Today Our Daily Bread Acts 6

Romans 16:19-20 For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
One mans’ obedience reached to all, that man was Jesus. Now Paul says, that your obedience has also reached to all. If one man’s disobedience effected all men (Adam) ,can one person’s obedience effect all men? Of course. Can my simple obedience reach men? Of course. What are we waiting for? If obedience makes a difference, why would we disobey, when we know to obey? We want to make a difference in this world. Jesus made a difference from Adam who was 4,000 years before Him. Jesus’ obedient act has resounded in effect over the earth for 2000+ years now. Why has it resounded in effect that long? Because other men have taken His life and lived it, have accepted His message and walked it out and have valued it enough to obey it. Our life and the one decision we make to love and serve Him, will effect many, many people. Also, this eternal, spiritual life is the only thing that will make any real difference in anyone’s life. The things we search for are meant to lead us into eternal peace and life. We think we need a relationship, and we do, but unless we get one with God first and then get one in Christ, we will never find fulfillment in that relationship. We think we need a career, and we do, but without seeking God’s kingdom first any career will only give us temporary provision and fulfillment. There is only one person who can Love us, tell us who we are and fulfill us, That person is found in Christ, the Father God and the Holy Spirit, all 3 are meant to be known by each living person. We can travel everywhere, work a successful job, have a nice family, great house and the car of our dreams, but all of that will suddenly mean 0 when we stand before God, At that time we will know that one man obeyed for us and we did not do the same for others. We can serve Him and have all of the above named "things" and stand before Him complete and fulfilled, because we fulfilled others, by saving them, and doing God’s will. Talk about hapiness!
Acts 6 :1-15
Seven Men Chosen to Serve
1But as the believers F23 rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. Those who spoke Greek complained against those who spoke Hebrew, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. "We apostles should spend our time preaching and teaching the word of God, not administering a food program," they said. 3"Now look around among yourselves, brothers, and select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will put them in charge of this business. 4Then we can spend our time in prayer and preaching and teaching the word."
5This idea pleased the whole group, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (a Gentile convert to the Jewish faith, who had now become a Christian). 6These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.
7God's message was preached in ever-widening circles. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.
Stephen Is Arrested
8Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. 9But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10None of them was able to stand against the wisdom and Spirit by which Stephen spoke.
11So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, "We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God." 12Naturally, this roused the crowds, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. F24 13The lying witnesses said, "This man is always speaking against the Temple and against the law of Moses. 14We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us." 15At this point everyone in the council stared at Stephen because his face became as bright as an angel's.
FOOTNOTES:F23: Greek disciples; also in 6:2, 7. F24: Greek Sanhedrin; also in 6:15.
~Lena’s Journalin’~
Rapid multiplication will happen when other things are in place. It is not something one makes happen, except for the fact of being in place. When people get in line with God’s will and say yes to the Lord, a principle moves the circumstances. It becomes as a whirlwind of obedient effect. The whirlwind works for God’s purpose to move other things out of the way. Things that were immovable on our own, now move like butter on hot toast. We try and try to make things happen for ourselves, but when we get in line with God’s will and do as He pleases, our stuff just happens. The 12 were mobilized. Jesus was gone. When He was there they learned of Him, watched Him and practiced what He taught, seeing it in action. They were not ready for Him to go, or so they thought, but when He left, they saw what He’d been training them to do. Revelation came in a real and hands on way. They got in line with God’s will and the earth started to move, it moved so much that 3,000 people got saved in one day! That was only the beginning as we see the further we read into Acts. I think it so cool here how even those who may not have been in "a 12" yet, were serving actively in the House of the Lord. They were still in the center of helping with what God was doing at that time where they were in the earth. Those who served in a practical way, were BIG in God, they loved Him with ALL of their hearts and they served Him faithfully and were preachers of the good news wherever they were and even filled with the Holy Spirit and purpose of God, They were "right there" in the oneness of the purpose of God. They were not on the outskirts waiting for "their time". They were an active part where they were at. Some people who are interested in the corporate church ladder stuff, may have thought or voiced something like, "Oh Stephen is JUST a deacon, he serves food to the homeless, and he makes sure the food is given out at the food pantry". We’ll some of that was true, he was a deacon and he served food and orchestrated those who handed out food, BUT at the same time he did not lack in his relationship with God and he has no less reason to be in right standing and in fellowship with His Father and with His Father’s body the church than if he were one of the "12". That is evidenced because those whom he serve with and whom he encountered in the area he served in saw and heard the wisdom of God come forth from him in a mighty concentrated way. That does not just happen on it’s own and through practical service. Practical service can even bring you down and such spirit life out of you, if you do not maintain and encourage personal spiritual growth and fellowship in your life. Stephen read the word, prayed, fasted, was a part of his fellowship, hung around Christians who were stronger than he, etc. He was a man who was willing to give his life for the gospel message and did physically give his life for the message of Christ. He could not and would not have done that without being passionate for God, passionate for Jesus, passionate for God’s spirit life, passionate for whom God was passionate for, and for the vision God had set him to work in. Passion takes us where we need to go, and God told us to GO. How do we ignite this passion? By doing. By being around other impassioned people. By staying in the word and prayer and fellowship of the word. There is no other way. Grab hold of the passion of God’s spirit and don’t let anything cause you to let go! I’ve been impassioned by His spirit for 25 years now, yeah there have been a few sink holes trying to get me off track, but they cannot have me, I’ve given my life to God!