{"id":31955,"date":"2024-07-23T22:00:35","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T05:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/acts-5_33-42-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-07-23T22:08:35","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T05:08:35","slug":"acts-6_1-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/acts-6_1-15\/","title":{"rendered":"In Order To Grow, Sometimes You Need To Say No"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 6:1-15 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is\u00a0Acts\u00a06:1-15.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

\n
Acts 6:1 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.<\/em>On verse 1:\u00a0 In the Old Testament God shows His heart to care for orphans and widows (see for example Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18; and Psalm 146:9).\u00a0 This concern for orphans and widows is also found in the New Testament in verses like James 1:27, 1 Timothy 5, and here in Acts 6 where the growing Christian community has a ministry to care for widows in Jerusalem.Who were the \u201cGrecian Jews\u201d and the \u201cHebraic Jews\u201d and why does it matter?\u00a0 In Jerusalem there were many Jews who had moved into Jerusalem from \u201cGrecian\u201d or Hellenistic regions (see Acts 1:5), that is, from countries where the dominant culture was Greek.\u00a0 These \u201cGrecian Jews\u201d grew up being influenced by Greek culture and moved to Jerusalem where they were now living amongst \u201cHebraic Jews\u201d who grew up speaking Hebrew all their lives and in a more traditionally Jewish environment.\u00a0 \u00a0That would be similar to me, a Chinese boy who grew up in Canada speaking English, loving hockey and listening to the Beatles, moving to China to live amongst Chinese people who had spent all their lives speaking Mandarin and living in a more traditionally Chinese culture.<\/p>\n

As Christianity spreads throughout Jerusalem, both Grecian Jews and Hebraic Jews are coming to faith in Christ and now Grecian Jews and Hebraic Jews are both filling the church.\u00a0 With this came some tensions and misunderstandings.\u00a0 In particular the Grecian Jews find that their widows are being overlooked in the church\u2019s daily distribution of food to the needy, probably not intentionally but inadvertently.\u00a0 So the Grecian Jews begin to complain to the church leaders about it.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0As a community grows, there will always be new challenges to address, whether they be administrative, cultural, or something else.\u00a0\u00a0 It takes wise and discerning leadership to know how best to address such challenges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Acts 6:2-6 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Brothers, 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
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 2-6:\u00a0 As the leaders of the church community, the \u201cTwelve\u201d, meaning the apostles, had to decide what to do about this food distribution problem.\u00a0 They wisely conclude that their priority needs to be on prayer and preaching the word of God, and that they should delegate the food distribution ministry to a capable team.\u00a0 Seven men known for being full of the Spirit and wisdom are chosen and commissioned for this ministry (v3).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 Here we see the importance of delegating responsibilities to the right people.\u00a0 In this case, the apostles delegated the food distribution ministry to people who have a genuine relationship with God plus good character (\u201cfull of the Spirit\u201d \u2013 v3) as well as a good head on their shoulders (\u201cwisdom\u201d \u2013 v3).\u00a0\u00a0When choosing someone to entrust an important responsibility to, don\u2019t just look for talent or experience; consider that person\u2019s character, their relationship with God, their ability to work with the team and the way they make decisions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Acts 6:7 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 7:\u00a0 Because they made the right decision to delegate the food distribution ministry to others, the church leaders could focus on preaching the word of God, and \u201cso the word of God spread\u201d and the church grew.\u00a0 The church was able to provide such deep and excellent teaching of God\u2019s Word that even Jewish priests, who were professional teachers of the Hebrew Scriptures, were turning to faith in Jesus.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0In order to grow, sometimes you need to say no.<\/strong>\u00a0 You can\u2019t say yes to every cause and every opportunity without burning out and short-changing yourself, your family and your community.\u00a0\u00a0You must eventually learn to say \u201cno\u201d to good things so that you can say \u201cyes\u201d to the most important things.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0As Pastor Craig Groeschel would say, there comes a point in a person\u2019s leadership where they grow more with their yesses than with their no\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Acts 6:8 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 8:\u00a0 In addition to the food distribution ministry, Stephen was also a gifted healer and teacher.\u00a0 \u00a0God was using him powerfully to reach people with the Gospel and in the next verse we read about some intense opposition that Stephen will face.\u00a0\u00a0Whenever God\u2019s kingdom is working, there is bound to be opposition at some point.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Acts 6:9-10 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)–Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen,
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 10:\u00a0 Stephen was chosen for the food distribution ministry because of his wisdom and his being full of the Spirit (see verse 3).\u00a0 He shows that here, as his opponents cannot stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.<\/p>\n

Acts 6:11-15 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.”
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 11-15:\u00a0 Stephen\u2019s opponents stir up some influential leaders in the community to seize Stephen and try him before the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of Jerusalem\u2019s elders.\u00a0 They accuse Stephen of making false, blasphemous statements about Moses, about God (v11), about the temple (v13) and about the law of Moses (v13).\u00a0 Yet Stephen\u2019s was \u201clike the face of an angel\u201d (v15), meaning that Stephen carried with him the presence, the grace and the power of God, which made it difficult to believe his opponent\u2019s false accusations.<\/p>\n

As you walk with Jesus, you will inevitably encounter opposition and criticism at some point.\u00a0 Even when they falsely accuse you, don\u2019t fight evil with evil, but keep shining your light for Jesus.\u00a0 One day they will be ashamed of the way they slandered you, maybe not immediately, but eventually.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, I pray that I would say no when I need to so that I can say yes to the most important things You have called me to.\u00a0 I pray that I would not fight evil with evil but keep shining my light when opposition and criticism come.\u00a0 For these reasons and more, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that wisdom, grace and power from You would mark the decisions I make, the steps I take and the words I say.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is\u00a0Acts\u00a06:1-15.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Acts 6:1 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
\n\u00a0
\nOn verse 1:\u00a0 In the Old Testament God shows His heart to care for orphans and widows (see for example Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18; and Psalm 146:9).\u00a0 This concern for orphans and widows is also found in the New Testament in verses like James 1:27, 1 Timothy 5, and here in Acts 6 where the growing Christian community has a ministry to care for widows in Jerusalem.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31955"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32187,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31955\/revisions\/32187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}