16
Nelson’s Manual for Congregational Care
in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” In case you missed them, let me point out the similarities between Acts 6 and Exodus 18. In both chapters a growing tension affected the leaders and the people. This tension threatened to stop God’s work. Sounding like Jethro, the apostles stressed the importance of teaching God’s people God’s ways (Acts 6:2) because the apostles knew that understanding God’s ways will address many needs before they surface. Also like Jethro, the apostles recommended that men with godly character and capabilities help meet the needs (Acts 6:3). Finally, with others focusing on the needs, the apostles could pray and give attention to weightier matters (Acts 6:4). That was what Jethro thought, when he made his suggestions to Moses in Exodus 18. Do you remember the old pastor talking about being the lone milk cow in the pasture? With God’s plan now explained by Jethro and the apostles, he would not have to worry about having nothing left to give, while others still waited for him to give more. He would no longer