Acts 6:1-15
Q.1. Why did the apostles delegate the practical ministry to others? What were their qualifications? How were they appointed? How did the apostles understand their roles? (Acts 6:1-6)
Not surprisingly, there was disunity in the church between the Greek-speaking Jewish widows, and the Hebrew-speaking widows. Disagreement arose – … because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food (Acts 6:1). The apostles refused to be distracted, since they had a commission from Christ. They stated – 2 … “it is not desirable for us to neglect the Word of God in order to serve tables … 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:2 & 4). Interestingly the congregation was directed by the apostles to – … select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task (Acts 6:3). The people chose seven men who were then set apart by the apostles (Acts 6:5-6). These men represented all the culture groups that made up the congregation. There was nothing to suggest that the apostles thought it was beneath their dignity to serve at tables.
Q.2. How did God bless this division of roles? Where did they minister? Does it surprise you that many priests were coming to Christ? – (Acts 6:7)
After the trouble between the widows was resolved, God again gave success to the church – The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith (Acts 6:6:7). The apostles were still operating primarily in Jerusalem. Some have suggested that the church grew to one hundred thousand or more. On the surface, it may be surprising that many priests embraced the Christian faith. However, Jesus had opened the minds of His disciples to understand the Old Testament Scriptures. These insights were transferable. The priests came in great numbers, in spite of the opposition from Judaism. To this point the church was totally Jewish, apart from a few proselytes.
Q.3. Did Stephen restrict himself to practical ministry? With whom did He share? How well was he received? What impact did Stephen have? – (Acts 6:8-15)
Churches tend to focus on practical abilities of people, when appointing deacons. However, the apostles appointed – men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom (Acts 6:3). These men were not confined to practical ministry alone, as we learn from the stories of two of them – Stephen, the first martyr, and Philip, the evangelist. We read that – Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8). His compassion spilled over to the liberal Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia. He began to share the Gospel powerfully – But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking (Acts 6:10). They dragged him before the Sanhedrin and falsely accused him (Acts 6:11-14). However, Stephen was irrepressible – … all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel (Acts 6:15).