WAITING ON TABLES...ACTS 6

August 14, 2014 at 12:27am

The story of the early Church tells it all. The Hellenist Widows and the Hebrew Widows were soon eyeing each other over meals. Quite common in our day too right as in who had the big Tilapia or who had 2 Sodas when we are all to have 1 each etc.etc.

What did the leaders of the Church do? Chose men whom they could trust to wait on tables hence:

 " “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, 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 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” ACTS 6:2-4.

 The rightly chose to give their attention to prayer and ministry of the Word ie. preaching and teaching, which is the core ministry of the Church. Remember our Lord's own admonition that the reason He came was to teach unto salvation. This TRUTH must not be lost to the Church.

 Mark 1:38 is the authority for this assertion.

While not demeaning social responsibilty the disciples stressed on the core ministry and gave others that responsilbility. It is noteworthy and indeed revealing that in choosing the Dining Hall managers, the church 

"... chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.  They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them."  Two things: The Head manager, Stephen was 'full of faith and of the Holy Spirit'; the Apostles 'PRAYED AND LAID THEIR HANDS ON THEM'.

Amazing and worth aping this is. Not the man with the best or latest car or who works with the Bank of America or the Lady with this or that... men full of faith and of the Holy Spirit upon whom hands had been laid. Dining hall prefects! 

This is an indication that every role in the Church small or big, conspicious or not must be birthed and maintained in faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit. There is no question of some Teachers, Prayer Warriors  while some others just do the work. In our parlance the Kweku Ananse who prays and the Kwwku Ananse who shares Soda after service. Every one is involved in every spiritual activity.

It is indeed heartwarming that of all the Apostles and leaders of the early Church, the Head Dining Hall prefect, Stephen became the FIRST MARTYR. Testimony about him always give me goose bumps :

"Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen.  But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. [Vrs. 8-10]

No wonder he was martyred and received a standing ovation from the Lord as he died pleading like his Master for forgiveness for his killers. Our Lord Bible says sits at God's right hand pleading for us but hear Stephen's last words:

“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Let's choose men and women who serve, for that is the meaning of ministry, in every role in the Church and MAY THEY BE LIKE STEPHEN.

MUCH ADO ABOUT….Nothing?

By Karen Ama Owubaa Essiful-Ansah,

Christ The King Ghana Methodist Church,Bethlehem,GA

The story of the anointing of Jesus by a woman or Mary of Bethany has had its bit of discussion, debate and discourse but has it sticken you as closely related to the triumphant resurrection story?

The Resurrection story is an important climax of the Christian story, in fact it is such that without it, there would not have been a greater antithesis to it all.THANKFULLY, as Apostle Paul confirms:

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

[1 Corinthians 15:14-20]

This, in my humble view,is the best part of the story, like the last piece of meat on the fufu that no one must steal or seize.

In discussing the triumph of Easter Sunday however we could gloss over the epic account of the anointing of our Lord Jesus and its many lessons. This story appearing in each of the Gospels variously recounted as from each writer’s perspective.

Many have discussed issues raised therein such as the expensive oil used to be nard and the disciples especially Judas’ contempt for the act as if the Lord and His sacrifice on Calvary could be compared to it; or to the meaning of Jesus’ saying the poor will always be with you. Some opine that by so saying our Lord confirmed that poverty will always be part of humanity but truly this curse must not be any one’s portion I humbly submit. More so if we have, by faith , appropriated the sacrifice on Calvary, by which He became a curse for us to cancel every curse.

Indeed the accounts vary and the discussions are endless but many basic aspects, for example, that it was a woman and she had expensive oil and poured it on our Lord are all established.

However one looks at it, this story thrills and is a palpable missing piece of the Resurrection story. In one way or the other it goes to confirm prophecy in its own small way. Our Lord in rebuking the critical minded at the scene told them that this act prepares my body for burial. How is that possible- a living being anointed for burial? The truth is that the Lord was speaking into the future which as with all other prophecies about His death came to pass.

When the Lord died it was Friday, we will let the Bible do the talking:

“Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.” [John 19: 31]

Our Lord had long before then, commended His Spirit into God’s hands and fallen asleep. [ Luke 23: 46] Consequently, the hardened criminals, still alive had their legs broken to hasten their death and our Lord received a piercing in his side which resulted in the anatomy defying flow of both water and blood from the wound.

The Body of our Lord was thus hurriedly bound in grave clothes and thrown into secret Disciple, Joseph of Arimathea’s borrowed tomb. The circumstances thus prevented the grief- stricken family and followers from properly bathing, anointing and embalming him for burial as per Jewish custom and traditions. We would recall the Bible stating in Mark 16:1, “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.”

They thus went there to do what they could not do days earlier, not because they did not care about their beloved but because the circumstances of the time made it impossible.

Instead oh what a SURPRISE greeted them.

The Lord thus rightly declared that the act by the woman of Bethany indeed prepared His body for burial.As a result of this singular act whatever preparations had to be done but could not be done, were fulfilled.Jewish customary rites were strictly adhered to by true Jews.The Lord was the last to go against the traditions. It is noteworthy that when Our Lord had healed a Leper he [Jesus] asked him to go the priest and pay whatever he heeded to do as subscribed by the Laws of Moses. [Luke 5:14]

When therefore the Lord said what the woman had done will be praised wherever the Gospel is preached He was also right.It is today and will be tomorrow. Indeed until our Lord returns sermons and exhortations on this topic will continue.

However we learn from this act that not every kindly deed we do will be immediately rewarded. Many will be ‘praised’ later,even so in Heaven. Her unique sacrifice was then seen as a waste but her reward is great in Heaven.

Further the perfume according to the account by Apostle John was so very expensive, indeed it was said to cost 300 denari, a whole year’s wages for a worker of the day, and such that it’s fragrance filled the whole house, not just that room. And why not? Our Lord deserves only the best. Afterall He is Lord of all, owner of all, the earth is His and the fullness thereof [Psalm 24].

Besides when one is doing something for His Lord and Master, one must do something remarkable.The action should make Headlines in the news media of Heaven and cause angels to marvel. We must learn from her unique achievement. We must excel in things of God - no matter the cost.

As for Judas and his fellow naysayers, they will always be there but we need to be determined like Mary of Bethany to give our Lord our utmost best. It is noteworthy that Judas like many of such people often have bad motives for their ‘supposed’ advice to us. Besides our people say aptly and succinctly “ Nyame wo som no amandze a me hu” [One worships or serves God as per one’s own personal experiences]. Let not others’ derail our worship of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In conclusion, the Lord, as recounted by Matthew and Luke, described the woman’s act as a beautiful thing. May our daily acts be seen by Him as beautiful, notable, worth aping and above all let it not be said to be ‘much ado about..NOTHING’.

Defending a defied God with Five stones chosen from The Brook- The story of 1 Samuel 17

Defending a defied God with Five stones chosen from The Brook- The story of 1 Samuel 17

By Sis Karen Ama Owubaa Essiful-Ansah, Christ The King Ghana Methodist Church,Bethlehem,GA, USA

The epic story of David slaying Goliath of Gath has been an all time favourite for many. For me it was the very first Scripture lesson I read at Calvary Methodist Church, Adabraka during those golden years of the Calvary Students’ Association [CASA] God rest the soul of Lawyer B.A. Yankson of blessed memory; he helped make many of us excel in teen ages.

To me reading and rereading the story as beautifully and poignantly recounted in 1 Samuel 17 is a kind of a hobby hence a few observations I dare to explore with readers. David was a young man or a teenager it is believed when he achieved this feat.Otherwise he like his three older brothers would have followed Saul to war as the Bible put it ( a beautiful way of putting conscription if you ask me) Besides Numbers 1:3  states that every male twenty years and above was liable for conscription into the army.

He thus served at home as a shepherd boy and also a courier for Jesse, his aged father who like all of Israel of the day was anxious about the war taking place “at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah;... between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim”. [Vrs.2]

David’s journey began after, as a responsible young man, he had left his sheep to another ensuring that his journey would not affect his own daily chores. As God would have it he arrived just when Goliath the Giant of Gath ( Mr.G.G.G I call him) had began daily tirade of insults and taunts which saw valiant Jewish soldiers scrambling for hideouts just in case he picked one of them. Hear him ‘Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” [Vrs.8 & 9]

A curious and bewildered David needed explanation and he got it and more - a bounty for the one who slew Mr G.G.G. Come to think of it, was it not a war? Why then would one side bring a giant and ask one of Israel to fight and not only that add that when the obvious happened ‘then you shall be our servants and serve us.’[Vrs 9] All's fair in love and war, it is said but that reflects satan’s modus operandus. He always strikes at the weakest and during the weakest point of time. The Bible says women are the weaker sex [1 Peter 3:7] and so he ‘attacked’ Eve and here we are today. [Genesis 3]

David however showed strength young as he was for “he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking” [Vrs 42] and that according to the Bible angered Mr G.G.G. It is noteworthy that Satan detests the innocent,virginity, beauty and true elegance as the Lord God Almighty made them. The high rate of sexual immorality including abominations of homosexuality, lesbianism and  the transgender are aimed at destroying the beauty of man as He made it. Innocence and virginity are great assets - Jesus had to come through a virgin. What would have been our plight if there was no virgin Mary at the appointed time? We would have died in our sins.Satan will always seek to destroy God’s elegant creation but as usual Psalm 2:4 is right for God laughs...last.

Again we learn that David was found with naysayers who happen to be his own family - his brother Eliab in this case. They will always be there for the Bible again says a man’s enemies will be in his own home [ Matthew 10: 36] and didn’t our Lord again say a Prophet is not accepted in his own home, see how few miracles He was able to perform in his own Hometown.[Mark 6:4] It is advisable therefore to do as David did - turn to someone else [Vrs 30]

Further noteworthy is that he was to appear before Saul because someone must have heard his own ‘holy tirade’ - ‘ For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”, and reported it to King Saul.[Vrs. 26b]

So he was asked to walk his talk and he this he did. He did not scramble for shelter but boldly appeared before a distraught  Saul who most likely was expecting a fellow 6-footer ready to remove Israel’s shame. Instead here was this teen shepherd saying ‘  “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’ [Vrs 33] ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth’, [Vrs 36] was Saul’s way of saving this teen he hardly knew from certain death and Israel from slavery at the hands of the uncircumcised.Yes David was right about that but surely Israel deserved better.

David had a story to tell him though. Doesn’t the Bible say also that we overcome by His blood and our testimonies?[Rev.12:11] David thus declared : ‘Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”[Vrs 34-36] And again ‘“The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”[Vrs. 37] Oh what a testimony, no wonder Saul said to him “Go, and the Lord be with you!”. Oh that we would send off our children, family, church members to various daily endeavours in like terms and with such a shout of triumph!!

Another eye-catching aspect of this story comes in at this time. Saul in a bid to aid David and invariably the Lord, clothed David in his own war accoutrements. Imagine David, a young man clothed in 6-foot man’s intricate war garb. Thank God David took them off. Hear him,’ I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.’[ Vrs. 39] Testing and trying are important in every aspect of life and knowing what to do at every point in time is a gift from God called Discernment.[1 Corinthians 12:10]

So off he went with what he had tested and knew - a shepherd’s staff and a sling. Remember he had once sang ‘Thy rod and staff they comfort me’ [Psalm 23:4b], he knew it well and the sling too; and again he carried a shepherd’s pouch into which he usually kept stones for the sling and other items. Apparently he had no stones at the time so he stopped by a brook or stream and carefully chose five smooth stones! It is noteworthy that the Bible says he chose [NKJV]. Chose denotes a careful selection of five stones. Is it not interesting that our Lord’s name has five alphabets [JESUS] and again that he picked them up from the Brook? The Brook/Stream..which Brook/Stream? ‘The’ is definite...Ok the one close by. We know however that water in Biblical terms signifies the Holy Spirit. So come to think of it all three were present but seemingly hidden in this saga - defending a defied God with Five stones chosen from The Brook. David went to war with THE TRINITY- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is to say the least the summary of 1 Samuel 17.  Any wonder he slew the giant?

Thus fully equipped for battle David drew near to the giant who had according to the Bible a man with him who bore his shield bearer [Vrs. 41] The man was a giant why did he need a man to go before him? Satan always falls short is the best way to understand it. Hymnist George Duffield Jnr. put it aptly ‘The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.[MHB 820]

When David run towards the two and in effect the enemy army however he had The Triune with him.

The Giant should have laughed at what he saw - a boy, bearing a rod and sling and so inappropriately dressed for battle. Instead he was full of disdain and cursed as he scurried towards David [ Vrs. 43& 44] To this David made the all time declaration which I would rather reproduce ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.[Vrs 45-47]

And it came to pass. The Lord indeed did proved that He saves not with sword and spear  indeed every battle of ours is the Lord's.

How it played out must not be missed. Having heard negative confession and cancelled it out with Words of faith, the Bible says he hurried and ran towards the giant and the enemy camp - a one man army equipped with staff, sling and The Triune God. Any wonder what ensured? One Stone was all David needed  and it was a ‘one touch’ action. He did not need to ‘re-load’ his sling, strategize as in adapt plan B etc. The very first stone he swung hit the giant, the Bible says he fell face downwards [ Vrs 49]. His face to the earth not vice versa? Science will establish that the impact and force of the stone on a forehead should push the ‘recipient’ backwards.

Yet the Lord who is Lord of Hosts, in charge and in control, whose dignity the lonesome warrior had dared redeemed proved Himself mighty again. Remember David testified that he was only a boy or young man but he had killed lions and bears who attacked his sheep. Only a few like Sampson and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel [2 Samuel 23:20] are on record to have killed lions. David was only a boy but he was able to kill lions and bears and now a giant because the Lord was with him. Goliath of Gath like Dagon the gods of the Philistines fell face down in ‘worship’ before the One and Only God,our God always has a memorable way of telling us that He indeed in God.

‘ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.’ [Vrs 51]

END OF STORY.

No... please go on...David run to body and cut off the big heavy head of Mr G.G.G. We can all imagine the shout of joy, the dance, the crazy moves - picture Ghanaians celebrating a Black Stars’ goal. Oh how I wish I could put here an emojon!!!

When the day was over a shepherd called David Ben-Jesse of Bethlehem [Vrs.58b] went to visit his warrior brothers, chose to defend His God’s honour and came home the Greatest Warrior of his day and age.

What a story, what a testimony, what lessons!!