“…they chose Stephen, a man full of faith
and of the Holy Spirit…”
Acts 6:5
As the early church grew, the need for workers also grew. The disciples wisely realized they
needed to delegate. Self-awareness prompted them to see that there were not enough hours in
each day to meet all the needs and fulfill the primary call on their lives.
When did we decide exhaustion is necessary to be a servant in God’s Kingdom? God has
challenged me personally over and over during my life – reminding me that drawing others in to serve not only protects me from physical, mental, and spiritual burnout, but also pride. I am not indispensable. And the responsibility of every good leader is to train others to serve. One mark of a successful leader – whether in business or ministry – is that the work continues when that leader leaves for heaven … or moves across the country!
The disciples chose seven deacons. They determined that those who would serve should
be “… full of the Spirit and wisdom …” (Acts 6:3). And then in Acts 6:5, Stephen (the first
deacon listed) is noted to be “…a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit …”
Ask yourself if the Acts 6 list is the one we would choose for leaders today:
- Full of the Spirit
- Wise
- Full of faith
Does our modern-day list of qualifications for a leader include someone who looks like Ken or Barbie? Do we care more about the outward appearance than the heart? (I Samuel 16:7) Do we believe they need to have a “presence” to lead? Are we more concerned with the power and wit in their speaking, rather than the content of their message?
Faith is the topic of our Write the WORD bookmark for March. But according to Acts 6, it’s also a key trait in an effective leader. As followers of Jesus in the 21st century, we might do well to learn from our first-century church leaders in how to choose someone to serve – and how to evaluate the effectiveness of the one who serves.
We often expect pastors to be experts in human resources, theology, counseling, business practices, organizational management, and visioneering. Are we quick to criticize but slow to affirm? Acts 6:6 indicates the chosen leaders were prayed over. Do you and I pray regularly for our leaders?
Here are my take-aways from these verses in Acts 6:
- Be wise and prayerful in choosing a leader
- Don’t be easily distracted by the world’s litmus tests
- Pray for your leaders
- Affirm your leaders
I would encourage you to pause right now to pray for a leader in your life. Afterward, please leave a quick note below that simply says, “Done!” if you did this. And, after praying, perhaps God may prompt you to reach out to that leader with written or spoken words of thanks and affirmation.
“Increase our faith.” These are the words used by the disciples in their response to a hard teaching Jesus gave. We invite you to watch this week’s teaching video, as Laura unpacks a challenging message on FAITH. This verse is from March Write the WORD bookmark highlighting 31 verses, each of which includes the word, faith. Visit our Downloads page for your own copy and join us as we read, write, and study what the Bible tells us about faith.
