Sunday Morning Series - Give God Something To Work With - No Specific Orders

Text:  Acts 6

While people like Abraham and Paul had specific orders from the Lord concerning their lives, others did not. There is no record of Stephen receiving a prophetic word from the Lord about a great ministry. Instead, he and several others were chosen due to their good reputation, wisdom, and being full of the Holy Spirit to serve the widows in the church.

Their faithfulness to handle the task kept the apostles free to study the Word and minister. For us, faithfulness follows our vision of how spectacular and necessary my ministry is to the Body of Christ. If I view my ministry as ordinary, my faithfulness will wane. It's our duty to maintain the vision. Many who claim to be burned out have simply lost the vision of what they do in the church.

As Stephen fulfilled his assignment, he grew spiritually and ministered as opportunities presented themselves. When Stephen was martyred and persecution erupted against the church, Philip went to Samaria. He actually preached to the Gentiles before Paul. Although he had no specific word concerning his ministry, Philip obeyed the Holy Spirit's direction in his life.

Nicolas, on the other hand, veered off the truth. According to Ireneus and Hippolytus (two leaders in the early church), he originated the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. This doctrine promoted a mixture of paganism (occult) and Christianity.

Application:  Take the general commands of the Word as specific for you. This includes such things as be faithful, study, pursue wisdom, meditate on His Word, to be a light, to have faith in God, to serve one another, to love one another, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, etc.

Develop a pattern of being told once and  doing it repeatedly, instead of being told repeatedly and doing it once.

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If you're visiting the area or looking for a church home, we invite you to our Sunday Morning Service at 10:00 A.M. Children's Church is available for the kids. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd., Warrington, PA. The church phone number is (215) 343-7686. We look forward to meeting you!