MORE THAN PREACHING
Acts 6:3-7 NKJV
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
As with all organizations, there were logistical challenges in the early church. The widows of the non-Jewish believers were somehow being skipped over in the daily food distribution, and the twelve apostles responded to the complaint.
The twelve dealt with the problem in a good way. They did not say they would pray about it; they did rearrange their priorities. The apostles realized their greatest value would be in the preparation and presentation of God’s Word. They knew it would be vital for a growing church to stay strong spiritually, and they would not be able to handle the business side of the ministry. This is not over-spiritualizing the problem. Many of the twelve had a business background. But they knew they needed to focus on the ministry of God’s Word and prayer.
So, they asked the church to choose seven men. And not simply businessmen, but men full of the Holy Spirit and faith. The apostles were wise enough to know that they still required spiritually minded men to handle a purely physical problem. The multitude chose seven men and brought them to the apostles. The apostle prayed and laid hands on the seven, separating them for this new aspect of ministry. It is good to note that there was prayer and laying on of hands. This was putting significance on the business of food distribution. This also designated that the food ministry was still a ministry even though it was not preaching or teaching.
The end results were exactly what the church needed. The complaint was not mentioned again, indicating the problem was handled. The word of God spread even more, and the number of disciples multiplied. Even many of the Jewish priests declared their faith in Jesus as Savior. Mission accomplished.
APPLICATION
There are many aspects to ministry, and most of them do not involve preaching or teaching. The Ark has hundreds of volunteers each week, and most do not preach or teach. These volunteers drive carts, work the parking lot, lead in singing, usher, help with check-in, care for our children, and facilitate classes. There are those who help with media and programming, assist in Volunteer Central, work in special needs, and serve in the cafe. On our staff, we are blessed with many excellent staff members who work in the financial department, logistics, hospitality, music, youth, and administration. There are those who do building maintenance, media, and graphic creation. And we do have volunteers and staff who teach and offer Biblical coaching. You are starting to get the picture that so much of ministry is not upfront and public. But all of it is vital.
Those of us who are in the spotlight are often given more credit than we are due. The people who handle the multitude of service positions in and around the church may not be seen but are greatly appreciated. If all of the “business” of ministry was left up to just the preachers, the outcome would not be nearly as favorable.
The following prayer is not intended to be sneaky. It is, however, an important prayer. Pray at your own risk.
PRAYER
Lord, where am I to serve in your kingdom?