Chosen to Serve

 

    When you become a Christian you are signing up to raise your hand to be of service.  That means serving in whatever capacity the church may need you.  If every Christian has this attitude, then that means that you can serve in the aspect that you will thrive in or do well in.  However, when some people do not step up to their calling it leaves extra work on those that do.  That means doing jobs that you may not have been called to do.

    The first faith based church grew very quickly.  That means that organization and finding the place for everyone was becoming increasingly difficult.  The 12 apostles were only human.  They could only do so much.  They were hands on, but there are only so many hours in a day to connect with everyone and still do your job.  It was an impossible situation.  They needed organization and help.

    Issues were growing between the Grecian (Hellenistic) and Hebraic Jews that had become Christians.  They were all equal in the new church, but they did speak different primary languages.  It is a small issue that should have resolved quickly, but it ran unchecked until it became a bigger issue.  Losing things in translation can cause a lot of problems.  It takes work to figure things out.

    The issue came to a head when the Grecian Jews accused the Hebraic Jews of not tending  to the widows with the daily distributions.  They were helpless and the church took them in, but then dropped the ball.  It was not intentional, but it did happen.  The point is that no one should be overlooked and it was a core issue that needed to be addressed.  

    The 12 apostles were overwhelmed and couldn't make the situation better on their own.  They could not give up on their ministry to take care of the day to day details.  They asked the people to choose seven spirit filled men of good reputation and that had proven their faithfulness and wisdom to focus on different ministries of service.  That way the apostles could focus on the good news ministry and prayer.

    The seven men chosen were Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas.  The 12 apostles laid hands on the new leaders while praying over them.  This is how they were ordained to be the priest of the new church.  This was a way of setting them apart publicly for service of God.  They were ordained to live by faith and be obedient to God's Word.  Their obedience led to more people becoming Christians.

    Out of the seven, Stephen stood out.  There was something special about him.  He was full of God's grace and power (he was able to perform miracles like the apostles).  This made him stand out which means he became a target.  He stood his ground on his faith and would not be intimidated.  He was not an apostle (who were considered untouchable at the time), so he was an easier target for the Pharisees to make a point and scare the new church.  

    The Pharisee used lies to attack him and stir up the people.  He was seized in secret like Jesus.  The Pharisee seem incapable of doing anything straight foreword, but this duplicity seemed to be working for them.  They put him in a farce of a trial like Jesus too.  It was reported that his face appeared angelic.

Acts 6