Acts 6:1-7

Not every church problem is a spiritual problem. If your church has a leaky roof, the problem is not spiritual. You have a practical problem and you need a practical solution. You do not need a preacher; you need a roofer. Perhaps some of you are thinking that anything to do with the church is spiritual and in some ways, you would be right. The church should pray for guidance in everything they do. At the same time, we must recognize that if the church needs a ditch somebody is still going to have to pick up a shovel.

The problem in Jerusalem with the daily distribution of food was a practical problem. Not all scholars agree with me. I am convinced it was practical and not spiritual because of the historical context and because of how the disciples described the solution to the problem. They said the solution was to have somebody wait on tables. Waiting on tables is not spiritual work, but it is ministry. It is not less in importance than the ministry of preaching God’s word, but God had called the apostles to preach the gospel. They recognized that everyone ministering in the name of Christ, even if it was practical ministry, should be full of the spirit. They also recognized that practical ministry required practical people. They summed this up by instructing that the people chosen for this ministry should be both full of the spirit and wisdom. Being full of wisdom meant that they would be able to discern methods of ministry that would have the highest probability of success.

Christ still wants us to help the needy. That requires more than just good intentions; it requires wise practical administration. Unwise leadership can cause good ministries to fail. The requirements for effective leaders of practical church ministries have not changed. Today’s leaders should still be full of the spirit and full of wisdom. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we must choose our leaders as carefully as we choose the ministry’s they lead.