Begin with 2 minutes of stillness and silence before God.

It’s been an awesome week continuing to dive into the Book of Acts, and we are going to finish things out in Acts 6, which includes some pivotal moments for the early church. Take a moment to read this chapter now.

At the beginning of this chapter, we see that the church had a great problem - it was greatly increasing in number! However, with this change came some growing pains and new challenges that had to be addressed. One of these challenges was the distribution of food amongst widows, a key part of ministry and service to those in need. The Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) widows felt neglected and overlooked compared to the Hebrew widows, and complaints and grumblings were beginning to become more apparent. The apostles recognized this great problem of unfairness, but they could not be taken away from their responsibility of preaching and teaching the word. To address this issue, they end up appointing seven men to help oversee the distribution of food within the church.

I must confess when I’ve read Acts 6:1-7 before, it’s one of those passages I’ve skimmed over without giving much thought - chalking the passage up to a record of the administrative happenings of the early church, without taking time to understand its implications for us as followers of Christ today. However, there is a rich lesson for us to learn in seeing how the apostles handled this decision, called forth gifted men to serve alongside them, and saw the church grow in response.

Each part of the body of Christ is important. The apostles knew that someone overseeing food distribution was a great need. It wasn’t a menial task, but rather one that helped lessen dissension and injustice within the church. They found seven men who were wise, gifted, and led by the Holy Spirit to help play a key role within the body of Christ. Whether you are preaching the Word of God, serving food to others, or helping others in the roles that they have been given, you are a significant part of the body of Christ and have a unique gifting to help you fulfill that role. Romans 12:4-5 tells us “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” No matter what part of the body of Christ you are, you have important work to do!

God honors change. With rapidly increasing numbers within the early church, change was necessary. Some people probably responded positively, while others probably responded negatively. But the apostles realized that without a drastic change, the Gospel would not go as far as fast and there was a possibility for conflict within the church. Because the early church was willing to change, “a large number of priests became obedient to the faith”. Change is inevitable, but it isn’t always easy. However, when we place our trust in God in the middle of change and follow Him through it, He brings forth growth, healing, and new beginnings!

Imagine what can happen in your walk with Jesus when you use the gifts God has given you to serve others and when you open your heart to change. God does more than we could ever ask or imagine when we are willing to work together as the body of Christ to see more and more encounter the Gospel!

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection: 

• What role are you currently playing in the body of Christ? How can you encourage others in the body of Christ to use their gifts to serve one another?
  
• How do you respond to change? Is God asking you to change anything in your life today? If so, what is your next step?
  
• Reflect on Chapters 1-6 of Acts. What is something that has encouraged you or challenged you from the first chapters of this book of the Bible? What has been the biggest takeaway so far for you?