Ordered for Mission

Introduction

Well good morning!

If you have your Bible, and I hope that you do, go ahead and open it with me to Acts chapter 6.

And listen, as you're turning there, let me just remind you where we've been, right? Because Acts is telling one continuous story. It’s a narrative. And I know I start with this every week, but I don’t want there to be any confusion for those that haven’t been able to be with us every week.

Listen, back in chapter 1, Jesus ascended into heaven after giving His disciples a mission—to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Then in chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost and the church was born. Thousands were saved. The gospel spread.

Then in chapter 3, we watched Jesus continue His work through His apostles as a man lame from birth was healed in His name. In chapter 4, opposition arrived. The religious leaders threatened the apostles, they demanded that they stop preaching Christ. But instead of shrinking back, the church prayed for boldness and the gospel kept moving forward.

Then in chapter 5, the pressure intensified. We saw God protect the purity of His church through the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira. We watched the apostles arrested, imprisoned, beaten, threatened. Yet through all of it, they refused to stop proclaiming Jesus.

And what Luke keeps showing us is that nothing can stop Christ from building His church. Not opposition. Not persecution. Not threats. Not even death. Every attempt to slow the church, its only pushed it forward.

And so now in Acts 6, something changes. For the second time so far, the greatest challenge isn't coming from outside the church. It's actually coming from inside the church.

Nobody’s being arrested or beaten. Nobody’s standing before the Sanhedrin. Instead, we see a complaint. A ministry need. There’s a group of widows who are being overlooked.

And honestly, at first glance, it doesn't seem nearly as dramatic as everything we've read about so far.

But here's the thing: sometimes churches aren't threatened most by persecution. Sometimes they're threatened most by confusion or neglected responsibilities. Sometimes its by a lack of structure as God continues to bless and grow His people.

Listen, that reality, its part of the reason we've spent so much time over the last couple of years thinking very carefully about our own church structure here at FBC.

Most of you know, we recently updated our bylaws, and in that we established an elder board, we clarified the role of our deacons, right? Not because we’re trying to become more corporate. Or because we’re chasing some kind of ministry trend. Listen, its because we wanna be more faithful to Scripture. We wanna better care for Jesus’ people. We wanna better identify biblical responsibilities, better position our church for the work Christ has called us to do together.

And what's interesting is that much of those conversations we had, when we were updating our bylaws, they lead straight back to passages like the one we're studying this morning. Because Acts 6 isn't primarily about creating an organizational chart. It's about making sure the mission of Christ remains at the very center of everything we do.

It's about a church learning that if the gospel’s gonna continue advancing, leaders have to embrace their responsibilities…and members, they have to embrace their responsibilities…and listen, the church, as a whole, we have to work together for the sake of Jesus’ mission.

In other words, Christ doesn't just care that His church grows. He cares how His church functions. Because healthy order serves gospel mission. And that's exactly what Luke wants us to see in our passage this morning.

And so as we come to Acts chapter 6, I want you to look for that one central truth: Christ orders His church so that care for His people and proclamation of His gospel advance together.

…

And so, if you've found your place there in Acts chapter 6, would you stand with me as we read God's Word together? It says this:

Acts 6:1–7 ESV

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. 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. 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. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 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 (Pro-Ca-Rus) , and Nicanor (Ni-K-Nor), and Timon (Ti-Man), and Parmenas (Par-Me-Nas), and Nicolaus (Ni-Col-Las), a proselyte (Pra-Sa-Lite) of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 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.

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

If you’re taking notes this morning, I have four points for us as we walk through this passage together…point number 1, we see A Threat to Unity…number 2, A Recognition of Distinct Roles…number 3, A Mobilization of the Whole Church…and then finally, number 4, A Multiplication of Gospel Impact.

The title of our message this morning is “Ordered for Mission.”

And so, if you’re ready…hopefully you’ve got your Bible’s open…you’re taking notes…let’s look at this first thing together.

I. A Threat to Unity (v. 1)

Point number 1…we see a threat to unity.

Listen, if you remember, just a few weeks ago, we talked about God’s desire for His people to be unified, right? We also saw how God handles those that seek to divide His people.

Look at verse one with me again:

"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."

And so right away, Luke wants us to notice something. The church is still growing. The disciples, it says, they’re increasing in number. And that's important because growth is a blessing from God. Every conversion. Every baptism. Every person added to the church. That's evidence of Christ continuing to build His church exactly as He promised. We talked about that last week.

But Luke also shows us that growth creates new challenges.

Notice the complaint doesn't arise when the church is shrinking. It arises when the church is multiplying.

And honestly, that's pretty normal. As the number of people increases, the complexity of ministry increases. More people means more needs. More needs means more opportunities for things to be overlooked.

What we have here isn't persecution from outside the church. It's tension from inside the church.

Luke says a complaint arose between the Hellenists and the Hebrews.

And so, who are these two different groups of people?

The Hebrews were Jewish believers who primarily spoke Aramaic. They were more connected to traditional Jewish culture. The Hellenists were also Jewish believers, but they had grown up influenced by Greek culture and primarily spoke Greek.

Both groups loved Christ. Both groups belonged to the same church. Both groups had been saved by the same gospel. But they came from different backgrounds. And apparently the Hellenistic widows, they were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

Now we need to be careful not to assume the worst here.

Luke never says this was intentional discrimination. He doesn’t say the apostles were showing favoritism. In fact, everything we've seen in Acts so far would point us in the opposite direction. This appears to be what oftentimes happens in a rapidly growing ministry: a legitimate need was missed.

But even if the neglect wasn't intentional, the complaint was still serious, right? Because widows occupied one of the most vulnerable positions in the ancient world. Most of ‘em had no social safety net. There was no government assistance. No reliable means of provision.

Listen, throughout Scripture, God repeatedly shows special concern for widows, and orphans, and the vulnerable, right?

James 1:27 even says that pure and undefiled religion includes caring for widows in their affliction.

Exodus, Deuteronomy, the Psalms, the Prophets…they all emphasize God's concern for those who can’t care for themselves.

And so understand, this wasn't a minor issue. Real people were being affected. Real needs existed. And if those needs remained unaddressed, the unity of the church could begin to fracture.

That's the threat Luke wants us to see here. Not every threat to the church comes from persecution.

Sometimes it comes through unresolved tension. Sometimes through misunderstandings. Sometimes through neglected responsibilities. Sometimes its through complaints that are allowed to grow into bitterness.

And church, that's exactly how Satan works.

When persecution failed to stop the church in Acts 4 and Acts 5, the next attack came from within.

John Calvin wrote that Satan attacks the church in different ways. When violence can’t destroy her, he seeks to create disorder within her.

And that's exactly what's happening here, right?

The enemy would love for a neglected ministry need to become a divisive conflict. He would love for people to become suspicious of one another. He would love for complaints to grow into factions. Because a divided church becomes distracted from its mission.

Listen, if you've spent any amount of time in church life, you know this is still true today. Most church splits don't start with major doctrinal heresy. They start with smaller issues that aren't handled biblically. Miscommunication. Hurt feelings. Unmet expectations. Personal preferences. Complaints. And before long, people stop focusing on Christ and they start focusing on one other.

Honestly, this is one of the reasons conflict can be so difficult.

I'll just be transparent with you for a minute. As a pastor, complaints can sometimes be one of the most emotionally exhausting parts of ministry.

One week somebody's upset because I'm wearing a suit. The next week somebody's upset because I'm not wearing a suit. I've had people criticize the way I preach. The way I lead. The way I structure things. I even had a parent remove their child from my discipleship group at CCA because I wear Jordans when I preach sometimes.

And listen, I'm not sharing that because I'm looking for sympathy. I'm sharing it because conflict affects people. It affects ministry. It affects all of us.

When someone’s unhappy, when tensions rise, when complaints begin circulating, it can weigh on your heart.

You replay conversations in your head. You wonder if you've failed someone. You question what could’ve been done differently.

Conflict has a way of consuming emotional energy. And if we're not careful, it can distract us from the very mission Christ gave us.

And listen, I get it, some complaints are legitimate. This complaint in Acts 6, it appears to be legitimate.

Real widows were being overlooked.

The problem wasn't that concerns were raised. The danger was what could happen if those concerns weren't addressed wisely and biblically. Because unresolved conflict eventually threatens unity. And unity is precious to God.

Jesus prayed in John 17 that His people would be one.

Paul commanded the church in Ephesians 4 to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Notice that language: maintain unity.

Not create it. Christ already created unity through the gospel. Our responsibility is to preserve it. And preserving unity requires humility. It requires patience. It requires assuming the best about one another. Bringing concerns to the right people in the right way. And listen, it requires remembering that our greatest enemy isn’t sitting across the aisle from us.

Our greatest enemy isn’t another believer. Our enemy is the one who would love to distract the church from the gospel.

That's why this moment in Acts is so important. Because the church is standing at a crossroads.

A real problem exists. A legitimate complaint’s been raised. And so now the question becomes: how’s the church gonna respond?

Will this issue divide them? Or will Christ use it to strengthen them?

And that's exactly what Luke shows us next.

II. A Recognition of Distinct Roles (vv. 2-4)

Point number 2…we see a recognition of distinct roles.

Look at verses 2 through 4 with me again:

"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. 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. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.'"

Now when we first read that, it can almost sound a little harsh, right?

The apostles say, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the Word of God to serve tables." And listen, if we're not careful, we might hear that and think they're saying the ministry to widows doesn't matter. But that's not what they're saying at all.

The problem isn't that the widows are unimportant. The problem is that the apostles can’t do everything themselves.

The need is real. The widows matter. The ministry is essential. But God never intended for one group of leaders to carry every responsibility in the church.

Notice what the apostles don't do.

They don't ignore the complaint. They don't tell the widows to be quiet. They don't say, "Well, spiritual things matter and physical needs don't." No, they make sure the need gets addressed. They just recognize that the need should be addressed by the right people.

In other words, they're establishing distinct roles.

Some men, they’re gonna be appointed to oversee the care ministry of the church. While the apostles, they’ll devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.

And both ministries are necessary. One’s not more spiritual than the other. One’s not more important than the other. They’re different responsibilities working together for the same mission.

And church, this is one of the reasons we've spent so much time over the last couple of years talking about elders and deacons. Because for a long time, many churches—including ours at times—have operated with the expectation that one man or one group does everything.

The pastor preaches.

The pastor visits every hospital room.

The pastor attends every crisis.

The pastor makes every phone call.

The pastor handles every conflict.

The pastor carries every burden.

And what inevitably happens is people begin to think, "If the pastor didn't personally visit me, then nobody cared."

You've probably heard that before. Maybe you've even felt that before. But the reality is…that's not the picture we see in Acts 6.

The apostles understood something important: if they tried to do everything, eventually something was gonna suffer. Either the ministry of the Word was gonna suffer. Or the care of the people was gonna suffer. And ultimately both would suffer.

And so, rather than concentrating every responsibility on a few men, they distributed responsibility throughout the whole church.

The care ministry was entrusted to qualified servants. The apostles devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. And listen, the result wasn't less care. It was better care. Because now more people were involved in meeting needs.

That's exactly what we've been seeking to accomplish here.

Our goal was never to create layers of leadership for the sake of having layers of leadership. Our goal was to define biblical responsibilities. To recognize that God’s given different assignments to different leaders.

The elders, they’re tasked primarily with shepherding through prayer and the ministry of the Word.

That means teaching.

That means guarding doctrine.

That means discipling.

That means equipping the saints.

That means investing in future leaders and training up other men who can shepherd God's people.

Listen, a significant portion of my week is spent studying God's Word, preparing sermons, praying for this church, counseling, helping train men for future ministry.

And that's not because I don't care about people. It's because caring for people includes feeding them God's Word. You don't want most of your pastor's time spent away from the Bible. You want your pastor saturated in the Scriptures so that when he stands in this pulpit, he's prepared to teach God's Word faithfully. You want your pastor praying for you. You want your pastor helping raise up future shepherds who can serve Jesus’ church long after he's gone.

That's the priority the apostles establish here.

And at the same time, our deacons, they’ve been called to help care for the practical needs of our church family.

Not because those ministries are lesser. Not because they're less spiritual. But because they're vitally important.

Just as these seven men ensured widows were cared for, our deacons help ensure that needs within our church body don't go unnoticed.

And here's what's beautiful about all this. The goal isn't for elders to do ministry while everyone else watches. The goal isn't for deacons to do ministry while everyone else watches.

According to Ephesians 4, church leaders equip the saints for the work of ministry. Meaning all of us have a vital role to play. All of us are called to care for one another. All of us are called to bear one another's burdens. All of us are called to serve. All of us are called to make disciples. The church was never designed to function around one man. It was designed to function as one body under one Savior. And when each part embraces its God-given responsibility, the church becomes healthier, it becomes stronger, it becomes more effective in its mission.

That's exactly what the apostles are recognizing here. Distinct roles. Shared mission. And all of it, its ordered so that both the care of God's people and the proclamation of God's gospel continue moving forward together.

III. A Mobilization of the Whole Church (vv. 3, 5-6)

Which leads us into point number 3…we see a mobilization of the whole church here.

Look at verses 3, 5, and 6 with me again:

"Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom..."

"And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen...and Philip...and Prochorus...and Nicanor...and Timon...and Parmenas...and Nicolaus..."

"These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them."

Now I want you to notice something really important here. The apostles, they don't solve this problem by retreating into a private meeting by themselves and then making a unilateral decision.

Look at the text here. They involved the church.

If you go back to verse 2, it says they gathered the full number of the disciples.

Verse 3 says the congregation was tasked with identifying qualified men.

Verse 5 says the whole gathering approved the solution.

And then verse 6 says the apostles publicly commissioned those men for ministry.

Do you see what's happening?

The solution wasn't simply leadership. The solution was participation.

The apostles didn't say, "We'll handle it." They said, "Church, let's handle it together."…And that's significant because sometimes when people think about church leadership, they assume leadership means a few people doing all the work while everyone else sits back and watches.

But that's not the biblical picture.

The apostles provide direction. The congregation identifies servants. The newly appointed men carry out the ministry…Everyone has a role. Everyone has responsibility. Everyone participates in the mission.

I think this passage also gives us a glimpse into why we practice congregationalism here at FBC.

Now I wanna be careful here, I don't wanna push the text further than Luke intends. Acts 6 isn't primarily a lesson on church government. It's about solving a ministry problem in a way that protects both gospel proclamation and care for God's people. But notice what happens here. Again, the apostles don't simply disappear into a room, make a decision, and then announce it to everyone else.

They lead.

They establish the qualifications.

They define the need.

But then they involve the whole congregation in identifying the men who’s gonna serve.

In other words, leadership is real, but congregational responsibility is real too.

That's one of the reasons we believe Christ has given meaningful responsibility to the gathered church. Not because every member’s called to lead in the same way, but because every member has a stake in the health and the ministry of Jesus’ body.

[Perfect time to recognize our deacons and elders]

Listen, throughout the New Testament, we see elders leading, we see deacons serving, we see congregations affirming, and participating, and taking responsibility for the life of the church. And here in Acts 6, we see that pattern beginning to emerge.

Guys, this is one of the great misunderstandings many Christians have about the church today. Some people view church almost like a sporting event. A few people are on the field. Everybody else sits in the stands. The pastors do ministry. The deacons do ministry. Maybe a few volunteers do ministry. And everyone else just shows up and observes. But that's not the picture we find in the New Testament.

The church isn’t an audience. The church is a body. And every single member of the body has a purpose. Every member has gifts. Every member has opportunities to serve. Every member has people they can encourage, or pray for, or disciple…everyone has someone they can care for.

Listen, one of the healthiest things that can happen in a church is when people stop asking, "What’s the church doing for me?" and start asking, "How can I help care for others?"

That's exactly what we see happening here.

The church sees a need. The church identifies qualified servants. The church participates in the solution. The church takes ownership of the ministry.

And I think that's especially important for us to hear because sometimes it's easy to assume that care is someone else's responsibility.

We see someone struggling and we think, "Hopefully one of the pastors knows this."

We hear someone's in the hospital and we think, "I hope a deacon visits them."

We hear about a family going through a hardship and we think, "I hope somebody helps them."

And certainly there are times when elders and deacons should be involved.

But what if that "somebody’s” you? What if God placed that need in front of you because He intends for you to meet that need? What if the phone call that needs to be made is yours to make? What if the meal that needs delivered is yours to deliver? What if the encouragement that person needs is supposed to come from you?

Galatians 6 says, "Bear one another's burdens."

Notice it doesn't say elders bear all the burdens. It doesn't say deacons bear all the burdens. It says believers bear one another's burdens. The ministry of care belongs to the whole church.

And honestly, some of the most meaningful ministry that happens in this church never comes from a pastor's office. It happens when members pray for one another. When someone sends a text of encouragement. When a Sunday School class rallies around a family in need. When meals are delivered. When people visit one another. When friendships are formed. When burdens are shared. When saints simply love one another well. That's the church functioning the way Christ intended.

And I think it's worth noting one more detail here as well. The seven men chosen weren't selected merely because they were available. They were selected because they were godly.

The apostles specifically say they must be men of good reputation, full of the Spirit, and full of wisdom.

Why?

Because even practical ministry requires spiritual maturity.

Sometimes we create a false distinction between spiritual ministry and practical ministry. But Scripture doesn't do that. Delivering food to widows was practical. Yet the men entrusted with that responsibility had to be spiritually mature.

Why?

Because caring for people is spiritual work. Meeting needs is spiritual work. Serving others is spiritual work. And church, that means every act of faithful service matters to Christ. Whether you're teaching a Bible study. Whether you're visiting someone who's hurting. Whether you're praying with a struggling member. Whether you're helping meet a practical need. All of it matters. All of it advances the mission. And that's what Luke wants us to see.

A healthy church isn't built around a handful of leaders carrying all the responsibility. A healthy church is built when every member embraces their role, its when they use their gifts, when they join together in the work Christ has given us to do.

That's exactly what happens in Acts 6. The apostles lead. The congregation participates. The servants serve. And together the entire church is mobilized for ministry.

IV. A Multiplication of Gospel Impact (v. 7)

Which leads us into our final point…when all those things come together, we see a multiplication of gospel impact.

Look at verse 7 with me:

"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."

Now guys, don't miss what Luke’s doing here. This verse isn't just a summary statement. It's a victory report.

All throughout Acts so far, Luke keeps using these little progress reports to show us that Jesus is continuing to build His church. You'll see ‘em again and again throughout the book.

The gospel advances. The church grows. The mission moves forward.

And what's interesting is where Luke places this report.

He doesn't place it right after a miracle. Or after some great sermon. It’s not after a dramatic confrontation with the Sanhedrin. He places it after a church meeting, right? After a complaint. After a ministry problem gets addressed.

Why?

Because Luke wants us to see that even these seemingly ordinary events matter to the mission of Christ.

The widows were cared for. The apostles remained devoted to prayer and the ministry of the Word. The church embraced its responsibilities. The servants fulfilled their calling. And listen, as a result, the gospel continued advancing.

In other words, good order served gospel mission. That's the main point here.

The goal of Acts 6, it was never organizational efficiency. Listen, the goal was to remove obstacles that threatened the church's ability to fulfill Jesus' mission. Because once those obstacles were addressed, the Word of God continued to spread.

I think that's an important reminder because sometimes we can become so fascinated with church structure that we forget why the structure exists in the first place.

Churches can spend endless amounts of time debating committees, and constitutions, leadership models, or ministry philosophies.

And listen, some of those things matter. Doctrine matters. Leadership matters. Church polity matters. But none of those things are the mission. The mission is making disciples. The mission is proclaiming Christ. The mission is seeing sinners reconciled to God through the gospel. Everything else exists to support that mission.

John Stott once said that the church was never called to preserve itself as an end in itself. It exists for the glory of God and for the spread of the gospel. That's exactly what we see here.

The church wasn't organizing for the sake of organization. The church was organizing for the sake of mission.

And look at the results.

Luke says the Word of God continued to increase.

Now obviously God's Word doesn't literally grow. The message isn't changing. The gospel isn't evolving. The idea is that the influence of the Word continued spreading. More people were hearing it. More people were believing it. More lives were being transformed by it.

And then Luke says the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem.

Notice the progression. Back in Acts 2, people were added. Now they're multiplying. The growth is accelerating.

Not because the apostles discovered a new strategy. The church grew because Christ continued blessing the faithful proclamation of His Word.

Listen, this is one of the great themes of Acts. Programs don't save people. Personalities don't save people. Methods don't save people. Christ saves people through the proclamation of His gospel. The power has always been in the message.

As Paul would later write in Romans 1:16, the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

That's why the apostles were unwilling to abandon their primary responsibility. They understood that the greatest thing they could give the church wasn't their personal involvement in every ministry need. The greatest thing they could give the church was faithful devotion to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.

And church, that's still true today. The greatest need in America isn’t better politics. It's not better economics. Or better entertainment. It's not even better education. The greatest need in America today is the faithful proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because only the gospel can reconcile sinners to God. Only the gospel can transform hearts. Only the gospel can produce genuine spiritual life. Only the gospel can save.

And then Luke adds one final detail that would've absolutely shocked his readers.

"A great many of the priests became obedient to the faith."

Now think about that for a moment.

These are priests.

Many of the very men connected to the religious system that had rejected Christ. Many of the same religious circles that opposed the apostles. Many of the same establishment figures that had helped create hostility toward the early church. And now they're coming to faith in Jesus.

What a testimony to the power of the gospel.

The gospel wasn't only reaching the poor or the marginalized. It wasn't only reaching those on the outside. The gospel was reaching deep into the heart of Jerusalem's religious establishment.

Christ was saving people from every background imaginable. And church, that's a reminder we desperately need today. Never underestimate what God can do through the faithful proclamation of His Word.

Sometimes we look at a person and we think, "They'll never believe," right?

We look at a family member. A coworker. A neighbor. A public figure. Someone who's spent years rejecting Christ. And we assume they're beyond hope. But Acts reminds us that nobody’s beyond the reach of God's grace.

If God can save priests who were entrenched in a system that rejected Jesus, He can save anyone.

The gospel’s still powerful. Christ is still building His church. The Word of God’s still accomplishing exactly what God intends it to accomplish.

And that's really where Acts 6 leaves us.

What began as a complaint ends with conversion.

What began as a threat to unity, it ends with multiplication.

What began as a ministry problem ends with gospel advancement.

Because when Christ's church functions according to Christ's design, both the care of God's people and the proclamation of God's gospel ,they move forward together.

And when that happens, the mission advances, the church is strengthened, and Christ receives the glory.

Closing

Listen, as we prepare to respond to God's Word this morning, would you go ahead and bow your head and close your eyes with me?

Listen if you’re believer here this morning, maybe the Lord’s convicted you in some way. Perhaps you've been content to sit on the sidelines rather than to serve. Maybe you've been contributing to disunity instead of preserving unity. Maybe you've neglected opportunities to care for God's people or participate in Jesus’ mission. Listen, whatever the Spirit’s showing you right now, don't ignore His conviction. Repent, ask the Lord to make you a faithful servant in His church.

And if you're here today and you don't know Christ, understand that your greatest need isn't a place in the church. Your greatest need is peace with God. The Bible says we've all sinned and fallen short of His glory. We've rebelled against the God who made us. But God, in His mercy, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live the life we could never live and die the death we deserved. And He rose again in victory over sin and death, and today He calls sinners everywhere to repent and believe.

Turn from your sin. Trust in Christ alone. He will save you.

…

Listen, as we prepare to come to the Lord's Table together, remember the warning Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 11. We’re to examine ourselves before we partake. If there’s unconfessed sin, then confess it. If there’s bitterness, seek reconciliation. If there’s disobedience, repent.

And if you're not a believer in Jesus, we're honored that you're here this morning, but remember that this meal is for those who’ve trusted in Christ Jesus alone for salvation.

And so listen, you take these next few minutes.…pray silently before the Lord as we prepare our hearts for communion. Wendy’s gonna play…our deacons are gonna come and prepare the elements for us. This is your time.

[Prayer}

Matthew 26:26 (ESV)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

Matthew 26:27–29 (ESV)

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

[Prayer]