THE GREAT PRIORITIES
TEXT: Acts 6:1-4
Acts 6:1-4 (KJV) And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. [2] Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. [3] Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. [4] But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
I. INTRODUCTION
-Among us there are a variety of levels of ministry experience. We have those here who are just beginning the early stages of ministry all the way to those who have been involved for almost as long as half a century.
-I can tell you with great honesty that there have been times, in fact many times, that the true priorities of ministry find the back burner. That can be due to a variety of matters; some preventable and others not so much.
-Years ago, when I was just a young man, I was listening to one of my heroes preach and he mentioned a book that he thought was crucial for every minister to find and read. But not just read but to spend time with it, going through it slowly, carefully, and then praying over what you had read. The book was by Eugene Peterson and it was actually part of a series of books on ministry and life in the ministry.
-The book was, Under the Unpredictable Plant—An Exploration in Vocational Holiness. He took the book of Jonah and worked through it in a way that was instructional and deeply impacting on me at the time (published in 1992).
-The book was actually in a series of books that were written by Eugene Peterson over a period from 1980-1992. Obviously, they are dated now but they really had a direct impact on me as to how my time and energy should be spent toward the calling of ministry. I cannot say that I have lived out all of the concepts of those books but they were beneficial enough to me at the time that I can now see how they have pushed me in the direction that I now find myself moving in.
-If you are interested in the other books, they are:
• Working the Angles—The Shape of Pastoral Integrity
• The Contemplative Pastor—Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction
• Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work
-Eugene Peterson later wrote the paraphrase of the Bible—The Message, of which has been valuable as well in my devotional reading of the Bible too.
-One of the things that happens to preachers who read is when they find an author who has been helpful to them, they generally will buy all of the books they write. I have done this with Eugene Peterson, Francis Frangipane, Leonard Ravenhill, A. W. Tozer, and a few others. But when it comes to speaking to getting the priorities of ministry in hand, Eugene Peterson has been worth his weight in gold.
-He died last year but prior to his death he wrote an autobiography with a simple title, The Pastor. I have read it several times and it is one of the books that is highlighted, underlined, and has copious notes in the margins. Peterson has a very unique way of speaking to the matters of the inner life of the minister, the preacher, the prayer warrior, the soul winner, and the watchman.
-I copied this from his book, The Contemplative Pastor, in one of my Bibles so that I would regularly run across it:
Impatience, the refusal to endure, is to pastoral character what strip mining is to the land—a greedy rape of what can be gotten at the least cost, and then abandonment in search of another place to loot. Something like fidelity comes out of apocalyptic: fidelity to God, to be sure, but also to the people, the parish, and the place you serve. . . A pastor has to be disciplined because there are tendencies toward apathy and complacency, the human susceptibility to indolence and laziness and we have to be constantly alert to that in ourselves and the churches that we serve.
-I pray that quote has the effect on you that it had on me! I also hope you can see why I wanted to handwrite it in the back of one of my Bibles.
-No matter how short or how long of a ministry that God deems you called to, those are some of the challenges that you will face along the way. I trust this message will speak to you about the great priorities of ministry.
II. THE GREAT PRIORITIES
-The text that we have read helps us to see one of the potholes that the early church had to navigate its way around. I have come to think that one of the problems that we sometimes have when we look at the early church is the tendency we have to see them in a very romantic light. We only see the miracles, signs, and wonders at the expense of overlooking the problems that the apostles had to endure—beatings, jailing’s, sickness, hunger, and conflict.
-Look no further than the church in Corinth and you will discover that it was a ministry nightmare. One of the things that we should regularly do when we are involved in church trouble is to read the Corinthian epistles and we will have things to be clarified for us.
-Here we see a problem that developed in Acts 6.
A. Acts 6:1—The Flashpoint
Acts 6:1 KJV And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
-There are some details in this passage that gives some insight as to the problem that had developed. There was a murmuring that arose between the Grecians and the Hebrews.
-This could be more accurately stated that there was a division between the Hellenistic Jews who were from Greece and the Palestinian Jews who resided in Jerusalem. There was a language barrier between the two groups as one spoke Greek and the other spoke Aramaic.
-It was complicated by a prejudicial attitude toward those from Greece. The Jewish constituents who resided in Jerusalem had a bit of superiority and condescension that was expressed toward those Hellenists who were also part of the young church.
-The word “murmuring” is useful to look at to shed light on the problems in the church. It comes from the Greek word, (goggusmos) which means that there was a secret debate going on behind the scenes.
-It was most likely that the Jewish widows were not necessarily receiving preferential treatment but it was breakdown in the organization and administration of distribution of goods. The apostles immediately realized that if it wasn’t dealt with quickly, it would occupy them so that the work of the Lord would come to a grinding halt.
B. Acts 6:2-4—The Fix
Acts 6:2-4 KJV Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. [3] Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. [4] But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
1. It Is Not Reason. . .
-It needs to be reiterated that the apostles did not want to leave the high priority of prayer and the ministry of the Word to serve tables. There is nothing wrong with the taking care of tables however it can be a massive distraction and ploy of the devil to destroy the church.
-They said, “It is not reason. . .” Far too many men in ministry have gotten so busy with the mundane details of waiting on tables that it has seriously affected the potential of the churches they have been called to serve through prayer and ministry of the Word.
-Any time that there is a sagging of prayer and ministry of the Word; it has a detrimental effect on the spiritual health and well-being of the church. I am sorry to admit that I can speak from experience!
-A congregation can often push a pastor and its church leaders toward the wrong things and the church languishes in spiritual infancy and immaturity.
-For years there can be a lack of ability to dig into the things of God because of the time factor required to do it. The Word and prayer must be a priority in the life of every pastor and church leader. We must fulfill our responsibility to our calling.
-From Pastoral Politics: Why Ministers Resign, by John Gilmore (p. 35):
The true power of the pastorate is discovered in moments of measured, meaningful private prayer. The modern pastor spends entirely too much of his or her energy in chasing after details easily ignored or handled by others. Time spent with God makes us effective in our pastoral functions. Seasoned pastoral counselor Eugene Peterson wisely warned, “If we do not develop a contemplative life adequate to our vocation, the very work we do and our very best intentions, insidiously pride-fueled as they inevitably become, destroy us and all with whom and for whom we work.”
-I am convinced that when we get to heaven, the Lord will show some churches what they could have been and never attained to it because their pastor was nothing more to them than a glorified errand boy.
-I am encouraging all who are in this licensing seminar to get a grip on the great priorities—prayer and ministry of the Word for your calling.
-We will have to be rigidly disciplined about this matter of prayer and ministry of the Word but in the long run churches are far more spiritually healthy if a minister will commit to the great priorities.
-The primary task is to preach and teach the Word of God.
• A pastor should not tell sentimental stories about the Word.
• He should not give pious platitudes about its power and use.
• He should not read his text and then move away from it on some personal hobby horse or tangent.
-The pastor is to literally give himself to the unfolding of the Word so that its whole fiber can be integrated into the life of the church. He does not need to have an opinion about the Word but he must know what it says.
-Sermons and Bible studies that are bathed in prayer will always make a difference. Preaching that has no ingredient of prayer in it will always be dull and dry. For any preacher to be effective, he must spend time in prayer. Epaphras was a great example of this kind of praying (Col. 4:12-13).
2. We Will Give Ourselves Continually. . .
-The Greek word for “continually” is p??s?a?te?e´? (proskartereo¯). Thayer’s Greek Lexicon gives the following definitions for this word; to be devoted or constant to one cause.
-It can mean to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a goal, and to continue all the time in a place. To do this one will have to persevere and not to faint and show one’s self courageous for the task. He will be one who is in constant readiness to do the task.
-From the Strong's meaning we find it means to be earnest and to persevere. It is to be constantly diligent and to attend assiduously to all the exercises required or involved in the call to do the task.
-There is a cost involved in a minister giving himself to the task of preaching and praying. One old preacher had a young man say to him one day, “Brother, I would give the entire world to be able to preach the Word and know the Word like you do!” To which the old minister answered him back, “My young man that is exactly what it will cost!”
3. To Prayer and Ministry of the Word. . .
-In an age when Christians are desiring “less preaching and more programs”, the opposite plan was in place for the early church.
-Look at the order that we find here. . . Prayer and ministry of the Word.
-All preaching without prayer is vain. It is an empty exercise. Where are the men who have wet eyes, broken hearts, bent knees and anguished souls over the condition of the pitiful lives who are being exploited by an intense spiritual battle in our day?
J.C. Ryle—I ask you whether you pray, because diligence in prayer is the secret of eminent holiness. Without controversy there is a vast difference among true Christians. . . I believe the difference in nineteen out of twenty cases arises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much.
Luke 18:1 (KJV) And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
1 Timothy 2:8 (KJV) I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
-Prayer is a crucial part of all aspects of the ministry.
• Prayer is absolutely needful to my own salvation. It will be difficult to be saved if we are prayerless.
• The habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian. Not much is told of effective men in the Bible who were not men of prayer. We cannot go into the secret place of prayer and pour out our soul to God unless we are earnest. Solid prayers are those that flow from a broken and contrite spirit.
• There is no duty in Christian service that is more neglected than the place of private prayer. Religious profession or position cannot replace prayer.
• Prayer is a place where you will find great encouragement. You meet an Advocate, a High Priest, an Intercessor when you give yourself to prayer (Matt. 7:7-8; Matt. 21:22; John 14:13-14; Luke 11:5; Luke 18:1).
• Diligence in prayer is the secret of holiness. Diligent private prayer adds so much to our lives.
• The neglect of prayer is one great cause of backsliding. Ministers fail in private prayer long before they ever fall in public.
-You need to know that you will have to fight and win the battle for private prayer for the whole of your ministry. The Lord hates prayerless preachers but the arch-enemy loves prayerless preachers.
-The apostles took their prayer seriously but they also took their preaching seriously as well.
-In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he explained very clearly the pattern by which a preacher is to preach the Word.
1 Timothy 4:11-13 KJV These things command and teach. [12] Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. [13] Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
-Early in this chapter Paul notes that there are some things that the devil will use to attack in an effort to weaken the church but a response to the directive to transmit (command) and teach is an effective remedy against the attack of the devil. In 1 Timothy 4:13, he tells Timothy how this is to be accomplished:
• Give attendance to reading—Read the text in the Bible.
• Give attendance to exhortation—Apply the text and show the church how to live it out.
• Give attendance to doctrine—Explain the text to the hearer.
-This is how true preaching has to take place. But, a preacher must remember that he is not a mechanic about to work on an engine or a surgeon about to do an open-heart surgery. There is no spiritual preparation at all involved in doing either one of these tasks.
-But to preach the Word there is a preparation of heart, mind, and soul that has to be a constant. In fact, a preacher must keep his life clean and pure. If he does not then he has nothing to say at all. The teaching has to match the life. Note what he also commends to men who preach in this chapter:
1 Timothy 4:12 KJV Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:16 KJV Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
2 Timothy 4:2 KJV Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
-Every preacher who reads this particular passage ought to cry out to God for assistance. His heart cry must be to resist and battle against the corruptions of the flesh, the impurities of the world, and the wiles of the devil.
-One of the greatest contributors to our preaching effectively is our own experience of the Christ walking with us in the midst of our own sorrows and our own sins. When you experience the depths of your own despair and find a place where you are supported by prayer and by the Savior, you are well on your way to being effective in preaching.
-It was said of one of the old divines that he was a man who came to love the Scriptures; he drank of them, studied them continually, and as a result he knew them well. It helps immensely in our preaching if we know the Scriptures.
-There is an authority that comes to a man who makes his appeals from the Word.
-I am becoming more and more an activist in apostolic circles of expository preaching. That means you just preach your way through the Bible. You have to work at it, pray over it, but a church that hears that kind and style of preaching will be reaching for their Bibles in times of trouble. . . not some Rockstar preacher.
-Another of the old Puritans (Bullinger) was an expositor. This is what he accomplished in his own preaching:
• He preached through fifty-three of the sixty-six books in the Bible at least once.
• Some books he preached through twice: Isaiah, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Nahum, Jonah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Luke, John, Acts, 1 Peter, and 1 John. One he preached through four times: Hebrews.
• Wrote thirteen volumes of commentaries that covered the entire New Testament except for Revelation.
• Later he published one hundred sermons on Revelation.
• He wrote 170 sermons on Jeremiah, sixty-six on Daniel, and 190 on Isaiah.
• In all he had more than 600 sermons that he published.
-That is the kind of work of giving yourself to prayer and ministry of the Word. If we ever needed fearless prayerful and Word-focused preachers, it is now!
III. CONCLUSION
-I want to conclude with some words by Eugene Peterson:
Eugene Peterson—There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.
-If I will find the great priority of life and ministry, it will be because I follow through on doing as the apostles made a clear-cut choice to do in Acts 6:4.
Philip Harrelson
February 21, 2019
