Are you meeting regularly with a discussion group? If you meet just once a week, you can find all of this week’s discussion questions in one place right here.
Question: Have you ever been stretched too thin? What happened to you, what happened to all the work you were trying to do? What needed to change? Well that’s your question for today. Have a great discussion, and I’ll see you tomorrow.
Reading:
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. (Acts 6:1 ESV)
Question: Why do you think the Christians were accused of being partial, and neglecting the Jews who were more culturally integrated?
Reading:
And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7 ESV)
Question: Draw a line with servant at one end, leader at the other, and a balacing point in the middle. Where were the apostles? Where was Jesus? Where are you?
Challenge: Alone, or preferably in a group, consider your giftings. Are you more suited to telling others about the good news of Jesus, or showing them with generous actions? Either way, try to do both today. Pray that the Holy Spirit will show you someone to feed. Someone behind you in line, someone camped out on the street, someone who works for or with you, etc. Try to eat with someone every week. When they ask why, just say that as a Christian, you believe in valuing and caring for other people, and that you love eating, so it’s a natural pairing to eat together. See where it goes from there.
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