The Hellenist widows' neglect in daily distribution prompts the Twelve to propose appointing seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom, to serve tables while they devote themselves to prayer and the word, and the community selects Stephen, Philip, and five others. Stephen, full of grace and power, performs great wonders and signs, and his wisdom in debating synagogue opponents leads them to suborn false witnesses accusing him of speaking against Moses, God, the temple, and the law. Brought before the Sanhedrin, Stephen's face appears like that of an angel.
Read Acts Chapter 6 Summary
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Characters in This Chapter
Places in This Chapter
Nazareth
View on MapNazareth is the town in Galilee where Jesus grew up and spent most of his life before his public ministry. It was a small, obscure village in ancient times, which led Nathanael to ask "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary here to announce she would give birth to the Son of God. Jesus was known as "Jesus of Nazareth" throughout his ministry.
Position in Book
Jerusalem ChurchChapters 1-7
Ascension, Pentecost, early community, Stephen's martyrdom.
Expansion to Judea/SamariaChapters 8-12
Paul's First JourneyChapters 13-14
Jerusalem CouncilChapters 15
Paul's Second JourneyChapters 16-18
Paul's Third JourneyChapters 19-21
Paul's Trials and RomeChapters 22-28
Bible Bites
The Gospel Spreads in 28 Chapters
The book of Acts contains 28 chapters chronicling the explosive growth of the early church from Jerusalem to Rome. Written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel, it begins with 120 believers in an upper room and ends with Paul preaching boldly in the capital of the Roman Empire.
ActsThe narrator joins the story
In Acts 16:10, Luke suddenly switches from 'they' to 'we,' revealing he personally joined Paul's missionary journey. These 'we passages' (Acts 16, 20-21, 27-28) provide eyewitness accounts showing Luke was present for key events including Paul's shipwreck.
Acts 16:10