Slices
Prepare
Meditate on the ‘great multitude … from every nation, tribe, people and language’ that will worship together in heaven (Revelation 7:9).
Bible passage
The choosing of the seven
6 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Explore
The speed of the church’s growth seems to have taken even the apostles by surprise. They kept preaching as they had from the start (5:42), but found that they were increasingly distracted by the practicalities of leading such a vast movement (v 1). As the church grew, food distribution was becoming less fair (v 1). People were becoming Christians from different backgrounds. The Hebraic Jews spoke Aramaic and may have been more theologically and ethically conservative than the Greek-speaking Hellenistic Jews. Already vulnerable because of their widowhood, these women were now overlooked because of prejudices and stereotypes.
We do not know much about the seven men chosen to take on the task of food distribution. Stephen and Philip we meet again later in Acts. There are various traditions attached to Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, but the only thing we know for sure is that Nicolas had converted to Judaism prior to becoming a Christian (v 5). This meant that the widows now had at least one advocate from their own background in a position of leadership. Prejudice has no place in the church, whether it is in the treatment of ordinary believers or in the appointment of leaders.
Respond
Ask the Lord to show you if you need to change in any way your attitudes or actions towards people of a different background.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezra 5,6; Psalm 77
Pray for Scripture Union
Senior Content Manager Angela Grigson asks us to pray that the new Publishing Information System being developed to hold all the data associated with the resources created by the Development Hub will help the team to be more effective in what they do.
Can we count you in?
Each year we host action-packed, faith-filled holidays and missions for hundreds of children, helping them create lasting memories while having the time of their lives! Could you take a break from the day job and volunteer with us?
