"Pandemic" - Acts 6:1-7
- Series: "Pandemic" - The Gospel Unleashed
- by: Chris Mayfield 01/17/10
Acts 6:1-7 "Service for Seven"
It’s interesting to note, though, that the one thing we hear of the Christians complaining about is not the fact that they’re being threatened, arrested, and beaten, not that life is hard or unfair, but that more accountability needs to be brought to the field of ministering to the widows. The fact that the twelve Apostles did not dispute this charge but brought everyone together and took care of the issue shows us that it was a valid complaint. The Apostles knew that if they were going to be preaching the name and message of Jesus Christ continually in the temple and beyond, they would have to employ the help of their brothers and sisters to ensure that other areas of necessary ministry were completed faithfully.
Engage the Text
1. What does “the ministry of the word of God” (verse 4) mean?
2. Why couldn’t the twelve “wait on tables”? Was it below them? Why must the ministry of the Word continue?
3. At this point in Acts 6, what can be said about the demographic of the church of Acts? (e.g. poor and the wealthy, Greeks and Jews)
4. What is the significance of the laying on of hands in verse 6? Can you give other examples of the laying on of hands in the book of Acts? What is being accomplished when they do this?
5. What is happening to the church in verse 7? Why?
From Thought to Action
1. The early church was taking care of widows and the poor. Should churches today, specifically should we—The Journey—be doing the same? Are we responsible to care for those in need inside the church and outside the church?
2. How do you feel when the work/ministry you perform for the church isn’t noticed by others? Have you ever felt inferior to others in the church because your ministry position is not as “glamorous?” Have you ever felt superior to others because of the ministry you’re involved in? How should we battle those feelings and find a middle ground? (See Romans 12:3-10; I Cor. 12:14-26)
3. Stephen is listed in the Bible only a few times. Here, the first time, he is noted as being “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” At this point in your life, what would you be noted for? Would it be something that points toward yourself or towards God? Are you working towards investing in God’s eternal kingdom or man’s temporal ones?
