I wish to begin our message by sharing a personal account contributed by a pastor who was serving at a church in Washington State during the wake of the Mount St. Hellens eruption. This pastor said,
After Mount St. Helens blew up in May 1980, [the] church needed cleaning up. Ash was in the parking lot and all over the inside, because of the open windows. A woman met me in the hallway on Friday and asked “Why don’t the High School and College kids come in and help poor Fred [our custodian] clean this place up? Let’s get them involved.”
I asked, “Would you be willing to get some women together to cook lunch for us?” “Well,” she said, “We’d planned to go to the lake tomorrow to work on the cabin cleanup, and I don’t know when we’ll be back.”(1)
This pastor noted, “It’s always easier to volunteer someone else, than to help out yourself.” For some reason or another – whether fear, lack of time, or just plain selfishness – many Christ-followers refuse to serve in the church, hoping that someone else will meet the existing needs. However, when the volunteer workload is dumped on the shoulders of just a handful of people, then these individuals get burnt out; and since they can’t do everything, then a lot of needs go unmet. This morning we are going to look at how ministry is something intended to be shared among all believers.
Some Overlooked Widows (v. 1)
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
We read here about trouble brewing among the disciples; “disciple” being a designation given to Christ-followers before they were called Christians at Antioch.(2) A complaint arose against the Hebrews by the Hellenists; a complaint that threatened unity and growth in the New Testament church. The Hebrews were native-born Jews, and the Hellenists were Jews “who either spoke Greek rather than Aramaic, or had adopted Greek customs.”(3) The daily distribution of the bread was being neglected among the widows of the Hellenists; therefore, they were offended, taking it as discrimination.(4)
The distribution of bread worked like this: There were appointed collectors who received every day from every court, a piece of bread or any sort of food, or even money from whomever offered it; and then they divided that which was collected, in the evening among the poor, giving every single person his or her daily sustenance called the “Tamchui.”(5) This distribution of bread became a huge task as the number of new converts grew into the thousands; therefore, people were being neglected, not because of prejudice, but for a lack of human resources, or rather man power.
Many of the disciples considered the distribution of bread as an apostolic responsibility that should not have been neglected for any reason; and as we can see, this turned into a misunderstanding resulting in people feeling devalued and underappreciated. The root cause of both problems – the problem of insufficient distribution, and the problem of hurt feelings – can be traced to a lack of understanding concerning the main calling and responsibilities of an apostle.
Similar misunderstandings occur today when Christ-followers lose sight of the primary responsibilities of church leadership, especially the responsibilities of the pastor. For example, many church-goers believe it is the main task of the pastor to visit every single church member in their homes, in the hospital, and during times of crisis; which is a good idea and somewhat possible in a smaller congregation, but as the membership grows, one man simply can’t do it all. If he tries, then he will have to neglect some other important areas of ministry.
Bro. Paul (the former pastor) shared with me how he was able to keep up with the visitation and his studies when he first arrived, and when church attendance was around sixty to eighty people; but when the attendance began averaging around one hundred forty people, it became much harder to manage. Mark Chaves, in an article I recently read, tells us:
If people expect a visit from a clergyperson every time a member is in the hospital, or if they expect a host of professionally organized youth activities, or, more broadly, if people expect that every member will be personally known in a meaningful sense by their minister . . . then congregations will have to add [volunteers] about as fast as they add people.(6)
Adding ministry volunteers, is precisely what needed to be done in the New Testament church in order to resolve the neglect occurring in the daily distribution of bread; and we will come to see that this is exactly how the apostles handled the situation.
The Ministry of the Word (vv. 2-4)
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit 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.”
“Dwight L. Moody used to say that it was better to put ten men to work than to try to do the work of ten men.”(7) In verse 3, the apostles told the disciples, “Seek out from among you seven men . . . whom we may appoint over this business.” The apostle’s solution was to recruit more help. This sounds like a reasonable plan from our point of view; but for those present, the apostles felt that more explanation was needed as to why they, themselves, could not perform this task alone. So, they used this dilemma as a teaching moment about the apostles’ primary responsibilities.
There were likely some who murmured among themselves, “Why do we need more volunteers? Hasn’t God called the apostles to minister to the people? Isn’t the distribution of bread to the widows ‘the work of God’?” Church leadership coach Tony Morgan cautions that “it’s possible to do the work of God without doing the work that God has called you to do.”(8) There’s a lot of kingdom work to be done in the church; but is it the work to which you have been called? Some people are serving in numerous areas only because no one else will step up, as there is a lack of willing volunteers.
Morgan admonishes church leaders, “If you’re doing all the ministry, you’re probably going to lead a small, ineffective ministry that’s not consistent with God’s plan for your life.”(9) He asks, “So what are you going to do? Are you going to continue to do the work of God, or are you going to do the work God called you to do?”(10) The apostles were more than willing to set the record straight, informing the disciples that this additional care, necessary to administer the daily bread, would interfere with their primary calling, which was the ministry of the Word; which involved dedicating themselves to in-depth study and teaching of the Scripture, in order to better administer the bread of life.(11)
Just as the apostles, the primary task of pastors is to administer the Word. Visitation, outreach planning, organization, meetings, and associational events are all important and necessary, and even worthy of a pastor’s attention whenever times allow; but the primary responsibility is the ministry of the Word. The Inter Varsity Press New Testament Commentary states, “The Word is central to the church’s growth – so central that Satan will use a congregation’s expectations and traditions (often innocent in themselves) to distract ministers from what is required for effective proclamation of the Word. In the midst of great advance, the Jerusalem church faced the same problem.”(12)
Appointing Table Servers (vv. 5-6)
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
I stated earlier that recruiting ministry volunteers is what needed to be done in order to resolve the neglect occurring in the daily distribution of bread; however, it’s also what needed to be done in order to free up some time for the apostles to study and administer the Word. In consideration of adding volunteers in churches today, here is one recent statistic to keep in mind: A survey shows that “growing churches” average 1 volunteer to every 10 attenders.(13) How are we doing on volunteers?
Back in verse 3 we read, “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.” John Gill comments that they were to be men “who were eminent for their rich experience of grace; and who . . . were capable both of defending the truth against opposition, and of speaking a word of exhortation to duty, or of comfort under distress, or of reproof to members, as circumstances required.”(14)
We often say that beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to finding volunteers, but any ministry – whether it’s children’s ministry or driving a church bus – is a special calling not to be underestimated, and one worthy of a high caliber man or woman of God. You may ask, “How can we find such individuals of character?” They are found in abundance in churches faithfully teaching the Word of God, where individuals view Bible literacy and teaching as being of utmost importance, and where members are passionate about growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Churches in which pastors are given adequate time to rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) have willing volunteers. Why? Because they have experienced the effects of “over-exposure to the Word” - if there is such a thing. The Word of God has penetrated their hearts and overtaken their lives, helping them mature in their faith to the point that they are willing to lay down their life – such as their own personal wants and desires – in order to take up their cross daily and follow hard after Christ. As He becomes greater and greater, our own preferences become less and less (John 3:30); until knowing and serving Him becomes top priority.
Some people use this passage to justify the selection of deacons to help carry the burden, because “three times Luke and the apostles use a Greek term from which we get our English word deacon.”(15) For instance, verses 1 and 3 use the word diakonia, and verse 2 uses diakonein; however, both of these words are translated as “service” and “refer to the distribution of money or food to help the needy of the congregation.”(16) Henry Webb, in his manual for Southern Baptist deacons (Deacons: Servant Models in the Church), says that “a function and not an office is clear from Luke’s wording. He never uses the noun ‘deacon’.”(17)
The congregation was choosing leaders (servant-leaders) who would serve in the church; not deacons. Webb says, “Not until late in the second century did some in the church associate the Seven with the role of deacons.”(18) Now, this passage is definitely useful in helping deacons understand the importance of service and the character expected of godly men, and it’s useful for deacon installation services; but Webb says that this passage should not be used to demonstrate the calling of deacons.
The reason why it’s important to clarify that this passage does not represent the calling of deacons is because it is way too easy to say, “We need to get some more deacons,” and “We need to hire some more church staff,” when the ministry load increases, rather than to acknowledge the fact that each and every member is responsible to step up and bear some of the burden. The twelve apostles said back in verse 2, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.” We need to understand that each and every member is called to serve, and in some way be a spiritual table waiter.
The seven men chosen here were called to a specific area of leadership. One commentary says that what the apostles passed on to the Seven through the laying on of hands was not the Spirit, for the Seven already had the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3); but “rather, they received authority to work as the apostles’ representatives in a specific task.”(19) They were commissioned as ministry team leaders, heading up groups of volunteers. This was similar to how Moses was commanded to choose able men out of all Israel, and make “them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens” (Exodus 18:25).
The Word of God Spread (v. 7)
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Here’s something we cannot miss! When the Seven were chosen and commissioned as ministry team leaders, and they began helping others to share the responsibility of the daily distribution of bread, then things were done more effectively, resulting in unity among the believers. The tables were waited on, the bread was served, and the Word of God was shared too, resulting in the church growing by leaps and bounds. The example of love and unity even impacted many Jewish priests to convert and give their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ.
Time of Reflection
Let’s not be like the Hellenists, sitting around complaining that the deacons, the youth minister, the pastor, or some other church leader, is not doing enough to meet people’s needs and make the church grow; because it takes everyone working together to accomplish all that must be done, and for church growth to happen. Instead, let’s have the attitude demonstrated by the disciples after the apostles had recommended appointing the Seven as ministry team leaders. We read of the disciples, “And the saying pleased the whole multitude” (v. 5). So what about it? Are you pleased in knowing that you have a responsibility to share in the ministry of the church?
The last thing we read here is that “as the Word of God spread,” the number of the disciples multiplied greatly; meaning that more and more people gave their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ. It was the power of the Word that led to faith, for it is through the Word that we hear the truth necessary to make a heart change. Paul called it “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).
So what is the “gospel” message that leads to salvation? “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Romans 10:9 states, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” If you repent of your sins and believe the gospel message of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, then you will be forgiven of your sins and receive eternal life.
NOTES
(1) Sermon Illustrations: www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/v/volunteer.htm (Accessed May 18, 2012)
(2) John Gill, John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/acts-6-1.html (Accessed May 16, 2012).
(3) Henry Webb, Deacons: Servant Models in the Church (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 2001), p. 68.
(4) Ibid., pp. 68-69.
(5) Gill, www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/acts-6-1.html (Accessed May 16, 2012).
(6) Mark Chaves, “What’s the ‘Right’ Sized Staff?” posted May 21, 2009: www.faithandleadership.com/blog/05-21-2009/mark-chaves-whats-the-right-sized-staff (Accessed May 16, 2012).
(7) Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1989), p. 429
(8) Tony Morgan, “Stop Doing Ministry,” posted December 10, 2009, Tony Morgan Live: tonymorganlive.com/2009/12/10/stop-doing-ministry/ (Accessed May 16, 2012).
(9) Ibid.
(10) Ibid.
(11) Webb, p. 69.
(12) “Acts,” Inter Varsity Press New Testament Commentary, Bible Gateway: www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Acts/Appointment-Seven (Accessed May 16, 2012).
(13) Scott Thumma, Dave Travis and Warren Bird, “Mega Churches Today 2005: Summary of Research and Findings,” (p. 10), Hartford Seminary: hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/megastoday2005summaryreport.pdf (Accessed May 16, 2012).
(14) Gill, www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/acts-6-3.html (Accessed May 16, 2012).
(15) Webb, p. 69.
(16) Ibid., p. 69.
(17) “Acts,” Inter Varsity Press New Testament Commentary.
(18) Webb, p. 71.
(19) “Acts,” Inter Varsity Press New Testament Commentary.
