City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 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. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 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. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 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

“Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” –Galatians 6:1-5 MSG

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s passage in Acts gives us a dazzling display of divine delegation. While some may view dedication to God as absorbing more and more responsibility according to the needs of others, this passage shows us that it is not necessarily right to abandon God’s directive to address the needs of others. The question is not “how can I fulfill this need for God?” Rather, the more effective questions to ask ourselves include: 

• Where does God want me to focus my time and resources? 
• Can I take on this role or responsibility and still do what God is calling me to do effectively? 
• Is this something God is calling me to do?
• Can I do this in faith and trust in God? 
• Am I doing this to glorify God or do I feel compelled to do this for some other reason? 
• Is God calling me to do this personally or can I empower others to fulfill this need? 

In the case of the twelve apostles and the complaint that was brought to them from the Hellenists regarding the unfair distribution of food, they decided the complaint was valid and needed to be addressed, and they appointed seven men of good repute full of the Spirit and wisdom to fulfill this duty of distributing food, so that none were neglected. 

The beautiful thing about community and spiritual family is that everyone has a role and a part to play. If the apostles chose to take on a task that God was not calling them to do directly without prayerfully considering the ramifications, not only would they be less effective in doing the work that God did command, but also the seven men who were appointed would have missed an opportunity to advance God’s Kingdom in their own unique way. 

Overfunctioning in ministry not only leads to burnout, but also weakens the church as a whole. In order to be adaptable and resilient in the long term, we must learn to entrust work to others and let go of any pride in doing it ourselves, just as the apostles did in the passage above. 

Application

I have been doing personal training for about a year now, and when I first started, my personal trainer did an assessment of my body to find its weak points. I learned that because there were some muscles in my body that were naturally more dominant, there were other muscles that had never really been activated and were “asleep” for lack of a better term (I’m no exercise scientist, but I know a really good one!). 

It was incredibly challenging to use muscles that I never even knew existed, but as I have been consistent in doing so, I feel stronger, more balanced, and can move with more intention and power. 

The same principle applies to ministry. In churches, there tend to be a few people who “do it all,” so to speak, and that leaves the rest of the church pretty passive and disengaged. Where do you fall on that spectrum? Do you take on more and more tasks based on needs? Or do you sit back and relax with the assumption that someone else will take care of it? If you are feeling burned out, resentful, and strained, it is very likely you are taking on more than God is requiring of you. If you are feeling bored, disengaged, or don’t feel any connection to the church, it is likely you are not wholeheartedly doing something that God is requiring of you. 

Honestly ask yourself which it is. Prayerfully consider where to dial it back and/or where to start showing up. As paraphrased in Galatians 6 above, “Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” 

Prayer

Father God, forgive me for adopting the lie that I have to do it all (or that somebody else will do it and I’m not needed). That’s not how Your Kingdom works. You want participation from all in the unique areas that fit our gifts and callings according to Your masterful design. Lord, clarify my calling and help me obey it. Help me empower others to walk in their callings. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, amen.