Seven Faithful Men Are Appointed to Help the Needy, 6:1-7.
[1] As the church continued to grow, problems arose. This problem was tribal in origin. It involved two groups of people: Hellenists and Hebrews. The Hellenists were Jews by race but had moved into a foreign land where other Jews spoke Aramaic. The Hellenists spoke the Greek language and followed Greek culture. The Hebrews were Jews by birth, culture, and language. They considered themselves “pure,” and considered that the others had been corrupted.
The situation was similar to what happens today when people go to a foreign country. In the foreign country, they study and adopt many of the ways of that country. They forget many of their own cultural ways. When these people return to their own country, they have changed. Their own people see they have changed. This often brings trouble.
In the early church, this situation also caused trouble. The trouble involved the needs of the poor. As we noted in chapter four, the richer members sold some of their property, and money was distributed to those who had needs. Some of those needy ones were widows. Greek-speaking Jews felt that their widows were not treated fairly. Thus, they complained.
[2] To solve this problem, the apostles called the church together. They suggested a solution for the problem. It was not good for the apostles to stop preaching. Their work of preaching had to continue. Other Christians could be chosen to help solve the problem.
[3-6] The problem had to be solved by the church. The members of the church selected men from among themselves. It was best for the members to make the selection; the church might not have been happy with the apostles’ choice. This is an example for us today. When we need leaders, each congregation should make its own selection. A congregation should not depend on “church headquarters.” Church headquarters are inventions of denominations. The Bible teaches that no congregation has dominion over another congregation. Each congregation should be able to rule itself.
The seven men selected were from the Greek-speakers. It was wise to choose men out of the very group who thought its widows were neglected. We know these men were from Greek culture because of their names. The names are of Greek origin, which indicates they lived among the people. The choice of these men is a sign of unity and love in the early church. When a problem arose, great consideration was given to those who were most affected.
These seven men performed duties which indicate they were what the New Testament calls “deacons.” The word “deacon” means one who serves. Those serving as deacons were special servants of the church. Qualifications for this work are given in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Acts 6:7-15
7 God’s message was influencing more and more people. The group of followers in Jerusalem became larger and larger. Even many of the Jewish priests were obedient to the faith. 8 Since Stephen was full of God’s favor and power, he was working miracles among the people to show great proofs from God. 9 But, some Jews stood up and argued with Stephen. They were from a synagogue called “A Synagogue for Freed Men.” (This synagogue was also for Jews from the cities of Cyrene and Alexandria.) Jews from Cilicia and Asia were with them. They all came and argued with Stephen, 10 but the Spirit was helping Stephen speak with wisdom. His words were so powerful that the Jews could not argue with him. 11 So they secretly paid some men to say, “We heard Stephen say some evil things against Moses and against God!” 12 In this way, they stirred up the people, the Jewish elders, and the teachers of the law. They became so angry that they came and grabbed Stephen. Then they took him to the Jewish Council. 13 They brought some men into the meeting. These men were told to tell lies about Stephen. The men said, “This man always says things against this holy place and against the law of Moses. 14 We heard him say that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place. He also said that Jesus will change the customs which Moses passed down to us.” 15 Everyone sitting in the Jewish Council stared at Stephen. They saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.
[7] The church continued to grow rapidly. It is significant that by this time a number of priests had become obedient. The witness of the apostles and others was convincing more and more people of the truth. When even the priests turned to the new way, this was an important step in the growth of the church. The priests were the religious leaders under the law of Moses. When they began to accept this new way, many of the common people did also.
We learn an important lesson for our own teaching today from the example here. If we can teach the leaders when we preach from village to village, we can almost be sure that other people will follow. Probably, it is wise to meet first with the village elders. In this way, we can explain to them what we are doing. We could explain the message of Christ and try to convert them. The church will grow much faster if such leaders become Christians.
Stephen Is Arrested and Falsely Accused, 6:8-15.
[8] Stephen was one of the seven men chosen to help the needy widows. He was also a preacher of the gospel. He had received some gifts of the Spirit which enabled him to perform miracles. This is the first recorded case of someone other than an apostle performing miracles in the Christian age. It is not explained how he received this power. This power was probably received when the apostles laid their hands on him (verse 6). Acts 8:14-17 explains that this was the method of giving the gifts of the Spirit.
[9-15] It is probable that Stephen had been a member of this synagogue. Members of this synagogue were those who had been freed from slavery. After Stephen was converted, he tried to teach the people, but opposition arose. When his opponents were unable to argue strongly against Stephen, they tried to defeat him by dishonest means.
In many ways, this trial reminds us of the trial of Christ (John 18:12-19:16; Matthew 26:57-27:31). Both were charged with blasphemy. Both received testimony from false witnesses. The charges against Stephen were that he spoke “against this holy place.” That was the temple. The Jews were very emotionally attached to the temple in Jerusalem. Anyone who spoke against it was in danger. We do not know just what Stephen said regarding the temple. It is possible that he quoted Jesus’ own statement which was used against him in his trial (Matthew 26:61; John 2:19-21). His words against the law must have been about Jesus’ changing of the Mosaic tradition.
Stephen’s Sermon, 7:1-53.
Acts 7:1-7
7 1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these things true?” 2 Stephen answered, “My Jewish fathers and brothers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to Abraham, our ancestor, while he was in Mesopotamia. This was before he lived in Haran. 3 God said to Abraham, ‘Leave your country and your relatives! Go to another country. I will show you where to go.’ Genesis 12:1 4 So Abraham left the country of Chaldea and went to live in Haran. After Abraham’s father died, God sent him to this same land where you live now. 5 But God did not give Abraham any of this land – not even a foot of it! God promised that in the future He would give this land to Abraham and his descendants; it would belong to them. (This was before Abraham had any children.) 6 This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will live as strangers in another country. The people there will make them slaves and do evil things to them for 400 years. 7 I will judge that nation which will make them slaves.’ And God also said, ‘After those things happen, your children will come out of that country to worship Me in this place.’ Exodus 3:12
[1-4] As the charges were brought against Stephen in the council, he was given opportunity to reply. He did not give an answer immediately to the charges against him. Instead, he gave an historical view of God’s dealings with the Jewish nation. This was a very concise history of the development of the Jewish nation. If you read this chapter carefully, you will find a good outline of much of the history of Israel in the Old Testament.
From Mesopotamia (the land of the Chaldeans), Abraham moved up the valley to Haran. After the death of his father, he moved again, settling in the land of Canaan. The land of Canaan eventually became the homeland of the Jewish nation. When Abraham arrived in this land, God promised to give it to him and to his descendants (Genesis 12).
[5-7] God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled after the family of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, had gone to Egypt and was later led out by Moses. From Egypt, they settled in the land of Canaan. While in Egypt, they were badly treated for about four hundred years. After that, God brought judgement on the Egyptian nation, and the Jews were freed. They then settled in Canaan and worshipped God there.
Acts 7:8-16
8 God made an agreement with Abraham; the sign was circumcision. And so, when Abraham had a son, Abraham circumcised him when he was eight days old. His son’s name was Isaac. Isaac also circumcised his son Jacob and Jacob did the same for his sons. These sons later became the twelve fathers.” 9 “These fathers, Joseph’s brothers, became jealous of him. They sold Joseph to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him. 10 Joseph had many troubles there, but God rescued him from them all. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, liked Joseph and respected him, because of the wisdom which God gave Joseph. Pharaoh gave Joseph the job of being governor of Egypt. He even allowed Joseph to rule over all the people in Pharaoh’s house. 11 But the whole land of Egypt and the land of Canaan became dry. It became so dry that crops couldn’t grow there. This made the people suffer terribly. Our ancestors could find nothing to eat. 12 But Jacob heard that there was wheat stored in Egypt. So he sent our ancestors there. (This was their first trip to Egypt.) 13 Then they went there a second time. On this visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was. And, Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14 Then Joseph sent some men to invite Jacob, his father, to come to Egypt. He also invited all of his relatives (75 persons altogether). 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt. He and our ancestors died there. 16 Later their bodies were moved to Shechem. They were placed in a grave there. (It was the same grave in Shechem that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor. He paid them with silver.)”
[8] The covenant of circumcision was a sign of the flesh to identify the Jewish nation. God selected the family of Abraham to be His special people (Genesis 17:9-14). See Acts 15:1.
[9-16] In these verses, Stephen explained how the family of Abraham went to live in Egypt. Joseph was sold by his own brothers. He was taken to Egypt where he lived as a slave. But God was with him. In his life we can see the providence of God. God not only made the world and all things, but He also controls all things. During the time of Joseph, God knew that a great famine would come upon the earth. Since He was preparing this Jewish nation to be His people, He did not want them to perish in the famine. So He planned a way for them to be saved. He caused Joseph to be taken to Egypt. In Egypt, God was with Joseph. He became a leader. He also revealed the future to Joseph. Joseph knew that a famine would come. God gave him this knowledge so he could prepare for it. He stored food for seven years. This permitted them to have enough food to last during the time of famine (Genesis 42).
Acts 7:17-34
17 “In Egypt our nation grew larger in number. (The promise which God made to Abraham was soon to come true.) There were more and more of our people in Egypt. 18 Then a different king began to rule over Egypt. He knew nothing about Joseph. 19 This king cheated our people. He persecuted our ancestors; he forced them to put their babies outdoors to die. 20 During this time, Moses was born. He was no ordinary baby. For three months they took care of Moses in his father’s house. 21 When they put Moses outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him in. She raised him as if he were her own son. 22 The Egyptians taught Moses everything they knew. He was powerful in the things he said and did.” 23 “When Moses was about 40 years old, he thought it would be good to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 One day Moses saw an Egyptian man doing wrong to a Hebrew brother. So, he defended him. Moses punished the Egyptian for hurting that brother. Moses hit the Egyptian so hard that the man died. 25 Moses was thinking his brothers would understand that God was using him to save them, but they did not understand. 26 The next day Moses saw two of the sons of Israel fighting. He tried to make peace between them. He said, ‘Men, you are brothers! Why are you doing wrong to one another?’ 27 The man who was doing wrong to the other man pushed Moses away. He said to Moses, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge? 28 Do you want to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian man yesterday?’ 29 When Moses heard him say this, he ran away from Egypt. He went to live in the land of Midian where he was a stranger. While he lived there he had two sons.” 30 “After 40 years, Moses was in the desert on Mount Sinai. An angel appeared to him in the flame of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw this, he was amazed. He went nearer to look at it more closely. He heard a Voice; it was the Lord’s. 32 The Lord God said, ‘I am the same God of your ancestors the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.’ Moses began to shake with fear. He was afraid to look at the bush. 33 The Lord said to him, ‘Take off your shoes, because the place where you are now standing is holy ground. 34 I have seen My people suffer much in Egypt. I have heard My people moaning. I have come down to rescue them. And now, Moses, I am sending you back to Egypt.”
[17-29] The Jews lived in Egypt about four hundred years before God fulfilled His promise to Abraham. During this time the Jews grew into a great nation.
[30-34] After Moses was rejected by his tribesmen, he spent 40 years in the land of Midian. During this time he married. He spent his days as a shepherd. Moses was called by God to return to Egypt to deliver his people from bondage. The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush. As Moses drew near to see this strange sight, the Lord spoke to him. Since he was in the presence of God, this ground was holy. He was told to take off his shoes to show reverence to God.
God explained to him that he knew about the suffering of the Jews in Egypt. From examples such as this, we can take courage. In times of trouble, God sees us and will help us. He will help us as He helped the Jews in Egypt.
Acts 7:35-50
35 “This Moses was the same man the people of Israel had rejected. They had asked him, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Moses is the same man whom God sent to be a ruler and deliverer. God sent Moses with the help of an angel. This was the angel that Moses saw in the burning bush. 36 So, Moses led the people out. He did powerful things and miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the desert for 40 years. 37 This is the same Moses who said these words to the sons of Israel: ‘God will raise up for you a prophet who is like me. He will come from among your own brothers.’ ” 38 “This is the same Moses who was with the congregation in the desert at Mount Sinai. He was with the angel that spoke to him and with our ancestors. There at Mount Sinai, Moses received commands from God which still live. Moses gave us these commands.” 39 “But our ancestors didn’t want to obey Moses. They rejected him. In their hearts, they wanted to go back to Egypt. 40 Our ancestors said to Aaron, ‘Make us some gods to lead us! Moses brought us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 41 So, the people made an idol which looked like a calf. Then they brought sacrifices to it. The people were very happy with what they had made with their own hands! 42 But God turned against them. He stopped trying to change their hearts. They were worshiping the sun, the moon, and the stars. This is what is written in the writings of the prophets; God says: ‘People of Israel, you killed animals and offered sacrifices in the desert for 40 years, but these sacrifices were not for Me. 43 You carried with you the tent for Moloch and the image of the star of your god, Rephan – statues which you made to worship. So, I will send you away beyond Babylon.’ ” Amos 5:25-27 44 “God spoke to our ancestors in a special tent; it was with the people in the desert. God commanded Moses how to make this tent. He made it like the pattern which God showed him. 45 Later Joshua led our fathers to capture the lands of the other nations. Our people went in and God drove those people out. When our people went into this new land, they took this same tent with them. They had received it from their ancestors. They kept it until the time of David. 46 God was very pleased with David. David asked God to allow him to build a house for Him, the God of Jacob, 47 but Solomon was the one who actually built it.” 48 “However, the Highest One does not live in houses which men build with their hands. This is what the prophet Isaiah wrote: 49 ‘The Lord God says, “Heaven is My throne. The earth is a place to rest My feet. What kind of house could you build for Me? There is no place where I need to rest! 50 Remember, I made all these things!” ‘ ” Isaiah 66:1-2
[35-38] At first, the Jews rejected Moses as their deliverer. But God had chosen him. Moses went back to Egypt. There, with the help of God, he led his people out of bondage
Moses was the deliverer of those people. They lived in bondage, but he led them out of bondage. He led them away from sinful Egypt, across the Red Sea to the promised land of Canaan. Moses was also a prophet. He spoke of another prophet whom God would raise up (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). In the New Testament, Peter noted these words of Moses and said that they applied to Christ (Acts 3:22-23). Christ came to deliver people from bondage just as Moses had done. Even today, people are in bondage to sin. But Christ will deliver them from that bondage. He leads sinners out of a life of sin as Moses led the people from bondage in Egypt. As Moses led the people across the Red Sea where they were said to be baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea (1 Corinthians 10:1-2), so are sinners immersed and risen to a new life (Romans 6:4-5). This is like the Hebrews, who entered a new life when they crossed the Red Sea. After one becomes a Christian, Christ continues to lead him until he reaches the promised land of heaven (Matthew 28:19-20).
Moses received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). During the same time, additional laws were given. All these laws may be seen in the first five books of the Old Testament.
[39-43] The Jews were a very rebellious people. They soon forgot that God had delivered them from slavery. They remembered the gods of the Egyptians. They demanded that Aaron make a god for them. Beginning with the idolatry of the golden calf, Israel continued to worship idols throughout its history. Many of their idols were representative of the stars and planets which many different tribes worshipped. Moloch and Rephan were two of the idols they worshipped.
[44-50] The tent was the tabernacle which was testimony of God’s presence with the people. The tabernacle stood in the very centre of the Hebrew camp.
Acts 7:51-60
51 Stephen continued speaking: “You stubborn leaders! Your hearts are not circumcised! You won’t listen to God! You are always against what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you. Your ancestors did this, and you are just like them!” 52 “Your ancestors persecuted every prophet who ever lived. Those prophets said long ago that the righteous one would come, but your ancestors killed the prophets. And now, you have turned against this righteous one and murdered him. 53 You are the people who received the law of Moses, the commands which God gave through the angels – but you don’t obey the law!” 54 When the Jewish leaders heard Stephen say these things, they became very angry. They were so mad that they were grinding their teeth at Stephen. 55 Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up into the sky and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right side. 56 He said, “Look! I see heaven open. And, I see the Son of Man standing at God’s right side!” 57 Then they all shouted with a loud voice. They covered their ears with their hands. Together they all ran at Stephen. 58 They took him out of the city to stone him to death. The men, who told lies against Stephen, gave their robes to a young man named Saul. 59 Then they began to throw stones at Stephen, but Stephen was praying. He said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He fell on his knees and shouted this: “Lord, don’t blame them for this sin!” After Stephen said that, he died. Saul approved of the killing of Stephen.
[51-53] Stephen reminded his Jewish audience of their heritage. He applied his sermon to the people. Step by step, he showed the people God’s presence and guidance. On every hand, the people had rejected God and his messengers. Joseph was despised by his brothers and sold into slavery. Yet God used Joseph to save the Jews. Moses was rejected, but God also used him to deliver the Jews from bondage.
In spite of God’s goodness, the people continually turned to idolatry. Stephen told his audience that they were just like their fathers. They too have rejected the final prophet whom Moses and others had testified would come. That prophet was the very son of God.
The Death of Stephen, the First Christian Martyr, 7:54-8:3
[54-60] The Sanhedrin was supposed to be sitting in judgement on Stephen. But they realized it was they who were under the righteous judgement of God. They were, like all men, ruled by passion rather than by reason. They were filled with anger. They should have repented and turned to God. Instead, they were filled with anger which turned them further away from God. The Holy Spirit was present. He came to Stephen as a comforter. Stephen was even granted a vision of the Lord standing at the throne of God’s judgement. The Lord witnessed what was happening. But the Jewish leaders could not control themselves. It was an act of violence by religious men. Even today there are religious leaders who do not have the spirit of Christ. We must always remember the distinction between being religious and being a true Christian. In this story, we are introduced to a man named Saul for the first time. He consented to the death of this first Christian martyr. It seems that what he heard and participated in here he remembered for the rest of his life. He later became a Christian himself, the great missionary Paul.
Stephen died as his Lord had died, with a prayer on his lips for forgiveness for his murderers. How different was the heart of this simple disciple from that of the learned Jewish leaders who murdered him! The death of Stephen sparked a great persecution against the church. However, this did not stop the growth of the church.
Acts 8:1-13
8 1-3 Some good men buried Stephen. They cried very loudly for him. On that day there was a fierce attack on the congregation in Jerusalem. Saul was also trying to destroy them. He even went into their homes. He dragged out men and women and put them in jail. All of the believers had to leave Jerusalem; only the apostles stayed there. The believers went to different places in Judea and Samaria. 4 They were scattered everywhere. And everywhere the believers went, they told people the Good News about Jesus. 5 Philip went to the city of Samaria. He was preaching about the Messiah. 6 The crowds there heard Philip and they saw the miracles that he was doing. With a single purpose, they all listened very carefully to the things Philip said. 7 Many of these people had evil spirits. The spirits came out of them; they made a loud noise. There were also many paralyzed and crippled people. Philip healed them. 8 This made the people in that city very happy. 9 However, there was in that city a man named Simon who did magic tricks before Philip came. He amazed all the people of Samaria with these tricks. Simon boasted and called himself a great man. 10 All of the people – the least important and the most important – had listened closely to Simon. The people said, “This man is the power of God which is called ‘The Great Power’!” 11 Simon had amazed the people with his magic tricks for so long that the people became his followers. 12 But, Philip told the people the Good News about the kingdom of God and the authority of Jesus the Messiah. Men and women believed Philip and were immersed. 13 Simon himself also believed and was immersed. Simon stayed near Philip. He saw the miracles and the very powerful things which Philip did. Simon was amazed.
[8:1-3] Saul was a very zealous religious leader. He considered Christians to be enemies of the Jewish religion. For this reason, he led the persecution against them. All the believers, except the apostles, were forced to leave Jerusalem. Though the apostles were faced with danger, they chose to remain in Jerusalem. Perhaps they felt their testimony was still needed there. The common people scattered through the neighbouring regions. As we shall see, they were busy preaching the Word of the Lord.