Acts 6; Devoted to Prayer and the Word ~ 20250119 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
01/19 Acts 6; Devoted to Prayer and the Word ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250119_prayer-and-word.mp3
Today is our annual meeting, where our church family will affirm men to serve as elders, so we have been taking the last few weeks to look at what the Bible says about elders, who they are to be, what they are to be about. We have seen that elders are men with maturity and wisdom, who are appointed to watch over and shepherd God’s flock. They are to lead and to feed, to guide and to guard God’s people. Ezekiel 34 rebukes the shepherds of Israel who cared for themselves and not the flock. YHWH the good Shepherd will himself seek the lost, rescue and gather his sheep, feed them with good pasture and give them rest, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak.
Peter says:
1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Elders who serve under the chief Shepherd are to shepherd the flock of God, exercising oversight, being examples to the flock with all humility.
Context of Acts
Today I want to look at Acts 6, which tells us that those who serve as leaders in the church are to devote themselves to.
To understand what is going on in Acts 6, we need to understand where we are in the story. Jesus was crucified for our sins, was buried, rose victorious from the dead the third day, and spent 40 days with his disciples, teaching them. In Acts 1, before ascending to the right hand of his Father in glory, he ordered them not to do anything, but to wait for the promised baptism of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the mighty works of God to the nations. Peter proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth, crucified and resurrected, as Christ and Lord, the fulfillment of all the prophecies. He exhorted the crowds to repent (turn away from whatever you were trusting in) and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (identifying yourself publicly with him in his death and resurrection) for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
We are told that the believer ‘were together and had all things in common’.
Acts 2:45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
In Acts 3, Peter and John were going up to the temple courts and they healed a paralyzed man. This got everyone’s attention, and they took the opportunity to give glory to God and again proclaim Jesus crucified and risen as Christ and Lord, the one all the Scriptures pointed to. This got them in trouble with the priests and Sadducees, who arrested them and took them into custody.
Acts 4:4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
In Acts 4, Peter and John are questioned by the high priestly family, where they testify
Acts 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
They had been with Jesus. They threatened them and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
At the end of chapter 4, they gathered to worship God and to pray;
Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, ...31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. 32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
When money is involved, things can get messy. In chapter 5, there is a couple who wanted to impress people with their generosity, but also wanted to hold on to their money, so they lied about their gift, and God struck them dead. But
Acts 5:14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
So much so that the religious leaders were jealous and arrested the apostles. He sent an angel to release them and told them to go back to preaching. They were accused of filling Jerusalem with their teaching, they testified again to the leaders, and were beaten and released, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Acts 6; Devoted to Prayer and the Ministry of the Word
This is the context of Acts 6. A new problem arose, also relating to money.
Acts 6:1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
The Greek speaking Jewish believers were complaining that the Hebrew speaking widows in the church were getting special treatment. What do you do with that? Call down fire from heaven? This was not a clear issue of sin like Ananias and Sapphira. Ignore it? What if it is a legitimate complaint? The church family was trusting its leadership with their gifts. This could rip the young church apart down the lines of differing languages. Here’s what they did, and I believe it sets a precedent for what those who lead the church are to undistractedly devote themselves to.
Acts 6:2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
It is not appropriate to abandon the word of God. This is something the twelve had consistently been doing. They were proclaiming Jesus and lives were being transformed. Widows were being neglected in the daily deaconing, and that is not appropriate. But neither is it appropriate for the twelve to abandon their calling and deacon tables. So they had men of tested character officially appointed to this need, but they devoted themselves to prayer and to deaconing the word.
Devoted to The Ministry of the Word
This sets the precedent for what those who are called to shepherd the flock of God are to be primarily about. Prayer and the ministry of the word. The letters to Timothy and to Titus tell us that an elder must be ‘able to teach’ (1Tim.3:2); must ‘hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine, and also to rebuke those who contradict it’ (Titus 1:9).
An elder is to be devoted to the word of God, to the ministry or service of the word; administering the word in specific circumstances to real people; taking the word and applying it to the hearts and lives of people for their eternal good.
This requires knowing the word, studying the word, being immersed in and saturated by the word, applying the word of God first to one’s own heart and life, and then to others. Paul tells Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. ...11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
In 2 Timothy he says
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
James says:
James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Teachers will be held accountable for what they teach. Study with all diligence to rightly handle the word; keep a close watch on your life and on the teaching. Every elder must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine, and also to rebuke those who contradict it’ (Titus 1:9). Elders must devote themselves to the word of God.
Devoted to Prayer
But notice the order:
Acts 6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Prayer and the ministry of the word. Prayer comes first. What does this mean? What is prayer?
Prayer is worship; and prayer is dependence. Prayer is worship. Recognizing God for who he is, attributing to him the proper worth; giving him the worship he is due. To teach the Bible and to lose sight of who God is, is to get the Bible wrong, to wrongly handle the word. ‘Our Father, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.’ May your name, your character, who you are, get the praise, the glory, the affection and worship that is rightly due to you.
Prayer is worship, and prayer is dependence on God. Praying is asking, admitting I don’t have all the resources, all the abilities, all the answers. Prayer is depending on God, asking him to supply what I do not have and do what I cannot do. God knows everything, I do not. God is author of his word, I am to be a disciple, a learner, a follower. God is mighty to save, I am not. Jesus died on a cross for my sins; I can’t even pay off my own debt, let alone anyone else’s. On my best day, I am only a recipient of his mercy and grace. And every day, by his amazing grace (something I do not deserve), I get to be a conduit of his grace to others. ‘Give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our debts, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil.’
Prayer is worship, and prayer is dependence on God. Prayer is evidence of humility, and humility is a key character requirement for an elder. If I am to shepherd others, I must first acknowledge that I am a lost sheep who needs to be shepherded.
1 Peter 2:25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Prayer is relationship. I cannot be devoted to the ministry of the word without prayer. The word is a message, but the message is about a person, and remember, according to John 1, the Word is a person. To be devoted to the proclamation and ministry of the Word is by necessity to be in communication with the one we proclaim.
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2025.01.19 Sermon Notes
Devoted to Prayer and the Word; Acts 6:1-7
YHWH himself is the Good Shepherd
Ezekiel 34:11-16
Elders shepherd with humility under the chief Shepherd
1 Peter 5:1-5
Overview of Acts 1-6:
Acts 1; wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2; filled with the Spirit, proclaim Jesus as Lord;
repent and be baptized;
worship; generous care for one another
Acts 3; healing in Jesus’ name; proclaiming Jesus
Acts 4; arrest, questioning; proclaiming Jesus;
worship and prayer; generous care for one another
Acts 5; money causes trouble; lying to God; death
multitudes believe; arrest, beating, preaching Jesus
Acts 6; more money troubles; questions of unfair distribution
“We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” Acts 6:4
Elders must be able to teach 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:9
1 Timothy 4:6, 11-16; 2 Timothy 2:14; James 3:1
Elders must be devoted to prayer:
-prayer is worship Matthew 6:9-10
-prayer is dependence Matthew 6:11-13
-prayer is relationship 1 Peter 2:25
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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org