Acts Bible Study: Day 10
Today’s passage: Acts 6:1–7
Focus verse: “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” (Acts 6:2)
One of many recurring themes in the book of Acts is that Jesus’s church grows. With growth comes challenges, which we can optimistically call opportunities for improvement.
One of the tangible problems with this growth is in fairly distributing food to the people each day. One group of people complain that their widows aren’t getting enough to eat. They accuse another group of ignoring them.
Imagine being in the food line and seeing the people in front of you receive much, yet when it comes your turn, you receive little. Or even worse, the food is gone by the time you get there. I’ve seen this happen to others, and it’s happened to me.
In my case, there’s plenty to eat at home, so I can easily make up the shortfall later. However, for some people, not receiving enough food or not being served at all means going hungry until the next day.
This is not something the twelve disciples want to happen. Yet they’re also wise enough to know that if they try to personally deal with this, other areas of ministry will suffer, namely telling people about Jesus.
To address the problem, without creating a new one, they suggest appointing some people to make sure the food is equally shared.
They recommend their community select seven men to head up this task. (Sorry ladies, but the Bible does say men. This would’ve been a great opportunity for the disciples to move the female population of their church into leadership, but they missed it.)
For qualifications, they don’t suggest that these people have organizational skills, have restaurant experience, or even know how to cook.
Instead, the requirements are spiritual. They must be full of God’s Spirit and wise. With this team in place, the twelve disciples can return their focus to prayer and telling people about Jesus.
Everyone likes this idea.
Luke doesn’t explain the selection process. However, given other things we read about in the book of Acts, they might cast lots or reach a consensus, since the early church did those things and doesn’t appear to have ever voted about anything.
Today’s church might want to consider this example of casting lots instead of voting.
Regardless of the method used, in a grassroots effort, they pick seven guys who meet the criteria. The people present the seven to the apostles, who lay hands on them and pray for them. They are the first deacons.
What happens next?
You probably know. With this new infrastructure in place, more people hear about Jesus and the church has another growth spurt.
Questions:
- How might our expectations of what church leaders should do distract them from what’s most important?
- What expectations do we have that we need to rethink?
[Discover more about selecting ministry leaders in Acts 1:26, Acts 15:2, Acts 15:25–27, 2 Timothy 1:11, and Titus 1:5.]
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Read more about the book of Acts in Acts Bible Study: Discover How the Early Church Can Inform What We Do Today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Revitalize your faith with Acts Bible Study by Peter DeHaan. This 40-day journey through the early church reveals timeless lessons on community, perseverance, and Holy Spirit power.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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