Acts 6 (Wednesday Evening Bible Study)

Acts 6

• Context:
  • From this simple story a couple of issues emerge. Some see this text as a template for ordaining deacons in the church. Some see the principal of preaching being more important than ministries of compassion. But what is Luke trying to tell us by including this story in his account about the apostles. Luke is continuing to tell us of the expansion of the church which eventually will lead to Gentile territory. 
• Acts 6:1
• 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.
  • What was happening to the church in those days?
  • Does growth bring problems?
    • Growth is good this means more people are learning about Jesus and placing their faith in him.
  • What was the complaint and what is a Hellenistic Jew and a Hebraic Jew?
    • Hellenistic Jew: Were those Jews who lived outside of Judah. They lived in the Greek world. They were of Jewish blood but lived on the fringe of Judaism this could create language and culture barriers in Jerusalem.  They could be considered an outsider
    • Hebraic Jews: Were those who born and raised in Judah. They spoke Hebrew and Aramaic. This was the home town crowd. They could be considered insiders.
  • What about the complaint?
  • Who is being overlooked?
    • Do you think the complaint could be valid? Consider the barriers the Hellenistic widows had in your answer.
  • How did these Hellenistic Jewish widows end up in Jerusalem?
    • These Jewish widows who lived outside the nation of Judah have returned to their Jewish roots in Jerusalem to die and be buried on sacred soil.
  • What must have happened when they heard the gospel?
  • Were the apostles trying to do what was good and right when it came to Christian widows?
• Acts 6:2-4
• 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.”
  • Does this mean the apostles were personally involved in or overseeing the distribution of food to the widows?
  • The Apostles see the need to prioritize their work, which do they see as a priority?
  • What was unique about the apostles’ role in the early church that might cause them to prioritize as they did?
  • What exactly do the apostles propose to do to deal with this situation?
  • Would you consider this a win / win for the church?
  • Who is given the responsibility to choosing the 7 men? 
  • What qualities were these men to possess? 
• Acts 6:5-6
• 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.
  • How did the congregation feel about this?
  • Why these seven men?  
  • Could it be they had proven themselves faithful already?
  • What do the names of these men tell us about them?
  • They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. Do these sound like Jewish names?
  • What could have happened if the apostles had not dealt with the complaint concerning the widows?
  • How did the apostles confirm the seven selected men before the congregation?
  • Why lay hands on these men?
    • It shows these men were taking over the task and being given the authority to accomplish it . Also the apostles may have been imparting spiritual power for the task before them.
  • Were these 7 men the first deacons?
    • They are often considered that but they are not called deacons in the text. But they do serve which is what the word deacon actually means.
• Acts 6:7
• 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.
  • What was the result of this problem being resolved?  See verse 7
• Acts 6:8-15
• 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.
  • What do you notice about Stephen’s ministry here?
    • It’s the first appearance of the Holy Spirit working wonders and signs outside of someone other than the 12
  • Opposition once again surfaced as a result of the church’s ministry
    • Unlike previous resistance, this opposition came from Jews who were not connected with the Sadducees and the temple leaders
    • The “Freedmen’s Synagogue” was the source of the antagonism. Out of the many synagogues in Jerusalem, this one was attended by Hellenistic Jews from the Diaspora
  • What do we know about the synagogue system in general?
    • The synagogue was usually a center for the social, the educational, and the religious life of the Jewish community. Originally synagogues were houses of prayer. They were influenced more by the Pharisees than by the Sadducees, whose major interest was the operation of the Temple
  • What about this “Freedmen Synagogue” in particular?
    • Freedmen in the first century were slaves or descendants of slaves who had gained their release. The name of this synagogue implies that the freedmen were Jews who previously had lived in Cyrene or Alexandria in Northern Africa, or in the provinces of Cilicia and Asia
    • Quite frequently Jews moved from thees areas around the Roman Empire and took up residence in Jerusalem
      • Who do we meet later in Acts that was from Cilicia?
        • Paul, and he may very well have participated in this synagogue
  • What did the Jews from this synagogue think of Stephen’s message?
    • Highly offensive. From the charges they brought to the Sanhedrin it appears that their objections centered on whether the temple and the law were relevant in light of the gospel of Jesus. They took Stephen’s message to imply that “this holy place” and the law of Moses were no longer valid components in God’s dealings with His people
    • Stephen had probably emphasized  that salvation is to be found in Christ alone, not in the OT system of sacrifices. 
    • When their arguments failed to adequately refute Stephen’s message, these Jews resorted to stirring up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. Here for the first time opposition to the Christians came from the people, as well as the temple authorities
    • The Sanhedrin became involved and brought Stephen in for a hearing
      • Staring at Stephen, the Sanhedrin detected a man unafraid of the powers opposing the gospel. Something about his appearance seemed to say that his witness had come from the realm of the angels themselves. Stephen looked like a man who had been in the presence of God
• TAKE AWAY
  • Problems need to be addressed rather than hidden or ignored especially when they have the potential of effecting the unity of the church.
  • Productive ministry requires us to make a priority out of both the spiritual and the physical needs of people. To focus on one to the exclusion of the other can negatively affect our mission and ministry.
  • Problems can be opportunities for growth as we look for Spirit led solutions.