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