~ LISTENING CENTER ~

Date: December 18, 2022 Title: The Need for Servants Passage: Acts 6:1-7 Speaker: Bob Corbin Sermon Note Sheet (PDF) Download Audio Watch it on

* In our exegetical study of the Acts of the Apostles we have seen that God has been adding to the church - sometimes dramatically and sometimes daily. At the conclusion of Peter's teaching to the crowd which gathered, as a result of the healing of the lame man, we are told that the church to 5,000 men (not counting the women and children)! Remember, in Acts 1 we saw that after the Ascension of Jesus there were 120 believers meeting in the upper room. Now, after this event with the lame man and the subsequent interactions with the Sanhedrin, the church was growing even more! * With growth ... comes growth pains. The early church did not get a "pass." As James would later write, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4) * In Acts 6, we are introduced to the first major "internal" test for the church. The great unity that they had was starting to be tested. How would they respond? What would they do? What would be the results?