In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Here again we have an instruction from the Apostles to the disciples to choose from among them seven men who can run the administration of food distribution for them. This is similar to the first instruction to choose someone, when they were picking the 12th disciple.

I think the first point I see here is that good leaders often gain consensus in picking another good leader. They don’t just pick people that agree with their position or that they like, they let the governed have a say in the choice and they typically get leaders who are servants of all.

I love the qualifications here as well: They were to be men who are full of the Spirit of God, and of wisdom. These are not pacifists or people who looked to primarily please others. They were bold, God-inspired broken men, who had the discipline to seek God out and listen to his wisdom. They didn’t just want men who could distribute food, but men who could minister to (and equip others to minister to) the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs of these widows.

“So …” — the Word of God spread. It spread because of how they cared for widows intentionally, how they picked their leaders intentionally, and how they encouraged the people to pick leaders who had Godly hearts.

Not only did a large number of people continue to become disciples of Jesus, but many Jewish priests did too. I wonder why these priests, steeped in the technical details of the law and following the rules, decided to follow Jesus? Could it be that the Word of God became alive and lived out in the Christian church?

Lord, may I live out my faith in a Spirit-filled and wise way that reflects your glory and lives out the principles in your Word. Teach me to seek after you relentlessly and with abandon. May your Word fill me up and pour out of me! And may I serve in a selfless way.