Book of Acts - Ch. 6, Vs. 1-15 (02/09/2003)

Park Meadows Church

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We're in Acts, the sixth chapter this morning,

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Acts 6,

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Roger, and in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring against the

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Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

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The first thing that jumps out at me is, why does it say Hebrews? Against the

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Hebrews. I thought the Hebrews made up the whole church. What do you think,

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Dennis? No.

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Why the distinction? Why is it called Hebrews? Why were they disgusted with the

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Hebrews? Who is they? Roger?

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I just want to know who they is. No. It's against the

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Hebrews. Well, I take it that you don't know.

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No. The first, well, what size was this church,

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David? About 25 ,000.

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First of all, a murmuring is what, Roger? All right.

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A secret thing, and it was against the Hebrews. Now, we're in the first church that had enjoyed growth.

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Never did a church grow but what Satan was in the middle of it. Against the

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Hebrews, that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

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So the widows of some group here were not being attended to.

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It's the Greek speaking Jew. So there was segregation.

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Those that spoke Greek and those that spoke Hebrew, that's why it says against the Hebrew. They must have been the largest part, those that were in control of the church, if there was anybody in control.

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Unfortunately, today, most churches, not this one, but most other churches, are looking for a preacher who is an organizer, a promoter, sort of like a vice president to run the church.

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And the church suffers. The early church had tried a form of communal living, and actually it succeeded for a time.

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Who was the first, well, we'll say sinner in the church that we know of?

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Ananias and Sapphira. Well, the effects of that kind of wore off.

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You remember they dropped dead and there wasn't any hypocrites in that church. But now a murmuring has come from the

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Greek -speaking Jew against the Hebrew -speaking Jew. Second verse.

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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.

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The early apostle, what was their outlook, Roger, on their responsibility?

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That's right. The apostles felt that they should not give up the study of the word of God.

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Today's church, for the most part, the preacher has given up the study of the word of God.

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I believe it's very important for every church to recognize that a minister should have time to study and pray.

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Three. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of holy ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

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What business, David? Right. And other businesses of the church.

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So, Verge, the deacons is where we're headed. The deacons came about for what reason?

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And to give the preachers what? That's right.

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To study the holy word of God. Today is quite different.

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Preachers use the deacons to run the church. If you don't like it, you can always say, well, your deacons did it.

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There's another reason, not spoken, very prevalent.

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If the preacher can get a group of men, I hesitate to call them deacons, for lack of a better term, if that's what they are, to be in front, then he can run those men.

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Then they come up with an active and inactive deacon list. You ever see that? The active deacons are those that are on for a year.

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Then they go off active. In other words, the preacher moves the deacons around so he can stay.

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It used to be the preacher moved around and the deacons stayed in every other church.

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The qualification of these men. First, why was there seven?

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Seven. Greg, where are you?

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Is Greg there? Why was there seven?

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Or another reason? That's the reason.

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The primary reason. Lots of other reasons I found out. They must be honest men in the community.

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David Watt is an honest man. All right.

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But give me the definition of honest. That's exactly right.

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So if you appear to be a crook, you are a crook. If you say I'm a crook, you're a crook.

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Don't be what you're not. But in this case, honesty meant what we first described.

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They had to be honest in the community. Just men. Burge, what's a just man?

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That's right. Full of the Holy Spirit. Greg, what is that?

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All right. Do you think that it should be necessary for any one of them to fill the pulpit when necessary?

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I do too. They must have proven wisdom.

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David, what's proven wisdom? All right.

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Greg, turn to Proverbs 4 -7. Roger, Psalms 1 -11 -10.

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David, go to Proverbs 2 -6. All right.

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Proverbs 4 -7. Now, what's the difference in wisdom and understanding?

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Very good. Proverbs 2 -6. Self -explanatory.

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Psalms 1 -11 -10. All right.

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So we know where wisdom comes from. These are the honest men, just men.

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Verse 4. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

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A lot of preachers have cut that verse out. Yes. All right.

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Yes. Absolutely right.

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Any more, the deacons are of popularity. So true.

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Verse 4. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

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Virge, what does continually mean? Well, they hadn't stopped to eat.

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Well, the saint pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the

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Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, Nicar, Timmon, Parmenas, Nicholas, proselyte of Antioch.

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What is a proselyte, David? That's right.

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All right. Now, the only two we hear much about is the first two, Stephen and Philip.

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For they sat before the apostles, and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

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A lot of hope is spoken about this connected with laying hands on. What do you think it is,

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Greg? All right.

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The only thing you can get is a lot of germs and nothing spiritual.

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Yes. Yes. That's where we are right now.

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I didn't mean that there was nothing at that time. Today, there's nothing.

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That's right. Greg? Yes. I believe that while the apostles lived, that they did this, and the son of an apostle.

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But after that, it was gone. So now the hand simply means that the deacons will be partners with them, support them, and so forth.

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It was a social service. The early church took care of its own.

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I think it should still take care of its own. The early church had a poverty program, and it included only the members of the church.

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I think it should still be that. Verse 7. Now, can you see that Satan is becoming active?

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Stephen is full of faith and power. He was one of the great men in the early church.

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But it's going to change. Not his greatness, but his life.

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Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the

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Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Sicily, and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

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Libertine found only in Acts 9, one who once had been a slave, but who now hath been set at liberty, or the child of such a person is a

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Libertine. In this case, the name probably denotes those descendants of Jews who had been carried to captivity as Roman prisoners,

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Pompeii and others, Roman generals.

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In A .D. 19, these were set free.

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Jews were banished from Rome. Many found their way to Jerusalem and established a synagogue of their own at their own expense.

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Cyrenes, a native of Cyrene. Ten, and they were not able to resist the wisdom of the spirit by which he spake.

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Souls are going to try to find some other way. They cannot stand to him.

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Then they suborned, that's a good word, Greg, what's it mean? Suborned men, which said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God, and they stirred up the people, and the elders, scribes, came upon him and caught him, and brought him to counsel.

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Now, it doesn't take much to get a mob started, but what's the main ingredient on belonging to a mob,

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Greg? All right, that's one way of putting it.

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Ignorance is another way. These men were ignorant, and they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and brought them to the counsel, and set, forced to set or stand in a place of false witnesses, which said, this man ceases not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.

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We see Satan's hand trying his best to disrupt the church.

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Now, he's been at it ever since. For we have heard him say that this

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Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the custom which

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Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as if it had been an angel.

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They cannot get away from the mental part of this.

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Were they, did all of this bother Stephen, David?

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I'm sure there was discomfort. I'm sure he would rather not go through it. But Greg, he's going through it because of what?

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All right. Virge, who do you think is regulating this?

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God. Now, we play out secondary things here, and rightly so.

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But God has control. Don't ever think he doesn't, even of Satan.

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For we have heard him, this is words from a false witness, and all that sat in the council looked steadfastly on him and saw his face as if the face of an angel.

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Roger, can you describe that face?

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Does anyone here? Then we have to take it by faith, don't we?

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The face of an angel. False witnesses are brought before the council to accuse

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Stephen. It says false witnesses were brought. That is why they have to bring false witnesses.

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They see something in his face that disturbs them. Disturbing.

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And still, they spoke falsely.

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Too bad they didn't remember the wise words of Gamaliel, isn't it? Well, that's all

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I have for today. Is there anything that you'd like to rehearse or questions you'd like to ask?

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Do you think that was true?

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Absolutely, because he could not as a man, on his own, present the calmness that had to be in the spirit of the

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Lord. Yes, they saw something there that they didn't see in the face of the witness.

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Anything else? Well, this has been a short lesson, but let us dismiss this, will you?