A complaint arose among Hellenists, likely converts from among the Greek speaking Jews scattered throughout the world. They felt their widows were not being cared for as well as the widows of the Hebrews in the daily distribution. Whether the charge resulted through an accidental or intentional oversight is not known. At the very least, the perceived problem obviously threatened the peace and unity of the young church (Acts 6:1).
The apostles said it was inappropriate for them to cease devoting their full energies to the Word in order to serve tables. They directed the Christians to look among their own number to find seven men qualified to carry out the work. It is good for men who will manage monetary affairs or hold positions of authority to be selected by the people they will serve. The men had to be known as good men, full of the Holy Spirit, which may have meant they possessed miraculous gifts or it may have referred to fully displaying the fruit of the Spirit. They also would need “skill in the management of affairs,” which Thayer says is the definition of “wisdom.” The apostles would appoint the seven selected to attend to this important matter. They planned to continue to focus on prayer and ministering to others with the Word of God (Acts 6:2-4; Galatians 5:22-26).
The multitude of believers thought the apostles had a good solution. They chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, all Greek names. The apostles laid their hands on them after going to God in prayer. It is always good to approach God about any matter Christians are about to undertake and especially when church problems are involved. The laying on of the apostles’ hands officially placed them in office, like swearing in a new president, and may have involved bestowing on them miraculous gifts.
Handling the problem in such a way resulted in further growth in the church through the spreading of the Word of God. The number of Christ’s followers was multiplied, including a large number of priests who obeyed the faith (Acts 6:5-7).
[Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, church problems are all too common, owing to the frailty of humanity – yes, even among Christians. No church problem is too little to address, and any church problem, irrespective of whether the complaint is valid, is a church crisis waiting to explode if it is not properly addressed in a timely manner. Some church problems (crises in waiting), like the Acts 6 chronicle, are in reality opportunities for growing a healthier congregation. At other times, sin is at the root of church problems, which needs to be identified and addressed early on (Titus 1:9-11; 3:10). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
