Week 9, Acts 6 Hook Main Point: The Church grows and the Gospel spreads through healthy, Christlike leadership. Current Event: According to Forbes in 2014, 50 percent of dollars that Americans spend on food is utilized in take-away and restaurant meals; this is up from 34 percent in 1974. 1 A recent Zagat survey indicated that the average American eats out four-and-a-half times per week. 2 How often do you find yourself in a restaurant during an average week? Describe your most pleasant restaurant experience. Describe your least pleasant restaurant experience. Transition: Today s lesson will see the apostles present an answer to a real problem: People are hungry and their needs must be met. 1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandratalty/2016/10/17/millennials-spend-44-percent-of-food-dollars-oneating-out-says-food-institute/#48c2b13c3ff6 2 https://www.zagat.com/b/the-state-of-american-dining-in-2016 1
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Week 9, Acts 6 Book Main Point: The Church grows and the Gospel spreads through healthy, Christlike leadership. Text Summary: Acts 6 In this chapter of Acts, the apostles choose new leaders to meet growing ministry needs. Luke also parallels Stephen and Jesus ministries, showing us how important it is to model our own ministry after Christ. As we will see, Christlikeness in our leaders and ministries helps our grow churches and spread the Gospel. Acts 6:1 7 [Read] Sub-Point: Christlike leaders enable the Church to grow. We recall from Acts 5 that the apostles teaching and miracles brought multitudes of people to Christ. Even under great persecution, they continued to preach the Gospel everywhere they went (5:14, 42). Luke begins chapter 6 by reminding the reader that the early church is growing. While joy abounds in this spiritual harvest, however, there are rising logistical difficulties. With the great influx of newly saved people comes an influx of new administrative and leadership problems. Ministry, even in times of success, can be messy, because it always involves God s working through messy people with limited abilities and foresight. Verse 1 Luke summarizes a need that has arisen in this overflowing church and records the apostles plan to address it. The Hellenistic Jews have lodged a complaint against the Hebrews, claiming that their widows are being unjustly treated by the latter. To understand this better, we must know the cultural context of Acts 6. At the time, the majority of Jerusalem was filled with Aramaic-speaking Jews. They had lived in the holy city of Jerusalem for centuries and were very familiar with traditional Jewish customs and language. There was also a large minority of Greek-speaking Jews, the Hellenists that Luke mentions. These Jews spoke no Hebrew because they had lived abroad for centuries and returned to Jerusalem to finish their days in the Holy Land. They were not familiar with every Jewish custom and rule upon returning to Jerusalem, and the most devout Jews, especially the Pharisees, considered them second-class citizens because of it. Though thousands of these Jews, both Aramaic- and Greek-speaking, came to Christ at Pentecost, their prejudices did not fade overnight. 3 Due to the animosity between the two 3 Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, chapter 11. 3
groups, the Hellenistic widows felt they had been neglected in the daily distribution of food provisions compared to the Hebrews. These tensions have come to the attention of the church leaders, who see the need for additional leadership to protect the church from factions. Q: Humans are not naturally good at unity. What divisions have you experienced in your own Christian community? Q: God often appoints human leaders to help guide His people to live like Christ. How has God revealed a need for leadership in the messiness of your life and/or community? Verse 2 The apostles take the claim of discrimination seriously. They consider meeting the needs of widows a legitimate ministry that needs clear leadership and supervision. They do not ignore the issue, but neither do they stop preaching the Gospel (something both Jesus and an angel of God instructed them to do) in order to fulfill this need (Luke 24:46 49; Acts 5:19 20). Their refusal to wait tables is not because they consider themselves above such a task, but because they have already been given a task by God Himself and need to stay obedient to it. The advancement of the Gospel is at stake. 4 Not every ministry of the church is theirs to meticulously oversee or else they would have no adequate time for preaching or teaching. We must note that the apostolic office is unique here, and this verse is not a biblical warrant for a church leader to avoid doing all mundane tasks. 5 Q: When quarrels or infighting emerges in your community, what is your first response? Q: What is the hardest part of solving problems within a group of Christians? Q: How has God granted you the wisdom to lovingly mediate conflict in your community? Verse 3 4 The apostles come up with a plan and wisely choose to delegate this issue to other leaders. In verse 3, the apostles define the type of Hellenists 6 they consider a proper leader: 1. They must be of good repute. These leaders will handle money, resources and people s well-being, so they must have trustworthy character. 2. They must also be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, meaning that they walk by the Spirit s leading, and they have the administrative skills to sort out the details for the widow s mealtime. 7 4 Hughes, Preaching the Word, chapter 11. 5 Polhill, NAC, 180. 6 Polhill argues that the context of this passage suggests that the seven chosen leaders were Hellenists, those who could speak the language of the Greek-speaking widows and thus break the language barrier, NAC, 181. 7 Longenecker, EBC, 806. 4
Good character, a solid walk with God, and the skill-set necessary to do the particular task qualifies a Christlike leader. Instead of its being either/or, the disciples have found a way for both forms of ministry to be accomplished through the delegation of leadership. In verse 4, they conclude that the preaching of the Gospel can continue among them while the others care for the widows. Verses 5 7 In verses 5 7, the Spirit-guided plan is put into motion and the congregation chooses Stephen and six others. The congregation prays over the newly selected leaders (v. 6), who are the first deacons of the early church. 8 In verse 7, we see that the result of the apostle s leadership is that the church becomes healthier. Its members are well taken care of, the message of the Gospel advances, and many are saved, even some of the elite Jewish priests. Q: What qualities do you look for when selecting a leader? Q: What results have you seen from poor leadership? From wise leadership? Acts 6:8 15 [Read] Sub-Point: Christlike leaders help spread the gospel witness. Verse 8 We see Stephen ministering in a way that directly parallels Christ s ministry. Though Stephen is more a deacon than an apostle, he is concerned with preaching Christ to others. He does not just serve the widows and hope that will be enough to convert them. Beyond the good deed of ministering to the widows and performing signs and wonders, he also ministers in word by boldly proclaiming the Gospel. As we ve seen before, properly testifying to Christ requires both. Jesus met needs while also proclaiming the Gospel verbally, and Stephen is doing likewise. Q: When you serve, what you are more willing to help with? Less willing to help with? Q: Do you lean more toward good deeds or proclaiming good words? Verses 9 11 Like Jesus, Stephen has his enemies. Subsets of the Hellenistic Jews have a serious problem with Stephen s teaching against the three pillars that Jews use as foundations for acceptance before God: the land, the law and the temple. 9 Just as the Jews misunderstood Jesus teaching on these things, they misunderstand Stephen s teaching as well. By examining their sacred beliefs, Stephen is offering them the true way to approach God: through Christ! But in the same way that Jesus convicting words about true worship and obedience sparked rejection, anger and violence in his time, Stephen s faithfulness to offer 8 Hughes, Preaching the Word, chapter 11. 9 Hughes, Preaching the Word, chapter 12. 5
truth leads to the same outcome (v. 9). Like Jesus own experience in Luke 4:36, verse 10 tells us that Stephen s hearers cannot withstand his Spirit-filled wisdom, something Christ had promised in Luke 21:15, and begin plotting violence against him by stirring up the crowds, just as it was with Jesus (v. 11). Verse 12 15 Stephen is brought before the same council that Jesus faced. Stephen s arrest, paralleling Christ s, is also based on charges from false witnesses (v. 12 14; cf. Matt. 26:59 60). Stephen s experience here is one of the fulfillments of Jesus prediction that His followers will be persecuted as He was (John 15:18 21). 10 In verse 15, we see the last parallel in this chapter. Stephen, about to face his own death, radiates the peaceful, confident face of an angel. To identify Stephen as a faithful hero of history, Luke purposefully uses this phrase to reference the face of Moses on Mt. Sinai and more importantly, Jesus at his transfiguration. 11 The peace that Stephen radiates is a direct inheritance of the calm faith Jesus displayed throughout His arrest, trial and Crucifixion. In every step of his ministry so far, Stephen has shown the wisdom of the Gospel and the nature of Christ, even in this moment of persecution. Q: When people stand against you, how do you react? What character qualities do you display in those moments? Q: Can you think of a time when God helped you stay confident and hopeful in the face of a potential setback or disappointment? Q: How have you seen the character of Jesus displayed through a leader in your life? How has their witness impacted your faith? 10 ESV Study Bible Commentary notes. 11 Polhill, NAC, 186. 6
Week 9, Acts 6 Took Main Point: The Church grows and the Gospel spreads through healthy, Christlike leadership. Missional Outreach: Today s lesson reinforced the idea that structure helps kingdom work to be performed in an effective way. Like the needs of the widows in Acts 6, so, too, our community is filled with individuals with needs; first and foremost a need for Christ Jesus. In efforts to meet the needs of those both in and out of the classroom, your Bible Fellowship has a leadership structure to support its ministry. Teacher, take a moment to discuss the vacant leadership roles in your class and challenge members to pray about how the Lord might use them in their class. Consult the Bible Fellowship Leadership guide (http://prestonwood.org/docs/default-source/bible-fellowship-leader-resources/fall- 2015.pdf?sfvrsn=0) for more information on leadership roles and their requirements. Lesson Conclusion: This chapter shows us how much Christlike leadership matters. Whether it is something seemingly mundane like serving food to widows, or something incredibly intense like getting arrested for sharing the Gospel, we must emulate Christ s attitude in all that we do. May the heart and ministry of Jesus be the mark of our leaders and our own witness. Challenges Develop healthy leadership As the apostles example shows us in Acts 6, we simply can t have our hands in every single part of church ministry. Find the places in your own personal ministry where you are taking on too much, and with humility, delegate some tasks to a trustworthy leader. Examine your perspective on leadership and ask God to reveal to you how He raises up new leaders. Thank God for the care He has provided for your church community by bringing unity and growth through its leaders. What needs does your church have and how can you pray for God to use your leaders to meet them? Fight discrimination In the case of the neglected widows, the apostles took discrimination seriously and came up with a clear plan in order to remove it from their midst. Similar to the Hellenists and the Hebrews, each church can also have certain cliques with underlying prejudices toward others. Where in your church (or the Church at large) do you see certain believers being treated as second-class? Where do you observe favoritism, whether conscious or unconscious? List some ways you can fight these biases in your own church as the apostles did. Examine your witness Stephen, as well as the other deacons and apostles, teaches us that our own ministries should look like Christ s ministry. In as many places as possible, our witness should be Christlike. Consider whose name you are proclaiming through the way that you 7
minister. How do your attitude and actions display Christ? Identify areas where you need God to cultivate more characteristics of Jesus. Ask Him for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to bring humility and patience into your life so that you can lead others in the same sacrificial manner that Christ leads us. 8