Set Apart and Holy

You need to choose seven men from among yourselves who have received the Holy Spirit and have good judgment and put them in charge of this kind of ministry. Acts 6:3
In this text, we find that the Church was growing fast and as the Church increased, so did the problems. The Greek speaking Jews and the local Jews were disputing over the treatment of the Hellenistic widows being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. The apostles were finding themselves being overloaded with solving problems and disputes among the people, which were undoubtedly weighing them down. They called the Believers to come together and pick seven godly men from among themselves to serve the people and to solve disputes so that the apostles could spend more time in study, prayer and preaching the Word of God.

The Church was to look among themselves, find seven men who were filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom and present these seven to the apostles. Wow, have things changed today. What’s the standard for choosing ministers and deacons in the Church today? How many people are serving in the Church today that the congregation can all agree that the person is filled with the Holy Spirit and can operate out of a spirit of wisdom? The average Church might have two or three, but seven? Whatever happened to men or women being filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom in leadership positions? Here we see the apostles telling the people to choose seven men from among themselves; seven men who have received the Holy Spirit, power and wisdom and place them over the people to serve and to solve disputes. How many Churches today, no matter the size, can pick seven wise people from among themselves who everyone agrees is saved, set free, fire baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit; not many. Oftentimes, servants are chosen because of the amount of money they give, friends or family of the leader or are people with worldly power. The pastor chooses the leader and not the congregation. Most times the person’s character is not questioned, nor his walk with God.

If I had a dollar for every report I have heard about misconduct among ministers or deacons, I would be able to go to a car lot and purchase a Range Rover...cash. Ok, I’m joking, but you get the point. We are ordaining people who are not meeting the Biblical standard that was set by the early Church. We are to choose men and women who have received the Holy Spirit and wisdom so that the apostle, bishop, overseer or pastor can spend their time doing what they were called to do. That is why we have the ministry of helps in the Church, so that the one who brings the Word will be able to devote time to study the Word, prayer, worship and get revelation from the Lord to feed the people. Today, those who lead churches, are spending far too much time putting out fires in their congregation and the fires are not always caused by the members, but by their leadership, who have no wisdom, character nor integrity. It makes one wonder to themselves, are they saved? These leaders have no sense of honesty, loyalty, commitment or covenant to the church they have been charged to serve, as they are reckless in their actions, making up crazy excuses for not doing what they have been called to do. If is almost as if they have no sense of obligation to the church they have been ordained to serve. They don’t feel obligated to serve the sheep, nor to help those in need. They were not ready to stand in position of servant, because they are spiritually immature.

The interesting thing is, in this text Stephen who was the first to be crucified in the first church, was one of the seven men chosen to serve as a deacon and he was anointed to work miracles and heal the sick. He didn’t seem offended because he wasn’t chosen for a greater title or position. He could have screamed, “I have the same anointing as the apostles, why am I being appointed to just serve the people?” He was fine with the call that had been placed on his life and worked it. Stephen didn’t have any aspirations to be out front or known by a certain title; he just served the Lord where he had been placed. His contentment was in serving the Lord because he was filled with the Holy Spirit and not desiring the accolades of man for a greater title.

Make sure your reputation among the people of God is one of honor and not one hoarding a title. Seek holiness and contentment and eagerly desire spiritual gifts to be a blessing to others. Ask God for His wisdom to be able to help those in need and desire God’s presence, which is the most important thing and believe me, your gifts will make room for you.