A Growing Church With Growing Pains (Part 2) Series

A GROWING CHURCH WITH GROWING PAINS

(Part 2)

Acts 6:1-7

Several years ago we had a precious elderly member of our church who had been placed in the nursing home. I did my best to visit her on a regular basis but there was a problem. Experience had taught me that there was no way to just pop in for a quick visit; every time I would go to see her it would take a minimum of an hour. As a result, when it came time to visit her I would say “I am going to go on Tuesday”. When Tuesday rolled around I would put it off until Thursday. On Thursday I would postpone my visit until the following Tuesday. This went on for far too long and by the time I finally went to see her it had been 5 months since my last visit. As I exited my car and made by way to her room I was filled with dread because I knew what was coming. Sure enough, the moment I walked in the door this precious, frail, elderly saint “unloaded on me with both barrels!” She was very offended because (as she put it) she had been a member of our church for decades, yet months had gone by and she had not heard from a single member of her church family. As she proceeded to chew me out, I realized that she was not angry, it was worse than anger; the reality was that she was disappointed and hurt. As much as I wanted to defend myself I couldn’t; mainly because everything she said was true. I had no choice other than to hang my head, agree with her and sincerely apologize.

Though I did not enjoy that visit, it was very beneficial. I learned a hard lesson and it helped me to become a better pastor. Obviously I began to visit her on a more regular basis!

In our selected text, the Lord’s Apostles were confronted with a serious issue. We are not told exactly what their emotions were when the Hellenists complained about their widows being neglected. Though we don’t know how they felt, we do know what they did. Because of a bold confrontation, the Lord’s Apostles realized that there was a need that had to be addressed.

Scripture shows us that they addressed this issue promptly, compassionately, scripturally, and prayerfully. When problems arise within our own assembly we should respond in the same way.

Last week we began to examine “A Growing Church With Growing Pains”. I would like for us to pick up where we left off and see how the Apostles addressed these “growing pains”.

- We have already covered the fact that:

WE SHOULD EXPECT GROWING PAINS WITHIN THE CHURCH

When a church experiences growth, whether it is a large number of people or just a single individual it has the potential to change the entire dynamic of that church. This does not always mean that there will be problems and growing pains, but many times there will be.

- As we move forward I would like for us to see that:

WE MUST ADDRESS GROWING PAINS WITHIN THE CHURCH

Time does not permit us to revisit all of the many ways that growth can cause problems within the church; but I will sum it up by reminding you that these issues are called “growing pains” for a reason.

When problems arise within the church we must address them. Conflict and dissention within the assembly cannot be ignored. These problems must be confronted head on. Let’s look to verse 2 and consider the fact that:

GROWING PAINS MUST BE ADDRESSED PROMPTLY

v2 the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples…”

As soon as this issue was brought to their attention, the Apostles were moved to action. They called the church together and presented their solution for the problem. When any kind of conflict arises in the church we cannot ignore it.

It would be foolish to think that dissention within the church will just “work itself out”. Satan hates the church and wants to destroy it. He is not content to just get his foot in the door; he wants to come all the way in and cause as much destruction as possible. Therefore, when trouble arises we must respond promptly!

We have a great church, but we are not a perfect church. We are an assembly that is comprised of many imperfect people. There have been certain issues that have demanded our attention in the past and there will be more in the future. As in any church, there have been hurt feelings and moments of frustration and anger. In many instances, such issues are caused by simple misunderstandings.

I could give you several examples where people were much like the Hellenists; there was a problem that offended them greatly and they were not afraid to express their concern. When growing pains manifest within a local assembly, it is important to have spiritually mature leaders and members who are willing to address and resolve these issues quickly.