As we have been looking at the formation of the first church
in our study of Acts, we have seen that various demonically inspired attacks on
the church were occurring through persecution, through hypocrisy, and through
intimidation. But in each
situation we have seen that rather than these attacks defeating the church, it
only served to make it stronger, make it increase, and make it more
effective. We see the church becoming
as a result of various trials more united in doctrine, more purified in spirit,
more bold in preaching the gospel, and more effective at winning the lost.
Now as we enter chapter 6, we see the devil continue his
relentless attacks on the church and it’s disciples, and yet in spite of that,
the word of God increasing. It
reminds me of that secular saying you sometimes see in gyms, “whatever doesn’t
kill me, makes me stronger.” In a
similar fashion, God uses trials and tribulations to strengthen the church. Our sovereign God even uses things
which are meant to us for evil, for our good. As Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things
to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose.” The trials
and attacks on the church will not prevail against it, even as the head of the
church, Jesus Christ, promised, but will only serve God’s purposes to purify
and prove and profit the church.
So it is the case in the passage we come to today. Satan works through the selfish desires
of men to provoke them to jealousy, to cause factions to develop in the church,
to cause grumbling to begin in what up to this point has been the honeymoon
period of the church, and yet God will use it for good, to bring about ever
more consecration, more effectiveness, and more participation. He will use it to multiply the ministry
of the apostles in an even greater way.
And this is the desire of God for all men, that they grow
into maturity in Christ. Far too many people think that coming to Christ is the
end of their journey rather than the beginning of new life, the beginning of a
journey of faith. If you ask the
typical person about their conversion, chances are they will spend an
inordinate amount of time telling of all their exploits and sordid details of
their life before they came to Christ, and then in a dramatic flourish, wrap it
all up with a description of the moment that they were born again. And then that’s it. When you ask them what they have done
since then with this new life that they have in Christ, a lot of people can’t
add much more than they now belong to such and such church, and they go there
every Sunday or so. That is the
extent of their conversion experience.
But that was never the full intent of God saving us. God didn’t save us just so we could go
to church, but so that we might become the church. The church is not a organization, but an organism. It is made up of living stones, Peter says in 1Peter
2:5, which “are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” So the principle then is that once we
are made alive in Christ, we become united in a spiritual body with other
believers, which congregation constitutes a temple of God, where we offer up
our very own lives as sacrifices to God for service. That is true worship.
I’m afraid that the idea of worship in modern Christianity has been
tragically distorted today.
Worship is not just showing up once a week and singing a few songs and
clapping your hands. But worship
is bowing your knee to Christ as Lord,
consecrating your life in service to God, sacrificing your life for His
purposes and serving His body, doing His will. That’s what Romans 12:1 says is our purpose now that we are
saved, “to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship.” So our salvation is not the ending point, but the starting
point of our walk of faith.
So that is sort of what was starting to happen in the church
in Jerusalem. There had been an explosion of growth, maybe 20,000 people were
now part of the church. And it
says in the closing verses of chapter 5 that the apostles were continuing to
preach the gospel in the temple daily and from house to house. But what was also happening was a
tendency on the part of some of the congregation to come to church, to hear the
message, and to receive the ministry of the apostles, but yet to stop at that
point. They were sort of stuck at
the level of infancy as a new born in Christ, and were not pressing on towards
maturity. They saw church as how it benefitted them, and they had not
progressed to the point of benefitting others.
You know, this progression kind of parallels the great
commandment of Christ, the summarization that He gave of the law. Jesus said the greatest commandment was
to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and
all your strength. That was the
foremost commandment. But then the
second great commandment is like unto it, that is that you love your neighbor
as yourself. And that is sort of
represented here in this problem that surfaces in the church. They are all together worshipping God
and listening the preaching of the apostles, but some were falling short of the
application of the gospel, which is to love one another, even as Christ loved
the church and gave Himself up for her.
And see that is the progression of maturity that was lacking
at this point. The point where you
don’t just go to church, you start being the church. Where you don’t just receive grace, but you start showing
grace. Where you don’t just come
to be served, but to serve. And
that is where God wants us to be, and where we start bearing fruit. Where we don’t seek spiritual gifts for
how they might edify us, but we seek spiritual gifts that edify the church,
that build up the body.
So this is the problem in the church at Jerusalem. Let’s break it down somewhat and then
see how we might apply what we learn from this to our church, to our
lives.
Luke says in vs. 1 that at the time when the church was
increasing, it was growing, things were happening, the problem surfaced. As I said, God will use even this
problem to further the church and His purposes, but at this point we see that
grumbling and murmuring spring up because there is a complaint on the part of
some in the congregation that their needs weren’t being met the way they
thought they should. It takes the
form of a complaint, of murmuring and grumbling. I think that Satan had filled the hearts of some of the
congregation there with jealousy.
Oh, their motives sound righteous enough. I mean, who can fault them for being concerned about the
needs of widows? But I don’t think
that their complaint was much more than a self righteous covering for jealousy
on the part of the Hellenistic Jews towards the Hebrews.
This is actually similar to what happened with Ananias and Sapphira. They were really jealous of the
attention that Barnabas and others received from the church when they brought
in their proceeds from selling their property. There was nothing wrong with bringing in money and giving it
to the church. That is a good
thing. What was sinful about it
was that they were jealous of the attention that others received, and they
wanted to get in on it, and so they lied about how much they were giving. But the root of their sin was jealousy,
which lead to hypocrisy and pride.
There was nothing wrong with caring for widows either. James says that pure and undefiled
religion is caring for the widows and orphans. So that is a good thing. But if the Hellenistic Jews had really cared that much about
the widows not receiving as much as the Hebrew widows, then why didn’t they do
something about it themselves? Why
didn’t they take it upon themselves to personally provide for the Hellenistic
widows? Well, the answer is that the
widows needs weren’t really the issue.
The issue was that they somehow felt shorted in the church, they somehow
felt slighted because they were not native Hebrews but had been raised in
Greece and spoke Greek, and they developed a certain degree of jealousy towards
the native Hebrews. And so I think
they used the issue of the widows as a pretext for their grumbling, which was
really directed at the apostles leadership. That was the real issue. I can’t know the exact reason, but it was probably
ethnically motivated. The native
Hebrews would have been people who lived in Jerusalem. The Hellenistic Jews were people who
had been dispersed throughout Greece and the surrounding areas. They had been visiting Jerusalem during
the feasts, had been saved perhaps on the day of Pentecost or when Peter
preached following the healing of the lame man. And so they had not gone back home but stayed in Jerusalem. Some may have had legitimate needs that
were provided for when people brought in money to the church during the initial
services. But here it is a few
weeks later, or maybe even a few months later, and maybe they weren’t getting
the money given to them that they once received. And maybe they became jealous of the people who were still
receiving financial help from the church and they wanted to attribute it to
some sort of favoritism on the part of the apostles. Rather than realizing that by now they should be giving
rather than receiving, they became jealous of those that were receiving. They were jealous because some people
had more than they had.
And so they murmured against the apostles. That is what happened when the children
of Israel left Egypt, remember?
They ended up murmuring and complaining and grumbling against Moses
because they were not eating as well as they would like. They said they had eaten better when
they were slaves in Egypt, and now Moses had brought them out to the wilderness
to starve. They complained against
Moses leadership. And that
murmuring spirit caused God to discipline them and ultimately did not let the original
generation enter the Promised Land.
So that is what was going on in the church. Everything is going great, God’s word
is abounding, people are coming into the church, and then suddenly selfishness
and petty jealousy works it’s way into the congregation and the whole
congregation goes from being of one accord and having all things in common, and
being of one spirit, to suddenly being divided, being jealous towards one
another and complaining about the leadership of the church. Sounds like a
pretty typical church, unfortunately.
So let’s look at how the apostles handled this problem. They show a sense of discernment that
is really amazing, and could only be wisdom given by the Holy Spirit. Their answer to this complaint, which
is really against them as the leadership of the church, is found in vs. 2; “So
the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not
desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.
Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full
of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
I love these guys.
They were just uneducated, humble fishermen, but now they have been
filled with the Holy Spirit, that means controlled by the Holy Spirit by the
way, and so they now have the wisdom of Solomon. And that wisdom is amazing. Rather than getting defensive, rather than striking the
complainers dead on the spot, rather than even confronting them in their sin of
jealousy, they put the ball squarely back in the court of the complainers.
But first of all they establish their priority. They say right off the bat, that their
priority is the ministry of the word and prayer. That is the priority of a pastor, by the way. I used to be confused when I was first
starting out in ministry by people telling me that if I wanted to be a pastor then
I had to have a pastor’s heart. I
wasn’t sure what a pastor’s heart was, but I was led to believe that it was
characterized by someone who enjoyed going to hospitals and visiting sick
people and liked funerals. I know
how that sounds, but that is what I thought. And it took me a while to understand that is not the primary
ministry of the pastor. That sort
of thing may happen in the process of being a pastor. But it is not the primary purpose of the pastor. The primary purpose is to preach the
word of God. And the study of the
word and prayer is the means by which God accomplishes that, by submitting to
the word of God and seeking to be filled by God so that we might speak the word
of God. Everything else a pastor
encounters in ministry flows from first being filled with the word of God and
praying for God’s wisdom and strength to do what He tasks us to do. Recognizing that it is not about my
articulation, my ability to capture and hold and audience, my skill at oratory,
my compassion to the sick, my ability to be a good listener, or my training in
counseling. None of those things
are worth anything if I am not preaching the word of God, the whole counsel of
God. That is my first
priority, to preach the word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove,
rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering and patience.
So I love the apostles because they won’t accept the
complaint made against them. They
say it is not desirable that we should wait on tables and neglect the word of
God. You know, I have wrestled
with that one from time to time. I
used to be in the restaurant business.
And there was a time in the beginning of this church when I had to work
part time jobs in order to support myself. And to tell you the truth, I could still benefit from that
today many times and still find myself doing side jobs occasionally to try to
make ends meet. But there came a
time in the ministry of this church when I said that it was not desirable to
neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. And when I made that commitment, to give the Lord all of my
time and resources and trust Him to provide, then not only did my finances
improve, but my preaching improved, and the church was benefitted.
Paul said in 1Cor. 9:14 “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to
get their living from the gospel.”
And I will not apologize for that.
But more importantly I cannot let myself get distracted by the pursuit
of money or trying to live according to some standard of living that the world
puts out there as normal. I must
keep my priority in line with God, and let God determine my standard of living.
So the apostles said this is what we are going to do, this
is our priority, the ministry of the word and prayer, and this is what you are
to do. Select 7 men, of good
reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom whom we may put in charge of
this task. So they essentially
say, there is a physical need here in the church? Great, select some people from among you to take care of
it. But we are not going to be
distracted from our duty. Your
duty is to love one another, to serve one another, to think more highly of one
another than you do yourselves.
That is the commandment, to love one another. To serve one another.
So then do it. Select 7
godly men from among the congregation to take the lead in this.
Now there is a debate in theological circles as to whether
or not these men were appointed as the first deacons or was this some other
position. But the fact is that the
title of deacon is not used. But diakoneĊ
is used, which means to serve, to be a servant. And that is the same word is sometimes rendered as deacon
later in the epistles. We do know
that they were called the seven in Acts 21, as Philip was at that point an
evangelist, but he was still called one of the seven.
So I tend to think that these men were more than deacons,
because as we have seen Philip was an evangelist, and Steven was a preacher and
worked great signs and wonders, and we will be looking at his brief but
powerful ministry next week. I
think that they were specially appointed representatives of the apostles
themselves, who were granted a similar ministry, with similar gifts as the
apostles were given. Furthermore,
though we don’t know anything about the other five, we do know that Philip and
Steven had been part of the 70 disciples that Jesus commissioned and sent out
ahead of Him. So these were men
that had been with Jesus just as the apostles had.
But what I think is instructive here is not perhaps readily
apparent in the text, but it is there nonetheless. And that is this, these men were the foremost members of the
congregation, who rose to fill the need of the body from the ranks of the body,
and as such were examples for the rest of the church to emulate. This was the means by which the
apostles worked to bring the body of the church from the position of mere
spectators, to engaging in the life of the body.
And when I say that they were examples for the rest to
follow that is backed up by the word that bookends the passage in vs. 2 and vs. 7, which was
disciples. The early Christians
were not yet called Christians, they were called disciples. And so these men first of all were
disciples of Christ, and so they became examples of servants that the rest of
the church could emulate and follow.
That is why the apostles set such high standards for this
position. By the way, they were
not necessarily waiters, who waited on tables. That is not what is being described here. What tables indicates is money
tables. As the money was collected
into the church it was disseminated to the needy, the widows being most
emblematic of the needy that were in the church, but not necessarily just
widows, but anyone that needed assistance.
But notice the standards that the apostles set for this
position. First of all, they
specified that it was to be men.
God has ordained that men are to be the leaders of the church. It doesn’t mean that women can’t serve
the church, but these leaders, these diakoneo, these servants, should be
men. And that is a pattern that is
followed throughout all the epistles.
It was the pattern of Jesus who commissioned 12 men to be His apostles,
and 70 men to be His disciples.
And I do not think it is up for debate. I don’t think it’s just a cultural issue. Paul makes it clear that it is a
theological issue in 1 Timothy 2:12, where he says, “I do not allow a woman to
teach or exercise authority over a man” speaking of in the church. The men are to be the spiritual leaders
in the home and in the church, and when that gets out of order, then you are
asking for trouble. I’m sorry if
that offends your cultural sensibilities.
I didn’t write the Bible, I merely tell you what God says in the Bible.
Secondly, they were to be men from in the church. “From among you…” See, the apostles are trying to teach
them that the work of the ministry is to be performed by the church body, the
saints. It’s not just clergy that
do the work of ministry. But God
has called every part of the body to participate in the working of the
body. There are a variety of
gifts, because there are a variety of things to be done in the church. The apostles are bridging the gap
between the laity and the clergy.
There really is not supposed to be a situation where the clergy does
everything and the laity just shows up.
But the church is a living organism, made up of living stones which are
built up together into a temple unto God.
Thirdly, they were to be men of the church, of good
reputation. This is so
practical. How can people emulate
someone who doesn’t have a good reputation? How can you follow the example of someone who has a bad
reputation? And it’s not just a
good reputation in the church either, by the way. It’s a good reputation in the community, in their business,
in the marketplace. So that they
will not be a stumbling block to the gospel. That is why purity is so important. You cannot claim God and live like the
devil. You cannot be a leader in
the church and continue in sin.
Your testimony is important to the church body, that you do not bring
shame upon the cause of Christ.
Fourthly, they were full of the Holy Spirit. How can a man have discernment? How can a man have wisdom? Only when he is filled with the Holy
Spirit. We aren’t talking about
some holy roller running around speaking gibberish or talking about some weird
vision he has seen. We are talking
about someone who lives a life under the control of the Holy Spirit. That’s it, plain and simple. He is not characterized by a life in
the flesh, a worldly life, but a life dominated by the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is
like a ship under sail, moved along by the power of the wind. That is being filled with the Holy
Spirit. God will not contend with
the spirit of the flesh. We
crucify the flesh so that we might be filled with the Spirit, be under the
control and guidance and power of the Spirit.
Fifthly, they were to be men of wisdom. Wisdom comes as a result of being filled
with the Spirit. Relying upon the
word. Crucifying the flesh. Not dependant upon the carnal wisdom of
this world, but submissive and obedient to what God has told us in His word. Wisdom is the application of
knowledge. That is simply being
obedient to the conviction of the Holy Spirit through the word of God.
Now those are the kind of leaders you want in a church. Those are the kind of servants you want
in a church. Those are the kind of
men that you can emulate, that would serve as examples to the rest. I saw a post yesterday which quoted John
Wesley, who said, ““If I had 300 men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing
but sin, and determined to know nothing among men but Christ, and Him
crucified, I would set the world on fire.” If I were to change that at all, it would just be to
scale it down a little bit. If I
were to have just 7 men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and
determined to know nothing among men but Christ and Him crucified, I could turn
this community upside down. We
could pack this beach on Sunday morning.
God give us a few good men who fear God, men of good reputation, men
that are filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will turn this
community upside down.
So they nominated 7 men, Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor,
Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. You know what is special about
this list? They are all Greek
names. They are all Hellenistic
Jews. So here is the wisdom of the
Holy Spirit to answer the complaint of the Hellenistic Jews. You want your widows to be cared
for? Here then is seven men of
your own, men who are from Greece and the surrounding nations, men of good
reputation, men filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and they will show you
how to be servants of one another.
They will show you by example how to serve one another, how to love one
another, how to put the needs of
others higher than your own. These
Hellenistic Jews would come from the back rows of the congregation and come up
to the front, serving one another, serving not only the Greek widows, but all
the needs of the saints. They were
to be the first examples of spiritual maturity in the church, moving from being
served, to serving, to feeding, to caring for the needs of others. To loving your neighbor as yourself.
So the apostles show their approval of these men by laying
hands on them. What does that
mean? It doesn’t mean that some
sort of power fell on them. It
means that they showed unity with them.
What does a handshake mean in our culture? It means that you welcome them, you identify with them, you
are at peace with one another. The
right hand was the hand that you held a sword in, so to give someone the right
hand of fellowship was first of all a symbol of peace and goodwill. And secondly that you were identifying
yourself with them. That is what
was indicated by laying on of hands.
It wasn’t some mystical transfer of power. But it was a symbol of the church’s authority extended to
include these men as well as the apostles into leadership.
So what was the result of all of this? Did the devil get what he wanted by
instigating jealousy in the church?
Did he accomplish his goal of division, and so divide and then conquer
the church? Obviously, the answer
is no. In fact, because the
apostles did not rely on man’s wisdom, but were filled with the Holy Spirit, God
used what the devil meant as evil for good, for the good of the church.
Vs. 7, as a result of this trial, this dependence on the
leading of the Spirit, and the submission of the church to the authority of the
apostles, it says that instead of the church being hurt by this complaint, that
“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued
to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming
obedient to the faith.” When these
7 godly men stepped up to serve the church, the church increased in
effectiveness even more.
So in closing, let me just recap what I said earlier about
these men that are examples of spiritual maturity. God used them to bridge the gap between the congregation and
the apostles. The ministry would
be multiplied by the addition of seven godly men, who understood that we are
called to be the church, not just come to church. And the congregation would be blessed and increased by the
example that these men showed to the rest. I pray and I trust you will pray with me that God will raise
up people like these seven, here in this church. Servants from among you. People of good reputation. People filled with the Holy
Spirit and wisdom. If we are going
to accomplish the ministry of the church, the mission of Christ to win the
world, then we need people such as these to come up from the ranks and take
their place as servants in this church.
That they might be examples to others. That we all may attain such a standard, to be servants of
Christ and His body.
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