Viral: Part 18 - When People Need Help

In Acts 6:1-7 we see how the 12 apostles manage a crisis with great skill. The unity of the church was at risk as the Greek-speaking Christians complained that their widows were being neglected by the Aramaic speaking Christians in Jerusalem. In this text we will see the twelve preserve their priorities while skillfully raising up a team of spiritually qualified Holy-Spirit-filled Greek-speaking Jewish Christians to meet these needs. The unity of the church was preserved and the gospel keeps moving forward. In this text, although they are not called "deacons", these 7 men clearly become the template for this future ministry of service to the church. We also see that the spread of the gospel will include some of the hardest to reach people, the very Sadducean priests who were persecuting the apostles and denying the resurrection of Jesus!