OUT OF THE BLUE!
Acts 6:1-7
INTRODUCTION
Move over ‘Rob Tucker Challenge’ – make room for the ‘Dave Lansdown Off-road Comp’. You see yesterday I had the privilege of not only taking out the coveted prize, but also inaugurating what will be THE annual Off-road comp! Some of you may know the saying – ‘A well worn path is not necessarily the right path’ – well I can tell you if you want excitement and adventure get off the well worn. ‘Ask the Lansdown brothers.’ You may cop a bit of flack on the way - make sure you’ve got a healthy self esteem!
I decided on Friday night to drive around part of the perimeter of lake Fyans in order to be better placed for the ‘Tucker Challenge’. In doing so I intentionally (of course) decided to traverse a spot where there was much water – it only appeared that that wasn’t the case! Anyway to cut a long story short I got the 4WD bogged to the axels. And when my ‘friends’ heard about it – all they could do was hang it on me. None of these guys had understood that I had intentionally provided their entertainment for the weekend.
The next day, after trying heaps to get this vehicle out – ‘Grampians Towing’ just had to have a piece of the action! And to add insult to injury, the local coper just had to come and put in his two bobs worth! ‘Oh you didn’t!’, was all he could say laughing his head off in utter disbelief.
‘Where’s this leading?’ you may ask! Now that’s a very good question.
Maybe our reading will help provide the answer. Noel could you please come forward and read Acts 6:1-7 to us. Thank you.
(READ ACTS 6:1-7)
Did that help?
Well by the end I’m sure we’ll see the connection!
Looking at verse 1, would you say that we are reading about a situation in which God and His people are at work? Why?
(ALLOW RESPONSES)
Yes, we are hearing about the Lord’s work here. We know it’s His work because,
1. PEOPLE WERE BEING ‘BORN AGAIN’
Verse 1 says, ‘In those days when the number of disciples was increasing…’
In other words the church was growing. These believers were involved in God’s work. The Holy Spirit was at work in and through them. Fruit was being born.
It is God’s plan and purpose that His Church should be constantly increasing. It should be growing, progressing and expanding. After all, Jesus Himself said, He came to seek out and to rescue those who so desperately need Him – and don’t we all desperately need Him! And as the church, His body in this community – we should be seeking out and pointing people to the one who can rescue them. And people should be coming to Christ.
Do you agree we should be doing God’s work – Kingdom work?!
Remember last week how we had the word painting of the blue and yellow. We pictured the screen to be a beautiful crisp, fresh, tranquil, life invigorating almost transparent blue and in the blue, about the size of a 5 cent piece is a bright, dazzling yellow spot. The blue represented eternity – all that is of lasting value – all that lasts beyond the here and now, and the yellow represented the temporal – the here and now stuff that has no bearing on eternity. And remember how we noted that there is something desperately wrong with the image we have just seen because the yellow could not even be seen in the light of eternity – that’s how insignificant it is! Yet we spend so much time focussing on things in the yellow!
Now there’s been much discussion since that picture was brought before us. A number of people have made mention of it. In fact we had the Jacksons and the McPhersons around for lunch and ended up talking about what is blue and what is yellow. And it became evident that trying to make the distinction can be quite a challenge.
So due to popular demand – we will focus some attention on the blue and yellow.
In verse 1 of Acts 6 we have this, ‘In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.’
We’ve already noted that part of this verse proclaims that work WAS being done for God, ‘In those days when the number of disciples was increasing…’ But what about the second part of the verse, ‘the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.’
Were these comments part of the blue or not?!
Before answering that, let’s spend a moment or two trying to establish how we can tell the difference.
The daily, the hum drum stuff of life – what colour is it? My wife, Cheryl said last Sunday, ‘I spend so much time washing and cleaning up and doing house work – is this blue or yellow?’ Good question!
What we wear – blue or yellow?
Let’s get a little feedback on some of these questions. I’d like you to chip in what you think. The first question is this-
What we wear – blue or yellow?
(Tell story of guy who put shorts on back the front.)
What’s blue and yellow at work?
Consistency etc…
Can Christian ministry be yellow? Examples?
Tell of … ministry.
Can yellow be used for blue? Examples?
Tell of greatest failure that has been used for blue.
Can you have a yellow Christian? What might a yellow Christian look like?
What might a blue Christian look like?
Can you be a blue Christian and have yellow days?
Is there, or are there, principles by which we can distinguish between the blue and yellow? If so what?
I believe our answer is found in 2 Cor 5:9, ‘… we make it our goal to please him…’
How do we determine what is blue or yellow – we assess it by our primary goal. And our primary goal is ’to please Him’, that is God.‘…we make it our aim …to please him’ It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to evangelise, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only ‘to be pleasing to Him.’
It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to ’yellow’, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal.
At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the that primary goal. Any goal we have that diverts us even to the slightest degree from that goal is yellow. I must learn to relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it without interruption.
Is my primary goal in life to please God, or is it something less, no matter how lofty it may sound?
I believe the answer as to whether the second part of verse 1 was blue or yellow is – it was both. The Grecian Jews handled the situation in a yellow way by complaining – but the need was real and it was dealt with in a way that made it blue. Perhaps the Grecian Christians were yellow Christians – or perhaps they were blue Christians having a yellow day!
Back to getting bogged at lake Fyans – can you recognise the connection now? That became blue simply by my reaction. You see the automatic attitude (at least for me) is one of annoyance, frustration and grumbling. Thinking that says, ‘My whole weekend is spoilt now! Why did it have to happen? How am I going to face the guys? etc…’ Rather than think that way, I determined to remember that God’s in control – He’s got it all together. And the whole experience turned out to be a delight.
And my primary goal (to be pleasing to Him) determined my attitude.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Mtt 6:19-21)
10 ‘By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.’ (1 Cor 3:10-15)
May He enable us to put into practice what we have learnt!
Let’s pray
