City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

6 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists^{[That is, Greek-speaking Jews]} arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. ² And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brothers,^{[ Or brothers and sisters]} pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. ⁶ These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

⁷ And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 6:1-7 (ESV)

Reflection

This passage always makes me think of what it is like at the beginning of a new project, or a new assignment.  Typically, there is a problem that needs to be solved and the way of solving it has not been locked down yet.  So, it is a bit of a blank canvas, and you are free to come up with new and exciting ways of doing things.  Also, it is a great point that the men selected were full of the spirit, wise, and probably Greek, or at least had a better understanding of what these Greek widows needed. 

Given that these widows were Greek, it probably meant that they were from out of town.  So, they would have been outsiders to life in Jerusalem.  They may not have been very familiar with getting around in the city, and there were probably some language barriers for them to overcome.  So, selecting some nice young Greek boys to show them around would have been just the ticket.

Also, John MacArthur points out that the waiting on tables could have been for meals, but it could also have been for distributing money or goods that had been donated.  This gives us new insight into why these men had to be faithful.  It wasn’t just a matter of giving things out, but they needed to spend time with these widows to learn what their needs were.  So, the giving ministry would be done in accordance with good order, done according to the principles of God’s kingdom, and would be effective for addressing the needs of the believers.

Application

I am so thankful for the people who serve in our church.  There is such a wonderful spirit on the greeters, parking lot attendants, children’s church workers, and technicians.  To me, it feels like people see their jobs in the church as work in God’s kingdom.  And I think that it is.  Not only when visitors come, but also when church members come, we come into an atmosphere of God’s work, and it is noticeable.  It makes a difference.

Prayer

Lord, I pray a blessing on all those who serve in the church.  I pray that You encourage the greeters on Sunday morning and throughout the week.  I pray that You inspire those who manage the parking lots.  I pray that You give refreshing to these who work in Children’s Church.  And I pray that You give light and enjoyment to those who work with the technical systems and who manage the facility.  Send Your Spirit to each of them and minister to their hearts this week.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.