Day 52 — One out, all out!
Acts 6: 1-4
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic 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 and sisters, 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.’
I love my job (most of the time) and have the privilege of leading a brilliant team that oversee very important church matters: broken toilets, rodent invasions, mass catering and so much more! Not always the most glamorous of jobs but highly important to ensure the church can operate. Often it is easy to split ministry into ‘spiritual’ and ‘practical’. Those things we often class as ‘spiritual’ can be more ‘up front’, and things such as finance, facilities and operations can be put into the ‘practical’ bracket.
When the problem arose in the early church of widows being overlooked in the distribution of food, they needed a plan. It was important that those already preaching and praying stuck to that, and there was a need to appoint new people to deal with what could be deemed as an administrative task. I love that the criteria for choosing the new team members wasn’t that they were good at spreadsheets and food prep, but they were full of the Spirit and wisdom. Possibly the same criteria required of the other team?
When England played Australia at Headingley last year in the Ashes, they were down to the last two men and England needed 73 runs to win. Ben Stokes was hailed the hero. His performance was incredible and deemed one of the greatest innings of all time. We heard a lot about Ben Stokes but we heard very little about Jack Leach who stayed in bat with him for those last 73 runs, meaning England won. Ben Stokes has incredible talent and deserved all the praise he got, but it was Jack Leach that kept him in bat, not necessarily hitting the big shots - in fact he only scored one run of the 73 - but he stayed focussed, committed and defended his wicket which allowed Ben Stokes to do what he does best.
Whatever you do in your everyday life, never underestimate the vital role you play – and the impact of living a Spirit-filled life. Whether you are a Ben Stokes or a Jack Leach, remember this: one out, all out! As we take our place in whatever God calls us to, let’s remember that our ultimate goal is to see vast numbers of people coming to Jesus just as they did in the early church.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the uniqueness of the gifts that you have given me. Help me to use them to bring about all you desire to do in my life and in the lives of those around me.
Mary Grinham
Leadership Team