Sharing Responsibility for Church Growth
… 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…
They chose Stephen …; also Philip (Acts 6:3-5)
You are warmly welcome!
“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the … laws the LORD our God has commanded you?’ tell him…” Events occupy a significant part of human life; from simple birthday celebrations to commemorations of heroes, martyrs, or saints, the importance of such memorials is universally held. The stories from the past bring lessons for today and direction for tomorrow. In the week we commemorate the Uganda martyrs, blood was shed in a gruesome attack made on an Army General; he survived it, but his daughter and their driver died. It is a painful story, yet pregnant with lessons and hope. Today’s study Scripture presents the first Christian martyr, Stephen; but before giving this more attention, see how God fashioned these commemorations for a perptual relevance and benefit – from generation to generation: “And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them…” (Exod 12:26-27, Deut 6:20-21)
Stephen springs up during the early exponential growth of the Church, when the Apostles are duty-bound to share responsibility. There are three lessons to grace our commemoration today: first we see again the connection between the encounter and the commission; second, apostles show that the main thing must remain the main thing; and thirdly there is a far-reaching scope in God-given responsibility.
Acts 6 is a chapter in which we find the young Church in problems; there is grumbling inside and persecution outside. The apostles solved the internal problems by leading the church in selecting worthy men to delegate some of their responsibility; they had to be “full of the Spirit and wisdom”, and Stephen that came at the head of the list was described as one who was “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit”. Here we find the man who had an encounter with the Holy Spirit now commissioned into service.
The main thing for the apostles is the ministry of the Word and prayer – and it must remain the main thing. Many disruptions and distractions claim to be deserving of attention, and can derail ministers from the main task. The apostles’ refusal to be diverted (by the complaints) should motivate today’s worker to wisely shed off any distractions and keep the main thing the main thing in all circumstances.
Finally, Stephen shows the far-reaching scope of the responsibility he took on. Beyond serving tables, he would soon defend the faith by preaching the Word, and pray as the apostles; he shared even in the suffering for the gospel – ultimately to death by stoning! The Church experienced growth at each of the three points – solving internal problems by sharing responsibility, keeping the gospel and prayer as the main thing, and going beyond and serving faithfully until death. May the Lord grant us wisdom and strength to continue this trend.
God bless you all.