Know: Realize that God has a never-failing path in the movement of His mission.
Feel: Appreciate how God raises up leaders and guides His redemptive mission in history.
Do: Seek to be an active participant in God’s redemptive purposes.
Learning Outline:
Know: God’s Never-failing Mission
What is God’s one never-failing mission, and how does this affect your life?
What are some of the major examples in God’s method of fulfilling His mission?
Feel: Historic Mileposts in How God Guided His Mission
How does the appointment of deacons show the varying characteristics of leadership in the church?
Who are the leading characters in the narrative Stephen gives, tracing how God guides His purposes through history? What lessons can you learn from these leaders?
Do: Being Part of God’s Mission
Examine your own commitment to God’s mission. What would you do to advance the interests and movements of that mission better?
Summary: From dawn to the culmination of human history, God is concerned that His purposes for His people are made known and fulfilled. How do you perceive your role in that divine plan?
Learning Cycle
Step 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Acts 6:1-7
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Some scholars have estimated that, by the time of the events of Acts 6, the church in Jerusalem had grown to about 20,000 believers. This remarkable growth came mainly from two groups: Hebrew-speaking Jews living around Jerusalem, and Greek-speaking Jews, or converts to Judaism, from the Jewish diaspora. When the Grecians accused the Jewish Christians of partiality in the distribution of welfare, the apostles perceived that the complaint was posing several dangers: it threatened church unity; it diverted the apostles from their main mission of study, prayer, and evangelism; and it engendered disputes within the developing church. What did the apostles do to resolve this controversy? What characteristics were the apostles seeking in the team members who were to attend to this emerging problem? (See Acts 6:3-7.)
Just for Teachers: Growth in any area of life brings its own problems. Be it population, science, communication, education, politics, economics, family, or whatever, growth needs to be managed and piloted carefully to avoid problems that threaten to damage the positive nature of development. Thus, it was in the early church: “When the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint” (Acts 6:1, NKJV). Contention between Hebrew and Hellenistic Christians became so strong and divisive that the apostles had to find a way to resolve the dispute to ensure the unity and growth of the church. Begin your teaching this week with the thought: No problem should be allowed to hinder the mission and growth of the church.
Discussion: Every crisis is an opportunity. New situations demand new approaches and new persons to provide new solutions. How do we know that the solution at which the apostles arrived was the right one? What is the meaning of “laying on of hands” (see Acts 6:6)? How did the election of the seven affect the church? (Acts 6:7).
Step 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Of the seven-member team that was selected by the Jerusalem church, Luke records the significant contributions of the first two, Stephen and Philip, in the historic development of the church. Stephen was the first martyr. He was the first, in the millions to follow from then to now, to leave the perpetual challenge and immortal lesson that a Christian’s life has meaning only within the context of the suffering Savior. The Cross must be the definer of a Christian, for only then will Christians be able to “ ‘see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’ ” (Acts 7:56, NKJV). Stephen was an extraordinary Christian. He knew Jesus. He knew biblical narrative and its history. He understood what Jesus did. He knew what it means to live a Christian life. No wonder Luke, the learned author of Acts, spoke of Stephen in superlatives (Acts 6:3-15, Acts 7). Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, faith, wisdom, grace, and power; he was also a person of prayer, miracles, truth, light, and forgiveness.
Philip was known for his evangelistic zeal in Samaria. At the height of his success in Samaria, an angel ordered him to go south and follow the Jerusalem-Gaza desert road, where the Holy Spirit used him in the conversation with, and conversion and baptism of, the Ethiopian official—perhaps the first convert to take the gospel to his homeland (Acts 8:26-38). Mission accomplished, Philip was directed by the Spirit to preach in every city from Ashdod in the south to Caesarea in the north on the Mediterranean route.
From these two heroes of faith, Stephen and Philip, we can learn some weighty lessons: the importance of knowing our faith history and of proclaiming our faith.
Bible Commentary
I. Knowing Our Faith History (Review Acts 7 with the class.)
Acts itself is a book of history: a history of the beginnings of the church, its unshakeable commitment to Jesus, its struggles and sufferings, its heroes—men and women, deacons and apostles, preachers and evangelists, prophets and pastors. Acts informs us that the early church’s growth should be seen as the fulfillment in Jesus of the Old Testament’s prophetic hope that “ ‘the stone which was rejected . . . has become the chief cornerstone’ ” (Acts 4:11, NKJV). The major sermons recorded in Acts—namely, of Peter, Stephen, and Paul—never failed to underscore that God has revealed Himself in Old Testament history through such people as Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and others. It is in this march of biblical history that the Christian church has inherited its responsibility to present to the world the culmination of God’s saving plan in Jesus.
In his defense of the gospel of Jesus, Stephen presented a panoramic view of redemptive history and drew a time line from God’s calling of Abraham (Acts 7:2) to Jesus, at the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:55). This historic time line traces the ups and downs, the rise and fall, the faithfulness toward, and the betrayal of, God by His chosen people as the mighty milestones in the redemptive history of humanity. On that time line, Stephen erected milestones of men, women, and events—the call of Abraham; the giving of the covenant; the faithfulness of Joseph; Moses the deliverer and the predictor of a “ ‘prophet like me’ ”; the wilderness tabernacle; David; Solomon and the temple; and then, more recently, the betrayal and the murder of the “Just One.” It is this history of fulfillment and betrayal that formed the major portion of Stephen’s testimony that “cut to the heart” (Acts 7:54, NKJV) of his audience. When Stephen’s faith took that tumultuous journey of history, “being full of the Holy Spirit, [he] gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus” (Acts 7:55, NKJV). The church from then on understood that Jesus is the inescapable fulcrum of history and the propeller of the onward movement of the faithful until the community of faith merges with the community of heaven.
Consider This: Read Acts 7:51. What do the following expressions mean: “stiff-necked people”; “uncircumcised in heart and ears [NKJV]”? What are some ways in which we seem to be faithful in the externals and rituals of religion while denying the power of true faith?
II. Proclaiming Our Faith (Review Acts 8 with the class.)
“God moves in a mysteriously way His wonders to perform!” So we sing, but in the experience of the early church, God’s outworking was a powerful and visible reality. Note two facts. First, Saul, one of the men responsible for Stephen’s stoning and for the subsequent mass persecution of Christians (Acts 8:1-3, 26:9-11), became the most powerful proclaimer of Jesus. Second, because of the persecution unleashed after Stephen’s martyrdom, Christians “were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1, NKJV).
One of those scattered Christians was Philip the deacon. Philip headed for Samaria, where Jesus once had ministered to a woman of ill-repute (John 4). Philip’s work marked a wondrous leap forward for the gospel, so much so that Peter and John journeyed all the way from Jerusalem to verify for themselves that the gospel had indeed found a fertile ground in Samaria. The apostolic presence brought to Samaritan believers the assurance and power of the Holy Spirit. Even as the church found its rooting and growth in Samaria, the pioneer of that mission was asked to move on. An evangelist is constantly on the move to find a new territory for the gospel, and Philip soon found himself riding in a chariot with an Ethiopian official who was on his way home from Jerusalem. Marvelous is the working of the Holy Spirit. Philip’s study with the Ethiopian led to his baptism on the Gaza highway and opened up Ethiopia to the gospel. Then Philip the evangelist received new orders from the Holy Spirit, and he took the Mediterranean route to Caesarea, preaching in every town from Ashdod to his final destination of the Roman-Greek city of Caesarea. An evangelist is a preacher of the gospel with shoes ever on, marching to the orders of the Holy Spirit. That truth has lain behind the story of Christian mission ever since.
Consider This: Between Philip and the Ethiopian official, there were many walls of separation: race and nationality, religion, social status, economics, color, and so on. Philip could have avoided the Ethiopian for any number of reasons, but he was first and foremost an evangelist. He is the bearer of good news. He had no option but to run and begin a conversation.
Step 3—APPLY
Just for Teachers: The seven disciples elected to look after the needs of the widows and the poor were called to “serve” (Acts 6:2). The Greek word for “serve” is diakonein, from which comes the word diakoneõ, the derivative word for “deacon” and “deaconess.” “The appointment of the seven to take the oversight of special lines of work, proved a great blessing to the church. These officers gave careful consideration to individual needs as well as to the general financial interests of the church, and by their prudent management and their godly example they were an important aid to their fellow officers in binding together the various interests of the church into a united whole.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 89.
Thought/Application Questions:
How does your local church view the office of the deacon/deaconess? How are deacons and deaconesses considered equal partners in the ministry? How can their contribution to the life and ministry of your church be bettered?
Step 4—CREATE
Just for Teachers: Ask members to list what they perceive to be the qualifications for deacons/deaconesses and the responsibilities of deacons/deaconesses. Then discuss how you can better appreciate the ministry of deacons and deaconesses in your church. If feasible, include a deacon/deaconess or an elder of your church in your class discussion on this topic.
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Key Texts: Acts 6:7
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Know: God’s Never-failing Mission
Feel: Historic Mileposts in How God Guided His Mission
Do: Being Part of God’s Mission
Summary: From dawn to the culmination of human history, God is concerned that His purposes for His people are made known and fulfilled. How do you perceive your role in that divine plan?
Learning Cycle
Step 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Acts 6:1-7
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Some scholars have estimated that, by the time of the events of Acts 6, the church in Jerusalem had grown to about 20,000 believers. This remarkable growth came mainly from two groups: Hebrew-speaking Jews living around Jerusalem, and Greek-speaking Jews, or converts to Judaism, from the Jewish diaspora. When the Grecians accused the Jewish Christians of partiality in the distribution of welfare, the apostles perceived that the complaint was posing several dangers: it threatened church unity; it diverted the apostles from their main mission of study, prayer, and evangelism; and it engendered disputes within the developing church. What did the apostles do to resolve this controversy? What characteristics were the apostles seeking in the team members who were to attend to this emerging problem? (See Acts 6:3-7.)
Just for Teachers: Growth in any area of life brings its own problems. Be it population, science, communication, education, politics, economics, family, or whatever, growth needs to be managed and piloted carefully to avoid problems that threaten to damage the positive nature of development. Thus, it was in the early church: “When the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint” (Acts 6:1, NKJV). Contention between Hebrew and Hellenistic Christians became so strong and divisive that the apostles had to find a way to resolve the dispute to ensure the unity and growth of the church. Begin your teaching this week with the thought: No problem should be allowed to hinder the mission and growth of the church.
Discussion: Every crisis is an opportunity. New situations demand new approaches and new persons to provide new solutions. How do we know that the solution at which the apostles arrived was the right one? What is the meaning of “laying on of hands” (see Acts 6:6)? How did the election of the seven affect the church? (Acts 6:7).
Step 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Of the seven-member team that was selected by the Jerusalem church, Luke records the significant contributions of the first two, Stephen and Philip, in the historic development of the church. Stephen was the first martyr. He was the first, in the millions to follow from then to now, to leave the perpetual challenge and immortal lesson that a Christian’s life has meaning only within the context of the suffering Savior. The Cross must be the definer of a Christian, for only then will Christians be able to “ ‘see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’ ” (Acts 7:56, NKJV). Stephen was an extraordinary Christian. He knew Jesus. He knew biblical narrative and its history. He understood what Jesus did. He knew what it means to live a Christian life. No wonder Luke, the learned author of Acts, spoke of Stephen in superlatives (Acts 6:3-15, Acts 7). Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, faith, wisdom, grace, and power; he was also a person of prayer, miracles, truth, light, and forgiveness.
Philip was known for his evangelistic zeal in Samaria. At the height of his success in Samaria, an angel ordered him to go south and follow the Jerusalem-Gaza desert road, where the Holy Spirit used him in the conversation with, and conversion and baptism of, the Ethiopian official—perhaps the first convert to take the gospel to his homeland (Acts 8:26-38). Mission accomplished, Philip was directed by the Spirit to preach in every city from Ashdod in the south to Caesarea in the north on the Mediterranean route.
From these two heroes of faith, Stephen and Philip, we can learn some weighty lessons: the importance of knowing our faith history and of proclaiming our faith.
Bible Commentary
I. Knowing Our Faith History (Review Acts 7 with the class.)
Acts itself is a book of history: a history of the beginnings of the church, its unshakeable commitment to Jesus, its struggles and sufferings, its heroes—men and women, deacons and apostles, preachers and evangelists, prophets and pastors. Acts informs us that the early church’s growth should be seen as the fulfillment in Jesus of the Old Testament’s prophetic hope that “ ‘the stone which was rejected . . . has become the chief cornerstone’ ” (Acts 4:11, NKJV). The major sermons recorded in Acts—namely, of Peter, Stephen, and Paul—never failed to underscore that God has revealed Himself in Old Testament history through such people as Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and others. It is in this march of biblical history that the Christian church has inherited its responsibility to present to the world the culmination of God’s saving plan in Jesus.
In his defense of the gospel of Jesus, Stephen presented a panoramic view of redemptive history and drew a time line from God’s calling of Abraham (Acts 7:2) to Jesus, at the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:55). This historic time line traces the ups and downs, the rise and fall, the faithfulness toward, and the betrayal of, God by His chosen people as the mighty milestones in the redemptive history of humanity. On that time line, Stephen erected milestones of men, women, and events—the call of Abraham; the giving of the covenant; the faithfulness of Joseph; Moses the deliverer and the predictor of a “ ‘prophet like me’ ”; the wilderness tabernacle; David; Solomon and the temple; and then, more recently, the betrayal and the murder of the “Just One.” It is this history of fulfillment and betrayal that formed the major portion of Stephen’s testimony that “cut to the heart” (Acts 7:54, NKJV) of his audience. When Stephen’s faith took that tumultuous journey of history, “being full of the Holy Spirit, [he] gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus” (Acts 7:55, NKJV). The church from then on understood that Jesus is the inescapable fulcrum of history and the propeller of the onward movement of the faithful until the community of faith merges with the community of heaven.
Consider This: Read Acts 7:51. What do the following expressions mean: “stiff-necked people”; “uncircumcised in heart and ears [NKJV]”? What are some ways in which we seem to be faithful in the externals and rituals of religion while denying the power of true faith?
II. Proclaiming Our Faith (Review Acts 8 with the class.)
“God moves in a mysteriously way His wonders to perform!” So we sing, but in the experience of the early church, God’s outworking was a powerful and visible reality. Note two facts. First, Saul, one of the men responsible for Stephen’s stoning and for the subsequent mass persecution of Christians (Acts 8:1-3, 26:9-11), became the most powerful proclaimer of Jesus. Second, because of the persecution unleashed after Stephen’s martyrdom, Christians “were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1, NKJV).
One of those scattered Christians was Philip the deacon. Philip headed for Samaria, where Jesus once had ministered to a woman of ill-repute (John 4). Philip’s work marked a wondrous leap forward for the gospel, so much so that Peter and John journeyed all the way from Jerusalem to verify for themselves that the gospel had indeed found a fertile ground in Samaria. The apostolic presence brought to Samaritan believers the assurance and power of the Holy Spirit. Even as the church found its rooting and growth in Samaria, the pioneer of that mission was asked to move on. An evangelist is constantly on the move to find a new territory for the gospel, and Philip soon found himself riding in a chariot with an Ethiopian official who was on his way home from Jerusalem. Marvelous is the working of the Holy Spirit. Philip’s study with the Ethiopian led to his baptism on the Gaza highway and opened up Ethiopia to the gospel. Then Philip the evangelist received new orders from the Holy Spirit, and he took the Mediterranean route to Caesarea, preaching in every town from Ashdod to his final destination of the Roman-Greek city of Caesarea. An evangelist is a preacher of the gospel with shoes ever on, marching to the orders of the Holy Spirit. That truth has lain behind the story of Christian mission ever since.
Consider This: Between Philip and the Ethiopian official, there were many walls of separation: race and nationality, religion, social status, economics, color, and so on. Philip could have avoided the Ethiopian for any number of reasons, but he was first and foremost an evangelist. He is the bearer of good news. He had no option but to run and begin a conversation.
Step 3—APPLY
Just for Teachers: The seven disciples elected to look after the needs of the widows and the poor were called to “serve” (Acts 6:2). The Greek word for “serve” is diakonein, from which comes the word diakoneõ, the derivative word for “deacon” and “deaconess.” “The appointment of the seven to take the oversight of special lines of work, proved a great blessing to the church. These officers gave careful consideration to individual needs as well as to the general financial interests of the church, and by their prudent management and their godly example they were an important aid to their fellow officers in binding together the various interests of the church into a united whole.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 89.
Thought/Application Questions:
How does your local church view the office of the deacon/deaconess? How are deacons and deaconesses considered equal partners in the ministry? How can their contribution to the life and ministry of your church be bettered?
Step 4—CREATE
Just for Teachers: Ask members to list what they perceive to be the qualifications for deacons/deaconesses and the responsibilities of deacons/deaconesses. Then discuss how you can better appreciate the ministry of deacons and deaconesses in your church. If feasible, include a deacon/deaconess or an elder of your church in your class discussion on this topic.