Acts 6
The Appointment of Deacons As the early church grew in numbers, it faced new challenges. One problem arose when some of the Greek-speaking believers felt that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. This led to disagreement within the church. The apostles wanted to make sure that the church continued to care for everyone, but also knew they must stay focused on preaching and prayer. To solve this, they suggested appointing seven men to take care of distributing food and helping the poor, so that the apostles could continue their main work. This decision shows the importance of organization and sharing responsibilities in the church. v. 1: As the number of disciples increased in Jerusalem, some disagreements began. The Greek-speaking Jews (Hellenists) complained that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food, while the Hebrew-speaking widows were cared for. This was the first sign of internal trouble in the church, showing that even good people can have misunderstandings when things grow quickly. v. 2: The twelve apostles gathered all the disciples together. They explained that it would not be right for them to stop preaching and teaching God’s word in order to distribute food. Their main job was to share the message of Jesus. So, they suggested finding others who could handle this important task. v. 3: The apostles told the believers to choose seven men from among them who had a good reputation, were full of the Holy Spirit, and were wise. These men would be put in charge of distributing food and helping the poor. The apostles wanted to make sure the church was led by people with strong character and spiritual maturity. v. 4: The apostles said they would devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. They knew that their main calling was to pray for the church and to teach about Jesus. By appointing others to help with practical needs, they could focus on their special role. v. 5: The whole group of believers agreed with the plan. They chose Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a convert to Judaism from Antioch). These seven men were chosen because they were respected and trusted by the community. v. 6: The apostles prayed for these seven men and laid their hands on them, which was a sign of blessing and giving them authority for their new responsibility. This showed the church that these men were now officially appointed to serve in this way. v. 7: As a result of this wise decision, the word of God spread even more. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and even many Jewish priests became followers of Jesus. The church grew stronger because its members worked together and shared responsibilities. Stephen’s Ministry and Arrest Stephen was one of the seven men chosen to help serve in the early church. He was full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and God did great miracles through him. Stephen’s wisdom and power could not be matched by his opponents, so they tried to stop him by making false accusations. This section shows how Stephen’s ministry led to conflict with certain Jews, how he responded, and how he was eventually arrested. It also introduces his powerful speech and witness for Jesus. v. 8: Stephen, full of faith and God’s power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. God used him to help others and show the truth of the gospel. Even though Stephen was not an apostle, the Holy Spirit gave him special abilities to perform miracles, showing that God can use anyone who trusts him. v. 9–10: Some Jews from the synagogue called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, and others from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia, began to argue with Stephen. They tried hard to defeat him in debate and prove him wrong, but they could not resist the wisdom and Spirit by which he spoke. Stephen’s words were powerful because the Holy Spirit was helping him. This fulfilled Jesus’ promise that his followers would have wisdom and courage when they were questioned (Luke 21:15 a). – v. 11–12: When the opponents could not win against Stephen’s wisdom, they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” They stirred up the people, the elders, and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council). This shows how people sometimes use lies and anger to attack those who speak the truth, just as they did with Jesus. – v. 13–14: False witnesses were brought in to testify against Stephen. They claimed, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place (the temple) and against the law.” They said that Stephen taught that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy the temple and change the customs Moses gave them. These were twisted half-truths and misunderstandings of what Stephen said. The real message was about Jesus fulfilling the law and bringing a new way to worship God. – v. 15: As Stephen stood before the council, everyone looked at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel. This showed that God was with Stephen and gave him special peace and confidence. It also reminded people of how Moses’ face shone when he was with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:29 b). God’s servants can have courage and calm, even when they are treated unfairly, because the Holy Spirit is helping them.
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