Acts 6:1-15

Good News for Everyone

Acts

Marion Adams

Chapter 6

The *apostles choose 7 men to help them, 6:1-7

v1 At this time, the *disciples grew in number. Some *Jews spoke *Greek and other *Jews spoke *Hebrew. A quarrel started. The *Greek *Jews said that the *Hebrew widows were receiving more food than the other widows. This happened when people distributed it among them every day. v2 So, the 12 *apostles called the whole group of *believers together. The *apostles said, ‘It is not right for *apostles to distribute the food. We should be *preaching God’s message. v3 So, brothers, choose 7 men from among you. You should be sure that they are full of the Spirit. And you should be sure that they are wise. We shall give this responsibility to them and they can distribute the food. v4 Then we shall be able to concentrate on prayer and the service of God’s word.’

v5 The whole group agreed to do this. They chose Stephen. He was a man who had great *faith. He was also full of the *Holy Spirit. They also chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolaus. Nicolaus was a *Gentile from Antioch who had followed the *Jewish religion. v6 The group brought those men to the *apostles. The *apostles said a prayer and they put their hands on the men. v7 So, God’s message spread. The *disciples in *Jerusalem continued to increase quickly in number. And very many priests obeyed the *faith.

Verse 1 There were two groups of *Jews in the first *church. We will describe the two groups here.

1. One group of *Jews spoke *Greek. They had come from different countries. Probably they had travelled to *Jerusalem for *Pentecost. And then they had joined the *church there. Many such *Jews had been born in foreign countries. Their *ancestors had also lived far away from *Israel. So, they did not know how to speak *Hebrew. They spoke *Greek because it was the most common language. Probably, they also thought like *Greeks and they behaved like *Greeks.

2. The other group of *Jews spoke *Hebrew. They spoke the *Jews’ language and they were very proud about *Jewish traditions. They lived in *Jerusalem or they lived in the areas round it.

The *church was growing quickly. Soon there was a problem between the two groups of *Jews. It was an argument about the *Jewish custom to help widows. (Look at Exodus 22:22 and Deuteronomy 10:18.) Women whose husbands had died did not have a regular income. Those women could not buy food. So, in the first *church, they continued the custom to help them. Some people wanted to help, so they gave money or possessions. Every day they gave something to the widows among them. They gave to them whatever they needed. But the *Jews who spoke *Greek complained. They complained that the *Hebrew widows were receiving more than the other widows. Perhaps the two groups did not like each other much. Or perhaps they did not trust each other much. Perhaps that was why they quarrelled.

Verse 2 The 12 *apostles realised that this small problem might become much bigger. They did not have time to organise practical matters. They needed time to *preach. Jesus had told his 12 *disciples that their work was to *preach. If they did not do this, the *church would not grow bigger. They knew that they must do something about this problem quickly.

But the 12 *apostles did not just tell everyone what to do. Instead, they ‘called the whole group of *believers together’. They told the whole *church about the problem.

The 12 *apostles said, ‘It is not right for *apostles to distribute the food.’ But they did not think that they were too important for this task. They did not mean that to *preach is better than practical help. To give practical help is also good. God calls people to do different things. God had called the 12 *apostles to tell everyone the good news about Jesus.

Verses 3-4 So, the *apostles suggested a solution. They wanted the Christians to choose 7 helpers. These must be *spiritual men who were also sensible. Then the 12 *apostles would not have to worry about this responsibility. They could continue to *preach and they could continue to pray.

Verses 5-6 The *believers chose 7 men. These men all had *Greek names. Because of this, some students think that they all spoke *Greek. Perhaps this is right. Then it would show that the Christians wanted to be fair to the Greek *Jews and their widows.

‘The *apostles said a prayer and they put their hands on the men’ (verse 6). This showed that they were giving authority to the 7 helpers. And also, God was giving authority to the helpers. This work was very important. So, the helpers needed authority to do it.

Verse 7 This verse shows that the first part in ‘Acts’ has ended. (Look at ‘Contents’. This is in the section called ‘About this book’.) The first part is about how the *church in *Jerusalem grew.

Some *Jews arrest Stephen, 6:8-15

v8 Stephen was a man who was full of God’s *grace and power. He did great *miracles and he did wonderful things among the people. v9 But some men opposed him. They were members from the Freedmen’s *synagogue. (Look at the note below.) The members included *Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria. They also included other *Jews from the *provinces called Cilicia and Asia. The members began to argue with Stephen. v10 But they could not win the arguments. This was because Stephen spoke with wisdom. The Spirit gave this wisdom to him. v11 So, those *Jews paid money to some men. They told the men to say this: ‘We heard Stephen speak against Moses. And we heard him speak against God!’ v12 In this way, these *Jews made the people and the leaders angry. They also made the teachers that taught the *Law angry. Immediately the *Jews seized Stephen. They took him in front of the *Sanhedrin. v13 They brought in some men to tell lies about him. These men said, ‘This man is always saying bad things about our *holy *Temple and Moses’ *Law. v14 We heard him say that Jesus from *Nazareth will destroy the *Temple. Stephen said that Jesus will change all the customs that Moses gave to us!’ v15 Everyone in the *Sanhedrin stared at Stephen. They saw that his face looked like an *angel’s face.

Verse 8 Stephen was a *Jew who spoke *Greek. He was one of the 7 helpers. His job was to give food to the poor *believers. God was showing his truth and power by means of Stephen. God can use us in any way that he wants. He can use us even when we are doing a practical job, like Stephen.

Verse 9-10 The ‘Freedmen’ were slaves once. But their masters had freed them. The ‘Freedmen’ included also *Jews whose *ancestors had been slaves. We think that the ‘Freedmen’ were foreign *Jews that had come to *Jerusalem. The ‘Freedmen’ did not like what Stephen was saying. But they could not defeat him in an argument. This was because his message came from the *Holy Spirit. Jesus had promised that he would give words and wisdom to his *disciples. He had promised that their enemies would not win arguments against them (Luke 21:15).

Verse 11 Stephen’s enemies could not defeat him with their own arguments. So, they paid some men to lie. These men said that Stephen was speaking against Moses. And they said that Stephen was even speaking against God. This was a very serious matter.

Verses 12-14 Some men said that Stephen had insulted the *Temple and the *Law. This would make the *Jews that lived in *Jerusalem especially angry. The *Temple was the centre for their *worship. They were very proud about it. Also, many *Jews had jobs that depended on the *Temple. It was important for businesses in *Jerusalem. The *Jews were also very proud about their *Law. They believed that they should obey the *Law. They believed that this was the way to please God.

Jesus’ enemies also paid men to tell lies about him. These men lied about him in front of the *Sanhedrin. However, the lies that they told were not completely false. They took something that Jesus had said. But they changed it slightly. This is what Stephen’s enemies did. Jesus had said that men would knock the *Temple down (Mark 13:2). But then the *Jews wanted proof that Jesus had authority from God. Jesus told them to ‘destroy this *temple’ (John 2:19). He promised to build it up again in three days. Jesus was talking about his body. His body was like a *temple. That was because Jesus lived to please God the Father. Perhaps Stephen had repeated Jesus’ words. People had built the *Jewish *Temple with their hands. But now Jesus had come, and he was greater than the *Temple. So, ‘something greater than the *Temple’ had come (Matthew 12:6). Stephen knew what Jesus had really meant. Jesus has replaced the *Temple. He has completed the *Law. He is the only way to God. People may *worship God in a particular way. But the particular way in itself cannot bring them close to him. They cannot please God if they just follow rules. They must believe in his Son, the *Lord Jesus *Christ, and they must trust in him. That is the only way to God. If we obey Jesus, we are obeying God.

Verse 15 Stephen’s face shone like an *angel’s face when he stood in front of the *Sanhedrin. Moses’ face also shone when he brought the *Law down from the mountain (Exodus 34:29). Both Stephen’s and Moses’ face shone. This showed that God approved of them. Luke makes it clear that Stephen had God’s *blessing. Stephen had *grace and power (verse 8). He had special wisdom (verse 10). And his face shone like an *angel’s face (verse 15).

apostle ~ a man that God chose to lead other Christians; a man that God chose to teach about Jesus; one of the 12 men that Jesus chose to be his helpers.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
disciple ~ someone who follows another person and he or she learns from that person; someone whom Jesus taught. It also means someone who believes in Jesus. This person also does the things that Jesus teaches.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Greek ~ the language that the people from Greece spoke; the language in which authors wrote the New Testament; a person from Greece.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Hebrew ~ the language that Jewish people speak.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
believer ~ a person who knows *Christ and accepts him.
preach ~ to tell the good news about Jesus to a person or people; and to explain it to them.
faith ~ when someone believes in someone or something; when someone is really sure about God and Jesus his Son; ‘the faith’ means the things that Christians say are true about Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Gentile ~ not Jewish; a person that is not a Jew; a person who does not know God. ‘Gentiles’ can mean people from all countries (but it does not include Jews).
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Pentecost ~ a special day that comes 50 days after Passover or Easter.
Passover ~ an important holy day for the Jews; a special meal that they ate on this day every year. At the time when Moses was alive, their people had been slaves in Egypt. Then God had freed them from Egypt. This special meal helped them to remember that. They came to Jerusalem, to meet in the Temple. And then they ate the same food together.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Egypt ~ a country in North Africa. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for several hundred years. God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. And finally they went to the Promised Land. The escape from Egypt was a very important event in Jewish history.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Israelites ~ another name for the Jews. They are the people from Israel.

Promised Land ~ the country that God promised to give to Abraham and his family.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
ancestors ~ a person’s relatives that lived a long time ago.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
spiritual ~ when something belongs to the spirit; when something belongs to the spirit rather than to physical things; a word that people use to refer to holy things.
spirit ~ a person’s spirit is the part in them that will always be alive. It will be alive even after his or her body is dead. There are good spirits. Those include God’s Spirit and his angels. There are also evil spirits. These include Satan and his angels.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
Satan ~ the name for the worst spirit among the evil spirits, who are against God. He has another name, which is the Devil. He is God’s enemy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
grace ~ God’s generous free gift; God’s love, help and protection that people do not deserve and they cannot earn it; when God forgives us although he does not have to forgive.
miracle ~ a wonderful thing that God does by his power; a wonderful thing that happens.
synagogue ~ a building where Jews gathered for prayer. They went there to study the scriptures. And they went there to attend other public meetings.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
scripture ~ the Bible, the book that contains God’s holy messages; the Old Testament.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
province ~ a principal division of a country that people govern from another country. Rome ruled the provinces that Luke mentions in the book called ‘Acts’.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Sanhedrin ~ a special group in Israel that met together to be judges over the people. The priests’ leaders were in it. The important Jews were also in it. And the men that taught about the Law were in it. The high priest led the group.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.

high priest ~ the most important priest in the Jewish Temple.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Nazareth ~ the town where Jesus lived when he was young.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible; the name means that he is above all other things; a name that we use for Jesus when we obey him; someone with authority.
blessing ~ a good thing that God does for us.