Acts 6
Observations
1. Heavenly growth involves earthly challenges.
2. Complaints arise.
-Let us not grow weary in well doing (Galatians 6:9).
-Even in the early church that the apostles led, complaints arose.
3. Practical needs can steal time away from the spiritual warfare of preaching and prayer.
4. The apostles engage the born-again believers for the decision.
Application
1. Deacon-duty unlocks the pastoral ministry of word and prayer.
2. The qualifications: great life in the Spirit and great wisdom.
3. The congregation selected deacons; the preachers prayed over and ordained them.
Outcome
Deacons: service and witness for the sake of the gospel.
Deacon service . . .
-at the very beginning of the chapter, lubricates points of tension that could develop due to the variety of people that the gospel is uniting.
-in the middle of the chapter buys time for the preachers of the word to devote themselves to study and prayer.
-at the end of the chapter directly speaks of the gospel—even at the cost of the deacon’s life.
