READING THE BOOK OF ACTS, CHAPTER 6

 READING THE BOOK OF ACTS: CHAPTER 6

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

 CONTEXT FOR ACTS, CHAPTER 6

Acts 6 introduces us to a Jesus-follower named Stephen. The apostles affirmed the choice of Stephen, along with six others, to make sure every Christian in Jerusalem has what they needed. But Stephen is also a skilled debater. As a Greek-speaking Jew from outside Judea, Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, and modern-day Asia Minor would naturally gravitate toward him. These travelers cannot defeat Stephen's logic, but they reject his message. They falsely accuse Stephen and bring him before the Sanhedrin. (bibleref.com)

1) Verses 1-7, The Choosing of the Seven, JEANNIE

6 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews^[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. ³ Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them ⁴ and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” ⁵ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. ⁶ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. ⁷ So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

NOTATIONS:

1. Hellenistic Judaism - a designation for Judaism in the Greek-speaking world, including those Jews who spoke Greek and adopted (to some extent) a Greek way of life.

2. Hebraic Jews - those who speak mainly Aramaic, and who was born in Jerusalem or Judea.

3. Both groups were Jewish Christians.

Gentiles, on the other hand, were people who are not of Jewish descent. However, the books of the Christian New Testament were widely agreed to have originally been written in Greek, even though some of the authors often included translations from Hebrew and Aramaic texts.

• In Acts 6 we see the first Christian martyr being introduced to us and the start of real persecution against the church.
• Verses 1-7 describe some of the growing pains of the early church and how the leadership responds.
• More points of interest about the Hellenistic Jews

SECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Why were the seven men chosen? (Acts 6:2&3)

2. As the Word of God spread, what was the reaction of many priests?

2) Verses 8-15, Stephen Seized, DESTINY

⁸ Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. ¹¹ Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” ¹² So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. ¹³ They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. ¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

NOTATIONS:

SECTION QUESTIONS:

1. How did the Sanhedrin seize Stephen?

2. How did Stephen's face appear to the people in the Sanhedrin?

LAGNIAPPE: A Conversation About The Pharisees VS. The Sadducees, MRS. ELNORA

THE PHARISEES: 1. Believed in the concept of the resurrection 2. Believed in fate. 3. Religious men who kept the law 4. Believed in the afterlife and in an appropriate reward or punishment for individuals 5. Taught the existence of angels, and in the spiritual realm 6. After the destruction of Jerusalem, their legacy lived on

THE SADDUCEES: 1. Believed the Old Testament was the only authority on matters of faith and life 2. Taught that God had no role in the personal lives of humans and that everyone was master of his/her own destiny 3. Rejected entirely the belief in angels, demons, heaven, hell, and the resurrection 4. Believed the soul dies with the body. Death is the end. 5. After the destruction of Jerusalem they ceased to exist as a group.

NOTE: Both groups rejected Jesus Christ.