In our last issue we began to look at a wonderful woman named Tabitha who loved God's people, especially the widows. We also look briefly at an apostle according to the scriptures.If you want to study this out further you can read Peter's epistle on leadership.In I Peter 5: 2 - 6 he instructs us that a leader is to feed the flock of God which is among you.
4Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 5Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
There are many places in the word that set forth the right and the wrong way to serve. God's people should learn how to discern these ways and then hold their leadership accountable to walk in light of the truth.
Acts 9:37-39 37And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.38And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. 39Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
Dorcas is the Greek rendering of Tabitha.It was a Jewish custom first to wash the dead body, and then to anoint it with spices for burial. When Peter arrived in the upper room where Dorcas was, he found a group of weeping widows who had been helped by her ministry. Keep in mind that there was no "government aid" in those days for widows or orphans, and needy people had to depend on their "network" for assistance. The church has an obligation to help people who are truly in need.
1 Timothy 5:3-4 3Honour widows that are widows indeed. 4But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. NIV 1 Timothy 5:4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
Tabitha didn't part the red sea or walk on water and yet God's word records her wonderful giving life. Now let's look at an interesting record in Acts 6.
Acts 6:1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
The church was experiencing "growing pains" and this was making it difficult for the Apostles to minister to everybody. The Grecians were the Greek-speaking Jews who had come to Palestine from other nations, and therefore may not have spoken Aramaic, while the Hebrews were Jewish residents of the land who spoke both Aramaic and Greek. The fact that the "outsiders" were being neglected created a situation that could have divided the church. However, the Apostles handled the problem with great wisdom and did not give Satan any foothold in the fellowship.
The Hebrews were those Jews born in Palestine who used their native tongue, and were not to look down on the Grecians as an inferior class. When a church faces a serious problem, this presents the leaders and the members with a number of opportunities. For one thing, problems give us the opportunity to examine our ministry and discover what changes must be made. In times of success, it is easy for us to maintain the status quo, but this is dangerous. Someone said, "a status quo mentality is a last-year's nest from which the birds have flown."Any ministry or organization that thinks its success will go on automatically is heading for failure. We must regularly examine our lives and our ministries lest we start taking things for granted.
The Apostles studied the situation and concluded that they were to blame. They were so busy serving tables that they were neglecting prayer and the ministry of the Word of God. They had created their own problem because they were trying to do too much. Even today, some pastors are so busy with secondary tasks that they fail to spend adequate time in study and in prayer. This creates a "spiritual deficiency" in the church that makes it easy for problems to develop.
This is not to suggest that serving tables is a menial task, because every ministry in the church is important. It is however a matter of priorities; the Apostles were doing jobs that others could do just as well.
D.L. Moody used to say that "It's better to put ten men to work than to try to do the work of ten men." Certainly it is better for you, for the workers you enlist and for the church as a whole. Church problems also give us an opportunity to exercise our faith, not only faith in the Lord, but also faith in each other. The leaders suggested a solution, and all the members agreed with it. The assembly selected seven qualified men, and the Apostles set them apart for ministry. The church was not afraid to adjust their structure in order to make room for a growing ministry.
When structure and ministry conflict, this gives us an opportunity to trust God for the solution. It is tragic when churches destroy ministries because they refuse to modify their structure. The Apostles were not afraid to share their authority and ministry with others. Problems also give us the opportunity to express our love.
The Hebrew leaders and the predominantly Hebrew members selected six men who were Hellenists. All of the names mentioned in Acts 6:5 were Greek, one man who was both a Gentile and a proselyte! Here we see how the apostles handled the growth and opportunities of the church. They were willing to be honest and admit to the problem instead of blaming it on someone else. They didn't yell and condemn the saints, they worked with them to resolve the riff.
You know what else they didn't do?They did not send people from headquarters to fix things. They told the church to choose out capable men from the area to handle the problem.
Acts 6:3-4 3Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
They were not afraid to share the responsibility or leadership of the church. They got other people involved this is the body of Christ working together.Look at the result.
Acts 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
This was an act of faith.
To be continued … ÿ
Note: All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. NIV indicates The New International Version, NLT indicates the New Living Translation, NAS indicates the New American Standard version, NKJV indicates the New King James Version, ASV means the American Standard Version, NJB means the New Jerusalem Bible, BBE means the Bible in Basic English, DBY means the Darby translation, NAU means the American Standard Version, 1995 Edition, and NAB means the New American Bible translation. For more information, go to the Works Cited page.