We have already read of the sense of unity and community in this early church. They had the best leaders imaginable in the twelve apostles. They were growing in a way that can only be attributed to the power of the Holy Spirit. And yet they had this problem. Whenever you have rapid growth through new conversions, you will have problems. Spiritually immature new believers, young or old, typically have attitudes and behavior they need to leave behind. But even mature believers are not exempt from self-centeredness, struggles, and sin. So every church, especially every growing church, is going to have problems.
4. Spiritual people are committed to harmony expressed through diversity. It's significant that the apostles did not say, "It's time that we divide the church up into the First Hellenistic Church of Jerusalem and the First Hebrew Church of Jerusalem." They never considered division as an option. Even though these two groups had diverse backgrounds and even different native languages, they wanted to work this problem out in a spirit of unity, not division. Unless there are solid biblical grounds to separate, God is glorified when people from diverse cultures and backgrounds worship Him together on the common ground of salvation through Jesus Christ.
