Spirit-Filled Deacons

A pastor in the Philippines once pointed-out to me that in the early Church, even deacons - who served food - were required to be "full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" (Acts 6:3) - how much more ministers.

So that could include everyone appointed to any serving role in the church today - including musicians, youth leaders and sound-desk operators.

We must know they are full of the Holy Spirit - or else over time it could have a bigger impact on our church services - and on our kids - than we might wish for.

Those responsibilities needn't be given just as a way of showing love and acceptance to someone in the church - no matter whether they be son or daughter, and no matter how talented they may be.

In the Church, unlike at a concert, it is spirituality - aka God's grace - the Holy Spirit's gifts and manifestations in and through us - which give life to what we contribute. 

Otherwise it can have the subtle effect over time of dulling-down the level of spiritual manifestations in our services. And then we might wonder why, after two, three, five, seven, even ten or more years in that atmosphere, why some of our kids, who we wanted to develop, still might not have experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit - when all along it might have been we who contributed to creating a church-culture which inadvertently communicated that expressing the fullness of the Spirit isn't all that vital. 

Or worse, one or two of our kids just might not want to go to church any more at all. Remember, they haven't seen the power of God that has fuelled our commitment to church all these years like we were shown the power of God by our forbears - unless we show it to them. 

"...until I have SHEWED THY STRENGTH unto this generation, and thy POWER to every one that is to come" (Psalm 71:18).

And our forbears didn't show it to us in a back room!

Being full of the Holy Spirit needn't be portrayed as optional, nor regarded as something quirky or weird - instead we are creating a church culture where being full of the Spirit is the evident lifestyle even of those appointed to practical serving roles. 

Then our kids too will get full of the Spirit, and we'll see more people from our community and into the next generation saved by JESUS; for it's:

"Not by might, nor by power, but BY MY SPIRIT, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6).

This is the grace of God.