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Some
Widows Were Neglected
– Acts Six
"Perfect unity" is the term
that best described the early days of the church. "And the multitude of
them that believed were of one heart and of one
soul..." (Acts
Seven
qualified men were selected to assist in caring for the widows. These were
"seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom." When
the seven men were selected the apostles prayed for them and laid their hands
on them. The apostles wanted the widows cared for properly. The neglect had not
been intentional. A mistake had occurred and the
apostles wanted it rectified.
Even during this time the church continued to grow. "And the
word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in
Stephen not only helped to care
for the widows, but he was also a powerful preacher. The Bible says that,
"Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the
people." He was the first named, other than the apostles that performed
miracles. Some disputed with Stephen but they "were not able to resist the
wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke." When they could not answer his arguments as a disputant they brought false wit-nesses
against him. The false witnesses said, "We have heard him speak
blasphemous words against Moses, and against God." (Acts
When the council looked upon Stephen they "saw his face as it
had been the face of an angel." (Acts
The first dissension in the church – Acts 6:1-4:
Until this time, the growth of the church had been great and the harmony of the
church had been undisturbed. The number of disciples continued to grow rapidly.
There were twelve, then a hundred and twenty, three thousand more, then five
thousand more, and after that a multitude of men and women and now the number continued to multiply. In the midst of this time,
"there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because
their widows were neglected in the daily ministration." (Acts 6:1)
The apostles found themselves unable to minister to every demand.
When the Gospel is preached and there is an increase Satan does his best to get
a footing. Have you ever noticed how often Satan is able to stir up trouble
with the cry of "partiality?"
The Apostles did not feel that God would be pleased if they left
the word of God to serve tables. They felt that they should commit themselves
to the study of God's word, meditation upon it, and
the preaching of it. It takes a great deal of time to collect for the poor,
check out each case, and circumstances, and distribute to those needs. The
apostles felt that they should reserve themselves for spiritual services.
The church selecting seven good men to be appointed over this work
resolved the problem. These were to be men full of the Holy Ghost and of
wisdom. Wisdom would allow these brethren to handle the benevolent needs in a
most prudent manner. The apostles were then able to give themselves to prayer
and preaching.
The complaint was heard no more – Acts 6:5-7: The
wisdom of the decision to appoint these seven men was obvious as it was
accepted by the church. Seven Grecian men were selected and the apostles
sanctioned the selection. "They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of
the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of
The Apostles prayed for these seven men and laid their hands upon
them. The laying on of hand was for the purpose of conferring of spiritual
gifts and it likewise showed the confidence of the apostles in these men to do
the work that needed to be done. The work of the seven brought satisfaction and
no more complaints were heard. The result was the "word of God
increased" and the disciples multiplied in number. "A great company
of the priests were obedient to the faith." The faith is that system brought
about by Jesus. Jesus Christ is the great object of faith. Faith is of no
profit unless it is mixed with obedience. Those that are obedient to the faith
cheerfully submit to New Testament teaching.
Stephen was accused of blasphemy – Acts
6:8-11: The rapid growth of the church led to the third Jewish
persecution. During this persecution, Stephen, one of the seven, became the
victim. Stephen, a man full of grace and power, spoke for God with irresistible
eloquence. He preached with power and performed
great wonders and signs. Until this time we only read that the apostles had
performed New Testament miracles.
Many of the people hated the doctrine that Stephen taught, and
they envied his miracles. "Then there arose certain of the synagogue,
which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians,
and Alexandrians, and of them of
The face of an angel – Acts 6:12-15: The Jews were
unable to answer the things that Stephen taught about Jesus. They accused him
of blasphemy against Moses and the customs he had delivered. They charged
Stephen with blasphemy for saying Jesus would destroy the
They said Stephen spoke "blasphemous words against this holy
place, and the law" because they heard him say, "that
this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs
which Moses delivered us." Though there was some truth in the testimony of
the false witnesses, yet they put a wrong and malicious construction upon what
Stephen had said. It is true that Jesus changed many things religiously. The
wonderful sacrifice of Jesus caused all Jewish sacrifices to cease.
Joy in heavenly hope caused Stephen's face to shine as the face of
an angel. This man of God displayed total calmness and serenity. Whenever
character is under the influence of Jesus Christ it shines.
To become a Christian you must hear the gospel (Rom
- - - - Charles Box
News & Notes
1. Prayer
List: In Need Of Prayers: Lou Acreman, Mitch Bozeman, Malachi Beauchamp,
Charles Box Sr. (knee replacement – 9062 Rocky Ford Road, Gadsden, Alabama
35903), Gene Buck, Carolyn Duncan, Ethel Gafford, Jean Gafford, Roy Goodwin,
Ramona Gravely, Ron Green, Evan Hartsell, Frank Johnson, Mary Lawrence, Evelyn
Lewis, Mary Powell, Nettie Quintey, Grace Robinson, Anna Salter, Mary Lou
Terrell, and Mary Tindal. Crowne Health Care: Laura Ellis,
Kathy Johnson, Myrtle Perdue, Bertha Phelps, and Iva Lou Wright.
2. Sympathy
Expressed: Our love and sympathy is expressed to Lisa Garlock and her
family in the death of her aunt, Mary Veazey.
3. Please
Pray For: (a)
Alan Jackson as he serves in
4. Wedding
Announcement: We will walk arm in arm into every day of our lives, we
Dorothy Amanda Hope and Claude Nathaniel Faulkenberry have chosen the first day
of our new life together in Christ as Saturday, the twentieth of May two
thousand and six. You are invited to share in our joy as we exchange marriage
vows at
5. Fifth
Sunday Meal: The church will again enjoy a meal together on April 30th
following morning worship. Please plan to participate.
6. Birthdays:
Celebrating birthdays this week are: April 25th Dale Brannon
and Mary Lou Phelps, and April 26th Cindy Faulk
and Bobby Godwin.
7. Beautiful
Painting: Thanks to Betty Findley for the beautiful painting for the
church office. Also thanks to those that helped with the decoration (Mary Lou
Terrell, Deborah & Lomax Owens, Barbara Walker, and Bruce & Andrew
Cauthen.)
8. Plants
By Front Doors: Thanks to Chris Autrey for the
two pots & plants beside the front doors. Many things are being done to
make our building more beautiful.
9. Graduation
Banquet: Our high school graduates will be honor on May 28th
after evening services. Everyone is invited to participate. Ladies are asked to
bring finger foods. Our graduates this year are: Holly Arnold, Michelle
Bagents, Terrell Brannon, Samuel Cauthen, and Kayla Thomas.
10. Area
Events: (a) April 21st-23rd
– Gospel Meeting – Lineville Church of Christ – Speaker: Ken Butterworth –
Time: 7:00 p.m. (b) April 22nd
– Ladies Day – Rock Hill Church of Christ – Speaker: Janice Claunch – Theme:
“Choices On The Road Of Life” – Time: 9:30 a.m. (c) May 6th – Ladies Day – Niceville Church of Christ,
Florida – Speaker: Sheila Butt – Time: 9:00 a.m. (see bulletin board for more
information.) (d) May 13th
– Ladies Enrichment Day – Fairhope Church of Christ – Speaker: Sheila Butt – Theme: A Woman For All Seasons – Time:
11. Web
Site: Our web is improving daily. The address is
www.walnutstreetchurchofchrist.org. Updates are frequently being made, so visit
it often. The entire Revelation series is now available.
The Light At The End Of Your Tunnel
I want to talk about a man who would not listen to God’s word. He is a Muslim young man that a fellow worker and I studied with. Even though we showed him where his book, the Q’ran, told him to listen to the Bible, he simply refused to listen. He said over and over that he believed the Q’ran and nothing else.
As we finished the study, I told him that one day he would stand before God, not Allah but Jehovah, and remember this Bible study. He would then regret not listening. Please pray for him that he will have a change of heart.
But I want to focus on that Day. One day, when this young man does pass from this life, he is going to find that the “light at the end of his tunnel,” is nothing but a freight train coming toward him. The thing that he has been trusting in and hoping for, will bring him destruction, not salvation. He will find it to be an empty hope and he will truly be disappointed. The sad thing is that at that point it will be too late to do anything about it.
Please don’t let that happen to you. Please don’t place your trust on anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ and His word. Many people place their hope in their own goodness to get them to Heaven. Others base theirs on what their preacher says. Please build your faith on the solid structure that is God’s word. His word is sure and true and can be trusted in every way. His word tells us who Jesus Christ is (Jn 1:1-14, Mt 3:13-17, Jn 3:16), what He has done for us (Rom 5:6-10, Mt 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19), what He built by dying for us (Mt 16:13-19, Acts 2, Col 1, Eph 1), and how to obey Him in order to be saved (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:36-39, I Cor 15:1-4, Romans 6:1-4, I Peter 3:21).
What a joy to know that the light at the end of our tunnel is the hope of eternal life to all who will obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9)! How wonderful it is to know that we don’t follow fables! We don’t trust the words or councils of mankind. We can know what we believe and why we believe it! May the Lord be praised for His promises and His mercy to fallen mankind!
Adapted - - Ben Thompson
The soul
winner must not strive, but be gentle to all men.
Don’t just own a Bible; read it!
(334-382-3001)