Acts Chapter 6:1-6

If you limit the way God can use you in small things he limit the way God will use you in large things couple more verses.

Colossians 317 says whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through them.

Colossians 323 says and whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, not the men, knowing from the Lord, you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. That is such a key because if you start out in ministry serve other people to get burned out and and cynical and all these things, but in the understanding of God, your servant, because occasionally people might not appreciate your ministry as much as you think they should. And if you're doing it just for people you will lose that motivation.

But if you're doing it for God always doing it, knowing that God sees everything it says here you will receive welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina today in the studio.

We have DA Brown, one of the committees associate pastors and were glad to have him bring us some insight right before because of what God has done for us to be ready to do anything for him. We should be willing and ready at any moment today pass and it explains how we been chosen to serve as he continues the book of acts chapter 6 here's David McGee with his teaching chosen to serve in the last chapter, we were covering we saw that there were some pretty major setbacks. If you will with Ananias and so fire they actually because of their hypocrisy. They fell over dead and and so the church though came through it and once again they brought the disciples in front of the Jewish leadership in the morning.

Don't not speak about Jesus and they threw him in prison, the Lord set them free from prison. They went right back to the temple.

They didn't learn anything and started telling about Jesus again and so that brings us to where we are now in chapter 6, verse one says now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying. There arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenist because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of this takes a little explained first notice that there was there was a complaint in the church. I is incredible never heard of such a thing happening in the church. I just can't believe that really happened. I mean it happens on the that does happen why because ANSI oftentimes we look at the early church you go. I wish I could've been part of the early church is perfect or no other brokerage or people that you know. Here they were complainant we have the perfect church we could have but until then we won't have it and and here's the deal.

Got in. This was the perfect church. Let's just say the church or somebody else will do it and that you're in the perfect church or somewhere else you can because you're not perfect I'm not perfect once we went. We messed it all up and it would no longer be the perfect church so were not the perfect church and I want you to notice it says complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenist not during the King James it says the Hebrews by the Grecians, and when they explain what this is talking about. There were two main parties.

If you will of Jewish people at this point, there were those who spoke Hebrew and there were those who were had been Hellenized. That's a term under Alexander the great, he conquered Israel about 323 BC and in when he did that get what he wanted to do is spread Greek, the Greek language. Greek philosophy and culture all over the world. They did the same thing in Israel.

So many of the people ended up speaking Greek now some of that was good. Some of it was bad. Some of the stuff that we still deal with in the church. As far as Greek philosophy as opposed to more Hebraic philosophy, but that's what's going on so it's interesting to me that there they're all Jewish and yet already got distractions happen, why don't I speak Greek well speak Hebrew guidance for group 103 Hebrew and he got that going on. What a shame that is but you realize there's no place in the body of Christ for this kind of garbage and you know there's no place in this body of Christ for that kind of stuff we need to love each other and in real life, especially it horrifies me when I hear the church have an racial discrimination guys*that's from the pit of hell has nothing to do with Jesus and let me go ahead and mention the there are people here and we can have opposite thing going on innocent churches you go to the don't wear attire to look down upon people look at you where. Well let's be careful that we don't adopt opposite thing because every now and again. Yes, Mike, about the grace were the top. What's up with that. You know payment now wait a minute, less all of Jesus. I mean honestly, when I see a person with I like that. And I'll tell you one because I know that other people are going to come in times as they come in and there's nobody elsewhere in a time there to field so if you got on the top three zebra go in and get out quick. We want to welcome them to those people and again the opposite.

Don't go looking people got all that guy's got tattoos and earrings is raising his hands. There were to put your hands down, you know. Let's love Jesus and God is always more concerned about what's in the year than what's on the outside. And so we as a church need time people didn't live average 72.3 years in a lot of guys like Lotta men would die early on and they would leave widows who never remarried and at this time.

Culturally, the women could not enter the workplace are just more jobs, so they were stock they were stock. They couldn't just look after the home and drive a livelihood that and sadly enough, some of them actually forced into prostitution to support themselves.

So it was an issue of how these widows would be looked after and I think that is important thing in the Hebrew Scriptures in the Old Testament of looking after widows and orphans in the fatherless, and I think the church still has a responsibility especially to those those folks another one that's mentioned is the stranger and we should look to minister to those folks now when assessing for removal and since the disciples were multiplying the church was grown two people in the last chapter that in the middle of the church service. Eight. And yet the church is growing and there's a concept here that occasionally God will prune the body of Christ.

You will cut something out, it will remove something and he'll also do the same thing in her life. Now when I say that when even when I mentioned the word prune your life, you know, when we read the Scriptures and like all bad.

It's not that we get some got a weird picture that God runs through the garden with like powers, you know, just lopping branches of all. If you've ever seen somebody that really loves plan may be of an elderly person sit there and tenderly prune the rosebush that's more the picture always happens after pruning the growth flourishes adverse to since then the 12 some of the multitude of the disciples and said it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.

Now I want you to notice that they're not saying they didn't want to but they're saying you know what it would do this were not going to be able to study and to prepare teachers in the feed the flock.

That's an important thing because often it's not just doing what's what's right what's good sometimes as a believer is having to choose between God's good, and God's best verse three says therefore brother seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business the liquid they're looking for. Looking for good reputation in some versions it's as honest as good, and it's is filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom in it says and and they've never made a mistake and will never make a mistake.

Your version of now it's not in their CLI times we think that our spiritual leaders are never supposed to make a mistake. How unfair, because you know the only time that you won't make a mistake. The only people that don't make a mistake, or the people don't do anything and if you're not doing anything you making the biggest mistake of all to understand that spiritual leaders are going to make mistakes but you know what the heart is towards the Lord, or should be towards the Lord, saying, this is a menial task or anything like that. They're just saying you know what there is, we need to come up with a solution and in verse three. They come up with a solution of delegating and DL Moody said it's much better to get 10 men to do work than to try to do the work of 10 men saying DL Moody was a wise man, a wise minister was pastor and this is something that is a continual challenge here that you notate the giveaway ministry is the term that I love to see people raised up into ministry and it's interesting because you know everybody on our staff is been raised up from this body, you wouldn't go to minister jobs.com or something.

These people were in this body. They serve the Lord. We recognize they were serving the Lord.

We encourage them in serving the Lord and then they came on staff and that's it. That's an awesome thing now and as we do this. There's a saying that were also fond of the Blessed are the flexible, they shall not be broken soon as you step out to serve the Lord. Be sure that you maintain that flexibility in order to learn some more stuff about that as we continue in verse four says, but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word on this verse. The powerful verse is a satin thought about this verse is a special significance to me and I'll tell you one because every day now I have to make difficult decisions about what I do with my time. There is often no emails or phone calls or meetings that I would love to have that I can't. And the reason I can't is I want to be sure that I'm studying and preparing myself to do it is to do the teaching on Thursday night and the teaching on Sunday morning after sitting anything will after they've used you Scott get up there and we have a little bit but there are some of it but I sat and read the word of God not studying the word of God in him being in the commentaries in the original languages of the conceit.

Oftentimes in like that minds in the 10th and 11th hour God will show me something to share with you guys and I don't want to miss that it wasn't diligent what he still revealing now. It's important that we all understand that and here's why it in. This goes well in the teaching of the word goes well in here every other ministry in this church benefit. If this doesn't go well. Everything else suffers as a matter fact every other ministry could be operating at peak efficiency. But if you guys are getting fed here. It doesn't matter if people are getting saved in here. It doesn't matter we can have the best children's ministry in the world, but in their parents are learning the word of God and learn what it is to be a Christian and a follower of Yeshua, Jesus, it's offer no you're listening to Pastor David McGee on cross the bridge. He'll be right back with more just a moment, but I want to remind you of the free resources available to you on cross the bridge.com there's a team of hundreds of people that will pray for somebody to be saved. You have a loved one that needs to know Jesus as Savior. You need people to pray for you need someone to present God's word to them every day were presenting God's virtual here on cross the bridge with Pastor David McGee. We can pray for them as well.

Just by simple going to cross the bridge.com and click on the pray for the lost button. All you need to do is put in the first names of the people you love that needs know Jesus as Savior.

Click on submit and immediately hundreds of people begin praying for your lost loved ones. What an awesome way to bring your love ones to Jesus.

Here's a word from associate pastor DA Brown hey guys want to take just a minute to pray for some cities in our listening audience. Specifically, Ashland Oregon and Baker city Brookings Canyon Ville Cave Junction, Cloverdale, and Colton Lowy. Thank you for the cities and everyone listening. We pray that you would pour out your spirit on these broadcast audiences.

Father we pray that pastors would have wisdom in the cities and how to love their communities.

Lord I pray that people would put their trust in you got. I pray that you would give the governmental leaders wisdom and discernment that you would protect the city's father there be peace in the cities and Lord, that your word would be high and lifted up in Jesus name, amen, amen.

Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse, verse, in the same please the whole multitude.

That's pretty cool. Everybody thought that make sense and hopefully most people here thought it made sense, but the whole multitude with hopefully most, and they chose Stephen Mansell of faith in the Holy Spirit Philip in progress the corner. Nicanor Tim on Thomas and Nicholas a proselyte from Antioch, Tennessee is Stephen and Philip in the book of acts man there going to be very significant. They can be very significant. God is going to use them in a very special way will see what happens. Verse six assist in him. They set before the apostles and when they had prayed, they laid hands on.

Now let's talk about this a little bit and notice first. They pray, prayed first, it reminds me of the fact that Jesus went up to the mountain to pray before he came down and chose the disciples and for a long time I thought you went to the mountain to pray about you know who was going to be a disciple and the more I walked to the Lord, and the longer I walked to the Lord. I think he probably knew who he was going to choose and went up to the mountain to break those guys, but this is important part of delegating leadership and in praying and asking Lord, who do you want in the laying on of hands was mentioned that quickly, because that can bring up some bad memories or something that's scriptural term laying your hands on somebody is a scriptural term now say what it is what it laying hands on somebody can be simply me placing my hand on somebody shoulder as I pray for them, nestling my hands on you see that in Scripture what you don't see you never see one scriptural example of the laying on of hands being so nice smacking somebody on the floor until I follow you don't see. You may have seen on television. You don't see that in this book so we don't do that here. But we do lay hands.

You see, there's a couple instances when you're ordaining somebody or putting an elder or deacon office. You lay hands on them.

When you pray for the sick.

He lay hands on. Maybe you take anointing of all symbolic of the Holy Spirit anointed for head. Pray for all biblical biblical things case a laying on of hands.

Notice what you don't see here. You don't see these guys that often the second 19 when I meet them out.

You don't see that yesterday with your point. These guys are like God you want to use me off usually feel the what a great.

I'm all for it. I'm going all over was good for that's important. We share you not try to be very transparently Beecher transparently with staff as a worship leader of the church and understand you not had a musical history study music in school all the stuff as hard as a worship leader so I figured I'd be worship and so set out for staff meeting and in the past and the committee said okay that they said hey and I David want to clean the men's and women's bathroom twice a week yeah okay it. I have to confess him being open. It didn't sit well with salt. I'm not here to clean bathroom. I'm here to do worship well, I'm cleaning the bathrooms and you know I'm in there.

I got the major to gremlin and murmur and not the you guys ever done that but just play along with me as of yet, so I'm in there gremlin and murmur and and you know I begin this conversation with God that still small voice in the you know the Lord likely done clean bathroom clean the bathroom for clean better for you. God Johnson that stop I'm not very impressed one.

He said you know when I call you Connie play music go to serve, to serve serve me well. I was so convicted cleaning the bathrooms, the whole another meeting I started enjoying it. I would go in there and seeing lots grabbed the potties and clean the floors. God did such a neat work in my heart that like a few weeks or a few months later. Whatever was at us to add another staff meeting so males got added on staff and they said and you'll be cleaning the men and women's bathroom is like a man job clean the bathroom.

See here's the thing.

The life lesson we should be willing to serve the Lord in any and all ways. We should be willing to serve the Lord in any and all ways. It was just a few years ago we moved in the small office on the other side of Kernersville and I mean I wasn't even a paid staff member. I worked in the church that they get paperwork and and but I did everything I mean I was, you know, the pastor of a worship leader. The use leader. The receptionist children's ministry director clean the floors. I everything you need to be done. I didn't know anybody and you know we were still raising up leadership and and I never in that and being honest I never during that time in the trash cancers be teaching or not know no no and because I was willing to do that in part liquid, God is in the relearn the lesson to be honest, because what when I was in the home Bible study. There was a season where was just me and the family. And then there was a season where there is like the family. My three kids and then there were five other neighborhood kids verse two. Coming from a house down the street and then there was a family that would drop their three kids. Often they would go out to date night so so there I am. I'm teaching eight kids were in general and it's kind interesting and you know I'm going Lord Lee doing Lord that still small voice can walk tell Manny to teach where he got there, they are teaching. Okay okay so tone the book of Genesis, verse by verse chapter richer and it was an awesome timing after teaching for an hour. These kids would ask questions when see in the here's an interesting think it is every now and again smile pop up and go to to build cold teachable great great but you know you never in this. What do you see a distinction of an age group with the save. You have to get the teaching of a promise or something.

Seven and eight-year-olds will sit and listen to if you don't know they're in the know and then that's a great way to find out if you can teach kids. You may indeed have the gift of teaching.

Here's the thing in the Bible speaks to this a lot we really need to understand this as a church and as individual believers understand servant leadership. Matthew 2521 go through several verses fairly quickly.

Jesus is talking to said his Lord said them well done good and faithful servant.

You were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord, your Lord couple verses later, his Lord sent him well done good and faithful servant.

You been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Luke 1610 tells us he who is faithful and what is least is also faithful also in much. And he was unjust and what is least is unjust also in much. Luke 1917 and he said to him, well done, good servant because you were faithful in a very little have authority over 10 cities for the biblical concept of starting small and God blessing that God be in the one that raises you now in first Corinthians 412 Mrs. S let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. Can we have this faithful concept, weaving its way through and weaving its way through Scripture. First Timothy 112 and I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me because economy faith, putting me into the ministry because there's a lesson in there for each and every one of us know, here's the thing. If you limit the way God can use you in small things, you limit the way God will use you in large things we say that again if you limit the way God can use you in small things, you limit the way God will use you in large things couple more verses. Colossians 317 says whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 323 says and whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, not to men, knowing from the Lord, you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. That is such a key in ministry because if you start out in ministry to serve other people. You can find yourself a crispy critter you going to get burned out and and cynical and all these things, but if you understand its God your servant, because occasionally people might not appreciate your ministry as much as you think they should. And if you're doing it just for people you will lose that motivation. But if you're doing it for God will always doing know God. Knowing that sees everything it says here you will receive the reward from God friend you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now own Legion. A short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen it friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness. Those who were sick, not the righteous to congratulations bring you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make.

God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you.

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Click on the donate button and ask God how much you would have you give either on a one-time basis or continuing basis each month to help ensure that the teaching of God's word continues to go out to cross the bridge. Thank you so much ODA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider daily reading plan and the thought to meditate on throughout your day. From the heart. The David McGee those are terrific and it's easy and it's free so folks sign up today, cross the bridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time. As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the book of acts