Acts 6:5-6 (ESV Strong's)
And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
Subject: Church needs - Service to the Community
In the above passage we have the story about the need in the church to care for a particular group of people. Apparently when the widows were being cared for, those serving this function in the church were neglecting the Hellenists widows (Greek speaking Jews ... Jews who's mothers were Greek, but fathers were Jews).
There rose a "complaint" in the church about this neglect. So, the twelve apostles pulled everyone together for what might be the first "business meting" of the early church. This is not doctrine, but the working out of the doctrine of love in the church. The apostles knew their duty (to prayer and preaching). They suggested finding others to serve these widows. It should be noted "who" they choose. Each of the names listed of those chosen to serve the Greek widows had Greek names. What is the lesson here: Those who had the need (Hellenistic Believers) should care for the need. This is NOT a modern day thought. Those who have needs in the church to have their youth cared for in the church want the church to hire someone to do so. Those who have seniors in the church want the church to hire someone to care for them. The first practical doctrine of the church was that those who have a need are to meet that need. We can't allow ourselves to slip into "professional" ministry as the solution to meeting the needs of the Body. The early church did not set that pattern for us.
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