Daily Bible Reading – Acts 6
Read Acts 6 on your own.
This section of scripture is a centerpiece in my understanding of my call to minister of the word and sacrament. In this moment the leaders of the church (the apostles) were struggling because there were too many things on their plates. So, they wisely handed over the complementary aspects of their ministry to other well qualified believers. In our Presbyterian heritage we see this as the birthplace of the office of deacon. The term “deacon” comes from the Greek term diakonos, and simply means “minister” or “servant”.
I find this passage a wonderful reminder that we must do two things if each of us are to live out our calling. First , we must do what God has uniquely called us to do, and put in the time and effort to do them to the best of our ability (with excellence), God and the rest of the believers are counting on us to fulfill our responsibilities. Second, we must be willing to leave the things that don’t belong to us alone and step aside and allow others to step in so that all the desires of God may be met in the church and community. Moses learned a parallel lesson in Exodus 18.
Freebie:
In this passage is my pattern (as a leader in the church) for ministry.
They devoted themselves to PRAYER and THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
1) Prayer – Daily and moment by moment time with God.
2) Ministry – Building relationships and equipping others to do God’s work.
3) The word – Daily on my own and daily for the people of God to share
It is also worth noting that Stephen was certainly not a second class citizen in the kingdom. He was full of grace and power, the face of an angel… Like every deacon should be. 
