2. Part Thirteen
Acts 6:1-7

4. Acts 6:1
Now at this time while the disciples were increas-ing in number, a com-plaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native

5. Acts 6:1
Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

6. Acts 6:2
And the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.

7. Acts 6:3
But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

8. Acts 6:4
But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”

9. Acts 6:5
And the statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip,

10. Acts 6:5
Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

11. Acts 6:6
And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

12. Acts 6:7
And the word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the

13. Acts 6:7
priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

14. The church’s explosive growth had brought with it the need for further organization.

15. How should the church be organized?

16. In Acts 6, the church faced a serious organizational crisis.

17. To eliminate a potentially divisive problem required strategic organization.

18. Can a church be too loose in its structure and organization?

19. Can a church be over organized?

20. What does God’s Word say about it?

21. Four specific things stand out to me in this passage:

22. Organization
The Reason
The Requirements
The Roster
The Result

23. The Reason

24. Acts 6:1
Now at this time while the disciples were increas-ing in number, a com-plaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native

25. Acts 6:1
Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

26. Acts 6:2
And the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.

27. Acts 6:4
But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”

28. At this time the church has grown to over 5,000 men.

29. If we add women and children to that number we get closer to 20,000.

30. They had saturated Jerusalem with the gospel message.

31. They had recently begun to reach out to the surrounding area as well.

32. They were poised to evangelize Samaria and the Gentile world.

33. To do that successfully would require further planning and structure.

34. Is anybody surprised that a complaint arose among the body of Christ?

35. In every congregation, somebody’s needs are being overlooked.

36. Satan had already tried to attack the church through persecution and that didn’t work.

37. He tried to attack the church through corruption and that didn’t work.

38. Now he’s trying to attack the church with dissention.

39. If only the church today fully understood these same things.

40. We should never give the devil any room to work within the Lord’s called out assembly.

41. The Hellenistic Jews were those who had been scattered.

42. Many of them were in town because of the feast and decided to stick around because of the Spirit.

43. They were considered by many Jews as less than and it’s no shocker that they were treated differently.

44. This matter came before the twelve for some resolution.

45. Though they recognized it as important, they knew somebody else should be taking care of it.

46. They needed to remain focused on prayer and teaching the Word of God.

47. Organization
The Reason
The Requirements
The Roster
The Result

48. The Requirements

49. Acts 6:3
But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

50. They needed some trustworthy men to be in charge of finances, food distribution and making sure people’s basic needs were met.

51. Let’s take a closer look at the requirements for these servant leaders.

52. Requirements Seven Men From Among You Of Good Reputation
Full Of The Spirit
Having Wisdom

53. Seven represents completion.

54. It was understood that some amazing ladies might be assisting or helping the men, but the men would lead.

55. From among you would indicate that everybody knows them very well.

56. A good reputation meant they had integrity and were above reproach.

57. They would be entrusted with large sums of money and would need to be extremely trustworthy.

58. Full of the Spirit indicates they have been empowered to obey God’s Word.

59. They know what is right and will do it.

60. Organization
The Reason
The Requirements
The Roster
The Result

61. The Roster

62. Acts 6:5
And the statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip,

63. Acts 6:5
Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

64. Acts 6:6
And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

65. This found favor with the entire congregation.

66. Notice that since Hellenistic Jews felt overlook, Hellenistic Jews were selected to oversee the need.

67. A big nasty split was avoided and the work of God’s Kingdom continued.

68. Stephen was to play a pivotal role in the spread of the gospel beyond Jerusalem.

69. It was the persecution connected with his martyrdom that propelled the church out of Jerusalem.

70. The commendation of him as a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit revealed a great deal about his character.

71. Philip also plays a prominent role in Acts.

72. He took the gospel to the Samaritans, and to the Ethiopian eunuch.

73. Four of his daughters became prophetesses.

74. Not much is known about the other five men, but surely they served the Lord.

75. It goes on to say the congregation brought them before the apostles for prayer and the laying on of hands.

76. Did you notice the flow of events?

77. Flow of Events A problem was brought to the twelve.
The twelve give some instructions of how to proceed.

78. Flow of Events
The body agrees and follows their instructions by selecting seven men that meet the requirements.
They bring the seven men to the Apostles.

79. Flow of Events
The Apostles double check everything and affirm their hard work.
They pray, lay hands on them and set them apart for service.

80. Organization
The Reason
The Requirements
The Roster
The Result

81. The Result

82. Acts 6:7
And the word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the

83. Acts 6:7
priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

84. Because everybody was willing to serve and help the best way they could…

85. The Apostles could continue to pray, study and teach.

86. They could provide the prayer support needed for the people and overall ministry.

87. They could search the scriptures and make sure the truth was clarified, understood and taught correctly.

88. They could minister God’s Word to any need that might arise.

89. Today’s congregation needs organization for these same four reasons.

90. Pastors must be free to focus on prayer, study and the ministry of the Word of God.

91. Better organization can help meet the needs of all the people and thus avoid conflict.

92. This helps provide a unified, well trained church that can be a powerful witness to the world.

93. Organization
The Reason
The Requirements
The Roster
The Result

94. Any Questions Tonight?

95. May the Lord bless you and keep you; may His face shine upon you and give you peace!

96. Amen!