Acts 6:1-4 (NIV)
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
There were divisions in the early Church along lines of language and culture. This was not a huge surprise. The way of the world is to divide ourselves along any lines that we can. Even today in our so-called “enlightened” society, groups of people tend to clump together based on culture and language.
In this case, the Jewish Christians who spoke Greek as a first language were separated from the Jewish Christians who spoke Aramaic as a first language. And since the food distribution to the widows of both groups was overseen by people from Jerusalem, Aramaic speaking Christians, the Greek-speaking widows were not being given the same access to the food resources as those who spoke Aramaic.
Peter saw two things very clearly. First, this was more than a social issue; it was a spiritual issue. So, it required more than an order from those in leadership to solve the real problem. An order might result in compliance but would leave the hearts of those in charge unchanged, so the problem would recur at some time in the future.
Secondly, trying to oversee this kind of thing would quickly and effectively pull the apostles away from their primary callings: prayer and the ministry of the word. Someone else could do a better job, be completely focused on the task, and do so without their primary calling being affected.
So, Peter guided the people to a spiritual solution to this spiritual problem. The people were to select from among themselves seven men to oversee this ministry. There were only two criteria: the men were to be people who were known to be Spirit-filled, and to possess God-given wisdom. This elevated the search from a simple popularity contest, or a hunt from someone from the business community who was known to be sensible or a good organizer. The people had to ask themselves an entirely different set of questions: Who do we know that is conspicuously Spirit-filled? And who do we know who has not just business ability, but real God-given wisdom? These were questions that had to be answered not just logically, but prayerfully.
Father, these are good criteria for any leadership position in the church today. We so easily forget that, as the Church, we are not just an organization, but a God-called, God-empowered organism. Our calling as the Church is not to be involved in programs or politics. Instead, we are called to be salt that preserves society from decay by your holiness working through us, and light that eliminates the darkness of sin and death everywhere we go. We are not simply to minister to the needs of the poor but are to fulfill our mission to make disciples of all nations, not simply bringing comfort to people, but bringing people into the hope of eternal life. These are all deeply spiritual things that are beyond the ability of the best business minds to accomplish, but that can be accomplished by the simplest person who is filled with Your Spirit and Your wisdom. Help us, Lord, to always keep this in mind as we move forward as individuals, individual congregations, and as a whole Church. Amen.
If you are enjoying my blog, I invite you to check out my book, When We Listen, A Devotional Commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Just follow this url: http://eagerpress.webstarts.com/ Thanks, and God bless you all!