The early Church needed more workers for the harvest (Mt 9:37). The believers were feeding hundreds of people in their community meal and a whole group was overlooked (Acts 6:1). They brought this to the attention of the community, which selected “seven men acknowledged to be deeply spiritual and prudent” (Acts 6:3).

Can your church community do the same? Can you raise up seven deeply spiritual men for full-time service? Most church communities have a small minority of men, many of whom are not mature enough to exercise much leadership. They would be hard-pressed to raise up one or two strong men for full-time service. How did the early Church get all these spiritually mature men?

Through community life, the growth rate of men was greatly accelerated. In true Christian community, we can grow more in one year than in twenty years of isolated, individualized “Christianity.” Community life is the atmosphere conducive to growth and maturity in Christ (see Acts 2:42). Growing anything is not only a matter of working but of climate. Community is the climate in which a Christian can grow.

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