Acts 4:32-6:7 -- 4/29/07 (The Lord's Church)

Sunday Morning, April 29, 2007

Acts 4:32-6:7

32. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35. And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 36. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37. Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

The unity theme surfaces again, although it is never far from the forefront. Notice that the "multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul." Let’s be encouraged by that. Sometimes we think it would be great if a dozen people could be of one heart and one soul, but here we find that literally thousands enjoyed that blessing! Remember, that by now the number of men was some 5,000. Could all the believers in Otero County be of one heart and one soul? Yes! Is anything too hard for God. We may not know all the reasons why this doesn’t seem to be the case, but we can pray for it, expecting God to answer.

This kind of unity brings glory to God. Let’s be reminded again of those two powerful passages in the Gospel of John which emphasize love and unity. John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 17:20-21, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

This wasn’t some idealistic goal they were hoping to achieve, but it was a reality, as seen by the fact that no one called anything his own. They had all things common. This doesn’t mean that they lived in communes, as some have supposed. It simply means that what each one had was available to the entire community, as there was a need for it. As we saw in chapter 2, those who had houses or lands were willing to sell them in order to meet the needs of brothers and sisters. All the verbs in verses 34-35 are in the imperfect tense. In other words, they speak of ongoing, continuing action. Whenever there was a need, someone would step forth to sell something and meet the need.

One shining example of this kind of generosity was Joses, who was given the nickname Barnabas, which means "son of encouragement." Whenever we see Barnabas in the New Testament, we find him giving that encouragement.

There are those who will call this a "communistic experiment," saying that the poverty they experienced later is proof that this did not work. I suggest to you that such reasoning has its roots in American capitalism and individualism, rather than in the Word of God. Notice that right in the middle of this description of unity we find the words of verse 33, "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all." This unity which reached all the way to the pocketbook gave a practical credibility to the witness of the apostles. They preached that Jesus rose from the dead, and the believers proved it by their love for one another, refusing to call anything their own. "Great grace was upon them all." God was blessing them with the power to share both their goods and their testimony.

People in American society try not to make too much of these passages at the end of chapters 2 and 4. Sometimes we are afraid that it does indeed tend toward communism. I read an interesting comment by C. H. Spurgeon concerning this first century practice: "The difference between a communist and a Christian is this – a communist says, ‘All that is yours is mind;’ while a Christian says, ‘All that is mine is yours;’ and that is a very different thing" (In sermon entitled "Building the Church: Additions to the Church;" April 5, 1874).

Acts 5

1. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2. And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it, at the apostles' feet. 3. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

Isn’t that a nice little story? Isn’t that the kind of Bible story you want to tell to your children before you tuck them in bed? People who want to believe that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath and the God of the New Testament is a God of love have lots of trouble with this passage. The God who struck people dead in Old Testament times does the same thing here. Is it any wonder that "great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things"? (5:11).
We are not given as many details as we might like. The brevity of the account contributes to its powerful impression upon us. Wouldn’t we like to know if this was originally the idea of Ananias or of Sapphira? Someone might ask if Peter deliberately kept from Sapphira the knowledge that her husband was dead. God doesn’t see fit to answer our questions, but instead gives us what is profitable for us.

The basic story is quite simple. Ananias and Sapphira had a piece of property. For the sake of simplicity, let’s just suppose it was worth $25,000. They sold it for that price and then brought $15,000 of it to the apostles, to be used to meet the needs of the brethren. However, they gave the impression that they were giving to the apostles the entire amount of money for which they had sold it. While this is not explicitly stated at first, we see in verse 3 that they kept back part of the price of the land.

So what was their sin? Was it that they had stolen from God? No. Peter points out the nature of their sin very clearly, when he says to Ananias, "Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" There was no problem with them not giving the entire amount. As a matter of fact, they weren’t obligated in any way to give anything. The sharing we read about at the end of chapter 4 was entirely voluntary. No one was coerced to sell anything he had and give even a portion. Ananias’ sin was in that he lied to the Holy Spirit.
Take just a minute to note a couple of things about the Holy Spirit. First of all, He can be lied to. The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force; He is a person. We see in verse 9 that the Holy Spirit can also be tempted, or tested. Now compare verses 3 and 4. In verse 3, we read that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit. In verse 4, we find that he lied to God. In the one act of dishonestly he lied to the Holy Spirit and he lied to God. What could be clearer than the fact that the Holy Spirit is indeed God?

At the rebuke of Peter, Ananias died on the spot. It wasn’t Peter who caused his death. Whether we like it or not, the simple conclusion is that he died as a consequence of his sin. About three hours later his wife Sapphira came in. We don’t know why she came in. At any rate, Peter asked her straight out if she sold the land for so much (in our example, for $15,000)? Peter was giving her opportunity to back down and admit that this wasn’t the total price, but she didn’t take the opportunity. She maintained that the $15,000 was the total price. That is when Peter told her that because she and her husband had agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord, those who buried her husband were waiting to carry her out too. At that, she died, and they carried her out and buried her next to her husband.

11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

And now we come back to the great theme of this whole account, which is the fear of the Lord. After the death of Ananias, we read in verse 5, "And great fear came on all them that heard these things." Is it any wonder? And then in verse 11, after the added death of Sapphira, "And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things."

Please hear me. It is a great privilege to be a part of the household of God. What a privilege to be part of the habitation of God through the Spirit (Eph. 2:22). But we must realize that it is also a fearful thing. Though we have been made near by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13), the God with whom we have to do is still the Creator of the Universe and Lord over all. We love I Cor. 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you." By the way, while we tend to take this individually, that may not be as accurate as taking it as the body of Christ. "Don’t you know that you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells among you?" Either way, we must not quit reading until we have read verse 17 as well: "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are?" Remember that our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). Even though we are His people, He is still to be feared, to be held in great awe and reverence. Though man has domesticated fire and found great uses for it, woe to the man who loses his fear of fire. So it is with our God.

Someone has said: "The story of Ananias is to the book of Acts what the story of Achan is to the book of Joshua. In both narratives an act of deceit interrupts the victorious progress of the people of God" (Bruce, Acts, p. 110). Before the name Achan is ever mentioned, we read these words in Josh. 7:1, "But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing…" God had told them not to take any of the spoils from the city of Jericho. While God enabled them to defeat Jericho, "the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing…" Then we read the next words, "for Achan…took of the accursed thing, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel." Achan was the only one who disobeyed God, but the people of Israel were considered guilty and God’s anger was kindled against all of them.

It is because of this solidarity as the people of God that the Lord deals so severely with such sin. Is this not why God dealt so severely with the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. "Judgment must begin at the house of God" (I Pet. 4:17). God judges His people more severely than outsiders (though the time will come when outsiders will receive their due reward).

Surely more than one person is asking: "Were Ananias and Sapphira true believers?" At first glance, we want to say, "No way could they be true children of God." We generally come to that conclusion because of what they did and because of what God did to them. However, I remind you of what we studied just two weeks ago from I Cor. 11, where Paul said that many slept (died) because they did not discern the Lord’s body. And consider their sin. They wanted to appear to be more gracious than they were. They were looking for the praise of man. Is there anyone here who has ever sought after the praise of man?

I don’t know whether they were true believers. What we do know is that they were not a shining testimony of the grace of God. The other thing we cannot miss is the high standard within the church at that time. The church of Jesus Christ stood for holiness. We have just read at the end of chapter 4 that its people were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were zealous to speak the truth of the Lord with boldness to those around them. In that atmosphere, sin stands out. As God works that holiness and zeal for His testimony in us, perhaps sin will stand out in a similar fashion.

12. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. 13. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. 14. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) 15. Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. 16. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

Though the account of Ananias and Sapphira’s death seems harsh, we must take notice that as a result of this incident there was an increase in spiritual power. We see this in three ways.

First, there was an increase of the signs and wonders performed by the apostles. The sick were healed and those who had unclean spirits were healed as well. When we read about multitudes coming to Peter and the others for healing, it sounds a great deal like the ministry of Jesus, does it not? We must understand that though the Lord used them in doing such miraculous things, they didn’t emphasize the physical miracles. They used them as a platform to preach Jesus. That theme runs throughout these chapters.

Second, we see both the fear and the favor of unbelievers. Notice the parenthesis from the middle of verse 12 through the end of verse 14 (KJV). Again, we see that they were all in one accord. "In one accord" is the translation of that same word (homothumados), which speaks of the one passion they had in common. Look especially at verse 13, "And of the rest durst no man join himself to them; but the people magnified them." The New American Standard renders it: "But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem." "The rest" refers to the unbelievers, the outsiders. People were not eager to join the group that Ananias and Sapphira belonged to! And who can blame them? Perhaps this is why we read that it was the Lord who added to the church! Only the Spirit of God could persuade people to hang around with this crowd. And yet, at the same time, the people magnified them. "The people" likely focuses on the common people, in contrast to the Jewish leaders. Though they were filled with fear, they had great respect for the church.

The third evidence of this increased spiritual power is the fact that multitudes were added to the church. One writer captures the truth of these verses in these words: "When the purity of the church and the obvious presence of the Lord in it make people afraid to join, then there is no way to prevent growth" (The Acts of the Apostles, William Owen Carver, p. 57). This is somewhat of a paradox. If people were scared to join them, then why would multitudes come flocking into the church? Because it was the Father drawing them, the Spirit convicting them, and the truth of the gospel of Jesus giving them hope.

17. Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, 18. And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. 19. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, 20. Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. 21. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22. But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, 23. Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. 24. Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. 25. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. 26. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

While they were magnified by the people, they were feared by the Jewish leaders. That is, they feared the growing power of the Jesus movement, of "the way." The Sadducees were especially upset, likely because the witness of the apostles to the resurrection of Jesus was filling Jerusalem. Remember that the Sadducees taught that there is no resurrection from the dead.
So they arrested them (not just Peter and John this time, but all of the apostles) and put them in jail, apparently planning to deal with them the next day. But the Lord had other plans. He sent His angel to open the prison doors and set them free. Before there is any time to rejoice at being set free, the angel gives them an immediate command: "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life." Isn’t that beautiful! What are "the words of this life"? Is it not the message of life in Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save that which was lost? The Lord wasn’t setting them free so that they could be free of the prison, for "if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed" (Jn. 8:36). These men were already free. The Lord delivered them out of the prison so that they would be free to go back and teach the gospel truth to the people. What greater freedom than to be able to proclaim the truth to those who need it so desperately?

Notice the response of the apostles. "And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning and taught." They simply obeyed the Lord. Such simplicity! The Lord commanded them, and they obeyed.

Back at the prison, it was assumed that all was well. The Sanhedrin gathered to try these pesky apostles who were giving them so much trouble. But when they sent for the prisoners, there were no prisoners. All the doors were shut and the guards were in place as usual, but no prisoners. Doesn’t it kind of remind you of the empty tomb! The leaders were more than a little bit disturbed. However, it wasn’t long until someone reported that these same apostles were presently standing in the temple teaching the people.

In verse 26, we read that the officers of the Sanhedrin, along with the captain of the temple guard, brought them without violence. This must have been a relief. If the apostles had chosen to do so, they could have made quite a scene. Had they appealed to the people, it is very likely the people would have resisted on their part. But because the apostles offered no resistance, they were taken back to the council without incident.

27. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28. Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

The high priest, who by virtue of his office was the president of the Sanhedrin, reminded them sternly of the command they were given not to teach "in this name." His words "in this name" may reflect an early reluctance to use the name of Jesus. At any rate, it seemed that their continual teaching of Jesus was intended to make the Jewish leaders responsible for His death.

29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

This reminds us of Peter’s earlier words when he and John were before this same council, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you mare than unto God, judge ye" (4:19). Then Peter does what he has done already on three separate occasions (2:23; 3:15; 4:10); he contrasted their treatment of Jesus with God’s evaluation of Jesus. This time he does it in reverse order. God’s evaluation – "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus." Their treatment of Jesus – "Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree." Not only did God raise Jesus from the dead, but He also exalted Him to sit on His right hand as a Prince and Savior.

And what was the purpose of this? That He might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Let me give you a quick study. In the New Testament, you will find stated three times the truth that repentance is a gift from God. The first is here, but you will also find it in Acts 11:18, "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." And then again in 2 Tim. 2:24-25, "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." We understand that forgiveness is a gift from God, but so also is repentance. God gave repentance to Israel, and then to the Gentiles, and then to those who opposed the servant of God. Praise God that He is able to grant repentance to people like us.

Then Peter reminds them again that the apostles are witnesses of these things, primarily the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And they are not alone in this testimony, for the Holy Spirit also witnesses to the resurrection. Notice the incidental remark about the Holy Spirit. He is the One whom God has given to those who obey Him. This word translated "obey" is used only four times in the New Testament and means "to obey a ruler or superior." One of the other uses is in verse 29 in the statement, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Our strong tendency would be to say that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe, but that is not what we read here. Rather, the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Him. May this cause us to question our blind acceptance of the idea that we can believe and not obey.

33. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

Literally, they were sawn in two. You will recall that when Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, the people were cut to the heart (a different word used there), but it wasn’t like this. In 7:54, this same word is translated by the KJV as "they were furious." While thousands were convicted by the Spirit when Peter preached to the crowds, the men of this ruling council hardened their hearts and plotted how they might do away with the apostles.

34. Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; 35. And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. 36. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 37. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. 38. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: 39. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Among the members of the Sanhedrin, there was one man Gamaliel who kept his cool and retained some common sense. Later Paul testified that he "was brought up…at the feet of Gamaliel" (Acts 22:3). This man was a leading Pharisee and the most well-known teacher of his day, being the leader of the Hillel party. (Vaughan records that he was the grandson of the famous Rabbi Hillel). Gamaliel was highly respected by all the people. His advice was very simple. He mentioned a couple of men who claimed to be somebody and gathered quite a following. But after a while, both of these men were forgotten. Gamaliel suggested that if this Jesus movement was just a work of men, it would die out, just like these other two. On the other hand, if it was from God, there isn’t anything man can do about it. And besides, there was the danger that they might find themselves fighting against God.

40. And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 42. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

The members of the Sanhedrin had to admit that this was good advice, and they listened. As they had done with Peter and John, they commanded these men not to speak in the name of Jesus. But this time, instead of just threatening them, they beat them before letting them go.
So how would the apostles respond to this more forceful threat? Notice the simplicity of the language that describes their response. "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." Can you believe that? They were rejoicing. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus had told them to do? Matt. 5:10-12…
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

They were exceeding glad and they rejoiced that God counted them worthy to suffer on behalf of their Lord Jesus. But they didn’t just rejoice. After their release, they returned to the task before them. They continued doing exactly what they had been doing before. Every day they taught in the temple and from house to house and did not cease to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Remember, they had all prayed that they might be able to speak the Word with boldness (4:29), and now the Lord was continuing to answer their prayer.

Acts 6

1. And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

As chapter 5 began with a threat from within the church, so chapter 6 begins in the same way. There was plenty of opposition from the outside, but we have seen that the apostles remained true to the Lord, even rejoicing when they were beaten. As in that time and every time, the greatest threats we face come from within. We saw in chapter 5 that it was Satan himself who filled the heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). Remember that of the seven things God hates, as listed in Prov. 6, the climax is "he that soweth discord among the brethren" (Prov. 6:19). We can handle opposition from the outside, but what can we do, if there is discord among God’s people? A house divided cannot stand.

So here in chapter 6, we see an immediate threat to the unity within the body. In the very first verse, we find the seeds of "discord among the brethren." We have already read at the end of chapters 2 and 4 that the believers shared generously with one another. Those who had plenty were in the habit of selling some of their holdings and giving the money to the apostles, who would then use it to make provision for the poorer members of the body. It only stands to reason that widows would make up a substantial percentage of those in need.

The specific problem that arises here can be attributed to two major factors. First of all, there was a general tension between the Grecians and the Hebrews. The Grecians, or Hellenistic Jews, were those Jews who were tied more closely to Greek culture. Most of them spoke Greek and many of them originated from places outside of Israel. The Hebrews, on the other hand, were generally natives of Israel and spoke Aramaic (or Hebrew). These deep seated tensions posed a threat to the unity of the body.

The other factor was simply the tremendous growth in the church. Remember that the Lord was adding daily to the church (2:47). By the time we come to Acts 4:4, the number of believers has grown to 5,000 men along, not counting the women. Right here in 6:1 Luke finds it important to inform us that "the number of the disciples was multiplied." This rapid increase made it difficult for the apostles to keep up with their supervision of the ministry to the needy. Go back to the last verse of chapter 5. Acts 5:42, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." With this active teaching ministry, where were they supposed to get the time to keep up with the increasing physical needs?

In this situation a specific complaint arose. The Grecians, the Hellenistic Jews, complained that their widows were being neglected in the ministry to the needy. Was their complaint well-founded? We are not told. It certainly doesn’t seem that any of these believers were just looking for something to gripe about. That doesn’t square well with all the notations about continuing in one accord. With the demands increasing so quickly, it seems likely that the apostles were indeed guilty of neglecting this group of widows. However, it definitely wasn’t intentional on their part.
2. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and 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 Antioch:

Notice that when the complaint came to their attention, the apostles took immediate action. Look at verse 2, "Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables." The apostles called all the disciples together to explain the situation. Their first comment demonstrates that they understood the great danger of the present situation. The greatest danger is that they would neglect the Word of God in order to perform this ministry to the needy. Don’t get the idea that they were saying the "serving of tables" was not important. That was the furthest thing from their mind. They were simply saying that it would not be proper for them to do so, because God had called them to a different ministry.

So they told the people to seek out seven men whom they could put over the ministry to the needy. They asked the multitude of the disciples to choose the men, but it was the apostles who gave them the guidelines for doing so. They laid down these qualifications: honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. In other words, these must be men to had a reputation for being honest. We can see why that was very important. And they must be wise in order to deal with the demands of such a ministry. Above all, they were to be men full of the Holy Spirit.

Now listen to verse 4, "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word." "Give ourselves continually to" is that word that we have encountered before, whose root word means "strong." "But as for us, we will be strong in prayer and the ministry of the Word." "We will devote ourselves completely to prayer and the ministry of the Word." By appointing seven men over the ministry to the needy, the apostles would have the freedom to continue what God had called them to do.

Now verse 5, "And the saying pleased the whole multitude…" Can you see the work of the Holy Spirit here? In many local churches today the problem is that nothing pleases the whole multitude of the people. Even though this was a truly great multitude, they agreed that the apostles’ solution was a good one and they came together for the glory of the Lord.
We don’t know how they chose the seven men, but they did so. They are listed for us here in verse 5. The first man listed is Stephen, and Luke notes that he was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Being full of the Spirit was one of the qualifications for all of these men, but apparently this was especially evident in Stephen. Very shortly, we will see why this was important. The only other note about a particular man accompanies the name of the last, Nicolas. He was a proselyte from Antioch. That is, he was a Gentile who had converted to Judaism.

It has been pointed out that all the names of these men are Greek names. This indicates that it is most likely all seven of them were a part of the Grecians, the Hellenistic Jews. In other words, the people appointed men who were a part of the group that was being neglected. We might say, "That isn’t fair. The other group should be represented." But it seems the Hebrews were bending over backwards to favor these other brothers and sisters. Isn’t this the way the Lord had designed things to work in His church? Above all, they trusted these men, because they were men who relied upon the Spirit of God to work in and through them.

6. Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

We are not specifically told who laid their hands on these seven men. "They" could refer to the people, or to the apostles. Because of the fact that there was such a multitude of disciples, I think we would be safe to assume that it was the apostles who laid their hands on these men. But in doing so, they were representing all the people of the church. We see the employing of the laying on of hands in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In doing so, they were identifying with these men. Surely they were pledging their support to pray for them. They were acknowledging them as God’s choice to head up this vital ministry in the church.

7. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Now we come to what might be called a "summary statement" about the progress of the gospel. Luke pauses from his narrative and gives a progress report, and it was a glowing report. All of the verbs used in this verse speak of continuing action. The Word of God was increasing. The number of the disciples was multiplying greatly. And a great company of the priests were being obedient to the faith. This last note about the priests is especially interesting. While the family of the high priest were a part of the Sadducees, that was not true of the common priests. It is estimated that there were some 8,000 priests in Jerusalem at this time. No doubt many of them were devout lovers of God, even as was Zacharias, the priest who was the father of John the Baptist.

Conclusion

That is a good place for us to pause. Lord willing, we will continue in verse 8 tonight with the story of how God worked through Stephen. If you haven’t read through chapter 7, I would encourage you to do so this afternoon.

Think with me for a moment. Notice the two problems that arose in chapters 5 and 6 – the deception of Ananias and Sapphira, and then the dispute about the ministry to the widows. Both of them occurred when things were going well, when the church was growing both in number and in spirit. We must always remember that doing the will of God will not prevent us from having problems. The key is how we deal with those problems. That is the beauty of this section of Acts. God used both of these problems for His glory. We read in chapter 5 about how the fear of God came upon the church and even outsiders, about how the apostles bore witness to the resurrection with increased power after this incident. And then in chapter 6, we just read this powerful summary statement in verse 7. As we trust God, He will take what seem to be problems and turn them into opportunities.

Now let us conclude by taking a moment to apply the principles of 6:1-6 to our own situation. As many of you know, these seven men are often considered to be the first deacons. The language itself doesn’t necessarily bear this out. It is sometimes pointed out that the word "ministration" in 6:1 is the Greek word from which we get "deacon." The verbal form of that same word is used in verse 2 and is translated "serve." However, we must also recognize that the same word as "ministration" in verse 1 is also used in verse 4 of "the ministry of the Word." Perhaps it is best to think of these men as the forerunners of deacons.

There is a principle here that we need to grasp. The apostles had a God-given ministry that centered around prayer and the ministry of the Word. Did that mean that no one else had the responsibility to pray and minister the Word of God? No, it didn’t mean that at all. As a matter of fact, we will see that Stephen and Philip, two of the seven men chosen, were greatly used in the preaching of the Word. However, this ministry was especially entrusted to the apostles. They were primarily responsible for overseeing the spiritual welfare of the church. The apostles made it very clear that it would not be right for them to neglect that responsibility, even for something as important as meeting the needs of these widows. That is why they led the people to select these seven men.

In this church we have two pastor/elders. That would be Norman and myself. Like the apostles, are we tempted to neglect the spiritual welfare of the church in order to do other things? Absolutely. It is a constant temptation. I confess that I fall to this temptation more often than I would like to admit. How we need the wisdom with which the apostles spoke and acted.

The other day someone asked me, "Do you think it’s time for us to have some deacons?" As a matter of fact, we do. We don’t have time to go through a history of where we have been over the years, but I know that despite my failures and our failures, the Lord has been working. I am confident that He has brought us to this point.

Perhaps the biggest question we face concerning deacons is this: What should deacons do? In our religious society that question is answered in hundreds of ways. But what about us? Are there biblical guidelines for us to follow? This much we know… we know that we need men to take responsibility for other ministries, in order that the pastors, the undershepherds, of this flock might devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. We urge you to praying to that end.