by Pastor Daniel

Introduction Replica Watches
The month of March is a month of preparation to hold our Annual General Meeting.  It is also a time for thanksgiving as we recall and remember the blessings of the Lord upon the church.  With it, it is also a time when we evaluate, discuss and plan for the church.  Thus as a church I wish to thank all FCC members and leaders for your faithful service to the Lord.  As I thought of this month’s article, I thought of the first church with its first organisation from the book of Acts 6.
 
The Growing Church with growing problems
When I was at the conference in Manila, I was amazed by the size of the church I went to - Christ Commission Fellowship which has a membership of more than 20 thousand people.  The church building was constructed to accomodate 10 thousand people.  It was a huge church - it was glorious, it was glamorous.  One leader expressed - “Big Church = big problems too”.  How true.
 
From the book of Acts 6, the opening words are “when the disciples were increasing in numbers” (surely a growing church), “a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews...” (growing problems too).  Problems often cause one to cringe and draw back.  But it was not so for the church of God. 
 
What I see from this passage is actually a threat on the unity and harmony of the church.  Notice that the problem arose among the members of the church.  Like FCC, as we thought of the theme, building a household of faith, surely it means there will be the threat of “breaking” the household of faith.  Will we allow that to happen?  Will God allow that to happen?  Surely not!  The story in the book of Acts is more than a story - it is a testimony of God’s working.  It is afterall, the book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit.  The church did not break up - instead the church grew further through that problem.
 
I want to encourage the church in FCC that as we grow, we anticipate problems but we anticipate the greater work of God as well.  We will always bear in mind the promise that Jesus gave when he said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!”
 
The Growing Church with growing disciples
Let us not forget that the opening words are, “when the disciples were increasing...”, lest we focus on the problem that was presented (Acts 6:1). It is a story of growing disciples.  They were earnest, they were devoted, they were committed to the cause of Christ.  That is why they are called disciples and they were increasing.
While problems may come, we must know that God has equipped the church and God will bless the church.  When we took this journey of discipleship, we knew the demands and the cost.  Yet it is a journey within the will of God as expressed in the Great Commission.  We are to be disciples and we are to make disciples.
 
My next encouragement is that we will not give up in our journey of discipleship.  My prayer is that we would take this road and do so joyfully and diligently.  May each member be a true disciple of Jesus Christ
 
The Growing Church with willing servants
The next thing I noted from this passage is that 7 deacons were chosen.  Not that it is a pattern by which all churches should have only 7 deacons, but from the problem, arose servant-leaders who were committed to the cause of building the household of God.
 
As a pastor, I sometimes have the fear that the outcome of a problem is a fall in leadership.  Someone will choose to drop out of leadership when a problem is confronted.  Much to the sadness of my heart, I have seen this happening time and time again.
 
However the Word of God here shows otherwise.  I noticed something amazing.  The complainers were also those who stepped up to serve.  The names of the 7 deacons showed us that they were all Greek speaking (Hellenists) and they were the ones complaining about the problem.  They were not just problem contributors, they were actually catalyst in solving the problem.  They stepped up!
 
My word of exhortation - may we step up in service when we see problems.  Not just criticize and then step back, but seeing the problem, we step up.
 
Conclusion
The wonder of this story does not end there.  God bless them even more with greater multiplication in number and God  IWC Replica blessed these servants when they became great leaders like Stephen who became the first martyr and Philip the evangelist to Samaria.  As you step up to serve, I believe the Lord will bless you in ways you would not imagine.  Let us BUILD THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH in FCC.