The Strand Study Bible

ACTS

ACTS

1791

We have become masters at managing, but miserable at mentoring. 1 God’s work is not about managing the needs of the church; it’s about meeting the needs of the people. 6:5 Prochorus is first mentioned here in Acts 6:5, where the Bible tells us he was among the first seven men to be chosen to be deacons. According to early Christian tradition Prochorus went on to minister with the apostle Peter in Judea, pastor in Nicodemia in Asia Minor, and eventually accompany the apostle John into exile to Patmos, where he is said to have penned the book of Revelation as John dictated it to him ( Rev 1:17 ). Rick Renner in A Light In Darkness (Vol. I) notes:

The Catholic, Orthodox, and Armenian churches embrace the account of Prochorus’ accompanying the apostle John during his exile on Patmos. Because this story of Prochorus has been told for so many centuries, a great measure of credibility is lent to the possibility that some elements of these accounts are true. There is no doubt that residents of modern Patmos believe the story is true and count Prochorus’ presence on the island with the apostle John as a part of the island’s significant history. 2

According to the Bible and early Church history, six of the seven first deacons went on to do great things for good and for God: 1) Stephen, whose ministry was accompanied by great signs and wonders, went on to become the first deacon to be martyred (Acts 6:8 – 7:60)

2) Philip went on to become a mighty evangelist (Acts 8:5-8,26-40 & 21:8-9) 3) Prochorus, as we know, went from becoming a deacon to becoming a pastor

4) Nicanor, whose name means “conqueror; victorious,” apparently finished his race well 5) Timon, whose name means “honorable; worthy,” apparently finished his race well 6) Parmenas, according to Hippolytus of Rome (c. AD 170-236), went on to become the pastor of the church of Soli. He, too, was said to be martyred for his faith in Philippi during the reign of Emperor Trajan (AD 98-117). NOTE –The only deacon to fail in his Christianity was Nicolas of Antioch, whose name means “conqueror of the people.” A Gentile convert to Judaism, Nicolas eventually became a Christian, and a great teacher with significant influence. Unfortunatly, he allowed that influence to go to his head. So much so that eventually became the father of the sect known as the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6,12-15). Both Irenaeus (c. AD 130-200), a Greek father of the early church, and Epiphanius (c. AD 315-403), bishop of Salamis, claimed that this Nicolas later became disgruntled and started the heretical sect called the Nicolaitans. Hippolytus of Rome (c. AD 170-236) also stated that Nicolas was one of the original seven deacons who was rebuked by the apostles for encouraging his followers to yield to the sinful desires of the flesh. 3 Sadly, not every SPIRIT -filled and full of faith believer stays that way (Gal 5:16-20). Christianity isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon; it’s not how you “start out,” but how you “finish” that counts (II Tim 4:6-8).

1 Goetsch and Rasmussen. Mentoring and Modeling . Lancaster, CA: Revival Books, 2000. Print. 2 Renner, Rick. A Light In Darkness (Vol. I), Tulsa, OK, Teach All Nations, 2010. Print. 3 Hippolytus. The Refutation of All Heresies , VII.26.