227 – Apostles & Deacons
Acts 5:17-6:7
The message of Jesus spread throughout Jerusalem, which made the Jewish leaders angry. They sent guards, who arrested the apostles and put them in prison.
That night, an angel came and let them out without the guards seeing it. The angel said, “Go to the temple in the morning and preach to the people.” At sunrise, the apostles went to the temple.
Later in the morning, the high priest gathered the governing council. He then sent the captain of the guards to bring the apostles out of prison. When the captain got there, the prison cell was empty. He rushed back and said, “The guards are at their post and the doors are locked, but the men are not inside!”
At that moment, someone ran in and said, “The men you put in prison are now teaching in the temple!”
The captain of the guards took his men and went to the temple where they found the apostles teaching the people. He then realized he couldn’t use force against them because his men were afraid of the people. Still, the apostles went with him willingly.
The high priest said, “We told you not to teach in the name of Jesus. Yet you’ve filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. You’re even saying that we’re guilty of killing Jesus.”
Peter spoke up, “We must obey God rather than men. You killed Jesus by putting him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead. Now he sits at God’s right hand and gives repentance and forgiveness of sins.”
This made the religious leaders angry. They sent the apostles out of the room, and then discussed how they were going to kill them. A respected member of the council spoke up, “Be careful what you do with these men. My advice is to leave them alone. If they’re simply following human emotions, nothing will come of it. But if this movement is from God, you can’t stop it. In fact, you’ll be fighting against God.”
After some discussion, they agreed with this advice. Still, before letting the men go, they had the apostles beaten and said, “Never speak in the name of Jesus again.”
The apostles left the council rejoicing. They said, “God has allowed us to suffer for the name of Jesus!” They continued to preach Christ, and the number of believers grew even larger.
A problem developed at this time. The church made provision for the widows among them. Some of the widows were from Israel, and
some were from Jewish communities in other countries. The ones from Israel received better care than the others.
The apostles said, “We must focus on preaching the Word of God and prayer. Still, this need must be met.”
They told the congregation to select seven men who would oversee this responsibility. They said, “Whomever you choose must be highly respected and filled with the Holy Spirit. They must be known for their wisdom.” Everyone liked this idea, so they selected seven men who were qualified. The group included Stephen and Philip.
The apostles prayed for these men and gave them the responsibility for this need. This caused the number of believers to grow faster. Even a large group of Jewish priests put their faith in Christ.
