October 19, 2025
Acts 6:1-8 — Acts 6 shows us Satan trying to disrupt the inward peace of the early church. The new church grew by leaps and bounds. Having failed to overcome the church by either persecution or corruption, he now tried distraction. If he could preoccupy the apostles with social administration, which, though essential, was not their calling, they would neglect their God-given responsibilities to pray and to preach. The early church’s rapid growth required a restructuring and reorganization. Specialized ministries developed, and more leaders were needed. Tensions arose between the different Jewish groups in the church. Satan used these ethnic issues to disrupt the peace and unity of the church. He set believers against each other through a spirit of grumbling that happened along the ethnic, social, and linguistic lines within the faith community. For the apostles to focus on their ministry of the word, the faith community chose leaders to oversee and do the daily ministries of caring for the poor, widows, and orphans. God calls all his people to ministry, and He calls different people to different ministries, enabling them with different gifts through the Holy Spirit. We are all part of the one Body of Christ and should serve one another with love and compassion.
This is part of our sermon series, We Are Acts 29, which explores the Book of Acts.
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