Acts 6

V 1-7

The apostles have a problem on their hands

They have begun to preach the gospel, but they are struggling with how they are to feed the orphans and widows

They have too much on their plate, so they elect to give the responsibility away to someone else

There arises a complaint from the hellenistic people (Greeks) that they are not receiving an equal portion for widows as the traditional Jews have been

This marriage that has come where both Jews and gentiles can now come to the table did not automatically eradicate any division between the two

Pick out from among you 7 men who are of good repute

This is the first time in scripture where deacons are selected to serve the body of Christ

Deacons- care and administer to the physical needs of a particular audience

Elders- Oversee the spiritual direction and has authority within the body of Christ

Pastor- Oversees the teaching and the protection of the flock. They are responsible for what is being taught to the congregation and what the spiritual content is

These 7 men were chosen because they had strong reputation

Good repute= Spoken well of

They were not merely men who were sometimes good and just had strong personalities, but they were men who were spoken well of, likely within the hellenistic community

The apostles appoint these 7 men and the ministry grows

This is one of those instances in scripture that is a blueprint for what we are to do when we experience these circumstances

Congregants complained, had good hearts with genuine concerns

those who were in leadership listened to their concerns and brought others into serve

those who served, elected to serve despite the craziness of the conditions that were present

Became restaurant managers essentially

Took care of food, took care of the widows, tracked who had and had not received food, cleaned, etc.

V 8-14

Stephen is one of the 7 men and from this calling he is filled with the spirit and doing signs and wonders

He was spreading the gospel like wildfire

Then he gets into a debate with the leaders of a Jewish synagogue and his wisdom far exceeds their’s

The Holy Spirit does speak wisdom through his people. Often when we say something that is incredibly wise it is the spirit speaking plainly through his people

They have no idea how to handle this so yet again, they are brought to trial

Except this time, they’ve convinced others to claim he was speaking blasphemy

But notice that this blasphemy wasn’t radical or wasn’t overt, rather it was slight misconstructions of the truth

“Destroy this place and rebuild the temple”

John 2:18-22

These falsehoods are not strong right turns but casual twisting of God’s word

He had the face of an angel

Some level of radiance that his face held due to his proximity with God

Moses and the burning bush

We have a role to play in the church, and when we do it well, we can be empowered beyond measure