SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/2/2017 7:22 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Results
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 6:7
Message of the verses: “7 The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”
I have to say that I read this verse over in my early
days as a believer and did not see in it that many of the priests were becoming
obedient to the faith in it, but later on it kind of was like a light bulb
being turned on so that I could see that there were priests who became
believers in Jesus Christ as God was calling some of them to salvation.
It seems like Luke closes this section, as the subject
will change in Acts 6:8, like he has closed other section with the words, or
similar words “The Word of God kept on spreading,” and yet there is no number
of how many were being saved as there were becoming too many to keep track of
as seen in Acts 5:14, but one thing for sure that God is keeping track of how
many have come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, even to this day and
He will keep on counting until that last person in the Church age is saved so
that the Lord Jesus Christ will then come and collect His bride in the clouds
and then take all of us to heaven where we will be with the Lord forever more.
As we look at what happened in these first seven verses
of Acts chapter six we have seen that there was a potential for being a church
split, but this was avoided by bring organization into the church by selecting
men to do a job of overseeing the feeding of the Hellenistic Jewish widows
which allowed the apostles to continue to do what they were suppose to do,
which was to read and study the Word and to pray and also preach the good news
of the gospel and the result was church growth.
John MacArthur writes about the priests being saved: “Astonishingly, a great many of the priests
were becoming obedient to the faith.’
These were, of course, not the chief priests or members of the
Sanhedrin, but a very large number of the rank-and-file priests who ministered
in the temple. Perhaps this dramatic
impact of the gospel of the priests accounts for the opposition that soon arose
against Stephen.
“The church today needs organization for the same reasons
as the first fellowship. Pastors must be
freed to focus on the preaching of the Word and prayer. Better organization can help meet the needs
of all members and thus avoid conflict.
And a unified, well-taught church will be a powerful witness to the lost
world.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I know that the
pastors have their job to do which has been spelled out in this first section
of Acts chapter six, and I as a believer have my job to do as seen from
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” This verse tells me that God has given me
good works to do which were planned from eternity past, and it is my job to do
these good works, and it is my job to ask the Holy Spirit to show me the good
works He has planned for me to do so I know what to do to serve my Lord.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to show me and equip me to do
the good works He has planned for me to do.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Ananias” (Acts 9:17).
Today’s Bible
question: “Where did Jesus tell the man
born blind to go and wash?”
Answer in our next SD.
11/2/2017 7:46 AM
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