God Speaks
But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”
5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.
7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.
8 Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. 9 But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.
11 So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” 12 This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.
13 The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. 14 We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Acts 6 is a short chapter (15 verses) that tells the reasoning and outcome of the Twelve choosing the first seven “deacons” (vs 1-7). The rest of the chapter (vs 8-15) focuses in on one of those deacons, Stephen. Stephen so lived out a life of faith and power from the Holy Spirit that God was able to use him to perform many miracles among the people, causing many of them to turn to Christ in faith, including many Jewish priests. This so enraged leaders from other Jewish communities that they spread lies about him and had him arrested. Stephen’s face was radiant as he spoke to the court. His testimony is covered in chapter 7.
Prayer: Father God and Jesus who is head of the Church, please help us recognize where there are interpersonal problems and deal with them sensibly and sensitively. Point us to men and women who are filled with the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, grace, and power like Stephen and his fellow deacons. Use all of us together to expand Your Kingdom. May even unbelievers see Your glory reflected in our lives and on our faces even when we are falsely accused. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will make an effort to get to know the needs of my fellow congregants and others in my community and work to meet them.
- I will meet with God through Bible study and prayer and ask Him to make me wise and fill me with His Holy Spirit.
- I will seek to carry out faithfully the tasks assigned to me by the leaders of my church and God Himself.
- I will cooperate with the indwelling Holy Spirit so that my life and face radiate Christ’s love to people around me.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.