Every part of the human body has a purpose. My uncle tells about a family member of ours in the Ozark mountains of Missouri. This distant cousin could hit a sign with a rock at a long distance, throwing with his foot?! Hands and arms are made to throw things. Feet and legs seem an odd choice. My uncle explained that the young man had a lot of time on his feet, I mean hands. Investing that time, he perfected a dubious skill.
The church works best when every part of the body fulfills its God-given purpose. Evangelist Junior Hill stood in overalls at a conference and dubbed himself the “big toe” of the body of Christ. Big toes balance the whole body. We need them greatly.
Luke tells us the apostles refused to give up preaching to solve the logistics issue in the Jerusalem church. They took nominations for seven servants who would work on the problem. Notice their credentials. The chosen men did not need to demonstrate an education or experience with supply chain management. But they needed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.
What part would the apostles do, while these God-filled wise servants fed the people? The leaders would devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. Are you surprised by the order? Prayer came before preaching as they prioritized their ministry. It still does. Spurgeon once said that preachers can fake a good Christian life in their sermons. But prayer is a different matter. Our prayers reveal the truth about our spiritual lives. One may fool all the people, but never God.
Earlier Luke tells us that the whole church devoted themselves to praying (Acts 2:42). Their prayer meetings made seismic changes in the city. The leaders of the church devoted themselves to prayer. Listening to God well, they found the words to speak when they taught God’s word. Nobody may pray in our place. Just as every part of the human body needs oxygen to survive, so every Christian needs to pray. Today is a great day to begin.
