ESOCS Devotional 25 June
TEXT: ACTS 6:1-15
MEMORY VERSE: “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.” Acts 6:3 KJV
Appointment of person into positions whether in the family, community, church, institutions, or government has the capacity to generate internal and external crisis or institute peace and create a harmonious environment. This is fuelled by the fact that those appointed are meant to be servants serving the People. When service is not properly done, as is the case in our text, it generates murmuring and dissatisfaction among the people. It is therefore advisable to those in leadership and authority to watch out for the best qualities before appointments are made, as it may help grow or destroy the system.
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Here is the Apostles model for appointment:
- HONEST REPORT: Anyone to be appointed into any position of leadership must have honest report. It means that he or she must be a person of good character and reputation. Such a person must have integrity; must not be of questionable character. We should avoid appointing the wrong people into positions of responsibility. It is good we note that appointing people without honest report has opened the exit door of the church, and many people have gone away through that unwholesome door. Many persons have left the system because a wrong person was appointed into a particular position. In some cases, the work of God has ceased to grow because a wrong person was appointed into a certain capacity. We should not base appointments in the church of God on sentiments, friendship, and personal or private gains. It should be based on the principle of making the right choices. If we do otherwise, we would offend God; we would take responsibility for the person’s misdeeds and invite God’s punishment on us.
- FULL OF THE HOLY GHOST: What you are full of determines what you will fill the people with, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Luke 6:45). The person to be appointed should be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. This would help to enhance a Holy Spirit filled congregation. If the church must have a right spiritual atmosphere, appointments must be spiritually discerned. A situation where one is filled with the spirit of alcoholism, immorality, hatred, enmity, unforgiveness, bitterness, fraud, etc., what do we expect will be of that congregation.
- WISDOM: This is one major necessity for leadership and administration. There cannot be a successful leadership where wisdom is lacking. People who lack wisdom do not succeed in serious ventures; and the Church of God is a place for serious business, and should be taken as such. Consequently, only the right people should be given appoints.
BOTTOM LINE: Whom you appoint determines the outcome of the congregation.
CHALLENGES
- We must be prayerfully careful while making choice of leaders.
- Never appoint out of sentiment, favouritism; it ruins the system.
- Where you do not know people, make enquiries about them before appointing them.
PRAYER POINT: Father, we thank you for giving us a place for great fellowship. We ask that you will help us never to abuse it by our choice of appointments, in Jesus name. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Ezekiel 21:1-17; 21:18-37; Acts 7:1-19
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ESOCS Devotional 25 June
