Growing Pains (Part 3)
Growing Pains (Part 3)
a commentary on Acts 6 (Application)
Thank you, Lord, for this day. May it be used for your glory!
Good morning everyone and welcome back to Biblit!
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Alright, I won’t waste any time at all, let’s just jump in!
Prayer, Priorities, and Delegation
I think the biggest takeaway I had this week was the disciples’ priorities. They knew that feeding the widows was important, it was Biblical, and it was Christ-like.
But they knew they couldn’t create more time and they knew they couldn’t sacrifice prayer and preaching the gospel. So they delegated.
Often times in life we are not faced with black and white decisions. We aren’t always given choices between a very good thing and a very bad thing.
When we’re growing up, decisions are more like that. Should I do my homework or play video games, should I obey my parents or sneak out to the party?
But as we grow older, we are often faced with tougher decisions like the disciples. Should we volunteer at the homeless shelter when we’re already spread thin serving in a multitude of other ways?
The thing the disciples knew that I want to ensure I do in my life is prioritize prayer. My commentary had this quote that is really powerful:
“Personal prayerlessness is a sign of pride; a sign we don’t believe God acts when we pray.”
Are you taking time to pray, like really dedicate time to pray? Not, “oh I’ll pray while I’m doing xyz.”
Jesus could have prayed while serving others, hanging with the disciples at dinner, and I’m sure He did. But He also took time to seek solitude and spend time with just Him and His Father.
Now, we may not all be leaders at the church, but remember, the disciples delegated the work to the members.
If you aren’t a leader who needs to delegate, then the question is are you a member who has been delegated? Are you available to serve?
My commentary once again had a really cool quote about church membership:
“Membership says ‘this is where I serve’ not ‘this is where I listen to sermons.’”
If you are a leader, then I challenge you to realize the priority is always to preach the gospel, but after that, you are a manager of the people in your church.
As a manager of people, you will have to make strategic decisions. I challenge myself and all of us to make decisions in life based on these priorities. Is this decision Biblical, first and foremost? If it is, then is it wise and is it the best decision?
Easier said than done.
Stephen Like Faith
Finally, are we asking God to fill us with boldness and faith like Stephen?
He didn’t have formal training like pastors and theologians today. But He trusted God to give him opportunities to share the gospel and the words to say when the opportunities arise.
If you don’t feel like you are sharing the gospel often, then maybe the first place to start is in prayer, for we are on a very important mission, but we will never have to do it alone.