Acts 6:1-15
The church continued to grow, and disputes arose between the Jewish and Greek believers
The apostles needed to focus on teaching rather than dealing with matters of this sort. They were dedicated to prayer and ministry of the Word.
The apostles got the church involved in resolving this issue.
7 men from the Greek believers were chosen to manage the food distribution.
The first non- apostolic ministry of the church was feeding the widows
One of these men was Stephen who was full of faith and did great signs and wonders
Some religious leaders came to debate Stephen, but were unable to resist the wisdom and Spirit by which he spoke.
So the religious leaders induced people to falsely accuse Stephen of blasphemy.
Stephen’s face looked like an angel as he stood before the council
Application:
- To do great things for the Kingdom do God, you:
- Need to be full of wisdom and the Spirit of God
- Will always be given a small opportunity to be faithful.
If you are faithful in the small things before being given greater things
- How did the early church resolve the conflict? They invited the congregation to help solve the problem.
- We all have a role to play in the church. Some to focus on prayer and teaching. Some for helps. Both are pleasing to God.
- The reality of spiritual war. The enemy cannot stop God’s plan, even though he might try and stop you. Keep going – it’s not about you, it’s about the Holy Spirit working through you. As long as you keep going and being faithful to God, you will be successful.
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