Acts 6:7

My Notes

What Does Acts 6:7 Mean?

Acts 6:7 is a summary statement that reads like a headline: "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith."

Luke uses three verbs to describe what's happening: the word increased (ēuxanen — grew, expanded), the disciples multiplied (eplēthyneto — proliferated), and priests became obedient (hypēkouon — submitted to, obeyed). The progression is significant: the word grows first, then the people multiply, then the establishment converts. The word is the engine. The growth is the fruit. The priestly conversions are the confirmation that something unstoppable is happening.

The detail about priests is extraordinary. A "great company" — polys ochlos — of the very priests who served in the temple that opposed Jesus are now submitting to the faith. The institution that crucified Jesus is hemorrhaging members to the movement He started. The word Luke chooses — obedient, not just believing — implies not a casual interest but a yielding of authority. Priests who were trained in the old system recognized the new one and surrendered to it.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Is the 'word of God' increasing in your life — are you giving it room to grow — or have you prioritized other things?
• 2.Priests who served the institution that killed Jesus became obedient to the faith. Who have you written off as unreachable?
• 3.Luke shows the word driving the growth, not human strategy. Where are you relying on strategy more than the word?
• 4.A great company of priests obeyed. What would it look like for the most unlikely people in your world to surrender to faith?

Devotional

The word of God increased. That's where it started. Not a marketing campaign. Not a leadership conference. Not a building program. The word grew. And everything else followed.

Luke keeps the causation clear throughout Acts: the word drives the growth. When the apostles prioritize prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4), the result is explosive multiplication. When human strategy is set aside and the word is given room, it does what it has always done — it produces life, multiplies disciples, and converts the most unlikely people.

The priests are the detail that should make you sit up. These aren't laypeople who were always sympathetic. These are temple priests — employees of the religious institution that orchestrated Jesus' execution. Members of the establishment that was actively suppressing the church. And a great company of them surrendered. Not secretly. Obediently. Publicly yielding to the faith their institution opposed.

That tells you something about the power of the word when it's unleashed without apology. It reaches people you've given up on. It penetrates institutions you've written off. It converts the very people whose job description includes opposing it. If you've been looking at a person, a community, or a system and thinking "they'll never come around" — the priests in Acts 6 would like a word.

The word increased. The disciples multiplied. The priests obeyed. That's the sequence. And it starts with the word, not with you.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture