Serving Tables

The prayer and the ministry of the word in Acts 6:4 is really wonderful, many serving ones would spiritually ambitious be, for this. Yet the Bible reveals another parallel service in the church life, serving tables. Given an option many serving ones would go for the former as it is spiritually and obviously appears more honorable. However, the later, is equally important and must be diligently taken care. The negligence of the later will devoid the former, in fact, without the service of tables, there cannot be the ministry of the word.

Every problem in the Bible and at least, in my experience in the church life, has a root in the matter of serving tables. Acts 6: 1 And in these days, as the disciples were multiplying in number, a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews occurred, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily dispensing. Nehemiah 5:1,2  And there was a great cry of the people and their wives against their brothers the Jews, For there were some who said, With our sons and our daughters we are many; therefore we must get grain that we may eat and live. When the matter of serving tables is not properly cared for all kinds of problems will arise. For man is a physical being, as long as he is in the flesh and blood, serving tables is a necessity. Ignoring serving tables under the guise of the ministry of the word and prayer is a mere slothfulness. Every servant of God must learn to serve tables well before he begins the ministry of the word. Otherwise, his ministry will be just an "empty vessel making much noise."

Recently, the Lord spoke to me and convicted me on this matter. I must learn to serve in the humanity of Jesus as to minister life in the divinity of Christ. A proper and adequate training and learning in serving tables is utmost important before one can maturely minister the word. Even a thorough learning is needed in menial and humble services including cleaning toilets, sweeping and mopping the floor, arranging chairs for the meeting etc. Void of these basic skills would mean void of subjective experiences of being a serving one.

Lord, let me not be overtly minister of the word without a thorough perfecting in many practical services. Lord, balance me in both these services; serving tables and also ministering the word. Grand me the necessary learning of serving tables and the ministry of the word.