“THE APOSTLES GET HELP”
YEAH! CHURCH - SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022
"Doing Life with Jesus”
Today’s Lesson - “The Apostles Get Help”
Video Story/Resource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjeU74WVzOE (Trueway Kids – Seven Chosen to Serve)
Seven Deacons Chosen
Acts 6:1-7, NLT – “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”
5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.
7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.”
As the early Church grew, the number of people with needs grew too. The Apostles were teaching and healing, but complaints arose because some of the poor people were not being treated fairly. Widows who spoke Greek (Hellenistic Jews) were sometimes overlooked, while the widows who spoke Hebrew often got more attention by those who were distributing food and other items. This wasn’t fair or loving and the Apostles knew something had to change. But they didn’t have time to do anymore work, even if it was the important task of running a food program to help the poor.
The Apostles told the others in the Church to choose seven trustworthy men who could run the program, which would allow them to continue to focus on teaching people about Jesus. Everyone thought this was a good idea and chose seven men with good reputations who they knew would not play favourites—Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas. Each of these men were recognized as leaders within the early Church and everyone knew they would do a good job!
Engage:
• The Church grew quickly and the number of poor people in the Church also grew. What did the followers of Jesus do to try to help each other?
• Complaints soon began to surface, however, because it appeared that the food was not being shared fairly. What was happening?
• The Apostles knew this was a problem, but they didn’t have time to take on any more responsibilities. How did they propose to fix the problem?
• Seven men were chosen to run the food program. Why did the Church choose these particular men to do the work?
• These deacons had the skills to run the program. What skills and abilities has God given you? What could you do to help others?
Weekly verse:
Ephesians 2:10, NLT – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
2022 Theme verses:
Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Prayer – Dear God, thank you for this week’s reminder that we can rely on others to help and don’t have to always do more. Thank you that you have given each person special abilities to do good work. Help me to discover your purpose for my life.
~ Pastor Jane