Some time ago, wolves were picking off the livestock of ranchers at an alarming rate, so the state offered a bounty of $5,000 for every wolf killed. It turned Sam and Jed into fortune hunters. Day and night they searched the mountains and forests looking for their valuable prey. Exhausted one night, they fell asleep dreaming of their potential fortune. Suddenly, Sam awoke to see that they were surrounded by about 50 wolves with flaming eyes and bared teeth. He nudged his friend and said, “Jed, wake up! We're rich!” (Gary C. Payne, Leadership, Vol.11, no.1)
I like Sam’s attitude. He was surrounded with problems, which he saw as a huge opportunity.
Often, churches are surrounded with opportunity, which some might call “problems” or “needs.” The question is: How do we take advantage those needs? How do we address the problems that surround us and turn those problems into opportunities?
Well, the 1st church had a big problem. People’s needs were not being met, and it led to some hard feelings. In fact, the problem threatened to split the church right down the middle, and kill it in its infancy. Only the church found a way to deal with the problem; and instead of splitting and dying, they grew even bigger and stronger.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Acts 6, Acts 6, where we see how the 1st century church turned their problem into an opportunity for growth, and how we might do the same.
Acts 6:1 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. (ESV)
Somebody’s needs were not getting met. The Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews, who had adopted some of the Greek and Roman culture. The Hebrews were Aramaic-speaking Jews, who would have nothing to do with anything Greek or Roman. So you have two distinct groups of people in the first church, and one side feels neglected. One side feels like the leaders are favoring the other side.
Sound familiar, doesn’t it? Every church experiences this kind of thing at one time or another.
The church that Sandy and I attended in Dallas, while we were in seminary, went through this. Five years before we moved there, that church experienced a period of explosive growth. They had a dynamic preacher, who could communicate God’s Word with a relevance that spoke to hearts. The church went from an average monthly attendance of 102 to 191 in 8 months. That’s a 90% increase! (from July of 1976 to March of 1977).
You’d think everybody would be elated, and most were, but there was a group of people who felt neglected. You see, while this pastor was a dynamic communicator, he had a perceived lack in the area of pastoral care. For example, a woman went into the hospital for several days, and nobody visited her the whole time she was there. No pastor showed up to pray with her. No member showed up to cheer her. Nobody sent her a card. She was totally neglected, and the pastor was blamed. Seminary students, singles and young married people loved him. He made the Word come alive for them, but some of the older people, who had different needs, felt neglected.
The church split over it. The pastor left, and 4 years and 2 pastors later, they were still feeling the ramifications. Average monthly attendance had dropped to 53, and there was talk of closing the church. All because some people felt neglected.
It’s funny, the next pastor was strong in pastoral care and weak in preaching, and the other side began to feel neglected. While we were there (1981-1985), the church recovered – attendance climbed back to about 130, but since then, the church has died and now no longer exists.
In every church where I have served, there have always been some people who feel neglected. The question is: what do we do about it? How do we address the problem when a group of people feel neglected? How do we address the problem and turn it into an opportunity for growth? It’s simple.
MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE.
Take care of their problems. Don’t overlook them. That’s what the first church did.
Acts 6:2-6 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, 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.” 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. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. (ESV)
The first church chose seven men to feed the Greek-speaking widows. They met the felt needs of their congregation, and we must do the same.
Sure, Christ has given us a world-wide mission – We are to be His “witnesses…TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH” (Acts 1:8). We are to “make disciples OF ALL NATIONS” (Matt 28:19). Even so, we cannot ignore the needs of people right here at home. If we do, we’ll find ourselves ignored, as needy people go elsewhere to get their needs met.
A fellow comes up to a cab driver in New York and says, “Take me to London.” The cab driver tells him there is no possible way for him to drive the cab across the Atlantic. The customer insists there is. “You'll drive me down to the pier and we'll put the taxi on a freighter and when we get off at Liverpool, you'll drive me to London and I'll pay you whatever is on the meter.” The driver agrees and when they arrive in London, good to his word, the passenger pays the total on the meter and gives him a thousand dollar tip.
Now the driver is roaming around London and doesn't know what to do. A Britisher hails him and says, “I want you to drive me to New York.” The cab driver can't believe his good luck. How often can you pick up a fare in London who wants to go to New York? The passenger says, “First, we take a boat…”
The driver says, “That I know. But where to in New York?”
The passenger says, “Riverside Drive and 104th Street.”
And the driver responds, “Sorry, I don't go to the west side.” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p. 389)
That’s silly! But no more silly than churches who have a world-wide vision, but neglect the needs of people right in their own backyard.
Coca-Cola is everywhere. You can buy a can of coke in almost any store here in the United States and also in most places overseas. Do you know why? They have a world-wide marketing strategy that works. It is embodied in their motto, posted at the company headquarters: “THINK GLOBALLY, BUT ACT LOCALLY.”
That’s good advice for a church. Think globally – have a world-wide mission and vision. Think big! But at the same time, act locally – don’t neglect the needs of people right in your own back yard.
We have a lot of needs right here: We have a need to reach young families and their children here in Lyons, Kansas. Then there are us elderly folk with a whole different set of needs. There are people moving to Lyons that need to be reached, along with a growing Hispanic community. We have people who need food and help with utilities, because they are out of work. We have a whole host of needs that surround us every day.
Do we ignore these very practical, felt needs, because we’re focused on the task of “making disciples of all nations?” Of course not. On the contrary, if we’re going to accomplish all that Christ has called us to do, we must meet people’s needs. We must address their personal concerns.
The question is: How do we do that? And again, the answer is very simple.
MOBILIZE QUALIFIED PEOPLE TO MEET THE NEEDS.
Put qualified men and women to work on those concerns. That’s what the first church did. When people complained, “Our needs are not being met,” the leaders of the church said, “O.K., we’ll get right on it. We’ll just add it to our list of a thousand other things to do.” Is that what they said? No.
Acts 6:2-3 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, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. (ESV)
They said, “It would not be right for US… Choose seven men from among YOU…” Instead of doing it themselves, the leaders put qualified people to work. They were spiritually qualified – “full of the Spirit.” And they were intellectually qualified – “full of wisdom.”
More than that, they were also close to the situation. They were those who understood and felt the needs more than anybody else. The Greek-speaking widows needed food. So who did they pick to feed the Greek-speaking widows? Greek-speaking men!
Did you notice that in verse 5? “They chose Stephen…Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas.” They’re all Greek names!
Who better to meet the needs of Greeks than Greeks themselves? They understand the needs of Greeks the most, and they feel the needs of Greeks more deeply than anybody else.
In order to meet needs, the first church mobilized qualified people who were closest to the need, and that’s exactly what we must do. I have a standard answer for good people in the church, who come to me and say, “Something ought to be done about [such and such].” E.g., “Something ought to be done to help the young couples who are struggling in their marriages.” “Something ought to be done to reach the men in this community.” “Something ought to be done about making the newcomers feel welcome.” “Something ought to be done to help those struggling with their finances.” “Something ought to be done about this or that need.”
Do you know what I usually say? “You know, you’re right. Something ought to be done. Why don’t YOU do something? You’re close to the need. You feel it. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, and you love the Lord. Go for it! We’ll provide what training and resources we can. In fact, I’ll be glad to personally coach you so that ministry succeeds.
My friends, if God has laid a need on your heart, go for it! Don’t wait for one of the “superstars” in the church to do it. Because God probably wants YOU to do something about it.”
When Michael Jordan re-entered the NBA in 2001 with the Washington Wizards, they had to implement a no-shooting rule for Jordan during one of their scrimmages. It wasn’t because Jordan was hogging the ball, trying to be a superstar again. It was because Jordan’s teammates stood around and waited for him to perform. Jordan and Coach Doug Collins put a stop to that.
Jordan said, “Everybody wants to sit back and watch. But one [reason] why we became successful in Chicago was… we had to play as a unit instead of just watching. “What makes me more effective is other guys stepping up and being a threat. If I'm the only threat, then I'm doing all the work. Obviously that's not going to work.”
Do you know, Jordan held fast to that no-shoot rule, even when the outcome of the game was on the line. With the Washington Wizards trailing by one point and less than five seconds left in the game, one of his teammates passed him the ball for the final shot and the win. But Jordan didn’t take the open shot. He passed the ball back for the other guy to shoot the winning basket. (Des Moines Register, October 20, 2001)
A lot of churches are just like that Washington Wizards team. They stand around and wait for the “superstars” to perform. They wait for the pastor or the leaders to perform.
But the best leaders, the best “superstars” will always pass the ball back. That’s what they did in the first church in Acts, and that’s what we’re going to do here. If you pass the ball to me, saying that something ought to be done about such and such a need, then don’t be surprised if I pass the ball right back to you.
There was a church that had four members: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. But Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it. But Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about it, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, and Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody and Nobody did the job that Anybody could have done in the first place.
If you see a job that needs to be done, do it! Don’t wait for Everybody or Somebody or Anybody to do it. You do it! Otherwise, Nobody will. If we’re going to turn our problems into opportunities, we must meet needs by mobilizing people into ministry. Then the leaders can…
MAINTAIN PRIORITIES.
Then the leaders can do what God has called them to do. Then the pastor and elders can concentrate on the specific tasks God has given them. That’s what the first church did.
In verse 2, the leaders of that first church said to the people, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute… But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The church leader must give his attention wholly and completely to praying for God’s people and to training them for ministry with God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3 says, the Scripture equips [us] “for every good work” (vs.16-17). And Ephesians 4 says, God gave the church its leaders “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (vs.11-12).
Do you know what that means? I am not the minister. YOU are! It is my job, in the context of prayer and the Word, to equip YOU for ministry, to equip YOU for works of service to one another and to the world.
Pastor Ben Patterson talks about the time he had two ruptured lumbar discs. The doctor prescribed six weeks of total rest, but the horrible pain prevented him from lying in bed. So he spent those weeks on his back on the floor. His eyes didn't focus well, due to the pain-killers and muscle relaxants, so he could scarcely read.
Patterson says, “I was of no use to the church, I thought. So I asked my wife to bring me the pictorial directory. I decided I'd pray for every member, every day. It took me nearly two hours. This was no great piety,” he admits. “Mainly I was bored and frustrated. But toward the end of my convalescence, I said to the Lord, ‘You know, these times of prayer have become sweet. It's too bad I don't have time to do this when I'm at work.’” (Men of Integrity, July/August 2004, Vol. 7, No. 4; adapted from Ben Patterson, Deepening Your Conversation with God, Bethany, 2001; www.PreachingToday. com)
It’s too bad, because prayer IS the work of the pastor, along with teaching the Word of God. And yet so many of us pastors find ourselves scrambling to meet one need after another, putting out numerous fires (so to speak), and expending great effort to make everybody happy.
Do you know what happens to those pastors? They burn out. Do you know what happens to their churches? They remain small and ineffective.
I like Henri Nouwen’s advice to church leaders. He says, “Sometimes I think of life as a big wagon wheel with many spokes. In the middle is the hub. Often in ministry, it looks like we are running around the rim trying to reach everybody. But God says, ‘Start in the hub; live in the hub. Then you will be connected with all the spokes, and you won't have to run so fast.’” (Henri J. Nouwen in “Moving from Solitude to Community to Ministry”, Leadership, Spring 1995)
Life in the hub for church leaders is prayer and the Word. The best thing I can do for you, the best thing we elders can do for the church is pray for you and train you with the Word of God. That way we don’t burn out. That way you are energized for ministry, and that way the church grows.
Acts 6:7 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. (ESV)
How do we turn our problems into opportunities for growth? It’s simple: Meet needs, by mobilizing people, so the leaders can maintain the priority of prayer and the Word. Please, let me pray for you right now…
