SERVING IN THE CHURCH
Text: Acts 6:1-7
Introduction
1. Illustration: C. Peter Wagner states in his book Your Spiritual Gifts on page 19: "Martin Luther permanently changed Christendom when he rediscovered the priesthood of all believers. Still, Lutheranism retained much of the clericalism of the Roman Catholic Church. One wonders why it took more than 400 years for the churches born of the Reformation to rediscover the biblical teaching of the ministry of all believers."
2. People in the church have done church backwards for many years. The pastor or the minister is seen as the hired hand and the congregation is merely there to be at best ministered to, at least to be entertained.
3. However, we are all called to the ministry. Some are called to preach and lead, while others are called to do the work of the ministry with their own gifts and callings.
4. We can see this truth truly illustrated for us in Acts 6:1-7.
5. Read Acts 6:1-7
Proposition: The church is at its best when we are all following our calling.
Transition: Acts 6 begins with…
I. The Problem (1).
A. Rumblings of Discontent
1. Here’s the reality, all churches have problems, even the early church.
a. Any time you get a group of people together you are going to have problems, because none of us is perfect.
b. If you find the perfect church, don’t join it because you’ll mess everything up.
c. The truth is there are no perfect church. The secret is that when problems arise, we need to deal with them in a godly way.
2. That’s what happened in the early church. Luke tells us about the problem the early church had in v. 1, where he tells us, “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.”
a. The first thing we see is that the church was growing, and they were having growing pains.
b. The Greek speaking believers were complaining that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
c. Keep in mind that widows in the first century were dependent upon others to take care of them. Once a woman lost her husband, she was dependent upon her sons to take care of her because they received the inheritance once the father died. So, they were expected to care for their mother.
d. However, for these Greek speaking women, who were not from around Jerusalem, didn’t have any nearby relatives to care for them.
e. The next problem was that there was a language barrier. Most local Jews spoke Aramaic, but the Greek speaking Jews spoke Greek and their native language, but not Aramaic. So, they had a communication issue.
f. Also, they had a numbers problem. The church was growing so rapidly that they couldn’t keep up with the need.
g. They had more mouths to feed then they had food. All of this was causing problems within the church.
h. The phrase “rumblings of discontent,” was a harsh word like the word used in the OT for the grumblings against Moses in the desert.
i. So, the leaders of the church had to come up with a solution, and they had to do it quickly.
B. Royal Priests
1. Illustration: “The New Testament pictures the church as an every-member ministry. The “priesthood of all believers” is not just a Reformation watch word but a biblical ideal.” (Greg Ogden).
2. We are all called to the ministry.
a. “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Pet. 2:9).
b. There was a problem in the early church that still exists today: pastors are expected to do it all. The church has come to expect it, and pastors let them think that way.
c. That’s why there is an epidemic of burnout among pastors. They try to do it all, but all they do is wear themselves out. Nobody can do it all!
d. The bible tells us we are all priests and ministers.
e. We are a chosen people, which means we have all been handpicked by God.
f. We are royal priests; we are all called by God to serve in the church in some capacity. In bible times, the priesthood was a full-time occupation. It was a preoccupation and not a past-time. If you were a priest, it was all you did.
g. We are a holy nation; we are set apart for service to God. God has set us apart to serve in his church, and we have been equipped by God for our own ministry.
h. We are his very own possession; we are God’s Seggulah, a Hebrew word that refers to a king’s prized possession, it was small enough and valuable enough that if your kingdom was overrun you could grab it a run with it. It was the one thing no one could take from you. You are God’s prized possession, and he has a ministry for you!
Transition: Next, we see…
II. The Solution (2-4)
A. The Twelve Called a Meeting
1. So, the Twelve took action to deal with the problem. In vv. 2-4 it says, “So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”
a. The Twelve, meaning the apostles, called a meeting of the entire church, which must have taken some doing because the church was probably around 10,000 believers at this time.
b. They made a very wise decision; they knew they couldn’t do it all themselves.
c. They knew they had a specific calling, and that was preaching and teaching. If they spent all their time running a food program it would keep them from their true calling.
d. The phrase “food program” literally means “waiting tables,” and it comes from the word that we from which we get the title “deacons.”
e. They knew their calling was preaching, teaching, and praying, therefore, they needed to find some people who had the calling to minister to the physical needs of the people.
f. The apostles had a specific calling that was spiritual in nature, but there were other needs in the church that were physical in nature that needed to be met.
g. However, just because the need was physical doesn’t mean it was not spiritual, or less important than the ministry of the apostles, it was just different.
2. So, they came up with a great solution. They said, let’s find seven men who can take on this responsibility.
a. They listed several requirements for the position.
1) First, they had to be men of integrity: they had to be well respected by everyone. If people didn’t respect them, they would suspect that there was some funny business going on.
2) Second, they had to be full of the Holy Spirit. Once again, just because they ministry was taking care of physical needs doesn’t mean their ministry was not spiritual. They had to be full of the Spirit and living according to the teachings of the Word.
3) Third, they had to be full of wisdom. They had to be able to make good decisions as to how the food would be distributed fairly, and they had to make sure there was going to be enough food to go around. They had to have the wisdom to run this ministry in a way that was going to honor God and meet the needs of the church.
b. If they could be trusted to run this ministry, then the apostles could fulfill their ministry of preaching and praying.
B. Different Kinds of Service
1. Illustration: “The priesthood of all believers did not make everyone into church workers; rather, it turned every kind of work into a sacred calling.” (Gene Edward Veith Jr.)
2. Just because God has not called you to be a pastor doesn’t mean he hasn’t called you into ministry. Every work done in the name of Christ is spiritual, no matter what it involves.
a. “There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” (1 Cor. 12:5-7).
b. Not everyone is called to do what I do, but everyone is called to do something.
c. For example, if keeping the books and paying the bills was left up to me, God help us! Thank you, Jesus, for Wanda!
d. Another example is Eli, and oh how I wish we had 20 Eli’s! He’s our greeter, acolyte, takes up the offering, and last Sunday cleared off the leaves out of the parking lot! Thank you, Jesus, for Eli!
e. Jeri is another person we should thank Jesus for. Now, I could lead worship, but because of her great ministry I don’t have to, and I can spend my time and energy to what I do.
f. We should also thank Jesus for Leon. Not only does he do the readings and lead us in the Apostle’s Creed, but he stays after everyone is gone, gathers up all the trash, shuts off all the lights, and locks the doors! And that’s just a few of the things he does.
g. We should thank Jesus for Wayne. He’s our lay leader, helps me with communion, is an acolyte, and takes up the offering.
h. We should thank Jesus for Jeane. She serves as our secretary, makes sure the offering money gets to the bank, and lets me know how many we have for service. Not to mention she sings really well too!
i. We should thank Jesus for Tina. She keeps our website, runs our Facebook page, posts my sermon videos on YouTube, teaches Sunday school, gets supplies from Sam’s Club, and keeps the pastor in line!
j. Now, I could go on and on. Margaret with food, Evelyn with keeping historical records, Judy with decorating for Christmas, Rebecca for putting messages on the sign, all the people who serve on the committee, and everyone who cleans the church!
k. Now, pay close attention to what I’m about to tell you, all of these things are spiritual, and they are gifts from God!
Transition: Because of all of this we see…
III. The Results (5-7).
A. God’s Message Continued to Spread
1. Well, the Twelve’s solution to the problem must have sat well with the church, because Luke tells us in vv. 5-6, “Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.”
a. It must have been a good idea because everybody liked it. Now, we all know that this doesn’t happen very often in the church. I mean everybody liked it!
b. So, they came up with seven men that fit the requirements the apostles laid out.
c. First, you notice the first one on the list, Stephen, was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. Again, this was a spiritual position even though it dealt with physical needs.
d. You’ll also notice they all have Greek names! If the objective was to make sure the Greek speaking widows were not getting overlooked, then put a Greek speaking man in charge! Problem solved!
2. Now, have I mentioned that even though this was a physical need it was a spiritual position?
a. You’ll notice they laid hands on them and prayed for them. because it was spiritual!
b. “Laying hands on someone, an ancient Jewish practice, was a way to set a person apart for special service.
c. That the apostles laid their hands on them was a common gesture used in the commissioning of individuals to a task or office. It was also a granting of some sort of authority” (Barton).
3. It’s also important for us to see that the solution to the problem worked. In v. 7 Luke tells us, “So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.”
a. What could have caused a serious rift in the church, could have also put up a roadblock in the spreading of the Gospel.
b. So, Luke tells us that “God’s message continued to spread!”
c. People were all operating in their calling, and as a result, the Gospel continued to move forward.
d. The numbers of believes continued to grow greatly! So much so, that even the Jewish priests were getting saved!
e. When we’re all playing our role, good things happen!
B. God Has Given Each of You a Gift
1. Illustration: What are your spiritual GIFTS? What comes easy to you that is not so easy for others? A man is pulled over by a police officer for a broken headlight. The cop looks in the car and sees a collection of knives on the backseat. "Sir," he says. "Why do you have all those knives?" "They’re for my juggling act," the man replies. "Prove it," says the cop. The man gets out of the car and begins juggling the knives just as two men drive by. "Man," says one guy. "I’m glad I quit drinking. These new sobriety tests are hard."
2. If God has given you the ability to do something in the church that no one else can do, it’s a spiritual gift!
a. “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” (1 Pet. 4:10-11).
b. Now, please don’t misunderstand me, the NT talks about spiritual gifts, like prophecy, discerning of spirits, word of knowledge and word of wisdom. They are unique and definitely spiritual.
c. However, there are other gifts and talents that God gives us that are also spiritual.
d. If God gives you the ability to do something, it’s a gift, and because it comes from God it’s spiritual.
e. If God has given you this ability you need to use it for his service.
f. Since this is a gift from God, if he didn’t want you to use it, he would have given it to someone else!
g. Remember, to whom much is given, much is demanded!
Conclusion
1. We are all called to the ministry. Some are called to preach and lead, while others are called to do the work of the ministry with their own gifts and callings.
2. We saw this morning…
a. The Problem
b. The Solution
c. The Result
3. What’s the point preacher? We have all been given gifts from God, and we need to use those gifts to further the Gospel and give glory to God.
