Full of Grace and Power...

Acts 6:1-15 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

Choosing of the Seven

6 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. ² So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. ⁶ And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

⁷ The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹ Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council. ¹³ They put forward false witnesses who said, “This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

These men were chosen to serve the growing church body. They are the early church model of deacons. The text says:  “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”    The apostles were not saying that serving was beneath them but rather that they needed these men to come along side of them in ministry so they could devote there time to pray and to the ministry of the word. While the account of Stephen is best known and remembered for what we will see in the upcoming text, him being martyred, what we see in today's text gives us an important revelation to the power of the early church.

These men had been selected to serve, in particular to distribute food to the widows. But the text tells us that Stephen: full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.  A key part of the success and power of the early church was that men like Stephen took their service to God and the church body to the level of not just serving tables but performing great wonders and signs among the people. In far too much of the church today a consumer mind set has taken over. There is a ratio spoken of throughout the institutional church, 90-10. 90% percent of the work is done by 10% of the people. That is not God's plan or model for the church. It has developed as the church has grown and become somewhat of a business model as opposed to strictly a ministry model. When we hire and pay people to do the various things of ministry we begin to believe that they are the only ones to do those things.

Stephen's role was to serve tables, in doing that, serving tables, he was performing great wonders and signs among the people. We need to recognize that whatever we are, whatever our role or position in the church or in life, we are not just that. We are all filled with the Holy Spirit. Empowered to do great things among the people. I include John 14:12 frequently in my writing because it speaks a truth about how each of us should be in service and ministry to and for the Lord. Jesus says:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

That's the power that is within each one of us who believe in Jesus, the power to do the works He did and greater works, the power to, like Stephen, perform great wonders and signs among the people. Being a pastor, an evangelist, a choir director or worship leader may be a paid position in some churches, that's okay. Being a minister, evangelizing, worshiping and performing great wonders and signs among the people is everyone's role in the church. In Ephesians 4:11-13 Paul speaks of the gifts and callings in and to the church.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,   These are specific gifts that God gives to people within the body of His church. The scripture goes on to explain why they are given.    ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.      It is so that we ALL attain the unity of faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, the measure of stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. To be Christ like. That includes taking on the attributes of Christ and also doing the works He did. 

In Romans 12:3-8, Paul speaks of the distribution and use of the gifts within the body.     ³ For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. ⁴ For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶ Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; ⁷ if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.     For the church, Christ's body of believers and followers to be fully effective each one must be operating in their gift and calling. Among all the list of gifts and callings in the Bible there is none that include, pew sitter, attender or member. God gives each one a gift or a group of gifts to use for His purposes. As we are faithful to serve and minister in the things He has given us, He will be faithful to increase our gifts, giving us everything we need to walk and work in His will. He will empower us, by the Holy Spirit, to be like Stephen, performing great wonders and signs among the people. He will empower us to do the works that Jesus did and even greater works.

My prayer for each of us today comes from the writer of Hebrews. Hebrews 13:20-21

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.