Part 5: Focused and Faithful
Acts 6:4 (NKJV) 4but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Clarify Your Commitment
- Before anything else, the apostles expressed clarity. They knew what God had called them to do—and just as importantly, what He had not. They didn’t allow the urgency of the moment to override the clarity of their mission.
- To “give themselves” meant a total commitment—intentional, focused, and consistent.
- In ministry and leadership, we must learn to define our “yes” so we can protect it from being overwhelmed by other people’s “should.”
“You can’t carry every burden and still complete your assignment.”
The Danger of Exchange
- There is a real danger in allowing the pressure of urgent demands to pull you away from your true purpose.
The danger of exchange leads to:
- Misalignment with purpose.
- Burnout from trying to sustain something never meant for you.
- Regret from realizing you’ve given up what mattered most.
Prioritize Prayer
- Prayer is not a supplement to ministry; it is the foundation.
- Prayer is the place of divine exchange—where weakness is traded for strength, where confusion is met with clarity, and where heaven’s agenda becomes visible.
- If we neglect prayer, we risk working for God without ever working with Him.
Stay in the Word
- The apostles recognized that the health and direction of the Church depended on the consistent teaching of the Word. In a time of growth, tension, and cultural complexity, nothing was more vital than anchoring believers in truth.
- The ministry of the Word is not merely about delivering information—it is about producing transformation.
- Leaders must be students of the Word before they are stewards of people.
The Word doesn’t just feed us, it forms us.