The Seven Servants and Stephen's Witness
(Acts 6:1-7:53)
The church is growing fast, and a problem has emerged. The Greek-speaking widows in the community are being overlooked when food is distributed each day. The twelve apostles call everyone together and address it directly. They say it would not be right for them to give up the ministry of the Word of God to wait on tables. So they ask the community to choose seven men who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom to take care of this practical work. The apostles will continue devoting themselves to prayer and preaching.
The community chooses seven men. The first name on the list is Stephen, described as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. Another is Philip. The apostles pray and lay their hands on the seven. From that point, God's Word spreads more widely than ever, and a large number of priests believe the faith.
Stephen performs great wonders and signs among the people. Some men from a synagogue called the Synagogue of the Freedmen begin arguing with him publicly, but they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. Unable to beat his arguments, they go behind his back. They secretly recruit men to claim they heard Stephen speak blasphemy against Moses and God. They stir up the people and the elders, seize Stephen, and drag him before the Sanhedrin. Everyone who looks at Stephen sitting before the council sees something remarkable: his face is like the face of an angel.
When the high priest asks if the charges are true, Stephen launches into the longest sermon in the book of Acts. He walks them through the entire story of Israel: Abraham called to leave his homeland, Joseph sold by his brothers and then raised to second-in-command over Egypt, Moses rejected by his own people the first time and then sent back as their deliverer. Stephen's argument runs like a river in one direction: Israel has a long history of rejecting the very people God sent to rescue them. And now, they have rejected the Righteous One Himself, the one all the prophets pointed to: Jesus.
A Curious Question
Stephen started out chosen to help with serving food to widows. By the end of Acts 6, he was performing miracles and preaching in ways that even the wisest religious teachers could not argue against. What do you think made the difference? And what does that tell us about what God can do with a person who is simply full of the Spirit?
Old Testament Connection
Stephen's sermon in Acts 7 is one of the most carefully built Old Testament arguments in the entire New Testament. He told three stories side by side. Joseph was sold by his brothers, locked away, and then raised up to save the very people who rejected him. Moses was pushed away by Israel the first time he tried to help, sent into the desert, and then called back by God to lead the nation to freedom. Both men were rejected, then vindicated. Both men pointed forward to Jesus, who was also rejected by His own people, handed over to be killed, and then raised from the dead by God. The pattern had repeated itself all through Israel's history. Stephen's point was simple and devastating: the council was making the same mistake their ancestors had always made.
Discussion Questions
- The apostles chose the seven men specifically because they needed to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, even just for the job of serving food. Why do you think the Spirit mattered so much for a task like that?
- Stephen's face shone like an angel while he was on trial. He was in a terrifying situation but was completely at peace. What do you think was happening inside him that produced that kind of peace?
- Stephen's entire sermon showed that Israel kept rejecting the people God sent to help them. Is there ever a time when you resist what God is trying to do in your life? What does that look like, and what would it look like to stop resisting?
"So What?" What Can I Do?
Stephen was chosen to serve food, a practical, behind-the-scenes job. He did it with so much of the Holy Spirit that God used him for miracles and one of the most powerful sermons in Acts. This week, do one small serving task at home or at church that no one assigned you and that no one else would naturally notice. Carry something heavy for someone. Clean up without being asked. Help a younger sibling. Then pay attention to how it feels to serve well from a whole heart, and ask God to keep filling you with His Spirit the way He filled Stephen.
Memorize God's Word
Acts 6:3: "Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them."
Hand Motions:
- Brothers and sisters: Spread both arms wide as if welcoming everyone around you into a group hug.
- choose seven men from among you: Tap your chin thoughtfully, then point to seven different people or spots around the room one by one.
- who are known to be full of the Spirit: Press both hands flat against your chest and then lift them slowly upward as if being filled from within.
- and wisdom: Tap one finger gently against your temple.
- We will turn this responsibility over to them: Mime handing a heavy object from your own arms into someone else's outstretched arms.
Praying with Kids
Father, thank You for the example of Stephen, who served faithfully in a small task and then spoke fearlessly in a terrifying one. Fill us with Your Spirit the same way You filled him. Help us to be people who are known for wisdom, for faithfulness, and for honesty. And wherever You call us to serve or to speak, give us the courage to do it without holding back. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Craft: My Serving and Speaking Card
Children make a two-sided card to see that God uses both quiet service and bold words for His kingdom, and choose one of each to commit to this week.
Materials Checklist
Instructions
- Fold cardstock in half to make a card. On the front, write "God Uses Both" and draw two simple figures: one with hands outstretched offering something, and one with mouth open speaking.
- Open the card. On the left panel, write "SERVE" at the top and have each child write one specific way they will serve someone this week without being asked.
- On the right panel, write "SPEAK" at the top and have each child write one sentence about Jesus they could tell someone this week.
- At the bottom of both panels, have each child copy Acts 6:3 in their own handwriting: "full of the Spirit and wisdom."
- Decorate the card and take it home to use as a reminder throughout the week.
Effective Teaching Techniques
Begin this lesson by splitting the class into two equal groups. Tell one group: "Your job this class is to set up and clean up everything we use today." Tell the other group: "Your job is to be ready to tell the class one thing you have learned about Jesus in the last few weeks." Let both groups do their jobs during the lesson. At the end, ask both groups how it felt. Then say: "In Acts 6, the church figured out that they needed both kinds of people, and both jobs required the same thing: being full of the Holy Spirit."
Stephen's sermon in Acts 7 is very long and filled with Old Testament detail. For younger children, focus on the simple pattern: God sends help, people say no, God sends help anyway. For older children, walk them through the Joseph and Moses parallels with Stephen's explicit argument that both men foreshadow Jesus. The most dramatic sensory moment in this lesson is Stephen's face shining like an angel. Ask the class: "What do you think the council thought when they looked at him? Were they afraid? Confused? Angry?" Sitting in that detail for thirty seconds will make the scene real rather than abstract.