Jews who spoke Greek. At the very beginning of the practice of the church life, trouble was caused by language differences; proper care was taken to solve this.
Jews who spoke Greek. At the very beginning of the practice of the church life, trouble was caused by language differences; proper care was taken to solve this.
Jews who spoke Hebrew.
Or, pleasing.
Gk. pleres, an adjective form of pleroo, according to the usage in this book here and in v. 5; 7:55; 11:24 and in Luke 4:1. Being full of the Spirit is the condition after one has been filled with the Spirit inwardly and essentially, as mentioned in Acts 13:52. This refers to life, not to work.
This is proof that to be full of the Spirit is for life, as in Luke 2:52.
To pray is not only to entreat the Lord to do things for His move but also to cause our spirit to be exercised and strengthened. Hence, prayer should precede the ministry of the word, just as the apostles practiced. Without such prayer the ministry of the word will not be enlivened and empowered.
See note Acts 2:101.
Acts 8:17; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 2 Tim. 1:6
See note 1 Tim. 4:144c.
Since they were chosen to serve tables, they can be considered deacons, like those whom Paul and his co-workers appointed later in the churches (Rom. 16:1; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8).
Grew refers to growth in life, indicating that the word of God is a matter of life that grows as a seed sown into man's heart (Mark 4:14).
The objective faith, referring to what the believers believe in concerning Christ (see note 1 Tim. 1:11, par. 2). The entire revelation of the New Testament concerning the person of Christ and His redemptive work is the faith of God's New Testament economy (Rom. 16:26).
See note Acts 2:431.
Indicating that in Jerusalem there were a number of synagogues composed of the returned Jews according to the respective languages they had acquired in their dispersion (cf. Acts 2:9-11). See note James 2:21.
I.e., Freedmen; those who were liberated from their status as slaves.
cf. 1 Kings 21:10, 13
See note Acts 4:51.
Acts 21:28; cf. Acts 25:8
The temple (Matt. 24:15 and note Matt. 24:154).
This indicates that words must have been circulating among the believers concerning the destruction of the temple, as prophesied by the Lord in Matt. 23:37-39 and Matt. 24:2, and concerning the termination of the dispensation of law, as spoken by the Lord in Matt. 11:13. The opposing Jews twisted the believers' words, just as in Matt. 27:40, when they crucified the Lord, they twisted the word that the Lord spoke in John 2:19. Undoubtedly, the Jews' opposition was instigated by Satan to frustrate God's New Testament economy. But the ground used by Satan for his instigation was the change of dispensation, which contradicted the Judaic traditions. God's New Testament economy is to have a new dispensation absolutely separated from Judaism. This offended the Jews by touching the traditions they had inherited for generations, and it stirred up their opposition, which began with the Lord's ministry in the Gospels and grew more fierce at the time of the apostles' ministry in this book, during which the Lord's New Testament move was passing through a transitional period. According to Luke's narration in Acts, the church among the Jews, including the early apostles, did not pass through this transition successfully, because of the remaining influence of their Judaic background and the entangling opposition from their Jewish kinsmen. This problem returned to trouble them again and again in this book (Acts 11:1-3; 15:1-5; 21:18-26). Even the apostle Paul was in danger of being brought back to the Judaic practices in his last visit to Jerusalem (Acts 21:20-26). See note James 2:101 and note James 1:111.
Signifying a heavenly appearance. Stephen was a man on earth, but he bore a heavenly appearance while being persecuted.