Act 6:1 But in those days, the disciples having multiplied, a murmuring of the Hellenists toward the Hebrews occurred, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving.
Act 6:2 And having called near the multitude of the disciples, the Twelve said, It is not pleasing to us, having left the Word of God, to serve tables!
Act 6:3 Then brothers, be looking for men among you receiving testimony, seven men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint over this need.
Act 6:4 But we shall continue steadfast in prayer and the service of the Word!
Act 6:5 And the saying was pleasing before all the multitude. And they chose out Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
Act 6:6 each of whom they made stand before the apostles. And having prayed, they placed their hands on them.
Act 6:7 And the Word of God was increasing, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem was multiplying exceedingly. Even a great crowd of the priests were attending to the faith!
Act 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, was doing wonders and great signs among the people.
Act 6:9 But some of those of the synagogue called Libertines, rose up, also some Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some of those from Cilicia and Asia Minor, disputing with Stephen.
Act 6:10 And they had no strength to stand against the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
Act 6:11 Then they induced some men to be saying, We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!
Act 6:12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes. And coming on, they together seized him and led him into the sanhedrin.
Act 6:13 And they stood up false witnesses, who were saying, This man does not cease speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the Law;
Act 6:14 for we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and will change the customs which Moses delivered over to us.
Act 6:15 And having looked intently at him, all those having sat in the sanhedrin, saw his face as if it were the face of an angel.
ACTS CHAPTER SIX - INTRODUCTION TO STEPHEN
Verses 1-7: There is a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews (against the Hebrew Jews) that the Hellenist widows were not being served. The apostles get together with the church and explain that they need to put some men forward to take care of it so they can focus on preaching the word.
1. What is a Hellenistic Jew? Before Jesus' day and before the Roman period, Greek dominated the culture (via conquering). Many of the Jews assimilated the culture, language and tradition. The text reveals that there must have been certain attitudes towards these citizens. It is not unlike the Samaritan woman story we find in the gospels.
2. What was the problem? The "serving" of widows was not being extended to the Hellenistic widows.
a. What was the solution? The apostles did not want to stop preaching, so they suggested that some men were to be chosen to perform this task.
b. Who chose these men? The context implicates the membership chose these men.
NOTE: This rather banal action could be read through with little notice. However, it should be noted as example for future churches. ( See "Additional" notes for more info below.)
3. We have seen the church multiply in nearly every chapter so far. What, in verse 7, shows us just how effective the gospel was? Multiplying Exceedingly + A Great Crowd Of Priests were converted. This is notable because priests were part of the central government/culture. They held influence and power. The church is now "dangerous" to some.
Verses 8-15: Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit is teaching and performing miracles. A group of men challenge him with argument. Through the Holy Spirit/Stephen, their arguments fail (they lose face). Those opposing Stephen put forth false witnesses, making claims of blasphemy (punishable by death). They seize Stephen and put him before the authorities. More false witnessing proceeds in the inquiry. They are all looking at Stephen and it is noted that his appearance in changed to "they saw his face as if it were the face of an angel."
4. List the nations/cultures
from the synagogue.
5. Look up the Freedman
(Libertines) history. What was their story? These citizens were once slaves and had been freed from their slavery. There is stronger evidence that these were Jews once enslaved and likely did not include Gentiles (though mixed-race is possible). In the bigger picture, we see the Jews are very fractured. Lines are drawn by race and perceived "purity" of bloodlines. These conclusions were drawn because of previous dispersions (by other conquering nations).
We might stand in judgement of this, but we need to be careful. We culturally no different. The Christian church is fractured far and away more than this context. We gotta keep it real.
If anything, we should examine ourselves personally on a constant basis, remembering God is everyone's God...even those who think otherwise.
6. Read the first part of verses 11, 12, 13, these were supposed to be holy men, what were they doing? They were putting forward "false witnesses" or testimony. Deuteronomy 19 instructs that if someone bears false witness: Whatever the penalty would be against the accused, the false witness will bear that punishment. The accusation against the gospel is blasphemy, which is a direct assault against the name of Jehovah, which is punishable by death.
a. What could these men say to rationalize
their actions? If these men were confronted with their false witnessing, they would simply state why they interpret how the apostles blasphemed. And they did! In their mind, there is an existential threat to all they hold dear and valuable. The temple is where you find God. The law is God-given and impeccable. Follow the law and you'll find God.
What would I say if someone told me that Jesus was not the final word? Now I am supposed to believe something else? I'm not having any of that!
This primes us to stay searching for God's manifestations.
b. Do these kinds of things happen in churches today? When? Yes. There are so many...too many times when Christianity becomes bogged down in tradition and tradition becomes more important than the word. Christianity on its own is replete with simplicity. Sometimes that simplicity is overshadowed by the execution of tradition as law. That approach takes our sight off of God.
ADDITIONAL:
-How do we identify someone described in verse three? Finding someone full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom forces a knowledge that can only happen in a long-term community setting. It is not for the novice, outsider to perform this decision. Only long-term, close relationships can help in this decision. That does not mean that someone is perfect. It does not mean that the one chosen will never fall. In life, almost anything is possible when we deal with people/personalities. All we can do is follow these guidelines and trust God. That implies inquiry of God as well. There should be lots of personal and church praying when these decisions are made.
-If this early Christian church is considered a Jewish sect, what does the nomination of Nicolaus foreshadow (5)? It is encouraging! Accepting a proselyte was considered "liberal." It would have been criticized by some of the leaders. God is everyone's God, including Gentiles. More importantly, He has never NOT been the God of all mankind. Thinking that Jehovah was not your God was a fallacy made by man. The Gospel is breaking that stereotype. Do the apostles understand the complete implications? Chapter 2 verse 29: "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" seems universal, but the Holy Spirit has not yet revealed it in its entirety. Still, these Christians had to understand the promise God made to Abraham that; "And in you all families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen 12:3) would ultimately include the Gentiles.
-What office within the church does this selection pattern help to establish? Deacons. Its importance shows not only how they are chosen, but what they're jobs are to include. The body chooses them. They are servants to the church, performing works to support the preacher/evangelist. In a technical sense, they hold little/no authority/leadership. In a broader sense we see that they must hold many of the "elder/preacher" characteristics to be qualified. In later letters, Paul puts a finer point on the selection of elders and deacons. (1Tim 3)
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