Acts. Chapter 6:1-7 Can t We All Just Get Along? Yes!

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1 Acts Chapter 6:1-7 Can t We All Just Get Along? Yes! C an t we just all get along? One of the great things about the early church is just how smoothly things went, no problems, right? Sure - that s why Ananias and Sapphira where holding high positions, or was that low, very low positions. Well, okay, there were wrinkles. But we ve worked them out by now, right? We all just get along. Then again Can t we all just get along? Who are the people you know who appear to get along well with others? The people I know who get along well with others are enjoyable to be with. They show genuine interest in others. When they are with you, they are really with you. I think of a man I know who is very gracious, friendly, and refined in his dealings with people, whether they are his friends, his co-workers, or the waiters who serve him, His pleasant manner is not put on; it s genuine A man who encourages and builds up others, he is compassionate and empathetic, touching people in times of joy and sorrow. He fits the description of a likeable character I read about recently in a novel. This man was described as large-hearted with everyone. They way my friend treats the people in his life is how most people want to be treated. Do these qualities describe how you would like to be treated? Are these qualities evident in your dealings with others? It takes time to develop the qualities I find in my friend. I m still working on them in my life. Fortunately, we all have the capacity to learn them and put them into practice. (From How to Get Along with Almost Anyone by H. Norman Wright) 1 III Peter and the Gospel to the Jews 1:1-12:24 B. The Founding of the Church in Jerusalem 2:1-7:60 7. The Choosing of the Seven 6: Stephen s Arrest and Martyrdom 6:8-7:60 Introduction: One of the concerns with rapid growth is administrative complications arise. They may be theological, or they may simply be practical. And that was the case with the early church. Growth was extremely rapid. And while this group was essentially Jewish, this did mean they were all the same type of Jews which was the source of the initial problem. 7. The Choosing of the Seven: The problems which arose were between the different ethnic groups within the early church. Remember it was essentially Jewish still. The specific issue was one of neglect. The widows of the Hellenists weren t being taken care of. The Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews from the Diaspora ( dispersed Jews living outside Palestine). Their primary language was Greek. The Hebrews were native Palestinian Jews who spoke Ara- 1 Lucado, Max, gen. ed., The Inspirational Bible, Word Bibles, Nashville, TN, 1995, p

2 maic as their primary language and had attended the Hebrew-speaking synagogues. Not as fluent in Greek, they seem to have overlooked the Hellenist widows unintentionally. 2 The problem was one that is common when something grows too fast. MacArthur speculates there may have been as many as 20,000 believers by now. We ve seen businesses fail because they ve grown faster than they were able to handle. Sometimes churches also grow so fast they can t keep up with the needs of the members. And that was the situation here. Stuff was falling between the cracks simply because they hadn t been thought of or about. All these situations are correctable though. Step one is to recognize the problem. Then solutions need to be considered. And one wasn t going to be for the Apostles to get caught up in all the details involved with the growing church. Their calling was to be in prayer and to preach the word. It is important to understand this isn t an issue of who is more valuable, or more spiritually mature, or what part of ministry is more important. The issue is one of calling. Paul speaks to this issue in Corinthians. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For kin one Spirit we were all baptized into one body Jews or Greeks, slaves or free and mall were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:12-25). Those who are called to serve are believers, not older, not more experienced, but have a good reputation, filled with the Spirit, and wisdom, or as J.B. Philips puts it, both practical and spiritually minded. 3 This is the way all believers are to walk, which means in dependency on the Lord we all have opportunity for service of one sort or another. Here the call is to pull seven men from among the community. And while these men aren t called deacons, they are generally referred to as the first. 2 Dennis, Lane T. and Wayne Grudem, eds., English Standard Version (ESV) Study Bible, Crossway Bibles, Wheaton, IL, Stott, John, The Message of Acts, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, ) 120 (

3 Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 3:8-13). The office of elder was not yet needed as the church was still located geographically in Jerusalem and the Apostles were the leaders. The office of deaconess would also be added some time later. So, seven individuals were identified by the group as meeting the criteria required by the Apostles. These were Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus. All seven were chosen from among the Hellenistic believers. One of them was a Gentile who had been a proselyte to Judaism before becoming a believer. This would have demonstrated a real concern for the immediate problem and that it had occurred simply because of an oversight. As for us this demonstrates that no matter what job we are called to, when we are serving God, we are to be people of good reputation, Spirit filled, and have godly wisdom. Of the seven men named here, only Stephen and Philip are presented again. But, I ll hold off on talking about them until we get to them, which will be in a moment in the case of Stephen. So the Apostles laid hands on them, commissioning them to handle the food service program. The laying on of hands would have represented a conveying of authority from the Apostles to these seven men. Whether there was anything supernatural happening here, the passage certainly doesn t convey that impression. So the LORD said to Moses, Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation. And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses (Num. 27:18-23). I don t know if we want to read anything into it, but the first services carried out by the church in a formal manner were caring for widows by establishing a food program. The ministry of the church was and should continue to be holistic. We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy ) 121 (

4 and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you see that you excel in this act of grace also (2 Corinthians 8:1 7). Now I can t say there was a direct correlation between these events and Luke s next comment, but I suspect as the people saw the power of the Spirit and the out flowing of love between the believers it certainly contributed to the continued growth of the church. What is especially important to note here is even those among the Levites, that is the priests are beginning to follow Christ, which must have really ticked off the members of the Sanhedrin. Conclusion: There are a number of very important points we should gather here. 1. Of first importance, we must have unity of purpose because then we will have the Spirit to overcome disagreements which will arise. 2. Next, along with this unity comes an ability to be flexible. Okay, the early church wasn t in a position to question change with the old favorite But we ve always done it this way. When they saw a need, they came up with a solution which they implemented. We too need to be flexible. The basis for decision making is a Spirit lead understanding of scripture, not a commitment to the status quo. This means we must identify who the Lord calls us to be, and then as the Spirit leads do whatever is necessary to fulfill His purpose, to His glory. 3. As with Christ we must understand ministry is holistic. Yes the prayer and preaching of the Apostles was foundational. But more than that was needed to accomplish God s purpose. They make this obvious themselves and the request the pulling of individuals to the ministry of practical service. But ministry to all people s needs is vital. And when these needs are met the church has a testimony which is both evangelistic in word (the gospel) and deed (life style). People could see that the Way put its money where its mouth was. Believers cared for each other both spiritually and practically. Accordingly, the church continued to grow. 4. Finally, ministry is for everyone and it is primarily about people not program. While program is necessary and important, it must serve people rather than have a higher focus than the people it is supposed to be serving. To often programs outlive their purpose becoming hindrances rather than helpers. This means, as I learned sitting on a church board in the Bay Area, people even come ahead of buildings. The example I always use refers back to a discussion we elders had when we were first considering a building program. We made it clear to the body that people would always come ahead of building. One day, the Lord gave us an opportunity to see if we really were being sincere. We had a young person come to us in desperate need of admission to a ) 122 (

5 drug treatment program. The cost was to be ten thousand dollars. We told the body we were going to provide even if it slowed down the building process. That morning we found a check for ten thousand dollars in the offering. What are some of the ways we care for people holistically? What are some of the needs we have observed? How can and should we meet those needs? Let me let John Stott summarize these principles. A vital principle is illustrated in this incident, which is of urgent importance to the church today. It is that God calls all his people to ministry, that he calls different people to different ministries, and that those called to prayer and the ministry of the word must on no account allow themselves to be distracted from their priorities. 4 This means each and everyone of you here are ministers. That s why some prefer the title pastor or teaching elder for those who have the pulpit responsibility. We are all ministers within Christ s church. Stott goes on to say It is surely deliberate that the work of the Twelve and the work of the Seven are alike called diakonia, ministry or service. The former is the ministry of the word or pastoral work, the latter the ministry of tables or social work. Neither ministry is superior to the other. On the contrary, both are Christian ministries, that is, ways of serving God and his people. Both require spiritual people, full of the Spirit, to exercise them. And both can be full-time Christian ministries. The only difference between them lies in the form the ministry takes, requiring different gifts and different callings. We do a great disservice to the church whenever we refer to the pastorate as the ministry, for example when we speak of ordination in terms of entering the ministry. This use of the definite article implies that the ordained pastorate is the only ministry there is. But diakonia is a generic word for service; it lacks specificity until a descriptive adjective is added, whether pastoral, social, political, medical or another. All Christians without exception, being followers of him who came not to be served but to serve, are themselves called to ministry, indeed to give their lives in ministry. But the expression full-time Christian ministry is not to be restricted to church work and missionary service; it can also be exercised in government, the media, the professions, business, industry and the home. We need to recover this vision of the wide diversity of ministries to which God calls his people. 5 For those of you in the market place consider that no matter how difficult the situation, in which you find yourself, in dependency on the Spirit and obedience to God, you can and should be a minister. This is your mission field. Sure there are days when it feels like those around you have you in the cooking pot, seasoning you up for dinner. But remember, God loves you, God is in control, and God doesn t make mistakes. We need to keep balance in the local church and remember that every believer has a calling to service. We all have a responsibility to one another and we all have a calling to ministry wherever God has placed us. But this should always be a blessing not a burden not matter how tiring it may be on occasion. Or as Christ put it: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). 4 Ibid., p Ibid. ) 123 (

6 So, back to the original question, Can t we all just get along? and the answer is Yes! when we are ministering in the Spirit with the goal of a unity that glorified the Father for the blessing of the body and an evangelistic testimony to the lost. So we are to serve! Let us prayerfully consider how we are to do so in Volume 21 rather than Volume 1. Or as Richard Gillard puts it Brother, let me be your servant Let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I might have the grace to Let you be my servant too. I will hold the Christ-light for you, In the night-time of your fear; I will hold my hand out for you, Speak the peace you long to hear. We are pilgrims on a journey, We are brothers on the road; We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load. I will weep when you are weeping, When you laugh I ll laugh with you; I will share your joy and sorrow Till we ve see this journey through. When we sing to God in Heaven, Brother, let me be your servant We shall find such harmony; Let me be as Christ to you; Born of all we ve known together Pray that I might have the grace to Of Christ s love and agony. Let you be my servant too. 6 6 Gillard, Richard, Maranatha! Music Praise Chorus Book, The Servant Song, Maranatha! Music, Laguna Hills, CA, 1993, #261. ) 124 (

7 Acts Chapter 6:1-7 Can t We All Just Get Along? III Peter and the Gospel to the Jews 1:1-12:24 B. The Founding of the Church in Jerusalem 2:1-7:60 7. The Choosing of the Seven 6: Stephen s Arrest and Martyrdom 6:8-7:60 Introduction: 7. The Choosing of the Seven: (1 Corinthians 12:12-25; 1 Timothy 3:8-13; Num. 27:18-23; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7)

8 Conclusion: (Matthew 11:28-30) 1. unity 2. flexible 3. holistic 4. people Personal Application: So we are to serve! Let us prayerfully consider how we are to do so in Volume 21 rather than Volume 1. Prayer for the Week: Father, guide me in service to You for others, so my walk may be a testimony and bring You glory. In Christ s name, amen.