By Jay T. Robertson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Mobile
SERVING
Acts 6:1–15
Wonderful things were happening as God grew the Church by leaps and bounds. Thousands of people had been saved and added to the Church as the gospel was proclaimed.
In our verses this week, we learn that Satan was unhappy about God’s successes, so he sowed a spirit of murmuring and gossip among God’s people, hoping to set believer against believer. But the wisdom of God prevailed and the gospel continued to spread despite the opposition.
Opportunity Knocks (1–4)
God was building His Church from the fields white unto harvest among Jews gathered in Jerusalem from around the world. Two unique types of Jews were being saved. The Hellenistic Jews were from many different countries and primarily spoke Greek. The Hebraic Jews were native to Judea and primarily spoke Aramaic.
As the Jerusalem church continued to grow, it became more difficult to minister equitably to all the widows under its care. Disparity developed in the daily distribution of food to the Hellenistic widows and the Hebraic widows, resulting in complaints.
The situation boiled up until it reached the Twelve Apostles, who knew this problem had to be nipped in the bud immediately. They gathered the disciples together and reminded them that they needed to focus on the preaching of the Word of God. They were called to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:12). Everything we do as the Church should flow from a Word-centered ministry.
The Twelve told the other disciples to pick from among themselves seven men with a good reputation who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom so they could appoint those men to care for the widows who had been overlooked. This was a great opportunity to enlist faithful church members to step up and help solve a critical problem besetting the early Church.
Influence Expands (5–7)
The proposal pleased them, and the members of the church chose seven men who met the qualifications determined by the apostles. Each of the seven men had Greek names, meaning these were Hellenistic men who would oversee the food distribution to the Hellenistic widows. This wise move demonstrated respect and trust and strengthened the unity of the Church. The apostles prayed for the men and commissioned them for service by laying hands on them.
The church was blessed by the resolution of the conflict and the multiplication of members meeting others’ needs. The Word of God spread as the apostles were enabled to devote themselves to prayer and the preaching of the gospel. The Lord added many new believers to the church in Jerusalem, and even a large number of the priests were saved. Serving others leads to greater Kingdom work.
Opposition Surfaces (8–15)
Stephen, one of the seven men selected, was performing miracles, and the people were impacted.
As Stephen witnessed for Christ at the Freedmen’s Synagogue in Jerusalem, the Hellenistic Jews of this synagogue opposed his witness. Although they began to argue with him, they could not stand up to his wisdom and his Spirit-empowered explanation of the Scripture.
The synagogue members convinced some men to give false testimony against Stephen. These false witnesses stirred the crowd up into a frenzy and then dragged Stephen to the Sanhedrin to face formal charges.
Throughout all of the false testimony, Stephen was strengthened by God’s grace. His calm demeanor had a great impact on a man named Saul.
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