Sermon Notes are not exact transcripts of sermons preached at BBC. Instead, they are simply the notes the pastor took with him into the pulpit and preached from. As a result, the actual sermon that was preached may vary from what is posted.
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Wise Decisions About Biblical Ministry
Acts 6:1-7
Introduction
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. [2] And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. [3] Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. [4] But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” [5] And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. [6] These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. [7] And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
1. The Problem of Disruptive Division
Notice the contrast in verse 1 – “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews.” Some believe that only those churches and ministries that are not doing what they should will encounter problems. And the implication is, a church doing all the right things will have not problems.
This passage alone shows that not to be the case. In fact, I would argue that the opposite is likely true. Here is a church that is doing everything right. And it is in that context that Satan comes to create conflict. You see, he has already tried stop the church with the sinful hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira. That didn’t work, so he tried a frontal assault through intimidation and suffering. That didn’t work either. Now he tries to divide the church and distract its leaders with this problem.
The word my Bible has translated complaint is the same one that is used in the Old Testament to describe grumbling and murmuring of the Israelites against Moses in Exodus and Numbers. The complaint itself involves two ethnic groups with in the church.
First, there are the Hellenists. These would have been Jews who had been dispersed throughout the surrounding region, and then returned to settle in Palestine. Though ethnically Jewish, they would have spoken Greek and had more in common with Greek Culture than Jewish Culture. They would have thought and lived like Greeks.
Second, there are the Hebrews. These were Jews native in the land of Palestine. They would have mainly spoken Hebrew and Aramaic, and followed all of the customs of Jewish culture. Following the example of the OT, the early church believed that it was responsible to care for those Christians who were widows and orphans. But, it seems that in the midst of the distribution of food for these people, the Hellenists were being neglected.
We don’t know why this was happening, or even if it really was happening. All we know is that the Hellenists believed it was and a complaint went up to the apostles. At one level then, the problem facing the early church was an administrative one. But on another level, but was also a much more profound problem going on. While the problem of ensuring each widow received sufficient portions was important, there was the potential of an even greater problem for the early church. This lack of a physical need was leading to a spiritual disunity among God’s people. Notice how it began – along racial and ethnic lines: “a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews.” The division is occurring among ethnic lines – one group was complaining against another. This is probably what got the apostle’s attention the most. They were not just trying to fix a problem in the benevolence ministry of the church – they were trying to stop a division in the church along racial lines.
We have to be careful about this kind of thing today. It is so easy for divisions to disrupt the ministries of our church. The issues might be important, but it is even more important to remember that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We will all have different preferences – whether based on different cultures or sub-cultures in which we were raised, or our past experiences, or whatever. But these differences should never divide us. In non-essential matters, our preferences should never be cause for grumbling and complaining against one another.
2. The Priorities of Pastoral Leadership
In vv. 2-4, we read, “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers [and sisters], pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’” Some people read this passage and believe that the apostles thought it was beneath them to serve these people in this practical way. But the matter here is not which is the better or more important ministry. The issue is not the whether or not the apostles’ pride forbids them from such a seemingly mundane task.
The apostles did not see the distribution of food as beneath them, or unimportant. They simply di dnto want it to distract them from their primary calling in ministry. As the foundation of God’s church, their calling was to serve the church by prayer and the ministry of the word. It is not a matter of being better than someone else, but a matter of calling.
Ajith Fernando reminds us that “God is the ultimate leader of any Christian group. The earthly leaders represent him as his agents on earth. If they are to do so adequately, they must be attuned to him. And there is no better way for that to happen than by spending time with him in prayer and in the … word.”
2.1. Prayer
Pastoral leaders are called to pray for the people they shepherd. It is the means by which we call down blessings from God fro his people. Over and over again, the Bible shows leaders interceding for God’s people. In 10 out of his 13 letters, Paul talks about praying for his readers. In Exodus 17, Joshua’s army floundered if Moses was failed to pray for them. Even Jesus himself told Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). This ministry of intercession is not just to be done in the privacy of the prayer closet, but with the people as well. Speaking from experience, there are few things more encouraging, more enlightening to the reality of the spiritual realm than having someone pray for you.
I can remember another older couple who lived next to us while we were in seminary. Before we left for the delivery room to have Joshua, they prayed over us. The prayer wasn’t that great – no profound words, but it was a moving experiencing nonetheless. One that made me more aware of the presence of God, the love of our friends, and the responsibility I would now have as a father. Likewise, pastors are to bring that kind of grace into people’s lives by praying with them.
Furthermore, pastoral leaders are to lead the people in prayer. Again, we look to the Scriptures for our example. From Nehemiah to Ezra to Jehoshaphat to Amos to Peter to Jesus – we see pastoral leaders taking the initiative in calling and leading the people to prayer.
2.2. Word of God
God’s word not only brings us close to God as we soak our lives in it, allowing it to transform our lives, but it is also that which pastoral leaders must teach God’s people. In order to do this, the man himself must be committed to studying the Scriptures. He must be committed to thinking hard about their truths – meditating on them. Learning to apply them to his own life and to the lives of those he is responsible for.
Charles Spurgeon admired the puritan John Bunyan. Specifically, he loved reading his works because it had so much of the Bible in it. Whether it was his sermons, or works of allegory and fiction, Spurgeon said, “This man is a living Bible! Prick him anywhere — his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is FULL of the Word of God.”
So it should be with all who desire to shepherd God’s people. And nothing must derail them in the pursuit of such a life and ministry. The apostles understood this and so found it necessary to organize others to oversee this difficult situation.
Now, in case you missed it, this entire point has essentially been prayer request list for the pastor. M’Cheyne gave wise counsel to the church when he said, “Pray for your pastor. Pray for his body, that he may be kept strong and spared many years. Pray for his soul, that he may be kept humble and holy, a burning and shining light. Pray for his ministry, that it may be abundantly blessed, that he may be anointed to preach good tidings. Let there be no secret prayer without naming him before your God, no family prayer without carrying your pastor in your hearts to God.”
Pray for us – for me. Not because we are worth it, but because we need it.
3. The Provision of Administrative Service
Notice verse 3 again, “Therefore, brothers [and sisters], pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.” The apostles call for the church to choose and set apart a group of men to meet the physical needs they cannot take the time to meet. But not just anyone was selected for such a task. Just as the apostles had been given gifts to enable to fulfill their calling for public teaching, So those whom God has called to serve as deacons will have certain gifting as well.
In one of my previous churches it made me angry when I found out that two of the men nominated and put forward to be voted on as deacons could not even name the two ordinances of the church – baptism and the Lord’s supper – when question by the ordination council.
Nevertheless, because they were successful in the secular business world, they were still presented to the church and voted in. What we have here are proto-deacons. And the apostles are very specific in what qualifies people to hold such a position in the church. It doesn’t have anything to do with worldly success. Instead, two qualifications are given – they must be full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit.
Now the Bible describes different kinds of wisdom. Specifically, these people are to possess administrative wisdom. This is the same kind of wisdom Solomon asked for in the Old Testament. You will remember that God asked him what he wanted, and Solomon said, “How can I be king over your people unless I have wisdom?” So, God gave him what he asked for – why? Because what he wanted was not self-serving; but oriented toward serving others. He wanted the kind of administrative wisdom needed to run a country. But this did not automatically make him a godly king. Solomon had hundreds of wives and concubines, and he eventually forsook the worship of the Lord for the worship of foreign gods.
My point, it is not enough to simply be wise. The apostles are clear these men are also to be godly – they are to be full of the Holy Spirit. They have to be good Christians, displaying the kind of fruit of the Spirit listed in 1 Timothy 3: blameless; not double-tongued; not drunkards; not greedy; managing well their own households. Thus, the apostles wanted – above all else – these men to be wise and godly men who displayed the fruit of the spirit in their lives. It’s important to see that the solution the apostles reached was not about doing everything themselves. It was about understanding that all Christians are called to serve, and to serve in different ways.
Even today, it is important that our current and future deacons understand their calling as deacons, and that they display the necessary gifts for that calling. Part of that understanding is not just character issues, but a realization that in meeting physical needs, they are working to bring spiritual unity.
In regards to this, Pastor Mark Dever says – “Edifying and uniting the church is especially the ministry of the deacons as we see it in Acts 6. Therefore, “we cannot have people serve us well as deacons who are unhappy with the church. The deacons are not those in the church who are complaining the loudest or jarring the church with their actions or attitudes. Quite the opposite! The deacons are to be the mufflers, the shock-absorbers. Therefore, among those who would serve a church as a deacon there must be no small-mindedness. Such members must not be given to “turfiness” – caring about their area, their rights and prerogatives in that area, or even quietly resenting service by others who would interlope into their sphere! Deacons are not set apart to advocate their cause, or argue for their corners like representatives or lobbyists. Instead, they are to come on behalf of the whole – to serve particular needs, yes – but with a sense of the whole, a sense that their work contributes to the health of the whole. Even more, they are to be able to help others come to understand this particular ministry as a part of the uniting and edifying of the church as a whole. They are to be builders of the church by being servants who help to bind us together with cords of kindness and of loving service.”
The apostles’ plan to select deacons was designed to solve an administrative problem and ensure that the physical needs of the people were met. But with spiritual wisdom, their plan also included a design to prevent the church from being fractured. This is the kind of servant leadership deacons are called to – leadership in meeting the physical of God’s people; leadership in actively pursuing spiritual unity among God’s people.
4. The Product of Shared Ministry
In v. 7, we see the God-given result of their actions, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” Notice the two results of the apostles’ solution:
4.1. God’s Word spread
Verse 7 says, “And the word of God continued to increase.” If we’ve understood the passage up to this point, then this should come as no surprise. How could anything else have happened? If under the leadership of God’s Spirit, the apostle’s have made the decision to not neglect their divine calling to the ministry of the Word, then natural result is that the word of God would go forward.
But the reverse is also true – if the ministry of the Word is neglected, then it can never go forward. And it appears that the whole church understood this. Luke tells us that “what the [apostles] said pleased the whole gathering,” It would have been easy for the apostle’s to just take on the extra responsibility. It would have been easy for those in the church to let them take on that extra responsibility. But instead of those things, the apostles and the church understood that in order for God to be honored, the apostles needed to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word.
In this way, these deacons were not only helping the body as a whole, but were also helping to support these apostles, whose main obligations lay elsewhere.
E. M. Bounds was right when he said, “What the Church needs today is not more machinery or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use— men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.”
The deacons helped ensure that God’s leaders had the time and energy to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. And as a result, the God’s word spread throughout the entire city.
4.2. God’s church grew
Luke tells us that “the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” If the natural response of an attention to the Word, is the word spreading, then this is the natural response to that word going forward – successful evangelism and church growth.
Many churches don’t grow. Some have growth by members from other churches coming and joining. But many do not see much success in evangelism. After considering a passage like this, I cannot help but wonder if part of the reason for that lack of growth is a lack of concern that the pastors devote themselves to prayer and the Word.Elsewhere in Ephesians 4, Paul tells us that God has given gifts to the church in the form of pastors-teachers. These men are to “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” (Eph 4:12). If they themselves are not able to adequately prepare for the task to which God has called them, then they will be unable to equip the saints for ministry. The result will be that the Word does not go forward and the church will not grow.
Conclusion
During one World Series, Yogi Berra was catching for the New York Yankees, as Hank Aaron – the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves – came up to bat. As usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, “Henry, you’re holding the bat wrong. You’re supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark.” Aaron didn’t say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, “I didn’t come up here to read.”
Aaron knew his job and didn’t let anything distract him from it. As a church, we have to be careful to not let ourselves become distracted. There is nothing easier for the enemy to do than get our minds of what we are supposed to be doing.
We have to be careful to remember what we are called to do and what others are called to do in ministry. We also have be careful to not let small things distract from our calling in ministry – to build up one another in the faith and reach out with the gospel to those who do not yet know Christ.
