Faith Matters
The Faith Matters Podcast explores everyday faith in a complex world. Our goal is to strengthen and equip followers of Jesus just like you through practical and theological discussions and resources.
In this podcast, we are diving deep into the practices of prayer and study. Each week, we’ll release two episodes featuring voices from our congregation reading a chapter from a book of the Bible, followed with a few reflection questions. Each episode will begin with a short introduction to help set the context of the passage.
Faith Matters
Acts 6: The Choosing of the Seven
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Alongside our Sunday teachings, we’re keeping things simple. We’ll be reading through the book of Acts, featuring the many unique voices of the ClearView Church congregation. Each week, we’ll release two chapters, followed by a few reflection questions.
In this episode, you’ll hear a brief introduction from Pastor Phil, followed by a reading of Acts y and some reflection questions from one of the young adults in our congregation.
Read along with our reflection questions:
What word or phrase caught your attention? Gently repeat it to yourself, and sit with it for a moment.
Imagine yourself in this story. Who are you? Are you one of the Grecian Jews advocating for the widows who are being overlooked? Are you one of the people being selected to assist the apostles? Perhaps you imagine yourself as one of the men arguing with Stephen. Use your imagination and dwell in that situation for a moment. What do you notice around you? What might you be thinking or feeling?
What might Jesus want you to see or understand here?
As you reflect, bring your thoughts, desires, needs, and feelings to God in prayer.
Faith Matters is a ministry of Clearview Church, Oakville, On.
https://clearviewchurch.com/
You are listening to the Faith Matters Podcast from Clearview Church, where we explore everyday faith in a complex world. Our goal is to strengthen and equip followers of Jesus just like you through practical and theological discussions and resources. In this season of the podcast, we're diving deeper into the practices of prayer and study. Each week, we'll release two episodes featuring voices from our congregation reading a chapter from the book of Acts, along with a few reflection questions. Each episode will begin with a short introduction to help set the context of the passage. As you listen, we encourage you to go slow. There will be built-in pauses with gentle background music, giving you space to reflect and wonder about what you're hearing. You might choose to follow along in your Bible or use a Bible app as the passage is read aloud. Above all, invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you and reveal what you need from the text. Our hope is that this practice would nurture and deepen your faith as you continue to grow your life with Christ. Now, onto the book of Acts and the Passage of the Day.
SPEAKER_02A pretty sobering story about them lying to the community and to God. But the apostles, they keep healing and teaching and filling Jerusalem with the message of Jesus, which only increases the pressure from the authorities. But even when they're threatened, the Spirit empowers the disciples and the message keeps spreading. And so we pick up the story in chapter 6.
SPEAKER_01The choosing of the seven. So the twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on tables. 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 and will give our attention to prayer in the ministry of the Word. This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Tymon, Parmenius, and Nicholas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the Word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Stephen ceased. Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the synagogue of the Freedmen, as it was called, Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria, as well as the provinces of Sicilia and Asia, who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses who testified, This fellow never stopped speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us. All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Gently repeat it to yourself and sit with it for a moment. Who are you? Are you one of the Grecon Jews advocating for the widows who are being overlooked? Are you one of the people being selected to assist the apostles? Perhaps you imagine yourself as one of the men arguing with Stephen. Use your imagination and dwell in that situation for a moment. What do you notice around you? What might you be thinking or feeling? What might Jesus want you to see or understand here? As you reflect, bring your thoughts, desires, needs, and feelings to God in prayer.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for listening to the Faith Matters podcast. We hope this time has helped you slow down and create space to hear from God. Join us again for our next episode as we continue through the Book of Acts together. Go in peace and may you continue to grow your life with Christ.