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BIBLE
STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday May 8, 2016
SEVEN CHOSEN TO SERVE AS FIRST DEACONS IN THE
CHURCH
Acts 6:1-7
Racial hostility and ethnic disputes
are not problems of opposition that were born during the infancy stages of our
nation’s existence, but rather, they are problems that have been around since
the infancy of human existence. In Acts chapter 6, verses 1-7, Luke gives us a
vivid description of just such a case of “ethnic opposition”, which led to the
birth of the “Deacon concept” in the Christian Church.
Here in this particular passage, we
see rumblings of discontent involving “Greek speaking” Jewish believers, who
were being discriminated against by “Hebrew speaking” Jewish believers. The
Hebrew speaking Jews were unfairly distributing food, showing favor to their
own respective “widow population”. In order to resolve these disputes, the
twelve Disciples of CHRIST called a meeting of all the current believers.
At that meeting, they cited that
they, as Apostles, needed to spend their time preaching and teaching the Word
of GOD, not administering a food program. They called on the believers to
choose from among themselves, seven men, who were full of the HOLY SPIRIT, and
wisdom, and put those men in charge of the food distribution program. And so we
see that, even when we work in a domestic capacity in the Church, we must still
be as serious about CHRIST as we would be if we were pastoring the Church.
This idea presented by the apostles pleased
the people of both groups, and they chose from among them, Stephen, a man full
of faith and the HOLY SPIRIT, Philip, who later went on to preach the Gospel
from Samaria to Caesarea, Procorus, Nicanor, Timmon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of
Antioch, a Gentile convert, first, to the Jewish Faith, and then later, to
Christianity.
The Apostles then ordained the men,
and prayed for them while laying hands on each of those individuals. This
action freed up a wealth of time for the apostles, and afterwards, GOD’s
message was preached in ever-widening circles, and the number of believers
greatly increased in Jerusalem. Many Jewish Priests also converted to
Christianity during this time and the Church begin to position itself for
greater growth throughout the Roman Empire.
STEPHEN
ARRESTED
Acts
6:8-15
With that said, let us now focus on
one of those seven men, who was chosen that day to serve in the Church at
Jerusalem, the one who is called, Stephen. Stephen, whose name means “wreath”,
or “crown”, was a man who was full of GOD’s grace and power. He performed many
amazing miracles and signs among the people of Jerusalem. In fact, his
ministry, arrest, and trial are very similar to that of our LORD, JESUS CHRIST.
And like anyone whose life is patterned after JESUS in this world, opposition
arose against Stephen one day in the form of a group of men from the “Synagogue
of Freedmen”, a Temple in Jerusalem that was dedicated to the Jews who were
former slaves of Roman citizens.
These men were also called
“Libertines”, and, they came from Cyrene and Alexandria in northern Africa, the
province of Asia, and Cilicia, Paul’s home country, where Tarsus is located.
They had all converted to “Judaism”, following their release from slavery.
Now apparently, these men tried to
debate against Stephen, and were not able to prevail against him in a public
theological debate forum, and so, they began to conjure up lies about him,
falsely accusing him of blaspheme against Moses, and, against GOD, both
offenses punishable by “death by stoning”.
Their accusations aroused the crowds,
the elders, and the teachers of religious law against Stephen, and as a result,
he was placed under arrest and brought before the high council. These “lying
witnesses” spoke of the time when they heard Stephen re-iterate the
misunderstood words of JESUS, when HE said HE would destroy the temple, and
change the customs of Moses. Of course these words that they spoke of were
taken way out of context, and in fact, had been totally perverted.
Whenever we side with CHRIST JESUS,
we automatically put ourselves in the position to be opposed by the world.
JESUS HIMSELF warned of this in the Gospel of John (John 15:18-25), after HE
had taken HIS twelve apostles into private teaching shortly before HIS
crucifixion. He told them that, “When the world hates you, remember it hated ME
before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you
don’t. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you” (John
15:18-19) - NLT).
JESUS went on to tell them, that,
“Since they persecuted ME, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had
listened to ME, they would listen to you! The people of the world will hate you
because you belong to ME, for they don’t know GOD WHO sent ME. They would not
be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for
their sin. Anyone who hates ME hates MY FATHER too….This has fulfilled what the
Scriptures said: “They hated ME without cause” (John 15:20b-25) (NLT).
In the Greek, the word used for
“World” is “Kosmos”, and it is from that word that we derive our English word
“Cosmos”. In the spiritual sense, “it is that complex intertwining of sinful
desires that shape our world of “lost humanity”. When we choose the “Christian
Walk”, we automatically become strangers to “worldly behavior”. We are no
longer permanent residents of this earth, but rather, we become citizens of
Heaven, and therefore, the Laws of GOD, just as they were to Stephen and many
other “true witnesses”, must become paramount to us, also.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
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