Scripture to Read: Acts 6:1
God most assuredly wants His Kingdom to multiply as we (His children) obey His command in Matthew 28:18–19, Acts 1:8, and other Scriptures where He commands us to make disciples and be His witnesses. As God’s Kingdom multiplies here on earth, we can always expect growing pains. These growing pains remind us that we are all being transformed daily by our Lord and must continually be alert to the needs that arise. The first church was experiencing some of those growing pains, and we read in Acts 6:1, “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.” For more clarification on these two groups, we must understand that they were all Jews who had become Christians but were divided into two groups. The Jews in Judea spoke Hebrew and were called “Hebrews.” The other group was scattered among the Gentiles; they spoke Greek and used the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. These Greek-speaking Jewish believers were called “Hellenists,” which comes from a word meaning “Greek” or “Greek-speaking.” So, the Hellenists complained that their widows were not being taken care of like the widows who were in Judea. Whenever there is a complaint among Christians, we must move toward reconciliation quickly. God tells us in Ephesians 4:26–27 that if we get angry, we’re not to sin nor give the devil an opportunity. The devil loves division, but God desires reconciliation.
Challenge & Application
• Since growth in the church brings challenges, how can we prepare for the growing pains and honor our Lord through the challenges?
• God wants us in right fellowship with each other as His children; so, when complaints arise, how should we handle them?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!