Bible In A Year | Read: Act 6
1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 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. 3 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 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 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. Acts 6:1-7
Overview of Chapter
In this chapter, the church begins to organize around specific tasks that need to be done. With growth, the amount of work needing to be done grows too. In those days it was difficult for older widows with no children to support themselves. In the Jewish culture, it was common for these widows to be supported by the community. The widows from Jerusalem were already being cared for, but the Helenistic, or Greek-speaking, widows were not. The Apostles didn’t want to be distracted from their main duties to address the problem of these widows, so they delegated the responsibility to those who could be trusted to take care of the issue well. One of these trusted people is Stephen. He not only helps widows, but is spreading the message of Jesus as well. Since the Apostles were too popular for the religious leaders to arrest, they went after Stephen instead.
Churches still organize in this way today. The Senior Pastor can’t do it all, so some of the work that needs to be done is given to other staff or volunteers. The task isn’t delegated to someone else because the Senior Pastor is too important to do the job. Instead it is done so the job he is uniquely suited for continues to get done while someone else does what is best for that person. We should all be involved in the ministry of the church and do our jobs in ways that honor God.
Thoughts on the verses
What quality of service do the poor deserve? It’s a shocking question. We expect our pastors to craft soul-stirring presentations week after week. We expect worship to be musically excellent. But what about our outreach to the poor? What standards of excellence do we require there?
I love the fact that the Early Church demanded the best when it came to serving the least. Stephen led the first New Testament relief and development ministry, but he wasn’t a volunteer who was arm-twisted into filling a slot. He had to earn the privilege of serving the poor. He had to demonstrate a Spirit-based pattern of living. That’s excellence! He had to exhibit God-given wisdom. Excellence again.
It only makes sense. Stephen and the team needed to work across cultural boundaries. They needed to implement an efficient mass feeding program. And they needed to represent Christ in the process. What’s more, they never viewed it as a second-rate mandate. It was a noble platform for service right alongside the faithful sharing of the gospel.
Never view ministry to the marginalized as easy work performed to a standard of “good enough.” When it came to caring for the poor, the Early Church put their best people on it. It’s no different today. Are you up to the privilege?
Action Steps
Bible: What is God showing me? What am I going to do about it?
Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.
Recent Comments