Henry Blackaby went home to be with the Lord recently. His book, Experiencing God, helped a lot of people grow as disciples. In one of his chapters, he speaks about the importance of unity in the church. Blackaby believed the church should never move forward on a decision without unity. What do you think? When the apostles proposed a solution to a problem, it pleased the whole group. Wait. The whole group? That had to be God at work. Out of division came unity.
The people chose seven men who had Greek names to help alleviate the issue of food distribution to the widows. Perhaps, these men were best suited to understand the cultural implications of coming from the Greek-speaking Decapolis near the Sea of Galilee. More importantly, they chose people full of the Spirit and wisdom to resolve the conflict. Nicholas was a convert to Judaism. He may have known what it was like to be on the outside. Most importantly, the apostles commissioned the seven with prayer and the laying on of hands. They reached upward to God in prayer and then outward to touch these men. In the laying on of hands, the apostles confirmed their partnership in the important work and also conferred on them blessing and power.
When there is division in the church, the enemy prevails. While the first church was growing and overcoming external opposition, the enemy sought to devour the early believers by creating a conflict over food. Don’t misunderstand me: the widows’ complaint was legitimate. It needed to be addressed. But the enemy would have derailed the church’s greater work of preaching the good news and praying. Thankfully, the apostles were not outsmarted. They addressed the problem without leaving their most important work.
What divides God’s people today? Real concerns rise in every community of faith. We need to get better at so many things. But the enemy wants to use our concerns to disrupt our greater work of preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. If we are arguing, we are not praying. Being right about an issue becomes more important than getting right with God. We know for sure that is not right. But when we seek the Lord in unity, we keep the main thing the main thing. Consider carefully, what divides your church? Are you part of the problem or the solution? Have you prayed about it?
