Finding Fairness in the Feuding

Acts 6:1-15 ( June 8 )

I remember when my kids were little. They typically played well together, knowing what to expect from each other and being familiar with each other's attitudes and temperaments.

But when they would get together with their big ole group of cousins...that's when the trouble would start. Too many kids with too many unfamiliar characteristics did not mix well. Someone always felt left out, treated unfairly, or taken advantage of.

There is just something about "combining the masses" that creates an opportunity for fueding amongst each other. We see this time and time again, in Scripture and in our own experiences.

That is what is happening as more and more believers are coming together under the teaching and preaching of the apostles.

You can imagine...a situation where unfamiliar people with unfamiliar customs come together, chaos is likely to be seen.

We have Greek-speaking believers joining with Hebrew-speaking believers. This is not "smooth sailing" for the apostles.

In fact, they are hearing a lot of fueding going on, a lot of bickering and complaining about unfair treatment. So much so that they seem to be spending more time solving disputes than actually preaching and teaching.

One particular issue about discrimination in daily food distribution is the final straw.

Having had enough, they called a meeting with the entire group and said, "We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program."

The apostles suggested the choose seven men who were well respected and full of the Holy Spirit to oversee all complaints and help resolve them, so they could get back to their teaching.

There was agreement that this was a good idea (finally...something they can agree on), so they chose their seven mediators: Stephen, Philip, Procurus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenides, and Nicolas of Antioch.

The apostles prayed for these men and laid hands on them. (They knew these men were going to need it!) Then they got back to spreading the message of God's word.

Now Stephen was a standout! (Every group has that one) He performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. Some Jewish men, thinking they could outsmart him (there are always some of them in every group too), started arguing with him. They didn't realize they weren't just arguing with Stephen, but also with the Holy Spirit. There was no way they were going to win this argument.

So what do you do when you can't win an argument? They talked some men into lying about Stephen, saying he was blaspheming both Moses and God.

Of course, this caused the officials to arrest him and bring him to trial. (They sure have a lot of trials!)

When they spoke of his charges, all eyes turned to Stephen, this man who supposedly had the nerve to blaspheme not only Moses, but God himself.

I wonder what they thought when they turned to look at him and his face was as bright as an angel's?

Hmmm...perhaps we will hear more about this shiny, bright-faced man tomorrow.