What is the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4)?

By ‘ministry of the word’ (Acts 6:4) we mean the teaching and preaching of the word of God to believers. This should be done by those who have received a gift for this (teachers and pastors). This ministry may also have prophetic character: a word from God spoken to the conscience of God’s people. God’s word does not know churches with ‘one man ministry’. In Antioch, there were ‘prophets and teachers’ (not ‘a pastor’, Acts 13:1). Paul says to the Corinthians: ‘How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine... Let all things be done unto edifying’. All must be done in love, and in the holy fear that comes with the presence of God.

Par «service de la parole» (Actes 6, 4) nous pensons à l’enseignement et à la prédication de la parole de Dieu aux croyants. Ce service devrait être exercé par ceux qui ont reçu un don pour cela (les docteurs et les pasteurs). Ce ministère doit avoir un caractère prophétique: une parole de Dieu appliquée à la conscience du peuple de Dieu.

So the apostles continued to give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. For those who are taught the Word comes first (see 1 Tim. 4:5), for we only pray rightly as we are instructed in the Word. For those who minister prayer comes first, for apart from prayer they will not speak the Word aright.

Here it was but a local charge, however important and honourable, to which, as the multitude chose, the apostles appointed. The distinction is as plain as it is complete, but men are apt to view matters of the kind through the medium of habit and prejudice. Their duty was to carry out the distribution of the means for relieving the wants of the Christian community; which would leave the apostles free for the service of the word of God. Their number was doubtless suitable to the requirements of their work. Their qualifications were that they should have a good report, and be full of the Spirit and wisdom. To make their establishment more or other is as common as it is baseless. It would be unaccountable, if men had not objects foreign to Christ, and so to God's word.

'But we,' say the apostles emphatically, 'will give ourselves closely to prayer and to the ministry of the word.' This is much to be weighed. For that service of the word prayer should take the first place. So it was with the apostles, but not so with the Corinthian saints, who forgot not only that power is to be subordinated to order (1 Cor. 14) but that life according to Christ has to be exercised now in holy and constant self-denial, as the prime duty of him who names the Lord (1 Cor. 9). Prayer is the outgoing and expression of dependence, and is so much the more requisite, that the ministry of the word be not in the will or resources of man, but in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, yet in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that the faith of the saints stand not in men's wisdom but in God's power. In the order of the soul's blessing from God the word takes precedence, as we may see in comparing the end of Luke 10 with the beginning of Luke 11, where we have the moral sequence of these two means of grace. Receiving from God goes before drawing near to our Father. But for the due ministry of the word prayer is the great pre-requisite that flesh may afford no occasion to the enemy, and the individual may be a vessel to honour, sanctified, meet for the Master's use, prepared to every good work.

In the early days of the church the apostles appear to have taken an active role in financial administration (4:36–37). But when the number of believers increased significantly and there was an element of discontent among the Greek-speaking Jews who felt ‘their’ widows did not receive a fair share of financial support, the apostles, very wisely, recommended that seven men with spiritual qualifications be chosen to oversee the distribution, and — in an approach of true Christian diplomacy — most if not all of the seven on whom they laid their hands appear to have been taken from among the Hellenists (6:1–6). In the circumstances, it was no doubt wise of the apostles to step back in matters of financial distribution. But they had another reason: their primary service was not administrational but spiritual. Their priority was prayer and preaching, and in that order: ‘but we will give ourselves up to prayer and the ministry of the word’ (v. 4). In personal life the word comes before prayer (Col. 3:16–17; 1 Tim. 4:5). This order gives God opportunity to speak to us first and in this way to form our minds and desires, which will result in more acceptable prayer. But when it comes to the public presentation of the word, this should be preceded by prayer to secure the Lord’s guidance and the Spirit’s power in preaching.

Yet the power of God works through His people to this end, and through weapons which are not carnal but mighty through God. What are these weapons? Well, see the apostles in Acts 6! Well clad in that spiritual armour which enabled them to turn aside the attempt of the "world rulers of this darkness" to divert them from their true service to "serving tables," they address themselves to their proper business saying, "We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word." The ministry of the Word, or as 1 Corinthians 1:18-21 puts it, "the preaching" — "the preaching of the cross," is one great spiritual weapon. Prayer is another.

The word of God is that which we see they recognize as their true sphere of service, and that to which they desire wholly to devote themselves; joining with this prayer, which they put first, as the necessary prerequisite. Without that link of conscious dependence, what gift, — even the greatest, — could at all avail? But here we realize the exceeding importance attaching to it in their minds: "We will give ourselves up to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Is it not here, in fact, that we fail so much, and the ministry of the word fails correspondingly?

The apostles face this matter wisely. Thy had themselves been sent of God to preach the word, not to care for temporal matters. Therefore they ask the assembly to decide on seven reliable men, "full of the Holy Spirit," whom the apostles could appoint to take care of these things, while they gave themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Notice that the assembly may rightly decide who is to take care of temporal matters, the service of a deacon. In reference to spiritual things, the ministry of the word and government in the assembly, the assembly does not at all decide: this is God's decision, to be recognized by all.

But when we come to detail, we find Philip in Acts 8 preaching freely. "But," some will say, "he was chosen of the church." He was not chosen to minister the word. He was chosen, on the contrary, to leave the apostles, unembarrassed by serving the tables, to the ministry of the word. It was expressly for the purpose of relieving the apostles from the secular work, that the seven men were looked out by the multitude, and duly appointed over this lower task; the call of the church was for this only. It was the Lord that called Philip to preach the gospel; and the Lord blessed the word, which extended to and beyond Samaria. (Compare Acts 21:8 for both.)

But when we come to detail, we find Philip in the same chap. viii. preaching freely. "But," some will say, "he was chosen of the church." He was not chosen to minister the word. He was chosen, on the contrary, to leave the apostles, unembarrassed by serving the tables, to the ministry of the word. It was expressly for the purpose of relieving the apostles from the secular work, that the seven men were looked out by the multitude, and duly appointed over this lower task; the call of the church was for this only. It was the Lord that called Philip to preach the gospel; and the Lord blessed the word, which extended to and beyond Samaria. (Compare Acts xxi. 8 for both.)