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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. Acts 6:3

Read: Acts 6:1-7
Listen: Acts 6

TODAY’S MESSAGE

The early church is growing—bringing more people and problems. The Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Jewish widows are being left out of the daily distribution of food. This brings the complaints and concerns of many. How would the leadership of this growing movement respond? Rather than dismiss such complaints as trivial, the early church appoints seven qualified men to be responsible for the daily food distribution to widows. Such oversight frees the Apostles to devote themselves to the ministry of the Word. In so doing, the early church shows a deep devotion to both word and deed.

We have much to learn from the example of the early church. Their responses to this conflict unleash the power of the Gospel in their community. They maintain unity and remain faithful (though imperfect) in their commitment to both word and deed through teaching Scripture AND serving those in need. They also obey Jesus’s commands and recognize how following him changes everything in our lives. Such priorities were pivotal to the early church’s growth—and should be for us as well.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Pray and ask God to guide you as you consider the core themes of our passage for this week. If you are unsure how to begin such a prayer, consider using the model prayer in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.

December is CELEBRATION. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.

Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.