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01 Acts 06 01-07 THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL AS THE CHURCH LEARNS TO SERVE 15 Acts 06 01-07 Learning to serve people as we love God
📖 Acts 06:01-07
15 – 26Jul2023 – *Learning to serve people as we love God* - _Acts 06:01-07_ - THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL AS THE CHURCH LEARNS TO SERVE - Bible reading: _Luke 10:36-37_
“Lord Jesus, teach us to serve people. In Your name, we pray. Amen.”
As we conclude this study, let us take a step back and take an overview of this incident.
This incident was an administrative lapse, where the Hellenist widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. The apostles took note and they acted immediately. They sought the heart of God on the matter and they set in place a godly solution to the problem.
The church was tending to become so caught up with themselves. They were made to realise that they must be concerned for each other and they must serve. *The church became a serving community*.
This is the big lesson for us from this whole episode. *The spread of the gospel took place because the church learned to serve.*
This is the heart of God. He longs for us to be concerned for the needs of people and serve. _Isaiah 58:6-8 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? (7) Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? (8) Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard._
Instead of being concerned for people, and their needs, and instead of serving, the people of God became so focused on themselves and their understanding of spirituality. _Isaiah 58:3-5 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?' "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. (4) Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. (5) Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?_
The Lord saw that His people had made the spiritual discipline of fasting into a ritualistic activity. This was the issue then, with the people of God and it is similar even today. We go through spiritual disciplines such as worship, prayer, the study of His word and even outreach as a part of church life. Yet, the Lord is not pleased with us for we have ignored the needs of people around us.
We must ask the Lord to give us His heart for people. He will open our eyes to see the real needs of people around us and in His enablement, we will meet those needs.
_I John 3:16-19 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (17) But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (18) *My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.* (19) And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
The early church ignored a need, in this case, it was the neglecting of the Hellenist widows in the daily distribution. People are struggling with different issues and concerns but we are too busy and we become preoccupied with our religiosity.
We become like the Priest and the Levite who walked by and did not care for the man who was lying wounded. We are all familiar with the story of the good Samaritan.
What was the context in which the Lord shared this story? The context was the question that was asked by a lawyer. _Luke 10:25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"_ The Lord made him see that eternal life is in keeping the command of God which is to love God and love our neighbour. This was when the lawyer asked Jesus the question as to who was his neighbour, to justify himself.
The Jews did not have dealings with the Samaritans. _John 4:9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" *For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.*_
The Lord, pointedly, shared this story of how it was the Samaritan who was being a neighbour to the man who was wounded. The Lord was asking the lawyer to be a neighbour to people around him.
This is the question that must trouble us. *Are we being neighbours to people with need, who are all around us?* *Being a neighbour or serving people is what gives us eternal life along with loving God.* Therefore, this is not optional.
The early church learnt to serve people as well as to love God and thus there was growth. ```May we also be those who serve people as we love Him.```
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