"It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables." (Acts 6:2)The choosing of the Seven suggests to me that the word of God must never be neglected, whatever the circumstances. It should still be the most important, whether we are doing pastoral work, or preaching work.
Sometimes, when the church gets too big, and we become too focused on managing the people, we might forget to feed them what is most important. Martha almost forgot about this too (Luke 10:38-42).
But the apostles knew, and they proposed to have deacons so that they can give themselves "continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." (Acts 6:4)
Likewise, when we do evangelism work, while we may volunteer acts of kindness to the people we are trying to reach out too, for example, cleaning up the house for the elderly, we must never forget the one element that saves only - the Word.
This is not to say that "serving tables" is not important, or that the work of deacons are of a lower value than the apostles. The fact that the apostles saw the need to appoint the Seven shows how important this work is. We need people to manage a growing church. The crucial point is balance. Our service cannot compromise the Word of God.
1 comment:
It didn't quite register what that second verse meant, but thanks for the insight on how the choosing of the seven was meant to help continue prayer and ministries of the word.
I highlighted that verse about how the apostles would continually devote themself to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And it occured to me that when dealing with people in church and doing divine works, it can become busy. Busy to the point, prayer and ministry of the word is neglected.
It's a good reminder that as servants of God, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, of good reputation, full of wisdom, and have this willing heart to serve. Note the last verse how the people looked steadfastly at Stephen and saw his face as the face of an angel-it sounds beautiful, to serve and shine forth the glory of God.
The requirements are simple, but to attain and maintain it needs much commitment and desire to serve Him.
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