Acts 6:1

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

If you have ever been part of a church – or indeed any other organisation – you will know exactly what is meant by “rumblings of discontent”! They are an exhausting but inevitable part of life. On this occasion, the problem was a practical one, but it was clearly causing great unhappiness. The church in Jerusalem was composed of Jews from different backgrounds. Some of them had always lived in the Jerusalem area and spoke Hebrew or Aramaic, but there were others who were from neighbouring countries and largely spoke Greek. Some of the latter had come to live in Jerusalem towards the end of their lives, were far from their families and so were particularly vulnerable.

The response of the apostles gives us a good model as to how to handle rumblings of discontent. Firstly, they acted quickly. So often, people live with the hope that, if they ignore a problem, it will go away. This very rarely happens. The action they took was to appoint seven people to oversee the distribution of the food, to ensure that fairness prevailed. This then released the apostles to get on with their central work of prayer and preaching.

It interests me that the qualifications for performing this practical task were that the selected people should be full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit (v3). This is a helpful reminder that every role in the life of a church is spiritual. I sometimes hear people talking about the different jobs that need doing as if some are spiritual and others are not. It is not so. Every role is needs wisdom and the Holy Spirit.

Question

Why is it so crucial that church work should be done by people who are full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit?

Prayer

Lord God our Father help us to be wise in responding to rumblings of discontent. Fill us with your Spirit as we serve you. Amen