Acts 6
-The necessity for help now arises in the Church as it keeps
growing and people have needs. Think about the numbers the text gives us about
this early movement of Jesus followers (Acts 2:41; 4:4). There are probably around
10,000 members of His Body 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 (Acts 6:1).
-The twelve brought the congregation of disciples together
and mandated that seven men be given charge of this service task. They lay down
three important requirements of having a good reputation, being filled with the
Holy Spirit, and being 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 in the work of the Church, and they are given
qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:12-13. These men were approved of the whole
congregation as great men of faith, and then brought before the apostles to be
prayed over and anointed with the laying on of their hands (Acts 6:2-6). *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 soak in spiritual
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. But as these religious men fixed their gaze on this remarkable
follower of Christ filled with His Holy Spirit and all faith, Stephen’s face shone
“like the face of an angel (Acts 6:8-15).” 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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