THE KING ’S BUSINESS
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be a true Christian. Note' carefully that praying is put first. The man who does not pray can not satisfactorily minister the Word. More ministers and more Chris tians generally fall through neglect of prayer than through any other cause. Pray ing is the thing that we should keep at, that we should “ continue steadfastly” in. But next to praying stands the ministry'of the W ord; and here too, is the second greatest place o f failure among the ministry, failure through not .ministering the Word. There are many who preach everything but the Word. If we are to minister the Word we must certainly persistently give ourselves to the study o f it, and having studied it and understood if we should minister it. These words, “we will continue 'steadfastly in prayer, and the ministry o f the W ord” should be the motto of every minister of the Gospel and from this purpose he should allow nothing to turn him away. Wednesday, November 8. Acts 6:5-7. Notice the names o f those who were chosen to be the first deacons. The church in Jerusalem was largely Hebrew or Jew ish, but every one o f these seven deacons was a Greek name, indicating that they were Grecian Jews. .The church at Jeru salem evidently displayed a generous spirit in the choice o f its deacons. The “ Grecian Jews” had made a complaint that their widows were neglected in the daily minis tration (v. 1 ), and so in choosing deacons, to minister funds o f the church they chose them from the very party that thought that they were not fairly treated. The two dea cons first named, Stephen and Phillip, soon developed into preachers, and mighty preachers at that. As far as the record goes these two deacons outstripped most of the apostles in real Achievement for God. The deacons were set apart for the work to which they had been chosen by prayer and by the laying on o f hands. . The laying on o f hands was symbolical o f two things, fellowship and the imparting o f the Holy Spirit, and doubtless a real blessing came to the deacons as the hands o f the apostles
carefully the kind o f men that the apostles considered necessary to look after even the temporal.affairs o f the church: (1) They should be “men of good repute,” no men o f doubtful reputation should be chosen to look after the finances of the church merely because he is rich or because he is a shrewd business man. If any man is not testified to as to his integrity and Christian char acter he should not be elected to any church office. (2) They should beA'full of the Spirit.” How careless some churches are in choosing their officers, especially the offi cers who look after the financial matters, o f the church, they never ask “are these men full of the Spirit?” (3) “ Full of wis dom." There are many men who are deemed spiritual but who* certainly haven’t much sense in some directions. However good these, men may be they ought never to be chosen for deacons. I f a man is really “ full o f the Spirit” he will be “ full of wisdom,” for the Holy Spirit is a spirit of-power, o f love, and o f sound mind (more accurately, sound sense 2 Tim. 1 :7) ’ The body o f believers was to choose these dea cons; the apostles were' simply to install them in office after the church had selected them- While these men attended to the temporalities the apostles were to “ continue steadfastly in prayer, and the ministry of the Word.” This defines the minister’s business, praying and ministering the Word. These are the two things which are to engage his attention. These are the things which he is to do, not merely occasionally, but “to continue in steadfastly.” It is sometimes said “that a "minister should know more about books than a school teacher,.more about politics than a poli tician, more about medicine than a doctor, more about sociology than a college pro fessor.” No, that is nonsense, it is impos sible. But there are two things in which the ministry should be pre-eminent; first o f all he should be pre-eminent in prayer, and second he should be pre-eminent in the ministering o f the Word. Praying and ministering the W ord is the ministers’ prin cipal business and it really should be the principal business o f everyone who would
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