Jewish priests who obeyed the gospel

1.    Tonight I want to look at Acts 6:7 pretty much word by word.

2.    My intention is to look at this verse in four different versions.

3.    I will use the ASV, KJV, NKJV, and the original text.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE OF THE VERSIONS JUST MENTIONED, YOU CAN PROBABLY FIND ONE OF THEM IN THE PEW IN FRONT OF YOU.

A.   In the ASV, KJV and the Greek text, this verse begins with the word “and.”

B.    The NKJV says “then.”

C.    This word is a conjunction so we know thoughts are being joined together.

D.   Men were appointed to help a certain group of women and the work went on.

2.     After the word “and” we have an important expression:  “the word.”

A.   This combination of these two words points to something specific.

B.    When we talk about “the time,” “the plan,” and “the place,” specific items are meant.

3.     The item being specified is identified in the text.

4.     The ASV, KJV, and NKJV say “the word of God.”

5.     In the Greek text there are two definite articles.

6.     This thought could be translated “the word of the God.”

A.   The way Luke wrote tells us about which God he had in mind—the God.

B.    Most who are Christians probably do not need this point to be so clearly stated.

C.    Luke implied that there is only one true God.

D.   He then said the one God gave some very special information to mankind.

E.    He gave us “the word.”

7.     There is a single God and He has given those in the New Testament era a single message.

8.     Today there are a lot of claims about messages from God.

9.     By using the definite articles we are told God has given one specific message to mankind.

10. This message was given through men like the apostles and recorded for us in the scriptures.

IN THE MIDDLE OF ACTS 6:7 WE READ ABOUT CHURCH GROWTH.

A.   The ASV, KJV, and NKJV are pretty similar in how they render the text.

B.    The ASV uses the words “increased” and “multiplied exceedingly.”

C.    The KJV is almost identical but it says “multiplied greatly.”

D.   The NKJV says “spread” and “multiplied greatly.”

2.     The word “increased” is a verb.

3.     This verb is applied to the lilies of the field in Mt. 6:28.

4.     It is applied to the physical growth of a child in Lk. 1:80.

5.     Here the term is in the imperfect tense (continuous action).

6.     The “increasing” in the number of Christians was an on-going process.

7.     The numbers on the attendance board (if they kept records) was steadily going up.

A.   The growth was so steady it is described by a second expression in verse 7.

B.    The ASV says “exceedingly.”

C.    The KJV and NKJV say “multiplied greatly.”

D.   The word “multiplied” is also found in verse 1.

E.    Here this term, just like the word “increased” is in the imperfect tense.

F.     The church was continuously increasing and it was continuously multiplying.

8.     The picture in this verse is not just growth—it is rapid growth.

9.     Just as a fire can spread by leaping from building to building, such was the case in the church.

10. Perhaps to insure that people understood what he meant Luke went a step further.

11. He used the word “exceedingly.”

A.   We had some hail a few days ago.

B.    Beth said some of the hail at the house was close to golf ball size.

C.    The word “exceedingly” is associated with hail in Rev. 16:21.

D.   It is used of a rich man in Lk. 18:23 who had a barrier to following Jesus.  

E.    The Bible says he went away and he was “exceedingly” sorrowful.

12. The tremendous growth is described in all the ways we have examined.

13. Luke said a lot but he included yet another detail.

A.   Notice what the KJV and ASV say towards the end of verse 7.

B.    There was a “company” of priests.

C.    This word has the sense of a “crowd.”

D.   We know that crowds can be large or small.

E.    A crowd might be formed by a dozen people or 10,000 people.

14. This crowd was a large.

15. We know this because of the word “great.”

16. If a crowd of people became Christians, we might ask where they came from.

17. Who were the people in this crowd?

18. Luke answers this question as well.

19. He says the great crowd was composed of the “priests.”

THIS LITTLE DETAIL IS ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING VERSES IN THE BOOK OF ACTS.

A.   The priests were people who were religious.

B.    If anyone should have had a spiritual life and been close to God, it was them.

C.    These people had been given a job which made them about as close to God as any man could get.

D.   Yet as we look at Acts 6:7, we find that they forsook their priestly posts.

2.     Why would religious professionals who served the true God give up their jobs?

3.     If only one or two did this the passage might not be so unusual.

4.     The text clearly says that a great company of the priests “were obedient to the faith.”

5.     Before we consider why these men left their faith we might ask another question.

6.     Do we know about how many priests existed in New Testament times?

A.   We cannot offer an exact number but estimates have been made.

B.    In the Old Testament book of Ezra we read about the Jews returning from Babylon.

C.    This book says when the Jews returned from captivity they had 4,289 priests (2:36).

D.   After the captivity the number of Hebrew priests would have increased.

E.    Once freed from captivity, the Jews were able to resume their worship.

F.     The resumption of worship would have meant the need for more priests.

G.   If they had over 4,000 while in captivity, they may have had close to 20,000 when they were free.

H.   One estimate proposes that by the first century there may have been 18,000 priests.

7.     If a “great crowd” of priests became obedient to the faith, 50 or 100 would seem to be pretty low.

8.     This expression could point to thousands of priests becoming Christians.

9.     Perhaps 7,000, 8,000, or 10,000 priests became Christians.

10. All the converting priests were “obedient to the faith.”

11. The ASV, KJV, and NKJV all have this expression.

A.   The word obedient is especially vivid.

B.    This is an imperfect tense verb.

C.    The imperfect tense means priests were continually being added to the faith.

12. At times people speak of how people leave an organization.

13. Perhaps one person after another leaves a place of employment.

14. Perhaps there is a complete walkout at a company (a strike).

15. Picture if you will a steady stream of priests leaving Judaism and embracing Christianity.

16. This is what we need to see because this is what is being described.

A.   If scores of priests were leaving one religion for another, we must ask why they made this choice.

B.    In Acts 6:7 there is a reference to “the faith.”

C.    This is another way of describing the Bible; the plan God has given in His word.

D.   We might call this the gospel system, the way of salvation, God’s will; the New Testament.

E.    These men understood there were commands in the New Testament that they needed to obey.

17. It was not enough that they were already religious.

18. It was not enough that they believed in the true God.

19. It was not enough that they had prayed and tried to serve the God of heaven.

20. These men had to conform to the plan being presented through the apostles.

A.   The level of obedience was 100%.

B.    The word “obedient” is also used in Mt. 8:27.

C.    The winds and the sea “obeyed” Jesus.

D.   How fully did the elements obey the Lord?  They fully obeyed.

E.    How fully did these priests need to obey?  They had to fully comply with what the apostles taught.

21. This same term is found in Mk. 1:27.

22. Evil spirits “obeyed” the Lord.

23. Children are to “obey” (Eph. 6:1).

24. When we ask our children to be obedient, what are requesting?

25. We expect or should expect them to do as they are told.  This is also true in the spiritual realm.

26. Slaves were told to obey their masters (Col. 3:22).  This is the same word.

27. Slaves knew what obedience meant and we can take a lesson or two from them.

28. We need to obey because this same word occurs in 2 Thess. 1:8.

A.   Those who do not “obey” are going to suffer eternal punishment.

B.    Somehow the priests were informed about the truth.

C.    They saw the need to obey and they did obey, though the personal cost must have been great.

D.   These men obeyed the gospel because of Heb. 5:9.

E.    Jesus is the “author of salvation” to those who “obey Him.”

29. If we want to be the church of Christ (the church Jesus built), Acts 6:7 is our roadmap.

30. We need to teach the word of the God—nothing more and nothing less.

31. We need to tell people—even if they are religious—that they need to be obedient to the faith.

32. When people obey the number of people in the church increases.

33. In order to please God we must be obedient to the faith just like the priests were.

34. Have we obeyed the gospel?