Kingdoms Collide Part 11: Kingdom of Devoted Servants

April 23, 2023

INTRO

Story of Chick-fil-A

Since 1982 the Corporate Purpose of Chick-fil-a has been “"To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

For the last 8 years in a row they have been ranked as “America’s Favorite Restaurant” by the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

They have been given by many the nickname of “The Lord’s Chicken”.

Their Christian founding and Christian principles drive their “culture of care” and their 4 core values of:

We're here to serve

We’re better together

We are purpose-driven (as in driven by their corporate purpose of glorifying God and having a positive influence)

We pursue what’s next

The food at chick-fil-a is good, but it’s not extraordinary. What sets Chick-fil-a apart is not their recipes but their devotion to serve!

Chick-fil-a is what it is because they’re not driven by profits, they’re driven by the customer and the employee experience.

“Service” is not just what they do, its who they are. They are devoted to their purpose by serving.

When you look at the Kingdom of God, we also have a similar purpose. “We are to glorify God by being faithful stewards of all that is entrusted to us.”

When the Church comes under attack, whether from the outside or the inside, our best way to thrive is to be devoted to our purpose and to serve our King and serve one another.

Acts 6:1–7 ESV

1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

1) Complaints Arise (vs. 1)

Complaints either stem from or are the substance of spiritual warfare attacks.

In the Early church, everyone was coming together daily and doing life together regularly.

They were relying and depending on one another.

There arose an appearance of neglect / favoritism.

This is a great reminder that the Early Church was complicated and not as simplistic as we may want to sometimes perceive.

The Hellenists were greek speaking Jews. When someone became a Jesus-follower the angst toward the greek culture didn’t disappear.

Overcoming divisions of Greeks and Jews abroad is the theme of many of Paul’s letters. Here we see distinctions arising of Greek influenced Jews and Traditional Jews.

Often times, when complaints arise they either express a legitimate issue, which is an opportunity for the Church to address and grow, or they stem from spiritual turmoil, which is an opportunity for the Church to address and grow.

In this case, the church grew in furthering the heart of Christ to serve others and furthering the message of Christ by focusing on the Word.

When we face complaints together as a church, this should be how we address such things:

Is this an opportunity for our church to grow spiritually?

Is this an opportunity for me to grow spiritually?

2) Devotion to Serving Others (vs. 2-3, 5-6)

You know this was the Spirit of God at work, because their solution “pleased the whole gathering.” It truly was the apostolic days of miracles!

The apostles understood their focus and their purpose. They also understood that they needed servants to serve.

As the church grows, we need more and more people to share in the service.

Sharing in the service also means that people are growing spiritually.

If you want to grow in your faith…grow in your Christ-driven service.

We don’t serve to make a name for ourselves, but because Jesus has given us a new name…His name.

Those chosen to be leading servants had to be of a specific character:

Good repute

Their lives were examples of what following Christ is supposed to look like.

Full of the Spirit

Devoted to Jesus and not to oneself

Full of wisdom

Getting to the right purpose by the right means

All of us need to be devoting ourselves to serve!

Jesus is our Master and in John 13 and following Jesus displayed the standard for us: He washed his disciples feet, even the feet of the one who betrayed him. He would then go on to lay down His life for us.

Romans 12:10 “10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Our goal as Jesus-followers should be growing in our devotion to serve and to live in such a way that our service glorifies Jesus, not ourselves.

3) Devotion to the Word (v. 2, 4, 7)

At first appearance, the apostles would appear to think that serving tables was beneath them, but the focus of the statement is not on the task of the tables, but the appointment of the apostles to the ministry of the Word.

The service to the word is not greater than the service to the widows, but for the apostles it was a matter of time management and duty to calling.

Paul compares the Church to the human body. We all have various roles and functions that must work together in order to maintain full functioning ability of the body.

No matter how fit the rest of your body is, if the pinky toe is broken and functioning right it hinders the whole body.

Story of a broken pinky toe in Nicaragua

All of us should be devoted to studying and knowing the Word, but God calls out some to preach, teach, and proclaim the Word.

Sunday School lessons, sermons, and Bible Studies don’t just put themselves together. They take time in prayer and in study if they are to be done with full devotion.

Devotion to the Word is also serving others in meeting spiritual needs.

The Word of God is living and active, able to cut to the heart of humanity (Heb. 4:12)

The Word of God must be handled properly and correctly, bringing approval from God (2 Tim. 2:15)

The Word of God is what the Spirit uses to bring people to faith (Rom. 10:14-15)

The Word of God brings sanctification to the saints (John 17:17)

In the Kingdom of God, we all have a role to play in serving. We must be devoted to that role and to that purpose of glorifying, exalting, and highlighting God in all things.

Vs. 7 says that as the Word increased, the number of the disciples multiplied, and many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

The phrase, “as the Word increased” doesn’t mean that the apostles preached more or taught more. It means that the Word sank in more and increased the Gospel transformation of the hearts of the people. As a result, more and more people came to faith, including the priests (some of those who had previously rejected Jesus as the Christ).

CLOSING

SATAN WILL USE DISSATISFACTIONS WITH THE CHURCH TO RAISE DIVISION IN THE CHURCH. BUT GOD CAN USE DISSATISFACTIONS TO CREATE UNITY!

WHEN COMPLAINTS ARISE, WE MUST STOP TO ADDRESS ISSUES THAT CAN MAKE US BETTER COLLECTIVELY OR WE MUST GROW INDIVIDUALLY BY GETTING OUT OF OUR OWN WAY AND SETTING PETTY PREFERENCES ASIDE.

AS WE PUT OURSELVES ASIDE AND ENGAGE IN SERVING OTHERS AND GROWING IN THE WORD, THEN THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE INFLUENCE THAT GOD WILL GIVE HIS CHURCH AND HIS PEOPLE.

EXAMINE YOUR HEART…ARE YOU SERVING IN THE PLACES AND WITH THE HEART GOD HAS FOR YOU?

WILL YOU BE DEVOTED TO BEING ACTIVE IN SERVING THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

IS GOD CALLING YOU TO SERVE HIM BY SERVING OTHERS?

IS GOD CALLING YOU TO SERVE HIM BY BEING DEVOTED TO THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD?

WE ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY, ARE YOU SEEKING AND ENGAGING IN YOURS?