Making an Impact:
Mobilizing for Ministry
These are actual excerpts from the classified sections of city newspapers.
Are you illiterate? Write today for help.
Alterations Shop. We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand.
Auto Repair Service. Try us once; you’ll never go anywhere else again.
Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel.
Stock up and save! Limit one per customer.
Girl wanted to assist magician in cutting-off-head illusion. Good salary and Blue Cross Insurance.
We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for 1 dollar.
Man, honest, will take anything.
Used cars: Why go anywhere else to be cheated. Come here first.
Just as these ads were written to illicit a response, so too the church is in search of people who will respond to various needs. As we established last week, the foundation for the early church was a devotion to instruction in God’s Word. Devoted disciples look for ways to receive the Word, to research the Word, and to respond to the Word. Part of that response is to be mobilized for ministry.
The beauty of Christianity is that believers have been redeemed for a reason, converted to a cause, and saved to serve. This morning we’re going to take a look at the second key lifestyle ingredient of the early church they were mobilized for ministry. Take a look at Acts 2:45, “Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” These Christ-followers were committed to each other, giving and ministering whenever they had opportunity.
But, much like what happens to us after awhile, fracture points were beginning to appear across the fabric of the early church.
How a Crisis Became an Opportunity
Flip over a few chapters to Acts 6:1-7.
This text tells the story of a sudden and unexpected controversy that threatened to rip apart the early church. How it was handled and how the crisis became an opportunity makes for a fascinating story. As I study these verses I am struck by the way the passage begins and ends.
Verse 1 tells us that the problem surfaced as the number of disciples was increasing. Verse 7 informs us that the Word of God spread rapidly as many people believed and many priests became obedient to the faith. Instead of derailing the church, this crisis propelled it to even faster growth. Surely this is a mark of God’s hand of blessing. Even the bad things work out for good.
What happens in Acts 6 takes place at the end of a period of severe persecution, from which the church emerged stronger than ever. Acts 4 tells us that it was a time of unusual spiritual unity and sharing of possessions. And it happened during a period of amazing spiritual harvest. This should not surprise us. Satan often attacks at the moment when things are finally going well.
In seven brief verses Luke describes the problem, gives the solution, and then tells us about the very positive result. When we get to the end, we discover that more people are serving the Lord, more people are being won to Christ, and the unity of the church has been restored.
The Problem
“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” (Acts 6:1).
This is the first case of racial prejudice in the Christian church. It comes about primarily because the church has grown so fast that it has outstripped its leadership base. In the early days the apostles and their helpers could easily care for everyone in the congregation. As thousands joined the growing movement, it was inevitable that some people (or groups of people) would fall through the cracks.
Judaism had a system for the distribution of food to the poor. The early church in Jerusalem also shared their possessions with the needy. But, because of the increasing number of believers, the number of widows dependent on relief became disproportionately large.
The problem stemmed from the fact that although the early church was entirely Jewish, it was made up of two different groups of Jews. The Hebraic Jews were Jewish-Christian converts who spoke Hebrew (or more probably Aramaic, a dialect of Hebrew) as their main language. They had been born and raised in Israel, were native to the land, knew the customs of the synagogue intimately, and they brought their extensive culture with them when they entered the church.
By contrast, the Grecian Jews were Jewish-Christian converts who spoke Greek because they had been born and raised outside Israel. When they came to Christ, they brought their Greek-speaking culture with them. This means they probably looked a bit different and certainly acted and sounded different from the Hebrew-speaking Jewish Christians.
This was a recipe for trouble. As long as things were going well, the differences could be ignored. However, the Jerusalem church was never wealthy, and eventually there were problems in the daily distribution of food for the widows from the two groups.
The Hebrew-speaking Jewish Christian widows were being favored over the Greek-speaking Jewish Christian widows. I think (although I can’t prove it) that here we have a simple case of the “hometown widows” being favored—consciously or unconsciously. After all, the Hebrew-speaking widows were from Israel, and perhaps had grown up in or near Jerusalem. They were well known and had many connections. It’s a natural human impulse to “take care of your own” in times of trouble or shortage.
I think it’s easy for us to dismiss this as a fairly minor problem. It wasn’t. If you were a Greek-speaking widow in the Jerusalem church, it was a big deal because you weren’t being fed. And when the widows weren’t being fed, their friends got up in arms. This is a serious problem that demanded careful attention. Churches routinely split over issues much less important than this.
So how should the church tackle a problem like this? If it were us, we would appoint a Food Distribution Task Force to study the matter and report to the elders. Or we might call a prayer meeting. Or we might have a business meeting and hash it out (or shout it out). Maybe we would end up starting a new church—The First Jewish-Christian Greek-speaking church of Jerusalem.
The Solution
Verses 2-6 tell us how the early church confronted this difficult issue. The solution involves a four-step process.
Step 1: Setting Priorities (verse 2)
First, there was an immediate response. “So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together.” Second, there was a clear statement of priorities. “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.”
Whenever I read those words, I always stop and ponder them because at first glance they seem a bit harsh. I can easily imagine that certain people in the church said something like this: “Wouldn’t it be great if the apostles got together and took over the feeding of the Greek-speaking widows? That would send a powerful message to the congregation, and it would be a healing way to bring the two groups together.”
What could be better than for the leaders to set the pace in personally solving this problem? It’s so easy, and so tempting, to adopt that strategy.
But it would have been wrong. To do so would actually have caused the apostles to disobey God’s will. They understood that God had called them to the ministry of the Word and to prayer. Anything that moved them away from that priority—no matter how good or noble or necessary it might be—was actually a diversion from their divine calling.
The same principle holds true for spiritual leaders in general. In any church there are many tasks that need to be done. It is tempting to say to the leadership, “Do a little of everything.” That can lead to spiritual disaster. When leaders do a little of everything, they end up doing a whole lot of nothing. Since the church is built upon the Word of God, leaders must devote themselves to the study and teaching of the Bible. Nothing must be allowed to take the place of this central priority.
Spiritual leaders must focus their efforts on the Word of God and prayer and therefore resist attempts to divert them to other worthy causes. This may seem hardhearted but it really is nothing more than having a biblical focus. We must not let the good crowd out the best or allow the urgent to push the important off the agenda. Since no one can do everything, spiritual leaders must commit themselves to their primary work of ministering the Word and spending time in prayer.
Step 1 is Setting Priorities. In verses 3-4, we see that Step 2 is Making a Plan.
This is only part of the story. It is well and good for the apostles to be high-minded about their calling, but we’ve got a group of hungry widows on our hands. What are we going to do about them? After all, if they aren’t fed, they won’t be in any mood to listen to the apostles as they minister the Word. We still need a plan to handle the problem.
Notice that it begins with congregational involvement: “Brothers, choose seven men from among you.” It continues with a clear statement of qualifications: “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.” Then, there is a commitment to definite delegation: “We will turn this responsibility over to them.” And finally there’s a restatement of their own priorities: “and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.”
This strikes me as an exceedingly wise approach to the problem. Rather than issuing an edict from on high, they ask the congregation to choose the men who will serve the widows. The statement of personal qualifications shows that they wanted seven spiritually-mature men who would immediately have the respect of the church. Once those men were chosen, they could attack the problem as they wished while the apostles focused on their primary calling.
Verse 5 gives us Step # 3: Finding the Right People.
Luke tells us that this proposal won unanimous approval: “This proposal pleased the whole group.” Here is a list of the seven men they chose: “Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.” This list is unique in that all the names are Greek names, meaning that the congregation chose men from within the Greek-speaking section of the church. These men no doubt knew the widows personally, would have the trust of all the Greek-speaking believers, and would know how to handle any problems that might arise.
The final step is found in verse 6: Commissioning the Workers.
Here is the final step in the process. After the congregation selected the seven men, they were presented to the apostles who laid their hands on them and prayed for them. This final step is important because it puts the full weight of the 12 apostles behind the seven men. It ensures that the Greek-speaking widows will know that they aren’t being pushed in a corner and that their concerns have been taken seriously at the very highest level. It also sends a message to the congregation that this problem has been dealt with in a forthright manner, and that the apostles truly want to see the Greek-speaking widows fed every day.
The Result
Verse 7 brings us to the end of this little episode from the early church. Notice first that there is a new receptivity to the message: “So the word of God spread.” Second, there are many new converts: “The number of disciples in Jerusalem spread rapidly.” Third, there are conversions in high places: “And a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” By God’s grace an interruption that threatened to divide became an opportunity for further growth.
Now, what are we to learn from all this? Let’s consider 3 implications:
Implications
1) Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
The apostles understood their calling from the Lord, which is why they refused to personally get involved in feeding the widows. What seems harsh and uncaring was actually best for all concerned. Sometimes leaders must say “no” to the good in order to say “yes” to the best. The church starves spiritually when leaders lose their focus. In every organization a thousand pressures constantly pull us away from our core concerns. In God’s work we must constantly build everything upon the Word of God and prayer (we’re going to focus on “Prayer” next Sunday). When we do that, ancillary concerns can be addressed and handled. When we forget that, the entire church suffers. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing.
2) No One Can Do Everything
This follows logically. The apostles couldn’t do their work and feed the widows too. The same is true in every church today. The elders can’t do it all. The Pastoral Staff can’t do it all. In the local church there are hundreds of things that need to be done, and therefore hundreds of willing hands are needed.
I can preach and pray, teach and write, work with the elders and deacons, lead the staff and meet with people, pray for the hurting and visit the sick, attend some meetings and answer questions and take phone calls, and I can dream dreams for the future and cast a vision, and do a few other things. But no matter how hard I work, I can’t preach and work in the nursery at the same time. I certainly don’t want to play the piano. And you should thank God that you don’t have to listen to me sing a solo.
This passage in Acts 6 really lays the groundwork for the New Testament teaching on gift-based ministry. God never intended that one man—or one group of men—or any group of men and women—do all the work in the local church. The church does not work that way. Other passages like 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4 speak clearly to the fact that each of us have been gifted in order to serve. God wants us to be mobilized for ministry. We don’t have time this morning to look at each of these passages, but I do want you to see something in Romans 12. Please turn there with me.
It’s not enough just to discover, or even develop, your spiritual gifts. Your gifts are given to be used. You have been gifted in order to serve. There are 7 gifts listed in this passage. I want you to notice something -- after listing each gift, Paul tells us to put the gifts we have into action.
[ Read Romans 12:6-8 ]
Let me say it this way. It is inconceivable to Paul that a Christian would not use their spiritual gifts -- the very reason for their existence demands that we use them! They are given to be used. 1 Peter 4:10 says that “Each one should use whatever spiritual gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms."
Implication #1 is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing, #2 is that No One Can Do Everything.
Here’s implication #3: Everyone Can Do Something.
This is the flip side of what I’ve just said. Think about our text. In the beginning the widows are going hungry and their friends are upset. Anger is threatening the very unity of the body. By the end the anger is gone and the widows are fed because the seven men are now serving the Lord and are recognized by the entire congregation. This is precisely how the body of Christ is supposed to function.
In meeting with people who work with our Children’s Ministry this past week, I am so impressed with the number of people who find incredible joy in what they are doing. You see, they’ve discovered the secret of serving not only are you able to impact others, but you end up being blessed in the process. If you are already serving faithfully at PBC, I want to encourage you this morning with a verse:
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
No one does everything but everyone does something and when we do, we can claim the promise that our ministry matters. That’s God’s plan for the local church. Some do more, others less, but everyone does something.
Let me pause here to address something at this point. I bring this up because I know that there’s an attitude that lurks in my heart that may be causing some problems in yours as well. Over the years when I’ve felt passionately about something, I’ve been frustrated with people who don’t share that same passion and who choose not to minister in the same way that I do.
When I was a young Christian and doing visitation, I wanted everyone to do it and couldn’t understand why more people weren’t joining me. When I launched a men’s ministry in another church, I was frustrated when men didn’t come up to the plate. When I went to Africa many years ago, I was upset with people who didn’t seem committed to missions.
Have you ever felt that way? Do you sometimes look at others and wonder why they are not doing as much as you are? Do you ever question their spirituality just because they are not involved in the same ministry that God has called you to? It’s very interesting to notice that in our text for today, the Grecian Jews complained against those from Jerusalem. They were mad at those who were not focused on the same things they were. And, even though they had a legitimate complaint, their attitudes had started to take a dive.
It’s so easy to judge others by our standards, isn’t it? The downside of this is that when our attitudes head south, our pride bubbles to the surface. Take a look at Romans 12 beginning in verse 3: “For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith that God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us.”
I had never noticed this before in the discussion of spiritual gifts, Paul recognizes that we all have the tendency to get proud about what we’re doing.
The apostles would have been out of God’s will to wait on tables; the seven men chosen by the congregation were in God’s will when they did what the apostles wouldn’t do. They obeyed God’s will by serving the widows just as much as the apostles obeyed God’s will when they ministered the Word of God. It’s not an either-or proposition. We need leaders who will devote themselves to the word of God and to prayer, and we need deacons who will serve the widows. We need those with the gift of teaching to teach; those with the gift of encouragement to encourage; those with the gift of faith to exercise their faith.
The most precious commodity anyone has is time. Sometimes we’d rather write a check than get involved personally. Yet God is calling us to give our most precious commodity by taking time to become a friend to those in need and witnessing God’s love to them.
3 Benefits
There are at least three benefits to being mobilized for ministry.
1. You will be FRUITFUL. John 15:5: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit."
As you put your gifts into action, you will see fruit. Even though I’ve only been here for two weeks, I see this happening everywhere. As you discover, develop and deploy your spiritual gifts, you will see fruit. It’s a guarantee.
2. You will be FULFILLED. Psalm 138:7: "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me."
There is nothing more satisfying than to be used by God. God wants to do some amazing things in and through us -- when He does, you will be fulfilled beyond your wildest dreams. I think of a woman just this week who told me “Brian, I know I’m right where I need to be. It feels so good to use my gifts.”
3. The Church will be FORTIFIED. Ephesians 4:12 teaches that spiritual gifts are given "so that the body of Christ my be built up."
One reason Pontiac Bible Church is a strong church is because so many of you are using your spiritual gifts and it will be even stronger when even more of you put your gifts into action. A church that does not value gift-based ministry will not grow to maturity. Imagine what would happen here at PBC, and in churches around the world, if every believer would realize that they are meant to be ministers, not spectators.
Do you see the picture? We need to keep the main thing the main thing. No one can do everything but everyone can do something. Gifts are given in order to be used. As we put them into action, we will be fruitful, fulfilled and the church will be fortified. If we don’t use our gifts, we will wonder if we won’t make a spiritual impact, we won’t be fulfilled, and our church will be weak and spiritually anemic.
Here’s the bottom line: We are looking for servants, not superstars; Contributors, not just consumers. Some of you just eat and run...you come on Sundays and get something out of it, but then you’re gone until next Sunday. That whole idea would be foreign to the early church.
Over the years, I’ve listened to Rush Limbaugh -- though I don’t always agree with everything he says. One of his famous lines, when referring to himself is, "Talent on loan from God. Serving humanity just by sitting here."
Even though that sounds a bit cocky, he’s right about his talent being on loan from God everything we have is on loan from Him. Rush may be serving humanity just by sitting in his chair, but most of us are going to have to get off our seats if we’re serious about serving. Because you are an utterly unique individual, God has a special task designed just for you.
Sponge Illustration
Dry sponge no intake; pores are dry, can’t function properly
Saturated sponge no more room because hasn’t been used for awhile
Moist sponge ready to take more input, ready to squirt some back out
Hold Up Prayer List Insert
I started this morning with the some classified ads. I want to finish by reading a couple more to you God may have made you to meet one of this needs.
Hold up Registration Card
If you are ready to be mobilized for ministry, make a note on the Registration Card or call the person listed on the insert.
Prayer: To love the Lord your God is the heartbeat of our mission, the spring from which our service overflows. Let us burn to know you deeper, then our service flaming bright will radiate His passions, and blaze with holy light.
Close with: Our worship has concluded; now let’s begin our service!
