Dig In:
Passage: Acts 6
Dig Deeper:
Chapter Summary
v1-7 - So far the account of the new Church has been all about miracles and dynamic sermons that convert thousands. But any organization that involves people is going to have problems, and even the Spirit filled early church had problems. In this case the Jewish widows in the church were being fed well, but the gentile Greek widows were not. The apostles recognized that solving this problem would take their focus away from the ministry of the word, so they selected a slate of godly men "known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom (v3)" to take on the important responsibility of caring for these vulnerable church members, establishing the office of deacon (the Greek word diakonias means service or ministry).
v8-15 - One of these first deacons, a man "full of God's grace and power (v8) named Stephen, was gifted by God to perform signs and miracles. He runs into trouble at the Synagogue of the Freedmen, Jews who had been enslaved because of their Judaism, but had gained their freedom. This experience caused them to cling tightly to their Jewish religious heritage. Instead of seeing how that heritage pointed to Jesus, they take offense to the gospel Stephen proclaims, so they hauled him to trial.
Old Testament References - Add even more value to your daily Bible reading by reading a related passage from the Old Testament
Exodus 18:13-27 tells of how Moses was becoming burned out serving God's people 24/7, and how his father-in-law gave him excellent advice to spread the work out.
Discuss:
Use the comment box below to discuss one or more of these questions. For every comment or reply you post, you will receive an entry for this month's prize.
How does this chapter help you understand the ministry of the church?
How can the particular skills and abilities you have be used to serve God's people?
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who is full of grace and power (v8)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to position you to use the abilities He gave you to serve His church
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Watch the week 2 video - The REAL God sermon series
