Chapter Six: A Foundation of Stone

Where can you serve in the church?

Acts 6:1–7 CSB

1 In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. 2 The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

See a need meet a need

I think in some ways Christians become dependent on pastors to do things on our behalf, the problem is there isn’t enough time in the day for pastors to do everything. When people are sick and need someone to visit them we say, “well that’s the pastor’s job, that’s what we hired him to do” which is true in part. This is what was happening in the early church. Nobody really knew what to do, the church was filled with new converts and people that did not have the opportunity to learn how to minister in the same way the disciples did by watching Jesus. As a result, some of the widows were being overlooked. Specifically it was the Jewish women that spoke Greek that were coming second to the ones who spoke Hebrew. These Hellenistic Jews were treated as outsiders, but we know from Scripture that in Christ there are no outsiders. We are all unified in Christ. And so, Peter and the Apostles reasoned to appoint some men who could oversee the day to day aspects of the church so that the Apostles could dedicate themselves to teaching.

Both the role of Deacon and Pastor are important to the organization of the church. Not everyone is called to serve in those offices, but everyone is called to serve.

Priesthood of the Believer

As Christians we have all been given the Holy Spirit and are all called to serve in the church. The church is a body of believers with Christ as the head. Although some are called to be Pastors and others deacons, we all have a responsibility to serve in the body.

How do you operate within the church?

Are you a consumer or a producer? What are some of the differences between those two types?

Unhealthy churches are built solely on the personality of their pastor. Those churches usually struggle when the pastor dies or has a moral failure, sometimes the church itself dies and has to close its doors.

Healthy churches are built on the word of God and the priesthood of the believer. God’s people working together, each taking responsibility to serve, for the sake of God’s kingdom.

Who around you has a need? How can you meet that need this week?

The calling of the Seven

In order to solve the problem, the Apostles got together and appointed seven men to wait tables assuring that all the widows would be fed.

Not every task in the church is a big one. Sometimes the most important tasks are the ones that receive the least amount of thanks, the least amount of glory. They’re the jobs nobody wants to do but need to get done. Jesus demonstrated this attitude of service for us by doing things like washing His disciples’ feet.

One of the seven men called was named Stephen.

Acts 6:8–15 CSB

8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from some members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, and they began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came, seized him, and took him to the Sanhedrin. 13 They also presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the law. 14 For we heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15 And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

The Sovereign work of the Lord

Abraham

Abraham was called to leave Ur and come to the promised land

He wouldn’t receive any of the land until after his descendants were freed from slavery and came to worship God at Sinai

The Lord used His sovereignty to give the covenant of circumcision in which the Lord made a promise by Himself to Abraham that Abraham’s descendents would be His people and He would be their God

Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve Patriarchs

When a famine came over the land of Israel and the patriarchs’ lives were in danger

Joseph was made second in command in all of Egypt, and rather than getting revenge against his family, he protected them allowing them to move into Egypt

The Lord used His sovereignty to use the evil Joseph’s brothers caused him to be used for good

Moses

After Joseph passed away, a new Pharaoh came to power that dealt harshly with the Israelites. He put them in slavery and forced them to kill their sons

Moses at eighty years old was called by God to return to his people after running away forty years earlier.

Even though he had been rejected by the people as their leader while he was under Pharaoh, he became the people’s leader and deliverer while under God

The Lord used His sovereignty to overthrow Egypt and rescue His people

Wilderness

After they were delivered the Lord used His sovereignty to provide quail, manna and water to the people, He lead them in a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night, He caused the Red Sea to part allowing the people to walk across on dry land. The Lord did all these things and still the people rejected Him to worship an idol instead

This trend continued throughout all of Israel’s history. With each new generation the people would wander astray and worship idols.

The Tabernacle

Despite the sins of the people, God’s presence dwelt among them in the Tabernacle. This presence was with them all while Joshua conquered the foreign nations residing in the promised land.

The Lord used His sovereignty to drive out the people and to keep His promise to Abraham

The Temple

During the days of the kings, David desired to build God a more permanent dwelling place for His presence. He wanted to build a Temple. Solomon, David’s son, would eventually build this house of worship.

Even with God’s presence solidified in Jerusalem, the people continued to worship idols, rebel against God, and reject those that God sent.

They persecuted and put to death the prophets, they were circumcised in the flesh but spiritually they were as dead as could be. Hard of heart. Stubborn. Stiff-necked.

Jesus

The Lord used His sovereignty to send His Son Jesus. God’s presence no longer in a Tabernacle or Temple, but now physically in front of the people in human form. Yet, they continued to reject Him.

The religious leaders, like their fathers before them, rejected the presence of God in exchange for status, wealth, all the idols the world could offer

They thought their religious excellence and ability to obey the law meant more than having a genuine relationship with God.

Jesus a man of sorrows, rejected by men, forced to suffer and die by the hands of His own creation

But God used His sovereignty to send His Son Jesus so that we could be born again

Stephen

Even though Stephen was the one standing trial, it was the religious leaders that were found guilty.

Just like how their ancestors rejected God’s presence and eventually rejected Jesus, they stood before Stephen and rejected the Holy Spirit.

Acts 7:51–53 CSB

51 “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also. 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. 53 You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.”

And so they resolved to put Stephen to death

Acts 7:54–60 CSB

54 When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 They yelled at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And after saying this, he fell asleep.

We are not destined to make the same mistakes as our fathers. We are not guaranteed to make the same good decisions as our fathers. We have a choice. Will we choose Jesus or reject Him?

Do you see any similarities between the way Jesus died and the way Stephen died?

Persecution is a foundational element to the Christian life. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Luke

Luke 9:23–24 CSB

23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it.

Martyrdom is something that has been an instrumental part of the Christian faith since its beginning.

The Lord uses His sovereignty to advance the Gospel even under the most extreme persecutions

Are you willing to take a stand for Christ even if it costs you everything?