Empowered for Service: The Early Church's Example

42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. The Choosing of the Seven

6 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. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. 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. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Ac 5:42–6:7.

Bible Passage: Acts 5:42, Acts 6:1-7

Empowered to Serve: The Blueprint for Church Leadership

Bible Passage: Acts 5:42–6:7

Summary: This passage we are going to look at this morning illustrates the early Church’s response to adversity and growth, emphasizing the necessity for leaders to be empowered by the Holy Spirit for effective ministry and service. The apostles faced challenges in distributing resources, leading to the appointment of deacons, which shows that well guided leadership is essential for addressing the needs of the community.

Application: Understanding the dynamics of church leadership equips congregants to actively participate in the church’s mission. It encourages them to support their leaders and recognize their role in the broader ministry of service, thereby fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility within the church body.

If you have your bibles and I hope you do, if not there is one in the seat in front of you, or you can use your phone or tablet. Please follow along with me as I read Acts 5:42-6:7.

Acts 5:42-6:7

42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

6:1 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.

ESV

1. Resolve in Preaching

Acts 5:42

42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

1. Acts 5:42 summarized the apostolic pattern for evangelism, an excellent pattern for us to follow.

a. To begin with, they witnessed “daily.” This meant that they took advantage of witnessing opportunities no matter where they were (Eph. 5:15–16).

Eph 5:15-16

15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise,

16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

NIV

i. EveryChristian is a witness, either a good one or a bad one; and our witness either draws others to Christ or drives them away.

ii. It is a good practice to start each day asking the Lord for the wisdom and grace needed to be a loving witness for Christ that day.

iii. If we sincerely look for opportunities and expect God to give them to us, we will never lack for open doors.

D.L. Moody was fearless in his witness for Christ and sought to speak about spiritual matters to at least one soul each day. “How does your soul prosper today?” he would ask; or, “Do you love the Lord? Do you belong to Christ?” Some were offended by his blunt manner, but not a few were led to Christ then and there. “The more we use the means and opportunities we have,” he said, “the more will our ability and our opportunities be increased.”

He also said, “I live for souls and for eternity; I want to win some soul to Christ.”

iv. He was not satisfied only to address great crowds; he also felt constrained to speak to people personally and urge them to trust Jesus Christ.

2. The believers witnessed “in the temple.” After all, that was where the “religious” people gathered, and it was easier to reach them there.

a. For several years, the church was looked on as another “sect” of the Jewish faith, and both the temple and the many synagogues were open to believers.

b. In his missionary journeys, Paul always went first to the local synagogue or Jewish place of prayer, and he witnessed there until he was thrown out.[1]

3. Warren Wiersbe says, “My counsel to new Christians has usually been, “Go back to your home and church, be a loving witness for Christ, and stay until they ask you to leave” (see 1 Cor. 7:17–24).”

a.  The Apostles did not abandon the Jewish temple, though they knew the old dispensation was ended and that one day the temple would be destroyed.

b. They were not compromising; they were “buying up the opportunity” to reach more people for Christ.[2]

2. Recognition of Needs

Acts 6:1

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. ESV

1. The church was experiencing “growing pains” and this was making it difficult for the Apostles to minister to everybody.

a. The “Grecians” were the Greek-speaking Jews who had come to Palestine from other nations, and therefore may not have spoken Aramaic, while the “Hebrews” were Jewish residents of the land who spoke both Aramaic and Greek.

b. The fact that the “outsiders” were being neglected created a situation that could have divided the church.

c. However, the Apostles handled the problem with great wisdom and did not give Satan any foothold in the fellowship.

2. When a church faces a serious problem, this presents the leaders and the members with a number of opportunities.

a. For one thing, problems give us the opportunity to examine our ministry and discover what changes must be made.

b. In times of success, it is easy for us to maintain the status quo, but this is dangerous.

Henry Ward Beecher called success “a last-year’s nest from which the birds have flown.”

c. Any ministry or organization that thinks its success will go on automatically is heading for failure. We must regularly examine our lives and our ministries lest we start taking things for granted.

3. Delegation Demonstrates Wisdom

Acts 6:2-4

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.”

1. The Apostles studied the situation and concluded that they were to blame: they were so busy serving tables that they were neglecting prayer and the ministry of the Word of God.

a. They had created their own problem because they were trying to do too much.

b. Even today, some pastors are so busy with secondary tasks that they fail to spend adequate time in study and in prayer.

c. This creates a “spiritual deficiency” in the church that makes it easy for problems to develop.

d. This is not to suggest that serving tables is a menial task, because every ministry in the church is important. But it is a matter of priorities; the Apostles were doing jobs that others could do just as well.

D.L. Moody used to say that it was better to put ten men to work than to try to do the work of ten men.

e. Certainly, it is better for you, for the workers you enlist, and for the church as a whole.

2. Church problems also give us an opportunity to exercise our faith, not only faith in the Lord, but also faith in each other.

a. The leaders suggested a solution, and all the members agreed with it.

b. The assembly selected seven qualified men, and the Apostles set them apart for ministry.

c. The church was not afraid to adjust their structure in order to make room for a growing ministry.

d. When structure and ministry conflict, this gives us an opportunity to trust God for the solution.

e. It is tragic when churches destroy ministry because they refuse to modify their structure.

f. The Apostles were not afraid to share their authority and ministry with others.

4. Discipleship Drives Expansion

Acts 6:5-7

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. Problems also give us the opportunity to express our love.

a. The Hebrew leaders and the predominantly Hebrew members selected six men who were Hellenists and one man who was both a Gentile and a proselyte!

b. What an illustration of Romans 12:10 and Philippians 2:1–4!

Rom 12:10

10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

NIV

Phil 2:1-4

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,

2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

NIV

c. When we solve church problems, we must think of others and not of ourselves only.

2. We commonly call these seven men of Acts 6 “deacons” because the Greek noun diakonosis used in Acts 6:1 (“ministration”), and the verb diakoneo (“serve”) is used in Acts 6:2.

a. However, this title is not given to them in this chapter, although you find deacons mentioned in Philippians 1:1 and their qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3:8–13.

b. The word simply means “a servant.”

c. These seven men were humble servants of the church, men whose work made it possible for the Apostles to carry on their important ministries among the people.

3. Stephen was one of these men.

a. The emphasis in Stephen’s life is on fullness: he was full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3, 10), full of faith (Acts 6:5), and full of power (Acts 6:8).

b. In Scripture, to be “full of” means “to be controlled by.”

c. This man was controlled by the Spirit, faith, wisdom, and power. He was a God-controlled man yielded to the Holy Spirit, a man who sought to lead people to Christ.

4. What was the result?

a. The blessing of God continued and increased! T

b. The church was still unified (Acts 6:5), multiplied (Acts 6:7), and magnified (Acts 6:8).

c. Acts 6:7 is one of several “summaries” found in the book, statements that let us know that the story has reached an important juncture (see Acts 2:41; 4:4; 5:12–16; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; and 28:31).

d. In Acts 6:7, Dr. Luke describes the climax of the ministry in Jerusalem, for the persecution following Stephen’s death will take the Gospel to the Samaritans and then to the Gentiles.

e. It has been estimated that there were 8,000 Jewish priests attached to the temple ministry in Jerusalem, and “a great company” of them trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour![3]

Conclusion:

Matt 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."   NIV

Maybe you haven’t made that decision to follow Christ, don’t put it off.

a. It is the most important decision you will ever make.

Maybe your relationship with Christ has been neglected, like so many of us have done. Good news you can have that relationship again.

John 10:28-30

New International Version

28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

3. How do you do this, Adrian Rogers said:

“You’re not saved by the plan of salvation but by the man of salvation, and His name is Jesus.”

John 14:6

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

NIV

Acts 4:12

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

NIV

[1]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 427–428.

[2]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 428.

[3]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 429–430.