Scripture: Acts 6:2"It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables."
Observations:
The early church had a major problem as it experienced rapid growth. As the church grew, so did the needs of its people. The apostles got so busy that they failed to equally distribute the benevolence fund resources among the widows and needy in the church. They made a critical decision that paid huge dividends. Instead of trying to meet all the needs by themselves, the apostles chose to stop doing certain things in the church and instead raise up other leaders to carry out those important tasks.
Application:
When you are leading a growing church, you can't do everything. It's a not an issue of setting the church up to run like a business. Instead, its' a leadership issue and a bandwith issue. There's just not enough time in the day to meet everyones needs.
In fact, it's not just a capacity issue, it's really a clarity issue. If I'm going to be an effective spiritual leader of PCC, I have to say "no" to good things in order to say "yes" to better things. For years I have always kept a "to do" list. Well, today I'm making a "to stop doing" list. Let me share the things I feel God saying to me that I must do here at PCC and all the other things will have to be led by other leaders who are empowered by God and full of his Spirit.
Here are the things that I will always do:
1. Pray and Study - I will give a major portion of my time from this day forward to prayer and to the study of God's Word.
2. Teach - I am the lead communicator at PCC and will give at least 40 percent of my time to preparing messages to help the church grow spiritually.
3. Evangelism - I am a soul winner. So, I will be intentional and strategic by spending time with the lost in our community.
4. Cast Vision - God has called and commanded me to plant PCC and it is my responsibility to hear from God and communicate the vision he has for PCC as we continue to grow.
5. Resource Development - If I cast the vision, it's my responsibility to lead the effort to underwrite and resource that vision.
That's a full plate. So, who's going to do all the weddings, funerals, counseling, administration, benevolence, and on and on and on. We need to continue to raise up leaders here at PCC and empower them to meet the needs of our growing congregation. It's my prayer that this Biblical model which is laid out in Acts 6 will also yeild the same results as the early church experienced. It said in verse 7, "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith."
Prayer:
God, give me clarity today. Help me develop a laser-like focus on the vision and how to carry out the vision you have for PCC. I recognized a long time ago that I can't do it all. Help me let it go and stop worrying about what others might think if I'm not the one at every event and involved in leading every ministry. Please surround me with great leaders who understand this spiritual principle and are willing to be extension of the vision that you have given me for this great church and community. Create a tidal wave of growth this year as we align our resources to share Christ with this community.
