Acts 6:1-4

¹In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

²So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.

³Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them

⁴and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

The needs of the widows

As the church grew, so did the special needs of the people. It was impossible for the leaders of the church to care for everyone & carry on the ministry of the Word at the same time. So there was a meeting amongst the Apostles and the disciples. Their first concern was the care of the widows, especially their primary need for nourishment. In James 1 the very last verse speaks of "pure religion" is to look after orphans & widows in their distress. We should be paying close attention to the needs of our elderly saints and supplying all their needs, just as the early church patterned for us.

Back to this passage, by appointing qualified, trustworthy men (whom we now call deacons) to see to the needs of their fellow believers, the church leaders could then give themselves totally to the spiritual nourishment of the the church.

There are so many responsibilities upon the leaders of our local churches. The full-time ministers should be in the Word daily to hear the message that God is placing upon their hearts to convey to their congregations. If they are truly vessels of God's Word, it takes time to formulate their sermons. Their message must not be their own, therefore there must be an intimate relationship with God, which takes an enormous amount of time.

Men were chosen for this responsibility, it does not mention women!!! That is not to say that a woman could not prepare food and help the needy, I am sure it was done all the time, however the "responsibility" was assigned to the men. Take note of the importance of this, especially if want to follow the pattern of the early church and enjoy the abundant blessings therein.