Sort things out amicably and serve

"(1) Now in those days , when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.                                                                                     Acts 6:1-7 NKJV

There will always be complaints in churches wherever you go. It is part of the territory. Here though, the complaint was quite valid. The Hellenists were Jews who were natives of the Greco-Roman world and spoke Greek. Their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

The twelve apostles were busy each and every day in the temple and in every house teaching and preaching Jesus to everyone (Acts 5:42). They couldn't possibly do everything and their daily work was far more important than waiting on tables. Therefore, after seeking direction from God, they directed the disciples to choose seven men, who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom so that they could organise and oversee day to day chores that needed carrying out. 

A church needs to be organised, especially when it is growing like the early church was. Otherwise, people will be left out and neglected. Having people who are able to organise others and delegate, is so very important. It is also extremely important that the leader delegates roles to other people. After all, while trying to spin all of the plates themselves, it is inevitable that pretty soon plates are going to start falling and people are going to get hurt.

The people delegated to this role of a deacon however, must be faithful, Spirit-filled people whose role is not to rule with a rod but with love and sensitivity. The hallmark of a deacon is one who is not afraid to get their hands dirty too. You will always find them serving people wherever they go and in a way, they can be considered, the backbone of the church; because without them, work such as evangelism, preaching and healing ministries would be neglected.

To serve people. is to emulate Jesus. He was the most wonderful servant of all and don't forget, He was the one who washed people's feet, something that not many people would like to do.

A thriving church needs servants and servants produce a thriving church. If you want to belong to a thriving church, try being a servant too.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com