Friday, November 6, 2026

Opening Scripture

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:12-17

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry, and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 6:1-7

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So 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. 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.”

This 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. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Reflection  

Today’s passage reminds us that the “body of Christ” is comprised of saved sinners. “Complaining” about Church ministries and programs is as old as the Israelites wandering in the desert for forty years under the frustrated leadership of Moses. We do not know how much time passed between Chapters 5 and 6, but as the Church continued to grow, friction and tension inevitably arose in the ranks.

At this point, the young church was made up entirely of Jews, which is no surprise since their evangelistic effort took place at the temple. This important first phase in the development of Christianity was the fulfillment of Jesus’ command: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem.”

Most of the Christ-followers in the Holy City were of Hebraic background, though many had Grecian roots. A prejudicial bias was perceived – and likely existed – by those whose culture and perspective were more “outsider” Greek-speaking. They complained that the “insider” Aramaic-speaking widows were receiving preferential treatment at the food pantry. This charitable ministry was no doubt funded by donations from members, like the property sales previously mentioned.

The apostles called a “business meeting” of all the disciples in Jerusalem to address the issue at hand. Since the problem was among the Greek-speaking widows, the group chose seven Greek-speakers who were “full of the Spirit and wisdom.” These men would handle the oversight of charitable funds and the distribution of food.

Because of this, we have respected “servant leaders” – diakonos – entrusted with the responsibility of fairly and faithfully meeting the everyday needs of the people. Initially, this work consisted of “waiting on tables” to enable the apostles to attend to “the ministry of the word of God.” However, the task would expand to include much more. For Stephen, it would lead to martyrdom by stoning. For Philip, it would result in the Gospel spreading among Samaritans and Africans.

The commissioning of seven Grecian Jews to serve the young church was a small but profound step toward the Gospel becoming truly universal, breaking down racial and cultural barriers. It was a demonstration of shared leadership and the proper handling of disputes. This “baby step” would help pave the way for Gentiles eventually being welcomed into the faith in Chapter 15.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

Today’s passage ends with the declaration, “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly.” The explosive growth of new believers necessitated a continued expansion of trusted leadership. The commissioning of “The Seven” by “The Twelve” was a crucial next step in that process of leader development. By this time, many thousands of Jews had professed their faith in Christ and needed to be baptized, taught, and discipled.

Paul’s letter to the Colossians (Opening Scripture) provides the key to maintaining unity in such a churning and changing environment. The challenges were real and the needs were great. Integrity, wisdom, and maturity were essential for continued health in the body. They still are today.

It is estimated that as many as 8,000 priests lived in Jerusalem in the first century, most of them poor and bi-vocational. They lived on the opposite end of the socio-economic spectrum from the Sadducean aristocracy in the Sanhedrin. From their ranks “a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” Perhaps the addition of so many spiritually-trained, Scripture-literate, temple-experienced men – now saved and Spirit-filled – helped address the leadership void. This group of converts from Israel’s official clergy also gave public credibility to the new movement and personally validated the transforming power of the Gospel!

However, for a priest to declare Jesus as Messiah, being baptized in His name and becoming obedient to His teaching, was radical. It was also costly. We know from John’s testimony that these men would likely lose their vocational responsibility, as well as their family and social connections. Financial impact and social stigma were to be expected.

When Jesus healed a blind man, his parents were called in by the Pharisees to testify, but they would only say that their son was of age and could speak for himself. “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue” (John 9:22).

Later, during Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem, the cost of discipleship was presented. “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God” (John 12:42-43).

There is always a cost to following Jesus, and He told us there would be. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:34-37).

This week’s collective prayer: Father, strengthen my calling to The Great Commission. Amen.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!