Today’s reading: Acts 6:1-7
The early church had an amazing community factor. But when you have a group of imperfect people working and serving together, there will be conflict. And that’s exactly what we see in Acts 6:1-7. A disagreement arises between two sets of Jews, those who spoke Aramaic and those who spoke Greek (Hellenists), over the assistance being given to the widows of the Hellenist group. When the twelve core disciples learn about this situation, they handle it superbly, and in so doing provide us with a number of lessons on how to lead well. Here are the things I noticed and learned about leading from the disciples through this account.
- They were in touch with what was happening in the community.
- They listened to the complaint and responded in a timely manner.
- They included and worked with other community leaders and members to find a solution and resolve the situation.
- They recognized that they couldn’t and shouldn’t be doing all tasks for this community.
- They focused on their gifting, and as a result, delegated tasks to others.
- They didn’t allow this conflict to pull them off course. They kept the main thing–preaching the Word–the main thing.
What was the most valuable lesson about leading you saw from this passage, and why? How difficult or easy is it for you to delegate tasks? What helps you keep God’s Word front and center when your “to do” list or your plate of tasks is overflowing? Tami
Source: Tami’s Blog
