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The Acts of the Apostles
power of the Holy Spirit, the work committed to the gospel messengers
was developing rapidly. The church was continually enlarging, and
this growth in membership brought increasingly heavy burdens upon
those in charge. No one man, or even one set of men, could continue
to bear these burdens alone, without imperiling the future prosperity
of the church. There was necessity for a further distribution of the
responsibilities which had been borne so faithfully by a few during the
earlier days of the church. The apostles must now take an important
step in the perfecting of gospel order in the church by laying upon
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others some of the burdens thus far borne by themselves.
Summoning a meeting of the believers, the apostles were led by
the Holy Spirit to outline a plan for the better organization of all
the working forces of the church. The time had come, the apostles
stated, when the spiritual leaders having the oversight of the church
should be relieved from the task of distributing to the poor and from
similar burdens, so that they might be free to carry forward the work
of preaching the gospel. “Wherefore, brethren,” they said, “look ye
out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and
wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give
ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” This
advice was followed, and by prayer and the laying on of hands, seven
chosen men were solemnly set apart for their duties as deacons.
The appointment of the seven to take the oversight of special lines
of work, proved a great blessing to the church. These officers gave
careful consideration to individual needs as well as to the general
financial interests of the church, and by their prudent management and
their godly example they were an important aid to their fellow officers
in binding together the various interests of the church into a united
whole.
That this step was in the order of God, is revealed in the immediate
results for good that were seen. “The word of God increased; and the
number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great
company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” This ingathering of
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souls was due both to the greater freedom secured by the apostles and
to the zeal and power shown by the seven deacons. The fact that these
brethren had been ordained for the special work of looking after the
needs of the poor, did not exclude them from teaching the faith. On