“Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. The word of God kept on spreading…” (Acts 6:1-6a)
I usually express it with these words, “God has a specific word for a specific time, sent by a specific messenger for a specific purpose.” Last week in my teachings and preaching, I expressed the same thought in a different, but most relevant way, “God sends a present truth for a present time.”
It would be a matter of neglect if I were to ignore the role of being a specific messenger; a matter of disrespect of the Holy Spirit who moved me to communicate a pertinent, present truth in our present time. When I first sat down to write, this was not on my mind, yet to reject the leading of the Spirit would be outright sinful.
The specific message; the present truth is embodied in the text above. Read it more than once. Hopefully by meditating on the word above, you saw some similarities between the days of the early church and the days in which the church exists today. Hopefully, you saw that there were some major issues among the people; issues that affected them and the quality of leadership. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to influence you politically, as far as it relates to making your choice when you vote; not IF you vote, but WHEN you vote.) Hopefully, as you meditated on the Scriptures above, you saw that the laypersons, not the leaders, were charged with selecting people who met specific criteria: “men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.” The criteria did not consist of many qualities, but these were major qualities that would equip the people, help them select the right individuals.
The people in the text, centuries ago, went by the criteria, not by their emotion, not by their friendships or associations, not by ancient public relations strategies, not by the historic characteristics of where they were acculturated, not by any blind partisan enthusiasm, but by the criteria provided by the twelve. As you read, I hope that you saw the present truth for the present time. Did you? Really, did you? Well if you really did get it, go by criteria specified by the leadership of our country when it was founded; criteria that should be under the umbrella of forming a more perfect union.
If you read the names of the persons selected in the text above, and if you consider the results of their choices, you will see (1) the people prayerfully brought individuals they saw fit to set apart for the job at hand, (2) the disrupting issues were resolved, and (3) both positive results and progress were achieved, “And the word of God kept on spreading; and the number of disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the truth.”
If you want validation of the people’s good selection; if you want to learn more about the impact of their selection, go to your Bible later today and look at the achieved prominence of Stephen and Philip as recorded in The Book of Acts. Do you hear the specific truth for this specific time, sent by a specific messenger for a specific purpose? Do you see the present truth for the present time? If you have not voted already, make sure you are involved in the selection process if you are eligible to vote. The choice is yours. However, involve God in your choice and go to Him in prayer for the guidance of your heart. Nevertheless, be sure to think about the real criteria for those you select when you do vote. Be blessed!
“Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act.” (Ezra 10:4 NASB)
Still committed to the climb, Mark L. King
Whenever we are in a position to make a decision, we should seek guidance from our Lord and Savior. He will lead and guide us in the way we should go. As for selecting individuals to lead, that definitely is a reason to consult with the almighty Father. He knows, He will direct us, He will guide us along the path of righteousness. He will help us not to allow our own selfish desires get in the way of making wise choices. Use your voice today and using the guidance of the Holy Spirit, make your choice. Thank you Pastor.