Page 39 - Acts Student Textbook

Study Section 7: Acts 6: The Choosing of Seven Men (Deacons)

7.1 Connect.

This chapter marks another landmark in the development and structure of church
leadership. At this point the church has grown into many thousands in Jerusalem. As
usual, women are probably in majority. Among those women were the Grecian widows
who felt that they were treated unfairly (neglected) concerning the distribution of needs
verses the Hebraic widows who seemed to have been receiving a Lion’s share of the daily
serving of food. In wisdom, the apostles called for the choosing of the seven men to solve this
problem so that they (apostles) would concentrate on the ministry of the Word and prayer. Let’s
begin…

7.2 Objectives.

1. The student should be able to explain the need for deacons in the church.

2. The student should be able to explain nature of the problem for the widows.

3. The student should be able to state main purpose of the ministry of the apostles.

4. The student should be able to analyze the qualities of deacons.

5. The student should be able to discuss the leadership of Stephen.

7.3: Acts 6: The Choosing of Seven Men (Deacons)

Why did the church need the seven men?

Complaints of the widows and selection of the seven (6:1-6)

Some widows were neglected (6:1). Here Pratte makes a very interesting observation,
“Note that the first problem in the church was over collections of contributions (5:1-11). The second
problem was over distribution of the contributions.” Money was a center of conflict in the early
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church, and it is often a center of conflict today.

The complaint was by the Hellenist or Grecian Jews against the Hebrews. The apostles reveal a
solution (6:2-4). The qualifications of the men to be chosen were as follows: “of good reputation, full
of the Spirit”- all people receive the Spirit when we become Christians (2:38; 5:32; 1 Cor. 6:19; etc.).
But some do not remain “full” of the Spirit (cf. Ephesians 5:18). They were to be “(full of) wisdom”.

Were the men here appointed “deacons” in the same sense as described in Phil. 1:1 and 1 Tim. 3?
Consider:
1) The Greek word for “deacon” is διακονος, a servant (one who serves). This word in 1 Tim. 3
refers to the office of deacons, but it is also used in many other passages for servants of
various types.

26 Pratte, (p. 100).
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