02.16.2025 Acts 6:1-7

Well, good morning. If you don't know where we are, we're in Acts chapter 6. So if you've got a Bible handy somewhere around you, you can turn there and we'll begin reading in the first verse. We finish chapter 5 last week, we've been going slowly and yet surely through the text of the book of Acts and it's been encouraging and transformative and growth-oriented, and it will not be different today. You will need this word, it comes from God, he has something to say each and every week, we want to study what God has to say reflect on it and be different because of it. We're desperate for his word. So if you found Acts chapter 6 and you're willing and able, please stand with me and we'll read it together.

Acts chapter 6.

First one.

now, and these days when the disciples were increasing in number, A complaint by the hell Vanessa Rose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected, and the daily distribution and it swells, summon the full number of the disciples and says said it is not right. That we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore Brothers pick out from among you seven. Men of good repute full of the spirit and of wisdom who will appoint? The, we will a point to this duty, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word and what they said, please the whole Gathering and they chose Stephen. A Man full of faith and the Holy Spirit and Philip and fro Horace, and knock on our door and Timon and perimenis and Nicholas a proselyte of Antioch. These they sent before the apostles and they prayed and laid there. Hands on them and the word of God continue to increase and the number of disciples X greatly in Jerusalem. And a great, many of the priests became obedient to the face. Let's pray together.

Lord we pray that what would happen with our church and its Administration? Is multiplication. We pray that you would use our efforts to reach people for Christ that we would have great success because we see each other made in the image of God to reflect Your Glory. Lord, I pray that what we would develop in our heart as a servant attitude. As those who've been served by Jesus,

Lord. So often we seek to look for a kingdom without a cross. We look for greatness without humility. We look for Power without care.

Or transform us this morning to see things through the lens of the work of Christ in his church. His gospel and equip has to be the people that you called us to be. We need your help and I pray for it in Jesus name. Amen.

so, a lot of times, a text of the Bible, especially this one comes with an elephant in the room, some texts or simplistic, and they come, you know, with the Discovery at action that's necessary but some texts especially this one come with history that all of us have had with the text and what it means. And because of that, we start with questions that we wouldn't normally start with other texts of scripture. And the first question that probably comes to mind. When you think of Acts chapter 6 is, is this the Deacons? Are these the deacons many of us may have grown up at least I know I did with a deacon board who really functioned like elders and that was baptized as if that was. Okay, I didn't many of us and especially if you've been in a reformed them for too long have elders but no Deacons, And there's a Devastation in understanding the roles of the church and how they function in play themselves out. When we look at this particular text, what we end up finding is a need that drives towards and establishment of a position that was a necessity for the solving of that problem. Now are these, the deacons. Well, one thing is absolutely certain within this text. You cannot get away from the word that is transliterated as Deacon in. It, it's got the word service all over it. There was at least one time in my own particular life a southern baptist Director of Missions. That said I think we ought to get rid of deacons all together. I don't think that that's what we all need to have a heart towards service in Ministry, don't weigh. So let's just get rid of them. What's the point? And that it was that I begin to have a little bit of a stomach churn because I definitely believe in the two offices that the scripture dictates that we find elaborated on in 1st Timothy 3, 3-4, sure. But the distance between that passage and this may be quite complete complicated for incidents in. This passage, what we have is specially with these two particular guys, Philip and Steven is we have preachers and within the qualifications for a deacon and 1st Timothy 3:1 of the things that is not mentioned is teaching And so when we have Philip and Steven exemplifying what I would call Great preaching in the book of Acts, what's the tension here about? And why is this happening? When someone plays these guys, they serve as a prototype for what Demon Deacons would become and there's no doubt that's that's what's happening in the text. What what we don't want to do is derive all of our understanding of Deacon from this text and say something to the effect that I'm so glad we picked out deacons to do the work of service in the church and I'm not held responsible oboy. That's not what this text is trying to drive us toward at all. Hey it's trying to teach us with wisdom that there's a pattern to thinks there's a way things go in a way that God is preparing his church and all of us for sure need to have and mind towards service. And there are some of us who are gifted with service in such a way that they can help leave the body in administrative service and we need them. Archers currently needs more deacons without a doubt. We need more people who are ready to leave the church in service so that they needs of the congregation would be better met, so that the word be multiplied and we don't ever want to ignore that. This is an important thing that this early church works out in a pattern. And we want to grow from that to the church is facing up and to this point, and I don't want us to miss it, but we don't really get it over. Modern Church on it, we want, we want to remind ourselves of where we are in the text of scripture. This church was facing some problems, did you remember? They've faced the passionate Attack of The Outsiders to the point where they've been arrested in Lego in less than let go to the temple and back. I mean, it's been a little bit of chaos and that Zeal for the house of the Lord become became evident in the disciples and apostles as they proclaimed price. They were on Mission and on Mission. With Zeal and passion and they were not going to back down. They were forging forward and ahead. Many people in the conclusive passages that we have covered have come to face and say, there's been a multiplication of disciples and people have sold goods and there are of one mind. And one heart, things seem to be going to miraculously. Well, lots of people are converted and one point. They just want to get in the shadow of Peter because they might get healed. I mean, amazing things are taking place, this is great, we're all excited. And then a whole business of ananias and Sapphira happens and everybody's boots, begin to shake.

I mean, this is where we have gone and what we have found ourselves as we ended chapter 5 is this rock, and a hard place situation of of growth, but yet tension from outside pressures that are matched with tensions with inside pressures that are filled with people who are lying and they will we got to deal with that and it's been dealt with and what is the more inside pressure that the church is going to have to deal with while we're finding it right here in the book of Acts, the church is resilient through inside and outside pressures and they stand firm with the gospel. But the church's position is never to be one that doesn't Rock the Boat. They're they're not going to be sitting around passively there's going to be serious conflict inside and outside that we're going to have to solve. And I say we because it's us to with the gospel We don't want to back down from Zeal. We don't want to back down from the mission that were called to wait. We don't want to pour. All right, everybody just settle for a status quo. I'm glad we got through that. We wouldn't want, we don't want to move in those areas, but the Temptation and conflict is to do the things that our first parents did run. We don't like it. We don't like wrestling's. You know, desire in the direction of the Apostles, confirm to them that Jesus death. And Resurrection was to finding them the response of their heart with joy and this Joy would lead them to service. And I think that's what we need to see in our texts. There's a pattern for it. We meet this people. And I'm going to place of transition, dirt. Dirt, dirt has lots of transition happened in the book of Acts in and just based on the wording alone were in another transition right here in the book. And now they're going to have to figure out how to serve and love one another in a way that demonstrates the law of inexperience of service that they've met in Jesus Christ. So we meet them in the middle of this transition. In the text that we just read and where to go through it together and we're going to follow this pattern and I want us to gain wisdom from. We're going to follow the pattern of what they went through game wisdom from it in light of what Jesus has done. And I think they simplified this quite well and this is the same thing that each of us are. Missing even as we are in church here today. And so weird to talk about four stages of growing this morning growing together that has to do with service because everyone is called to serve. Everyone is called Sir. Service is an opportunity to be like Jesus to follow in his footsteps to genuinely believe that to be the greatest of all. I must be the servant of all this is an awesome opportunity. So the first thing we're going to talk about his growing pains and this has nothing to do with Kirk Cameron. Nothing. All right there. But I think the early church, they definitely felt this. And our son is growing up right now and he is doing all kinds of things. One of the fun things that are to your boys. Turn to yesterday yesterday. So he's funny. He is and he's happy and if you don't know that you can ask him and he will die Sajak. Are you funny? And he will say I'm funny now. It's a jack. Are you happy? And you say happy and he just likes to repeat this and even walk around the house saying it from time to time but he's too and he has no idea what it is for him to be funny or happy and he mostly as both of those two things mostly when he's in the tub, when he's not. What did the thing about life as people is we learned to copy We follow patterns. We give we we we give accretive we copy things before, we even know what we're doing. It's one of the reasons why catechism is important. That's right, we caught we-cycle. They don't know what that means. So you start a copy it before you know what it means, and that's good for you. It's good for you to learn things that you don't yet know. That's an, it's not bad, but we will have to be as people is the kind of people who pay attention as we're growing, as we're learning to do the things that we don't yet, know, sometimes serving. Before, you know why you should serve isn't the worst thing to happen to you. But if you never learned why you're serving, that's the free bad. And hear the church. We that's what we want to do. We want to equip you with people that will serve well, and go through the patterns of growing pains because every church will either choose to go through Growing Pains or just quit. Or just quit. It's unfortunately the real thing that's happening. A lot of times with many of our churches this text that we're fixing to read inverse one is not a humblebrag, the attempt before you this morning is not to say. Hey y'all pray for us. Pray for our water bill. We're just baptized in so many people right now. That's not what they're doing. They're saying with more people, comes more problems when we sitters get together, we make for some Growing Pains sometimes not because of the things that are falling about us which there are plenty of that to go around, but sometimes it's because of the gifts that God gives us becomes a problem for somebody send to show up. When somebody looks good, we like to hammer him that likes me. Stop! Stop looking so good. That's precisely what happened with ananias and Sapphira in the middle of growth. What did ananias and Sapphira desire to have the affirmation of Barnabas? And here in our text, we see growth taking place but that's going to lead to pain and that's not bad unless you let it be. Growth is good when pursued by Godly means, for Godly Direction and godly Pursuits. But sometimes we grow or seek growth for selfish means self glory and deadly things. See this can happen in a church to sometimes. We attach ourselves in the middle of our Growing Pains to the things that God has done in the past and we will constantly commemorate those things and decide that God can only work in this particular way. And so we've got to do things this particular way, or it doesn't count Hey, have you ever seen this happen? Sometimes people don't understand. Like, why certain things are Necessities like tearing a church building down. If you ever seen a church goes through this, they're going through the growing. Pains, I'm having to cheer. Tear down a worship facility either because it's lost its and end of the, you know, it's true and some of us can be callous about us like the other. So people they just don't ever want to change that old lady right there. Who's crying because you want to share a worship building down. The reason why she's doing that, it's because she's since God at work in that place and she can't let it go. There's something about a horse that I have a sense of sympathy around that, but at the same time, take careful. Watch each. And everyone of us are a lot like that and find ways to decide will host. No, we can't do it that way. No, no. I figured out the way to do it on my way is best and if I if I thought I was wrong I would have figured that out by now. These things with other human beings come to us and talk about their expressions of growing pains. And we have to handle the conflict. Well, you know, oftentimes I have figured this out about like maybe you haven't as I've even gotten older, I won't change. I Won't Grow sometimes until it hurts bad enough that I've got to

the Lord is pleased in many ways in my life to bring me to places that I'm going to have to change. I'm going to have to be different and more conformed to the image of Christ. And what I would like to do is know I would like to change to say the same way. I want things to be the same way. I want to sit in the same seat and I want to have to sing breakfast and I don't want to brush my teeth at the same time and if you don't think you're that way hahaha, I bet I know you are

we have ways in our life that prohibit growth that are by natural desires for safety and comfort that are destroying us as people. And the people that God wants us to be, and we have to go through Growing Pains. It's a brilliant opportunity that we are X will naturally resist. Watch the early Church in their moment of growing pains verse one. Now in these days. Just so you know, Luke uses this language to communicate, transitions in the Book of Luke and other places in Acts and in fact you can find similar terminology throughout the Bible. Now, in these days, communicate a lot of things, one of the things that saying, it's something temporal in a place in time. In these days. What are the days? The days of ananias and Sapphira the days of the church experiencing this outward attack. It's giving you a contemporary reflection and a conclusion on everything that's been going on in the text so far. Now notice the language when the disciples that that's important to do adult Learners. That's that's who we are. When we follow Jesus, we're people who learn who grow. Not just a new information, but in new practices and ways of living, that's going to produce pain because you're going to have to give up the old ways of learning and disciplining your life. So now and these days when the disciples were increasing in number we talked about that throughout the Book of Acts only like maybe $5,000 and there's a lot of folks at this point who committed to Christ Now in these days when the disciples were increasing and number this provides a context for what's going to come out of the issue, what they would like, what's going to come out, the complaints going to come up there before we get to the complaint. I just want to say with in this particular verse right here. What we have is the Bedrock for the problem People were, multiply people were gathering together. New people were showing up undisclosed time is just giving you a context that you would understand that these external issues that were attacking the church. Didn't stop it from continuing to grow these internal pressures that were happening with the church didn't stop it from going, they continue to move forward and more people were added by God's grace. Amos chapter, this internal threat. That's going to emerge happened out of growing pains That's happening in your life as well in the things that you're going through as you grow in Christ. Likeness more problems are going to show up haven't you found that out in your Christian walk? The more you grew the movers let you know that was not was there. Look at it, there it is. So Lord help me with that. I'm going to need some help with this. Is the life that were called to within the church within our families, more sick to get together and problems happen. This is good for us. It's not bad. New ideas are truly gifts if we see them. Through the lens of God's grace. New people aren't threats to us. But sometimes what we carry with us is our past conflicts that don't keep get us in a place where we desire to grow because we're so damaged and pain struck by those things that have happened. Where we're not, we we become bike bog down within the body of Christ, within our internal conflicts, and rather than grow in the gospel, we become stagnant with selfishness is deceptive.

Growth in a gospel oriented way is always good. There's ways of this happens in a sense of ownership. When people think, this is my church, rather than this is the Lord's. Jesus, this is the Lord, Jesus is church. He grows it at his will. The gates of hell? Can't Prevail against him, and if you decide that you would like to grow it and conform it to your image image, you make it a lot of people together and you may even create a hierarchical system, but you don't have a body of Christ that function. So our desire is for church growth that focuses on Jesus and what we've come through, especially in the last 50 years of Evangelical. Life is a Devastation when it comes to this because what people have decided is I'm not going to talk about growing animal Court. And then there's no expectation that your church actually gross because what we are, is, were right because we're so biblical and nobody wants what we have is if Jesus can't Resurrect The Dead anymore. So what we put a stop on that, he's finished changing people's lives because we're so hard and I don't know if we're getting the gospel right there, But then there's the types that buy Cake. Okay, here's what we're going to do if you don't stand. Just so so and proclaim the message just so. So God can't work in fat. What we have to do is we have to play an invitation him and get the music, just write and draw it out, just at the right speed so that somebody could get stayed that's nonsense. And so we're in a difficult situation because how and wisdom do we move forward? And we just decided we're not going to talk about the hope that the church would grow. We're not going to focus on the things in the pattern that God has given us. There's there's a pattern woven in the book of Acts that focuses on the preaching of proclamation of Jesus and the Deeds Done. By those who've been raised from the dead will have to buy into that and believe in and have hope that God continues to say people's soul. Otherwise this is devastating. Some of us have developed a messiah, complex is where we point everything to ourselves pastor's do it people within your churches, all around you do it. The friends that you have there's a deficiency of focusing on Christ, I'm telling you, he is our Messiah and we are not we cannot save the song. And he can get a nice equipped to do so. If we're going to grow, we must face this and we must face these challenges head-on and realize this is a pattern in the early church. They keep talking about how many people are multiplied, but let's get to the problem Division and divisive and decisive actions that there's there's a this is what comes out of it. Here we are, we were barely got in verse 1. Then you better pick up the pace, right? And I plan to notice a complaint by the Hellenistic arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. What's happening, an opportunity for division has come up between two different kinds of people. And this is often the case in Church's. We don't make room for anyone who's not like us. Everyone must fit who we are and they must come fully equipped to be just like us or we don't want them here. Sometimes we get obsessed with targeting people like that. We we Market to get the people who are just like us and we don't have room for anyone else. If you're not like us, you can't come. Oh, my goodness. I have bad news for you, if that's the heart director. I know it makes us happy. A lot of times to get the people who are just like us but good luck, finding them. Ultimately because if you spend enough time with somebody, what you begin to goes like a hoe like them. I thought it was and there were moments when we are a lot, like, but there's a lot more we're not alike. And it it just destroys the Christian Church unnecessary division, unnecessary Pursuits of enmity, infant-testicle dockrell, Solitude. So that we can finally find the most purest form of Christian ISM. And I possess it and if you're not like me, you're dead wrong.

Did this opportunity that presents itself was simply over a way people talked because they hadn't stopped being Jews yet. This is the hellenists and the Hebrews people. We speak more in the Aramaic dialect and those who would speak more Greek.

Division is our natural state in the Fallen World. Did you know that we rushed towards it because of our self-righteousness? Because we desire to prove that we're better than others. And we're hungry for it. Something that would distinguish us to make us look more glorious than someone else, and there's a devilishness to it. Now I get it soon as I say this there's someone right now and I know it so you can feel it yourself. Yeah. But isn't there a time to divide fair enough? But most of the people who are saying, yeah, but are those that are obsessed with it. And that's difficult, we have to have a call and Christian Harmony. Even when we divide with other brothers and sisters over necessary, practices within our local church to have a heart for them to see them as fellow Believers in Jesus. Oh my goodness, let's not spend eternity with people and Gohan so much better than you. Who is God more pleased with in that moment. This is devastating and I say this as a member of a tribe who often is known for making sure that we divide well.

Look in this moment we don't want to be marked by division because then we don't end up looking like Solomon dead. Do you know what? Solomon was really good at not dividing. Sometimes it's gets missed, his wisdom, was employed to keep things from the Bible, but he had this heart that was gifted the sea. We're dividing needed to happen to keep it from happening. You're like, what are you talkin about? Dan y'all remember the sign? The great story in the scripture that displays solomonic wisdom when he's going to cut a baby in half, what's really good? And what he found out. Who's the mama? Out of that whole way of living life Solomon, kept the people of God together until his boys came to the throne and what's the first thing they did they give in Israel. This is the devastation to the soul. As they build their worship facilities to keep people from going to the temple. You can see the devastation that this is bringing on Israel and I'm here to tell you that this is true. Son of David the ultimate and better Solomon is better at building his Temple and keeping his Temple as people Temple people together. Then you and I are If we believe that and buy into it, it's going to move our heart towards serving others in a way that doesn't always look really you talk like a Greek.

But we're very good at complaining. You guys remember the word for this, right? Karen Remember it in the 2020. Aero there became a ward for the kind of person who called your business and had already complained and maybe you didn't exist in this world, but I was on the Emerald Coast and all of the Karen's showed up. Here's the here's the tension. Like we faced attention, we need to communicate about genuine complaints and carry them. Well, Right. We, we don't want to be the kind of people who are defensive in the place of complaints. Like if someone's complaining the best posture, they Christian can take is never one of Defense. It. Say, thank you for taking the time to come and bring that to me. Even if you have that inkling, you know, you've had it that you did not practice Matthew 7. Well, Dion's on out. You definitely got the log in your own eye and you are not ready to get the speck out of mine. But you have come, and you have come push asleep and my Temptation in this moment and say, get thee behind me.

We know that complaints in a fallen world are real. And that people, our tendency is to move to unnecessary division. We are we are we are built-in nitpicky ways, but if we're not careful we won't notice. If we don't have wisdom or somebody could be helping us.

Have you noticed that sometimes complaining people are a benefit to your soul? They're not they're not your worst enemy. Your worst enemy is often the person that silent and say nothing. Notice this is a complaint by The helots Rose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. This is epic. And I think important for the text, the daily distribution with Ben. Which was happening every single day to feed the Widow's. So what was happening? That drove this complaint in the text was not a caring attitude but was more of an attitude towards people are starving. There are people who are believers in Jesus, they've become part of our family and who they are are people who come back out of the dyaspora which means they don't have family here no one to take care of them and they aren't getting fed every day. Whose responsibility was it to divvy up the goods? Do you remember in the stories in the book of Acts? The guys, whose job it was to distribute. The goods was the apostles. And they have dropped the ball. Whoops. Not necessarily by intent but it was their responsibility. They brought the goods to their feet, they laid it at their feet when they sold it and and now it's been in. So what they could have been in this moment is defensive or you can choose to be w b and c that we've, we've not treated everybody with the respect that they need, but what they do in the middle of this situation, is they take it serious verse 2 and the 12, some of the full number of the disciples and said it is. Not right. That we should give up preaching the word to of God to serve tables. They understood the direction of their Ministry. Notice that there's something going on in the text that you could easily miss their Ministry service. In fact, it's the same word here in the tax, in fact, daily distribution also has service the daily service within it in Greek. Funny enough. This is in Greek, that's a whole other talk. Their daily service was being neglected. This breakdown that's taken place has led the people starving in the 12, summon the full number and they say we have a service to do that. We can't give up because the mission of God, is a service to people. They could not give up their service. So they needed someone else to serve the body. And these guys are going to pastoral care for the people who were starving because food did matter. FoodMaxx, these people needed to eat there, weren't going to be committed to Christ and carry with them. The message that if you commit to Christ, you're going to starve to death. That dude, that was not the message that the early church wanted to communicate. This complaint is valuable because it definitely matter and when we go through the process, seriously of practicing Matthew 7, well and using wisdom with our complaints, because what it should be is a pearl.

and when you're not supposed to do with cast a pearl Before Swine, Meaning that you don't just give your complaints out freely to those who don't, listen, who are pigheaded and unclean. You consider your complaint pearlish because you've gone through the process of getting the log out of your eye and you desire to help your brother with the spec that's in his, I going through the process of complaining. Well is a gift to the church, it's the way we serve one another. When we come to one another in genuine heart attitude and say I think I see a problem and this can lead to death for people and this cuz this is going to take away from the gospel witness that we need to have. Did this site had the apostles here in this moment, what they don't do is they don't go this, don't matter. What's wrong with you. No, just definitively mattered. They noticed it and they went straight to a solution. Let's get everybody together. Because what we don't want to have happen is we don't want to take away from the proclamation of the word of God. That's the reason why I genuinely as we look to the Future, deacons do exist in the local church to help serve the proclamation in the mission of that church to make sure the people are cared well for the way that we are cared well for in price, so that they would be visible walking units of the resurrection of Jesus in their life. When care doesn't happen, whether passportal or Deacon people walk around wounded, They walk around. Wound it. At least the division. What are those deep divisions surfaces? Or they lie below the surface ready to pop at any minute.

So we need wisdom as verse 3 is going to teach us and new leaders are going to help us with old problems. So we need to respond to criticism and its key. If we're going to grow, we need to do that. Well, and that leaves me to the third thing. We're going to talk about today, that's collaboration conviction and character. New division of decisive actions are important but collaboration conviction and character are awake and pass out of natural and inappropriate division. You know, a lot of times in our life, the way we respond to criticism sound something like this. I'm not saying your spouse talks this way, but maybe, maybe, maybe you noticed fine. Never heard that word before anybody ever said fine. You know what that word means. Things are not fine. There's a way that we settle in the church with his very similar attitude, though. Like what we could do, is it keeps us from collaboration. It keeps us from the conviction and moving and character. We just go fine. Ever done that before. Maybe it's just me. You ever been tempted to move in that direction to just go fine. Maybe find sounds like something like this in your heart. By let's don't be divisive. I'm just going to go along to get along fine. I'm not going to Rejoice to be fired up about it but we'll just do it, fine. I'll look for another group to partner my stuff with. Maybe they'll care about what I care about. Fine, I'll act on the part of The Outsiders and all the stuff to myself. I don't know. I won't tell and talk to you anymore. Fine, I'm fine. All right, I'm not going to talk to you and we're not friends. Fine. I'll never trust you again and your your me. You didn't do what I wanted to do. There is a way that in the church. We wouldn't act like a toddler but because we're not growing up. We're acting like a toddler stamping. Our feet pitching our feet, Decreasing, our fervency forgot to Mission because we won't collaborate. Because our sense of conviction is narrowed to our own understanding. Not even necessarily driven by scripture but driven by preference It is devastating for the soul. It's devastating for the unity of the body of Christ. Because if we all had a church that look like us, that would be the worst thing possible. We need a church that looks like Jesus and he's drawing us into relationship with one another on purpose. So that we could grow in our conviction, not less than it will need a lesson. Are convinced we need to grow and conviction. We don't need to settle in our Solar draw for hands are stubborn feeder and say fine. Wisdom is absolutely necessary to move us through this notice verse 3. Therefore Brothers pick out from among you seven men, the Apostle's have the heart attitude to say okay since we're going to stay in our ministry service Lane, we need seven men to take this pass going. And what are they going to need of good repute? They need to have a good reputation with those that they're serving so that they would be trusted you people in the church. Help us. Find them worked asking you with the opportunity. We need guys with good character and good reputation. What else do they need? They need to be filled with the spirit full of the spirit and of wisdom. That means they're not going to just continue to perpetuate the dividing attitudes there going to be skilled and understanding how human beings work and how our tendency is not to collaborate. But to just move away on our own and stamp our feet and say fine, I'm doing fine. These people were gifted with wisdom, know how to heal up the body, make clear decisions that are decisive and they know how to gather other leaders to themselves. That will help the church serve and accomplish the tasks that are necessary. So, if you're going to do this and be filled with the spirit, again, at the exemplified, the love, joy, peace. All the stuff that the spirit drives a story,

And this wisdom that's necessary. You can't do it without seeing things through the lens of Jesus Christ. Notice what a little do whom we will appoint to this Duty, they're going to come with authority to do this because they're going to be pointed out for the sake of doing it, and it verse for, but we will devote ourselves. This is their Ministry to prayer and to the ministry of the word so that the church's Mission can carry itself forward and not get bogged down with the Brokenness of caring. For one another, Have you ever noticed that so often, what happens in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, is your people are not well, served in equipped to move forward and they don't ever end up maturing and they just become the kind of people who feed constantly on the body. Like to care for you is to equip you to care for others. So that all of us would be ready to care for other folks. Otherwise, the mission of the Lord, Jesus is bogging down.

Our collaboration is Christ Focus for the sake of healing. There are some people who need extra caring for a long time. I'm not saying anything about that. There are some people who it's time to take a step forward and grow up and care for someone else.

Look this opportunity that rests before us is, is one we're looking at what Jesus has done for us and wanting to be different people in this world. We we, we don't want to sit there in the middle of this text and say, I'm so glad that somebody else with characters ready to take the stand and lead and care for the body of Christ. What are heart should be drawn towards is, I would like to be that I want to have that kind of character and wisdom, and the church should be sitting here saying, we're here to equip you with that. That's our desire. We desire for you to be filled with wisdom, full of the spirit, ready to move forward and where you're lacking. We want to have an honest conversation about that where you may need criticism in your life so that you would mature, we went over to help with that. when I get back away from where you step into it, for the sake of your growth verse 6,

These they said before the apostles and they prayed and laid had their hands on them. Notice the importance of prayer in this because these people would not be equipped to put the Salve on the problem that was necessary without the prayer and working of God to bring it to fruition. So they leave, they get these men to get together and they pray over them. And Philip and Steven are going to be two examples of what these guys were like. And let me tell you something, these guys must have been amazing.

They had the character that was necessary to step forward and serve the local church. As we disciple and make disciples, we see people grow in character and their service within the body of Christ, and they are ready to take the next step to bring the healing Salve to problems. And we need to pray that these kind of leaders would be raised up in our body. And we need to pray that we would become those kind of leaders.

If we're going to grow, we need new leaders to emerge. We can't do it with what we have. We're hoping that the Lord brings multiplication to our body and continues to do so he already has, hasn't he What's what's in store? We will know but we are a people who are in need.

The Lord help us. So we need collaboration, we need growing conviction, and we need character. We're not going to be the people who just go fine, I don't care. We're going to be the kind of people who go, I deeply care. How do we pursue it? Who's, who do we pursue? Who needs Christ? who needs to grow in Christ who needs to have an attitude of pursuit themselves and how can we fan the flame in the body to love one another This leads me to the final thing before thing multiplication. If you notice, that's the result of this, these guys who are raised up to serve the body filled with this healing Salve, it leads to this kind of miraculous crazy thing and we were talking about this in Sunday school and I wanted to bring it up yet again, just to drop it before your eyes, right? We were in Exodus for at least the adults were and we were talking about the passage of Moses and we were reflecting on some of what happened with his life and maybe you were in this passage, which is totally fine too. But if you notice, what comes out of Genesis isn't the man for multiplication? Have you noticed? It's been there since the beginning. Be fruitful. And multiply and the Bible never says, stop it. It keeps saying be fruitful and multiply and it says it in multitude of ways, it grows is a not an option for us who believe in a resurrecting God, which is not an option. You don't just to get to go. Well, I don't want to that's defiant and the god of the Bible is coming after you. So what happens when multiplication takes place in Moses? His own story with all Pharaoh decides, these Israelites are becoming too many. We should kill all the babies by having them thrown in the Nile. And what's the story of Moses who names means drawn out of the water he gets put in the Nile and ends up being the thing that rescues God's people and leave them out through the waters of? I mean, come on. This is fun stuff, isn't it? Like he leaves them through the waters of The Exodus, I'm not have to be a joke, right? The guy drawn from the water in his little Ark which points back to know what? That's a whole other talk, but like serious, like God's rescue keeps happening. even when Ferrell goes fine, I'll just give you her jobs with the bricks

God has a way of growing his church in his time for his glory and he's not failing, he provides multiplication and he says to us in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, go and make disciples. I'm with you to the end of the age. Here in this text notice what happens first, 7th, and the word of God continue to increase and the number of disciples X greatly in Jerusalem and a great, many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Do what camels are Going Through The Eyes of needles, this is crazy business. That's not likely and neither are you. And neither, am I? We're not likely Converse, we are born Rebels disobedient in every kind of way. And if we could by Nature, we would grab the things of this world and our own glory and not submit to Christ. But by his grace is showed up in our life, And made us new.

Look, this mandate to grow is not something we can do by ourselves, but it's not something that got stopped. He's not. Finished his labor. Was not in vain, the Messiah, who gave his life on the cross, for the sake of Sinners, isn't having trouble, saving them. Is conforming us to His Image right now and the word of God. I hope Is growing in your heart.