Acts 6

Be still: Dear Lord, thank you for your desire to meet with me wherever I am, whatever my circumstances. Please bless this time spent reading Scripture and teach me how to apply it to my life. Amen.

Read: Acts 6

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. (v8) 

Encounter: I struggle with organisation! No matter how urgent or useful, I will put off paperwork or administration until the last minute— when it all goes wrong. I once booked a train ticket in the wrong direction, only to book another for the wrong day! Over time I’ve become more careful travelling, and I’m trying to improve my practicality. 

Acts 6 shows us how crucial people who plan and organise are to a church's healthy functioning. The number of believers in the early church had grown rapidly, and with growth came problems of sharing resources fairly.

The apostles took this issue seriously, while still focusing on the priority of sharing the gospel: ‘it would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.’ 

That last phrase might sound dismissive— serving as an annoying obstacle to evangelism. Far from it!  We're told those who were selected for the distribution of food had to be ‘full of the Spirit and wisdom.’ One of them was Stephen, who would be one of the first Christian martyrs.

Stephen is ‘a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,’ and ‘a man full of God’s grace and power’. Rather than someone to be dismissed, this is someone of significance! 

We need as much faith and power in the Holy Spirit to care for administrative issues as we do for the larger, more visible mission of sharing the gospel. Administration is listed (1 Corinthians 12:28) as a spiritual gift to ensure the daily running of the church and provision for its believers— it's one of many ways to share God’s heart.

Apply: Are there areas in your life where you forget to ask for wisdom or grace? Are there practical ways to serve the people around you, and share God’s heart?

Devote: Lord, thank you for the example of your followers, who obeyed you with wisdom in the Spirit. Open my eyes to the practical ways in which I can be faithful and love the people around me.