Stephen and the Deacons
150 Bible Basics
These are entries #133 and #134 of 150 from my book, Sunday School Catch-Up, available on Amazon!
Stephen
The church’s first martyr, a deacon of the church at Jerusalem who was stoned to death based on false accusations for preaching the Gospel(Acts 6-7). Paul’s first appearance (as Saul) occurrs at Stephen’s death.
Deacons
An official position of service to the church. In Acts 6, seven men were appointed by the apostles to make sure all of the widows were receiving a fair share of bread. Paul gave a list of qualifications for those who would serve as deacons in 1 Timothy 3.
In the Acts account, the apostles explained they needed men to fill the role of deacon as they themselves were occupied with prayer and ministry of the Word. This establishes a division of labor of sorts for official church positions.
Those who are charged with spiritual teaching and oversight should not be forced to concern themselves with material concerns such as upkeep of the church building. Rather, they should delegate such tasks to faithful men who meet the qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3.
