Acts 6

"So [the men debating unsuccessfully with Stephen] persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, "We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God." This...."

"So [the men debating unsuccessfully with Stephen] persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, "We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God." This...."

"But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking..."

"Dear Beloved, The apostle Paul spoke the truth about Our — Father, Son, and Spirit's — desire for Our new covenant people when he..."

"[Because some widows were being neglected in the food distribution,] the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, "We apostles should...."

He was oblivious to the truth that our attempts to live for Jesus will succeed only if we have the power of the Holy Spirit released to us through prayer. Phil Ware reminds us that the phrase 'don't just stand there do something' is absolutely wrong: we must pray first, then let the Lord lead us to know what to do!

"Dear Believer, Today I want to give you a glimpse of My servant, Stephen. In the verses below, you will see how he followed My example when faced..."

"[The apostles to the church in Jerusalem concerning ministering to the widows:] "Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of..."

"These seven [who were chosen to oversee the food distribution] were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them. ..."

"Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed...."

"But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with [Stephen]. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria,....."

"But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking..."

"These seven [spiritual qualified men selected by the people to minister to the widows] were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they..."

What happens when the strom won't let up? The way we handle life's storms can be a powerful witness to those around us just like Stephen's life was.

"[The lies of the false witnesses against Stephen] aroused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and..."

"Everyone liked this idea [of appointing spiritually wise men to oversee the food distribution], and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of....."

"[The apostles to the church in Jerusalem concerning ministering to the widows:] "And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the....."

"But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking..."

"None of [the people arguing with Stephen] could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke."

"So God's message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too."

"[The Twelve said,] "And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this..."

'I wish I had time just to sit around and pray,' my friend said. He walked away in a huff! Phil Ware begins a series of messages built around the disciples' request to Jesus to teach them to pray with today focusing on our need to pray first.

When Luke summarized the heart of the early church, he chose to highlight one particular word — Phil Ware continues his series on prayer this week, focused on the early church's devotion to prayer that they learned from Jesus.

Aren't you tired of the same ol' things? Phil Ware begins a series of messages from Acts 2 and 3 on greater things that Jesus does through his followers.