Influence Expands (Acts 6:5-7)

effective problem solving.

5 This proposal pleased the whole company.
So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit,
and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor,
Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus,
a convert from Antioch.
6 They had them stand before the apostles,
who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread,
the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number,
and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

Application Point:

expand influence by serving others.

Discuss:

the entire congregation was involved in choosing these servants,
and the men chosen were probably Hellenistic Jews just like the women who needed help.

why were those two factors so important to the success of the idea?

Ask:

• How does proper handling of a conflict increase the influence of believers?
• s What might have happened if the church had split
  instead of finding a way to serve? (PSG, p. 78)

Highlight:

point out the names of Stephen and Philip.
we see a lot of these two men in Acts 7–8.

verses 5-6 (PSG, p. 77).

5 Pleased the whole company:

the unity of the congregation.
Note: each of the men on the list had Greek names and were probably Hellenistic Jews.
This step of inclusion helped soothe the hurt feelings that created the dispute.

Since all believers are created in the image of God and filled with the Holy Spirit,
they all should play a role in governing the church.

5 Stephen:

the first individual mentioned in the list of men
and was specifically identified as being “full of faith and the Holy Spirit.”

5 Convert:

Luke mentioned that Nicolaus was a convert. This term suggests that he was not an ethnic Jew.
Instead, he probably became a Jewish proselyte before coming to Christ.
His hometown of Antioch foreshadowed the important role of Antioch in the storyline of Acts.

6 Laid their hands on them:

the young church apparently decided to empower Hellenistic Jews to meet the needs of their own widows.
Based on the decision made by the congregation,
the apostles prayed for and set aside these seven men

Key Concept

Deacons

While some point to this passage as establishing the office of deacon,
not all scholars agree the office was officially created at this time.
It is probably better to conclude that this event
pointed to a need that later developed into the office of deacon.

Transition:

Once the church identified the men to serve,
the apostles laid their hands on them to ordain them for service.
But they didn’t just serve in the church.
True to their character, they kept sharing Jesus with those who needed to hear—
as evidenced by Stephen in the next set of verses.