Acts 6
COMMENTARY:
: 1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. (1248 “ministration” [diakonon] means service, contributions, provision, aid, support, relief, ministry of the ministration of those who render to others the offices of Christian affection esp. those who help meet need by either collecting or distributing of charities.)
DEVOTION: Here we have the first church conflict. The leadership was busy preaching the word and baptizing all those who were coming into the church. They were doing what they felt the LORD wanted them to do. Their gift was one of apostle. They were the first missionaries to the world. They started in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
The church grew fast. The ones converted to Christianity were of all nationalities. There was complaining right at the beginning of the church that they were prejudice. The Hebrews and the Grecians were having problems with the way the daily food supplies were being passed out to the widows. The Grecians thought that their widows were being neglected.
Satan likes to have problems in the church. He started early in the history of the church to have Christians fighting with one another instead of loving one another. Remember that those who were first believers were all Jews that Jesus had called to be HIS apostles. Now the church was full of all people. The Jews had their own culture. The Gentiles had their own culture. Now the two cultures came into close contact. Where there are differences there needs to be compromise. Each culture has their habits. The early church was no exception.
How were the apostles going to settle the problem? They had the people of the church pick men that were honest, full of the Holy Spirit and wise. WOW!! Can the common people see these traits in others in the church? YES!! Maturity showed in the early church and it still shows even today. The church members should see these traits in the men they chose to minister to the needs of the widows.
Deacons are supposed to be men who are honest, full of the Holy Ghost and wise. Are the deacons in our churches men who are full of the Holy Spirit?
We have changed our thinking over the years regarding the office of deacon. Are the widows being neglected today in our churches by the deacons? Are the shut-ins in our churches being neglected by the deacons today? Are the people in the church today still murmuring? It needs to end. The problems need to be solved today as they were in the early church. The world is looking on and they need to see that we love one another.
CHALLENGE: If you know of a shut in or a widow that needs a visit. They all do. VISIT THEM!!! If you find a need – meet it if you can and if you can’t bring it to the attention of the leadership in the church.
: 3 Wherefore, brethren, look you out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. (5532 “business” [chreia] means need, necessity, duty, needed task, work that person is obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons, what is necessary, or necessary work.)
DEVOTION: The division of responsibility in the leadership of the church was important from the very beginning. The apostles couldn’t do everything. They needed help with a church of at least eight thousand men alone. The families had to be big. The elderly had to make up a good portion of the congregation.
Remember there were no church buildings. The apostles had to meet either at the Temple or a large area where people could gather or in homes. They had the responsibility to train the next group of people to reach the world for Christ.
The decision to pick men from the congregation who were qualified to work with the widows and help with other ministries was a very important decision. They wanted men who were qualified to work with others. As we read further into the chapter we see that one deacon excelled in his ministry.
Once we become a believer we should seek training and responsibility. Training must come first. The qualifications of deacons were supposed to be noticed by the rest of the congregation. They were to be men that were filled with the Holy Spirit. Responsibility was given only to those who had these qualities. We should seek to have these qualities.
Too often today we find that people who have been in the church a long time are elected to be deacons. These men can be chosen by the congregation but not because of their spiritual qualification but their willingness to serve because no one else will. Many churches have suffered under leadership that is not qualified and even doesn’t care to be qualified for the office of deacon.
Many pastors who are to train the congregation are busy with other things and are not spending the time necessary in prayer and teaching the Word of God. It is not an occupation. It is a ministry. There is a big difference. Many go into the pastorate looking to earn a lot of money or to be looked up to when the LORD wants them to be servants that pray and train.
CHALLENGE: Each believer has a ministry to do for the LORD. It might not be one that includes being in front of people in the church but it is one that is to help people in the church.
: 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. (5219 “obedient” [hupakouo] means hearken, to listen, of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is, to harken to a command, submit to, adhere to, or be subject to.)
DEVOTION: When there is teamwork in the church things happen. When each person takes their responsibility seriously things happen. A group of people working together can change their world.
We find that after the problem was settled the church continued to spread the Word of God. The words included all that Jesus had taught. It was not just the Old Testament but the apostles taught the people what Jesus had taught them.
Not only did the common man become a follower of Jesus Christ but the priest that worked in the Temple came to understand the truth of the teachings of Jesus and became believers as well.
Starting at the Old Testament we can see the truth of what Jesus was teaching HIS disciples and those who would listen. HE applied the Old Testament to HIMSELF. HE was the “cornerstone” that the builders rejected.
The hardest people to reach are those who are leaders of another religion. The Jewish priests wanted to keep the Temple as the center of worship when those who follow Christ want HIM to be the center of worship. There had to be a change in the hearts of the priests for them to understand and begin following Jesus.
To say that it is impossible to win those who are strong believers in false doctrine or teaching is wrong. It was done in the first century and can be done today. We just have to know what we believe enough to show those who believe a false religion their wrong beliefs. If we don’t study we will not be able to do it.
If we are not students of the Word of God we have to question whether we are really true believers in the Word of God. If we believe we will desire to learn because we want to be obedient to the LORD. Disobedience doesn’t honor the LORD.
CHALLENGE: The priest needed to change. We need to change too once we become a follower of Jesus.
: 13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceases not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law. (989 “blasphemous” [blasphemos] means railing, speaking evil, slanderous, abusive, speaking against God, or personal mockery.)
DEVOTION: The religious leaders had to do something about all the people who were become followers of the LORD Jesus Christ.
Here they had one deacon who spoke so well about the LORD that they were not able to resist his wisdom or the Holy Spirit that was working in his words.
They didn’t have answers and therefore looked foolish to the people. They decided to hire men to lie about Stephen. They had to say things that would excite the people to do something against this man.
So they lied about what Stephen was saying. They said that he was speaking against God because he repeated what Jesus had said to the woman at the well. There was going to be a time when worship was not going to be in their mountain or in the Jewish Temple. People who truly worship the LORD would worship in spirit and in truth.
Jesus stated that HE was going to fulfill the Law of Moses. HE came to this earth to be the ultimate sacrifice for sin. There would no longer be a need to offer animals to the LORD. There would no longer be a need for the High Priest to enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement for the sins of the nations. That is the reason the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was rent from top to bottom when Christ died on the cross. There was no need for anymore atonement in the Holy of Holies.
We can now go straight to God with our prayers. We can go straight to God for our forgiveness. We can go straight to God without going to a priest with our sacrifices. No animals or other offerings are necessary for our salvation.
The only reason we give offerings in church today is to say “thank you” to the LORD for HIS gift to us of salvation. God wants us to bring our offering with rejoicing not because we feel we have to please HIM for our salvation.
Don’t believe the false teaching that we are under law. We are under grace.
CHALLENGE: False teachers will teach that you have to earn your salvation by good works instead of doing good works as a means of saying thank you to the LORD for HIS gift of salvation.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Laid hands on deaconsverse 6
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Apostles gave themselves continually to prayerverse 4
Apostles prayed for new deaconsverse 6
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Synagogueverse 9
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Lawverse 13
Mosesverses 11, 14
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 2, 7, 11
Word of Godverses 2, 7
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Jesus of Nazarethverse 14
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Ghostverses 3, 5
Full of the Holy Ghostverses 3, 5
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Stephen had face as an angelverse 15
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Greciansverse 1
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Murmuringverse 1
Neglecting widowsverse 1
Subornedverse 11
Blasphemous wordsverses 11, 13
False witnessesverse 13
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Disciplesverses 1, 7
Honestverse 3
Full of the Holy Ghostverses 3, 10
Wisdomverses 3, 10
Prayerverses 4, 6
Ministry of the wordverse 4
Obedient to the faithverse 7
Great wondersverse 8
Miraclesverse 8
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Hebrewsverse 1
Jerusalemverse 7
Great company of priests convertedverse 7
Certain in the synagogueverse 9
Synagogue of Libertines
Cyrenians
Alexandrians
Them of Cilicia
Them of Asia
Disputing with Stephen
Not able to resist
Wisdom and Spirit
Hired suborned men
Lied against Stephen
Mosesverses 11, 14
Eldersverse 12
Scribesverse 12
Councilverses 12, 15
Set up false witnessesverse 13
Lied about Stephenverse 13
Church (New Testament people of God)
Disciples multipliedverses 1, 2
Daily ministrationverse 1
Twelveverse 2
Preach the Wordverse 2
Deacons serve tablesverse 2
Deacons care for the widowsverse 2
Brethrenverse 3
Standards for deaconsverse 3
Honest report
Full of the Holy Ghost
Wisdom
Appoint over serving tables
Full of faithverses 5, 8
Great wondersverse 8
Miraclesverse 8
Pastor’s responsibilityverse 4
Continually to prayer
Ministry of the word
Lay hands on leadersverse 6
Convertsverse 7
Disciple’s multiplied
Priests were obedient to faith
Stephenverses 5, 8-15
Full of faith
Full of the Holy Ghost
Full of power
Great wonders
Miracles
Face of an angel
Philip
Prochorus
Micanor
Timon
Parmenas
Nicolas – a proselyte of Antioch
Apostlesverse 6
Apostles laid hands on deaconsverse 6
Word of God increasedverse 7
Last Things (Future Events)
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