Acts 6:3
Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.
I read this verse and cringe for 2 reasons. One, it brings back all the memories from Junior High when I was the skinny kid hearing those words no kid wants to hear: “Fine, we’ll take Jenkins.” But the second reason I cringe is far more serious than the first (because surely counseling can help with that first one, right?), because the verse makes me wonder if I would have been picked at all.
We live in a culture that is all about self-publicity. I’ve said it before, but I am continually amazed at how far people will go on YouTube in an attempt to be discovered, or picked. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame, and so everyone is crashing violently, singing badly, pranking, punking, and fighting while the camera rolls so that they will hopefully become the next big thing. We might as well just wear neon hats that blink and spell out the words, “Pick me! Pick me!” We promote ourselves, our church, our sermons, our pastors as the greatest ever. Pastors announce that their next series is “the best series we’ve ever done at (fill in the name of the best church ever gathered together in worship).” Of course, it’s only the best one until they get the next one ready, and then the next one, and so on, and so on. Is it any wonder that in the age of hype, church attendance is struggling? People come expecting it to be best ever and leave wondering why they even came at all.
And yet, here is Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (v. 5), full of God’s grace and power (v. 8), doing great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (v. 8). He is picked as one of the seven even though he apparently never once asked to be chosen. No self-produced video clip of his ministry in action, so full-color brochure. Just a simple servant, willing to lay hands on sick people with or without the title “One of The Chosen Seven.”
This is what God desires, isn’t it? Not that any of us become the next big thing because of all our efforts to make it happen, but because He looked down and found us busy serving, loving, and seeking people in need of His great power. I want to have what it takes to be a chosen servant, and I pray you do, too.
Serve today when no one is looking, because the One in charge of the team is.
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