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.”
How many hats do you wear? Most of us have more than one task -- job -- responsibility. We refer to this as wearing many hats -- one for each type of function we perform.
Occasionally, we are asked to wear a “hat” that doesn’t fit us well. When that happens, the efficiency of the task we perform suffers. We may not have the right skills -- the right ability -- the right discipline -- to do the job properly.
And, sometimes we just wear too many hats!
Wearing too many hats can be devastating to the work you want to accomplish.
In the early days of the Church, the Greek-speaking believers and the Hebrew-speaking believers began to have disputes and issues over how their respective widows were being served. We don’t know the full details, but we have all witnessed how, even today, we have similar issues when we start looking only to our own interests.
In their wisdom, the Twelve knew that they were not able to continue spreading the word of God effectively if they had to also conduct a food program!
They charged the disciples to put forth seven men, all able to meet the Apostles’ criteria of having wisdom and being full of the Spirit. Then, once the responsibilities of serving the widows were given over to these seven men, things were much smoother for all. And, the lack of disputes allowed the work of the Apostles flourish:
Acts 6:7: So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
If you are a spiritual leader, what hats are you wearing? Do they all fit you well? Or -- are you trying to wear a hat that would better fit another’s head?
Trying to hold on to all the hats -- trying to do it all yourself -- can actually hinder the work you want to do! Sure, there is some satisfaction in knowing “you did it yourself,” and your hat rack might look good with a hat on every peg -- but was the work done as well as it could have been? Did something else you should have been doing get neglected?
Look around you. Others are ready and willing to help. Sure, they might not perform the task you give them the way you would do it -- they may even do it better!
By giving others a part in the work, you allow them to learn how to stretch, gain strength, and grow in their own usefulness for the Lord. Don’t underestimate the abilities of those around you -- you might just be giving a young David the courage he needs to pick up a few rocks...
1 Cor. 12:18-19: But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?
