Friday, May 22 - Acts 6

v. 2   It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God inorder to wait on tables.
The disciples were involved in the ministry of compassion as well as the preaching of the Word.   As the Church grows, they recognize that they are spread too thin and need to make use of the gifts of others in carrying out God's work. 

This is an important principle for the Church of God today as well.  Too often a small number of people do much of the ministry in a congregation and a large number of people are mostly recipients of what the smaller group plans and carries out.  It is important for both those who serve and those who receive to recognize that the work is best carried out when spread among everyone -- each person making use of the spiritual gifts the Spirit of God has entrusted to him.

v. 7.  So the word of God spread.  The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient ot the faith.

Using the gifts of others and allowing the disciples to focus on prayer and the ministry of the word brings great blessing to the church, and the consequent result is both spiritual and numerical growth.  We can be sure that the modern church will also be blessed with growth when we focus on the priorities of preaching the word and prayer.  The pastor should be the facilitator of such things and encourage all congregants to be filled with a passion for mission and outreach.

v. 9  These men began to argue with Stephen.    The Devil is a master at mustering up anger and creating arguments.  He wants to stop the growth of the Church by getting us caught up in our emotions, opinions, and pride.  The versus which follow show that Stephen's opponents engage in secret persuasion, lies, and stirring up the people.  They produce false witnesses and ultimately find themselves filled with murderous intent.

v. 15.  they saw that (Stephen's) face was like the face of an angel.   Jesus said, "Be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves."  Stephen, is a good example of this.  In the midst of murderous threats, lies, and hatred, he maintains his composure and his vision for the church.  He does not get sucked into anger, but instead speaks calmly and firmly, using the scriptures to back up his conversation.  He is a good model for all Christians as we deal with conflict in the church.