Acts 6
-The necessity for help now arises in the church as it keeps
growing and people have needs. Think about the numbers that the text gives us
about this early church movement (Acts 2:41; 4:4). There are probably around
10,000 members of the church by now and some complaints arose between the Hellenistic
Jews (who held to Greek customs and languages) and the native Hebrews because
the Hellenistic Jews felt they were being overlooked in the daily serving of
food.
-The twelve brought the congregation of disciples together
and mandated that seven men be given charge of the task of this service. They
had the requirements of a good reputation, being filled with the Holy Spirit,
and full of wisdom. The twelve maintained that they needed to be devoted to
prayer and ministry of the word, which necessitated this arrangement of what
would later be termed deacons (from diakonos in the Greek). These were servants
that helped the work of the church, and they are given qualifications in 1
Timothy 3:12-13. *Application* The modern church in some denominations have given
undue power and authority to the deacon body. The term deacon means “servant”
and this is to be their function. There is a different group given oversight of
the local body of Christ. These are called elders, which have some diverse
words describing them in the text of Scripture (pastor- poimen, episkopos,
presbyteros). Here we must remember that the church is an organism which has a
head, Jesus Christ, and is not an organization like the world operates. God has
given each part of the body importance and relevance to the Kingdom advancement
(1 Corinthians 12). Leaders must first be followers and servants to advance in Christ’s
Kingdom. Think of the call Christ gave to Peter, James, John and the rest of the
disciples. It was, “Come follow Me (Matthew 4:18; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24, John 1:43;
10:27 to name a few verses, there are many more).” Jesus modeled His leadership
by washing His disciples’ feet and giving up His life for them. He followed His
Father’s direction even though He was Deity. Followers become leaders if they do
it God’s way. Here we see the advancement into leadership by the apostles and their
desire to train up more men equipped to make the spiritual journey into church leadership.
Always allow yourself time and patience in learning the art and tasks of a spiritual
leader in God’s Kingdom. Build for yourself a good reputation, be full of the Holy
Spirit and His fruits, and get some wisdom from His Word!
-The word of God kept spreading and the numbers kept growing
greatly in Jerusalem. Even a great number of the priests were becoming obedient
to the faith (Acts 6:7).
-Stephen became a great man of God full of grace and power
and performing great wonders and signs among the people. There was a newly formed
group called the “Synagogue of the Freedmen (probably Jews from the Diaspora that
were Greek speaking)” that stirred up the people by speaking lies against
Stephen by seducing people secretly. This led to Stephen being dragged before
the Jewish Council with accusations that he was against Moses, the Law, and the
Temple. This sets up Stephen’s defense of the gospel in chapter 7.
*Application* Here we see the hand of evil present to disrupt the spreading of
the message of Christ as it was gaining great strength and power through the
Holy Spirit. Count on this in your life as well. As soon as you move forward
with Christ and His Kingdom there will be opposition and persecution trying to
thwart, distract, and confuse the work of God. Pray against this, but expect
this spiritual warfare. It will come in new and unique ways every time and we
must be on our guard to recognize these threats. It is always wise to know the
enemy so that he can be combated and overcome through the Lord.
Verse to Memorize:
Acts 6:3
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