Folks, we have problems in our church.
Now, don’t get nervous; I’m not saying that we have any major problems. We’ve had major problems in the past, but by God’s grace, we don’t have any major problems now. However, we do have problems.
We have disagreements from time to time. We have disunity from time to time. We have mishaps, misunderstandings, and miscommunications. We have grumbling, gossip, and griping. We have prideful people, problem people, and pretender people.
I’ve often told prospective church members, “If you’re looking for a perfect church, don’t come here, because we have imperfect people.”
Now, again, I’m not saying we have a bad church. God has been so good to our church, and I’m proud of the church that God has shaped us into. However, we do have problems.
Well, take heart, church: We are not the only church to have problems. All churches have some problems. In fact, we’re going to see that problems are something that the early church encountered in the Book of Acts.
Today’s sermon is entitled “More People, More Problems.”
Before we dive into this sermon, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s look at the passage together, from Acts 6:1-7:
1 In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. 2 The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
Ok, so let’s see what’s going on in this passage and what we can learn for our own lives.
First, . . .
I. The early church developed problems.
We see this reality right away in the passage, don’t we?
Verse 1 says, “ . . . as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint . . .”
Now, of course, we know that there had already been a lot of complaints leveled against the apostles and the church, particularly from the Jewish leaders.
However, the complaint in this passage was different because it wasn’t coming from outside the church; it was coming from inside the church.
As the followers of Jesus increased in numbers, a complaint arose. More people, more problems.
By the way, it’s worth noting that most scholars believe a good amount of time passed between what we witness in Acts 5 and Acts 6.
We don’t know exactly how much time passed, but some say it could have been as much as five years that passed.
Here’s the point: some time passed, and it gave more time for the disciples of Jesus to increase in number. As those numbers increased, a problem arose.
Well, what was the problem?
Luke (the author of Acts) says the Hellenistic (or Greek) Jews complained about the Hebraic (or Hebrew Jews).
This description might be a little confusing because they were all Jewish. They were all Israelites. They were all Hebrews.
However, there were some Jews who were more traditional, probably lived in and near Jerusalem, and were more old-school Jewish in terms of culture.
There were other Jews who probably lived outside of Jerusalem who picked up cultural and language differences as a result of living in Greek society. These were the Hellenistic Jews. They were still Jewish, but maybe not traditional Jews.
Not only were these two groups of widows both Jewish, they were also both followers of Jesus. They were Jewish people who had accepted their Messiah, Jesus.
Also, remember that at that time in history, widows were particularly vulnerable. Generally speaking, widows needed someone to help take care of them.
So, in this case, it seems that the leaders of the church saw that the widows had their needs met when it came to food and monetary needs. This is what Luke refers to in verse 1 as “the daily distribution.”
So, the Hellenistic Jewish widows complained that they were being overlooked, and that favoritism was being shown to the Hebraic Jews.
Now let me just say that we don’t really know if these widows were being overlooked or not.
However, I can tell you as a leader in a church, it doesn’t always matter if a complaint is based on something that really happened or not; it can still create a problem.
I could share with you a list of complaints about me, my leadership, and our church that are based on things that never really happened. However, some of you might be offended if I shared your complaint publicly, and I love you, so I won’t do that.
However, when a leader hears about a problem, they have to decide what must be done, and that was no exception with the apostles.
They had a problem, and something needed to be done.
So, what did they do? Well, I’m glad that you asked.
Second, we see that . . .
II. The early church designated people.
There was a problem, and they needed a solution.
Verses 2-5 tell us about the solution.
2 The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole company.
We then hear who these specific men are:
Stephen
Philip
Prochorus
Nicanor
Timon
Parmenas
Nicolaus
After these men were chosen, verse 6 says they stood before the apostles, and the apostles laid hands over them and prayed for them.
This verse is just one of a few verses that give us a model for how we do modern-day ordination services.
There is a biblical model, in the Old Testament and the New Testament, to set people aside and dedicate them to a specific role of service for the Lord and the church.
We see that here as well.
By the way, it’s often been said that these men were the first deacons, but it’s probably better to think of them as the forerunners of the deacons.
The official position of deacon in the church was not started until later.
So, it’s not quite precise to call these men the first deacons.
However, these men were functioning in much the same role as the deacons would later function, which is to serve the church and assist the leadership of the church.
It’s worth noting that this idea was not a new idea among the people of God.
In fact, what the apostles proposed was also very similar to the advice that Moses received from his father-in-law all the way back in the book of Exodus.
You see, Moses was getting overwhelmed by the people coming up to him with problems, so his father-in-law, Jethro, said in Exodus 18:21–22:
“But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating dishonest profit. Place them over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every major case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load, and they will bear it with you.”
So, in a similar manner as Moses thousands of years earlier, and in the same manner as today, the leaders of the church asked the church itself to select men to serve the church and assist the leaders of the church.
Also, church, you need to pay attention to those first two names on the list, Stephen and Philip.
We’ll hear more about them in the coming chapters.
We actually don’t hear much else about these other men, though I’m sure they were great guys.
However, we will soon hear more about Stephen and Philip.
Notice that the qualifications for these men were found in verse 3:
The apostles said that these men were to have a good reputation, be full of the Spirit, and have wisdom.
By the way, when it comes to the official position of deacon, there are clear qualifications laid out for them in 1 Timothy 3.
Remember also, as we learned just a moment ago, that Jethro also proposed qualifications for those Moses was to select to help him.
It’s important for us to realize that if someone is to be placed in a position of responsibility in the church, they should meet more qualifications than simply having a pulse. Further, they should meet more qualifications than simply coming to church.
In this case, these servants were to have a good reputation, have the Holy Spirit, and have wisdom.
The disciples follow godly principles and trusted the Holy Spirit to guide these men, the church, and this process.
Listen, when there is a problem in the church, this should be our model of figuring out a solution: look to see what God says, practice godly wisdom, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
So, also, if there is a problem in your life, this should be your solution: look to see what God says, practice godly wisdom, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Well, how did this solution work out? We will see that it was confirmed that . . .
III. The early church delegated properly.
We see that things turned out well in this situation.
Before we get too far into this, can we look at these miraculous words at the beginning of verse 5 again?
It says, “This proposal pleased the whole company.”
Now, we’ve seen some pretty miraculous events happen in the Book of Acts so far, but this was perhaps the most miraculous: Everyone was happy with the decision that was made!
Wow! That’s a miracle! Everyone agreed on something in a church!
Not only did everyone agree, but the proper delegation also allowed the apostles to do the primary tasks that God had called them to do.
Look at verse 4 again. The apostles said, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
You see, God did not charge the apostles primarily with distributing food and funds to widows. That’s not to say that is unimportant; it is important! However, that’s not the most important task God had designed the apostles to accomplish.
In the same manner, God has a specific design for the leaders of the church today: the pastors. That design is very similar to that of the early church leaders, in that pastors are to lead, teach, and pray.
Now, I know that I am not an apostle, but God still has a design for His church and for the pastors of His church. Furthermore, God did design the position of deacon to help serve the church and serve with the pastors, so that the pastors could lead, teach, and pray.
We also see what happened next in verse 7:
“So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.”
This problem was resolved in the early church, and the number of people continued to increase, reaching a great number, even a large group of Jewish priests.
Among other things, here’s the message for our church: when we follow God’s design, when we use wisdom, and when we are led by the Spirit of God, the church will flourish.
When we let the leaders lead, when we let those who are called to serve serve well, and when we, the people, come together in harmony and humility, the church will be healthy.
That’s our bottom line for today:
Bottom Line: Church harmony and church humility lead to church health.
The Holy Spirit has a way for us. Godly wisdom will help us discover God’s way for us.
What’s more, the way to church health is paved with humility and harmony.
We should look out for the interests of each other.
We should love each other.
We should trust each other.
We should serve each other.
When we do these things, we will flourish as a church.
Also, when we do these things, rather than More People, More Problems, we’ll have More People, More Possibilities.
I don’t know about you, but I look forward to a church with more possibilities rather than more problems.
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge #1 – Think of how you can contribute to the harmony of the church.
The apostles, these seven men, and the whole group of followers of Jesus came together to bring harmony to the church and to continue its mission.
What about you? How can you contribute to the harmony of the church? Think about that this week.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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