PRAYER AND MINISTRY OF THE WORD

Passage: Acts 6:1~7  

Key verse: 4

1. Don't neglect the ministry of the word (1-4)

As the church grew, divisions arose between the Greek Jews and those more native to Israel. The Grecian Jews complained their widows were not being properly looked after. This was most probably the result of unconscious bias, but rather than getting drawn into administrational disputes, the apostles responded by delegating authority to younger leaders. This way they could keep their primary focus on prayer and the word of God.

2. So the word of God spread (5-7)

The whole group liked this idea and when choosing the seven stewards, took account of the men's faith not just their administrational ability, as to serve the church is always a spiritual matter. They also made sure to choose men from among the Hellenistic Jews to ensure there was proper representation. The apostles prayed for them and laid their hands on them. In that way the word of God remained powerful and continued to spread until the church grew even to include a number of priests obedient to the faith.



Prayer: Lord, help us to keep our priority on your word and prayer and be ready to entrust your work to faithful leaders

One Word: Focus on prayer and the word