Acts 6:4
and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
But we
This phrase indicates a contrast with the previous verses where the apostles are addressing the issue of the distribution of food to widows. The "we" refers to the apostles, who are distinguishing their roles from those appointed to handle the practical needs of the community. The Greek word for "we" (ἡμεῖς, hēmeis) emphasizes the collective responsibility and unity among the apostles in their mission.

will devote ourselves
The Greek word used here is "προσκαρτερήσομεν" (proskarterēsomen), which means to persist or to be steadfastly attentive to something. This implies a continuous, unwavering commitment. The apostles are expressing their dedication to their primary calling, which is spiritual rather than administrative. This devotion is not a casual or occasional activity but a focused and persistent effort.

to prayer
Prayer (προσευχῇ, proseuchē) is a fundamental aspect of the apostles' ministry. It signifies communication with God, seeking His guidance, strength, and wisdom. In the early church, prayer was central to the life of believers, reflecting their dependence on God for the success of their mission. The apostles' commitment to prayer underscores the importance of spiritual disciplines in leadership and ministry.

and to the ministry
The word "ministry" (διακονία, diakonia) in Greek refers to service or attendance to the needs of others. Here, it specifically relates to the spiritual service of teaching and preaching the Word of God. The apostles are setting a precedent for prioritizing spiritual nourishment and guidance for the community, which is essential for the growth and health of the church.

of the word
The "word" (λόγου, logou) refers to the message of the Gospel, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the Scriptures. The apostles are tasked with the responsibility of spreading the Gospel and ensuring that the teachings of Christ are accurately communicated and preserved. This highlights the centrality of Scripture in the life of the church and the role of leaders in faithfully teaching and upholding biblical truth.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Apostles
The primary leaders of the early church, tasked with spreading the teachings of Jesus and establishing the church's foundation.

2. The Early Church
The community of believers in Jerusalem, experiencing rapid growth and facing logistical challenges in caring for its members.

3. The Seven Deacons
Appointed to manage the daily distribution to widows, allowing the apostles to focus on prayer and teaching.

4. Jerusalem
The central location of the early church and the setting for the events in Acts 6.

5. Prayer and Ministry of the Word
The dual focus of the apostles' mission, emphasizing spiritual leadership and teaching.
Teaching Points
Prioritizing Spiritual Responsibilities
The apostles' decision to focus on prayer and teaching highlights the importance of prioritizing spiritual responsibilities in leadership roles.

Delegation in Ministry
The appointment of deacons demonstrates the necessity of delegating tasks to maintain focus on primary spiritual duties.

The Power of Prayer
Emphasizes the critical role of prayer in sustaining and guiding the church's mission.

Commitment to the Word
Encourages believers to remain steadfast in studying and teaching Scripture as a core aspect of their faith.

Balancing Service and Spiritual Growth
Illustrates the need for a balanced approach to serving others while nurturing one's spiritual life.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the apostles' decision to focus on prayer and the ministry of the word inform our understanding of spiritual leadership today?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of delegation in our own church or ministry settings to ensure effective service and spiritual growth?

3. How can we cultivate a deeper commitment to prayer in our personal and communal lives, following the example of the apostles?

4. What steps can we take to ensure that the teaching and study of Scripture remain central in our faith communities?

5. How do the roles of prayer and the ministry of the word complement each other in the life of a believer, and how can we balance these in our daily walk with Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 2:42
Highlights the early church's devotion to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer, showing the foundational practices of the Christian community.

1 Timothy 2:1-2
Encourages prayer for all people, especially leaders, aligning with the apostles' commitment to prayer.

2 Timothy 4:2
Paul’s exhortation to preach the word, reinforcing the apostles' dedication to the ministry of the word.

Ephesians 6:18
Calls for believers to pray in the Spirit on all occasions, supporting the apostles' emphasis on prayer.

James 5:16
Stresses the power of prayer, which is central to the apostles' ministry.
An Earnest Ministry the Greatest Need and Blessing of the ChurchR.A. Redford Acts 6:4
The Work of the MinistryR. Tuck Acts 6:4
Institution of DeaconsR.A. Redford Acts 6:1-6
The First Crystallizings of Ecclesicastical InstitutionP.C. Barker Acts 6:1-6
A Picture of Early Church LifeM. C. Hazard.Acts 6:1-7
Dissatisfaction in the Primitive ChurchW. H. Davison.Acts 6:1-7
Dissensions and PrecautionsG. T. Stokes, D. D.Acts 6:1-7
Hellenist and HebrewJ. Oswald Dykes, D. D.Acts 6:1-7
On DeaconsJ. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.Acts 6:1-7
Prosperity and Peace Within the ChurchW. Clarkson Acts 6:1-7
The Ancient Bond Between Poverty and Christianity a Blessing to BothK. Gerok.Acts 6:1-7
The Appointment of DeaconsE. Johnson Acts 6:1-7
The Division of WorkW. E. Chadwick, M. A.Acts 6:1-7
The Election of DeaconsJ. Parker, D. D.Acts 6:1-7
The First Deacons ChosenT. Binney.Acts 6:1-7
The First Disunion in the ChurchLangbein.Acts 6:1-7
The First Election of DeaconsD. Thomas, D. D.Acts 6:1-7
The Poor the Treasures of the ChurchK. Gerok.Acts 6:1-7
Trouble the Lot of the ChurchStarke.Acts 6:1-7
Imposition of HandsG. T. Stokes, D. D.Acts 6:3-6
Ministers Should Give Themselves to PrayerActs 6:3-6
Prayer and Ministerial SuccessActs 6:3-6
Prayer and PowerActs 6:3-6
Prayer and PreachingW. Arnot, D. D.Acts 6:3-6
Stephen's Faith and its SourceJ. Kirk Pike.Acts 6:3-6
Suitable Men to be Sought Out by the ChurchJ. A. James.Acts 6:3-6
The Character of StephenR. P. Buddicom, M. A.Acts 6:3-6
The Christian Full of Faith and of the Holy GhostJ. E. Dalton, B. D.Acts 6:3-6
The Work of the Spirit in the Deaconship of the Christian ChurchJ. Morgan, D. D.Acts 6:3-6
Why Seven DeaconsG. T. Stokes, D. D.Acts 6:3-6
People
Alexandrians, Cilicians, Cyrenians, Grecians, Nicanor, Nicolas, Parmenas, Philip, Prochorus, Stephen, Timon
Places
Asia, Cilicia, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Syrian Antioch
Topics
Continually, Continue, Delivery, Devote, Message, Ministration, Ministry, Ourselves, Prayer, Steadfastly, Stedfastly, Teaching
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Acts 6:4

     1690   word of God
     8435   giving, of oneself
     8618   prayerfulness

Acts 6:1-4

     7715   deacons
     8223   dedication
     8783   neglect

Acts 6:1-6

     5054   responsibility, examples
     5310   exploitation
     5556   stewardship

Acts 6:2-4

     7757   preaching, effects

Acts 6:2-6

     5714   men
     7708   apostles, function

Acts 6:3-4

     4942   fulness
     8619   prayer, in church

Acts 6:3-5

     3251   Holy Spirit, filling with

Acts 6:3-6

     7026   church, leadership
     8422   equipping, spiritual

Library
October 4 Morning
Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.--EXO. 34:29. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.--Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?--In lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.--Be clothed with humility. [Jesus] was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.--All that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on Stephen,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

February 16. "We Will Give Ourselves Continually to Prayer" (Acts vi. 4).
"We will give ourselves continually to prayer" (Acts vi. 4). In the consecrated believer the Holy Spirit is pre-eminently a Spirit of prayer. If our whole being is committed to Him, and our thoughts are at His bidding, He will occupy every moment in communion and we shall bring every thing to Him as it comes, and pray it out in our spiritual consciousness before we act it out in our lives. We shall, therefore, find ourselves taking up the burdens of life and praying them out in a wordless prayer
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Filled with the Spirit
'Men ... full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.' ... 'A man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost....' 'Stephen, full of faith and power.'--ACTS vi. 3, 5, 8. I have taken the liberty of wrenching these three fragments from their context, because of their remarkable parallelism, which is evidently intended to set us thinking of the connection of the various characteristics which they set forth. The first of them is a description, given by the Apostles, of the sort of man whom they conceived to be fit to
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Good Earnests of Great Success
So I felt when I met with the brethren last Thursday night. The attendance at the church meeting was very numerous, and the unanimity that prevailed not only gratified me, but I must confess astounded me too. I think all of us who know anything of the history of churches, especially those of a democratic order, where we recognize the rights of every member, understand how easy it is for thoughts to diverge, for counsels to vary, and for excellent brethren conscientiously to disagree. A breach once
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 14: 1868

Phil. 1:01 the Rights and Duties of Lay Churchmen.
[19] "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons."--Phil. 1:1. THIS opening verse of St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians is a very remarkable text of Scripture. I suspect it receives far less attention from Bible- readers than it deserves. Like the gold of California, men have walked over it for centuries, and have not observed what was under their feet. In fact, if some Anglican divines had stood at the
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times

The Signs
There are indications that to some of those who took part in the crucifixion of Christ His death presented hardly anything to distinguish it from an ordinary execution; and there were others who were anxious to believe that it had no features which were extraordinary. But God did not leave His Son altogether without witness. The end of the Saviour's sufferings was accompanied by certain signs, which showed the interest excited by them in the world unseen. I. The first sign was the rending of the
James Stalker—The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ

The Outbreak of the Arian Controversy. The Attitude of Eusebius.
About the year 318, while Alexander was bishop of Alexandria, the Arian controversy broke out in that city, and the whole Eastern Church was soon involved in the strife. We cannot enter here into a discussion of Arius' views; but in order to understand the rapidity with which the Arian party grew, and the strong hold which it possessed from the very start in Syria and Asia Minor, we must remember that Arius was not himself the author of that system which we know as Arianism, but that he learned the
Eusebius Pamphilius—Church History

The Epistles of Paul.
1. The apostolic epistles are a natural sequence of the office and work committed by the Saviour to the apostles. They were the primitive preachers of the gospel, and, under Christ, the founders of the Christian church. From the necessity of the case they had a general supervision of all the local churches, and their authority in them was supreme in matters of both faith and practice. It was to be expected, therefore, that they should teach by writing, as well as by oral instruction. It does not
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The Right to Run Things
A new mission station opened! Another conquest of the Gospel! Have you ever wondered how it was done? Suppose you are a missionary, and have already passed successfully through the language-learning stage. Suppose you are assigned an area where the Gospel has never been preached, an area teeming with people, very few of whom have ever even heard the precious name of Jesus. You probably have a fellow worker. You have good health, a reasonable knowledge of the language and local customs, and a heart
Mabel Williamson—Have We No Rights?

The Johannean Literature.
I. Sources. 1. The Gospel, Epistles, and Revelation of John. The notices of John in the Synoptical Gospels, in the Acts, and in Gal. 2:9. (See the passages in Young's Analytical Concordance.) 2. Patristic traditions. Irenaeus: Adv. Haer. II. 22, 5 (John lived to the age of Trajan); III. 1, 1 (John at Ephesus); III. 3, 4 (John and Cerinthus); V. 30, 3 (John and the Apocalypse). Clemens Alex.: Quis dives salvus, c. 42 (John and the young robber). Polycrates of Ephesus in Eus. Hist. Eccl., III. 31;
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

Deacons and Deaconesses.
Deacons, [729] or helpers, appear first in the church of Jerusalem, seven in number. The author of the Acts 6 gives us an account of the origin of this office, which is mentioned before that of the presbyters. It had a precedent in the officers of the synagogue who had charge of the collection and distribution of alms. [730] It was the first relief of the heavy burden that rested on the shoulders of the apostles, who wished to devote themselves exclusively to prayer and the ministry of the word.
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

Philip, the Evangelist
BY REV. GEORGE MILLIGAN, M.A., D.D. Philip the Evangelist must be carefully distinguished from Philip the Apostle. And though it is little that we are told regarding him in Scripture, that little is very significant. He first comes before us as one of the seven chosen by the early Church at Jerusalem to take charge of the daily ministration of charity to the poor widows (Acts vi. I ff.). And when this work is hindered by the outbreak of persecution following on the death of Stephen, we find him
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

Whether Christ Should have Led a Life of Poverty in this World?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ should not have led a life of poverty in this world. Because Christ should have embraced the most eligible form of life. But the most eligible form of life is that which is a mean between riches and poverty; for it is written (Prov. 30:8): "Give me neither beggary nor riches; give me only the necessaries of life." Therefore Christ should have led a life, not of poverty, but of moderation. Objection 2: Further, external wealth is ordained to bodily use as to
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether to Baptize is Part of the Priestly Office, or Proper to that of Bishops?
Objection 1: It seems that to baptize is not part of the priestly office, but proper to that of bishops. Because, as stated above (A[1], OBJ[1]), the duties of teaching and baptizing are enjoined in the same precept (Mat. 28:19). But to teach, which is "to perfect," belongs to the office of bishop, as Dionysius declares (Eccl. Hier. v, vi). Therefore to baptize also belongs to the episcopal office. Objection 2: Further, by Baptism a man is admitted to the body of the Christian people: and to do this
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Fulness of Grace is Proper to Christ?
Objection 1: It would seem that the fulness of grace is not proper to Christ. For what is proper to anyone belongs to him alone. But to be full of grace is attributed to some others; for it was said to the Blessed Virgin (Lk. 1:28): "Hail, full of grace"; and again it is written (Acts 6:8): "Stephen, full of grace and fortitude." Therefore the fulness of grace is not proper to Christ. Objection 2: Further, what can be communicated to others through Christ does not seem to be proper to Christ. But
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Holy Catholic Church.
"Christ is gone up; yet ere He passed From earth, in heaven to reign, He formed One Holy Church to last Till He should come again. So age by age, and year by year, His grace was handed on; And still the Holy Church is here, Although her Lord is gone." A question often arises which is, in no little degree, perplexing to Christian people. What is the Holy Catholic Church? The words are very often in our mouths; for they are repeated continually in the Creed. What do we mean by them? The teaching of
Edward Burbidge—The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?

The Church History of Eusebius. Index of Subjects.
Aaron, [1]373. Abdus of Edessa, [2]101. Abdus, the father of the preceding, [3]101. Abgarus, Prince of Edessa, correspondence of, with Christ, 100, [4]101; healed by Thaddeus, [5]101, [6]104. Abilius, second bishop of Alexandria, [7]147, [8]149. Abraham, [9]83, [10]87, [11]88. Achæus, a judge at Cæsarea, [12]303. Achillas, presbyter of Alexandria, [13]321. Achior, the Ammonite, [14]93. Acolyths, [15]288. Actium, [16]263. Acts, book of, [17]88, [18]98, [19]112, [20]113, [21]117, [22]122,
Eusebius Pamphilius—The Life of Constantine

Twenty-Fifth Day for More Conversions
WHAT TO PRAY.--For more Conversions "He is able to save completely, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession."--HEB. vii. 25. "We will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word.... And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied exceedingly."--ACTS vi. 4, 7. Christ's power to save, and save completely, depends on His unceasing intercession. The apostles withdrawing themselves from other work to give themselves continually to prayer was followed
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

The Birth of England's Foreign Missions
1785-1792 Moulton the Mission's birthplace--Carey's fever and poverty--His Moulton school--Fired with the missionary idea--His very large missionary map--Fuller's confession of the aged and respectable ministers' opposition--Old Mr. Ryland's rebuke--Driven to publish his Enquiry--Its literary character--Carey's survey of the world in 1788--His motives, difficulties, and plans--Projects the first Missionary Society--Contrasted with his predecessors from Erasmus--Prayer concert begun in Scotland in
George Smith—The Life of William Carey

Twenty-Seven Articles Respecting the Reformation of the Christian Estate.
Now though I am too lowly to submit articles that could serve for the reformation of these fearful evils, I will yet sing out my fool's song, and will show, as well as my wit will allow, what might and should be done by the temporal authorities or by a General Council. 1. Princes, nobles and cities should promptly forbid their subjects to pay the annates and should even abolish them altogether. For the Pope has broken the compact, and turned the annates into robbery for the harm and shame of the
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Synagogues in the City; and Schools.
"R. Phinehas, in the name of R. Hoshaia, saith, There were four hundred and sixty synagogues in Jerusalem: every one of which had a house of the book, and a house of doctrine," "A house of the book for the Scripture," that is, where the Scripture might be read: "and a house of doctrine for traditions," that is, the Beth Midrash, where traditions might be taught. These things are recited elsewhere, and there the number ariseth to four hundred and eighty. "R. Phinehas, in the name of R. Hoshaia, saith,
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

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