Leadership Lessons

Sermon Notes: Bible App (Scan the QR code in the bulletin or the screen.

Introduction

James 2:14–17 ESV

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

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Opening Story

In 1971, Durham, North Carolina, was facing intense racial tension over school desegregation.

C.P. Ellis was the Exalted Cyclops of the local Ku Klux Klan, deeply racist and resentful of Black Americans. Ann Atwater was a fierce, outspoken Black civil rights activist who fought passionately for housing and education equality.

The two despised each other; Atwater once even menaced Ellis with a machete during a city council meeting.

Prejudice, language barriers, socio-economic divisions, ethnic and political differences,—all can cause misunderstandings, mistrust, mischaracterizations, fear, anger, and hatred.

And it is easy to justify our feeling and actions—even as professing Christians.

Prejudice can easily destroy our Christian witness—and even harm the witness of those Christians who passionately strive to reach out and love all people.

So, how can the church mitigate the challenges of division and prejudice and maintain fidelity to the commands of Christ to love God and love people?

The Apostle Paul wrote the the Philippian Church these words:

Philippians 2:3 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

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Today we are going to explore how leaders need to lead well when conflict arises between people.

Leadership Lessons in Conflict

Transition

In Acts 6, the church is continuing to experience growth.

But as the church grows, so does the challenge of caring for one another.

Acts 6:1–2 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.

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The Jerusalem Christian community had witnessed considerable growth; and as is so often the case with rapid increase, administrative problems developed.

The particular difficulty involved a complaint from the Greek-speaking Christians against the native Aramaic-speaking Christians that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food (literally, “the daily ministry”).

As so often with ethnic groups, they tended to associate with those who shared their language and cultural background.

As the church increased and came to include more and more of these “Hellenist” converts, it is only natural that they would have formed close associations with one another, perhaps even meeting in home fellowships together.

There is no reason to picture a breach or separation in the total Christian community—only the sort of “distancing” created by natural linguistic and cultural differences

The Hellenist widows were being overlooked—certainly not deliberately neglected but inadvertently left out.

In Jewish society widows were particularly needy and dependent, and the Old Testament singles them out along with orphans as the primary objects of charitable deeds.

Deuteronomy 10:18 ESV

18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

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To solve the problem, the Twelve gathered all the disciples together.

Even though the Hellenists had the main grievance, the problem involved the entire congregation; and the apostles wanted total participation in its resolution.

Here’s the point:

Acknowledge Emerging Challenges

Don’t ignore problems—and especially focus on those problems that affect people and their wellbeing.

Deal with the problem before it becomes a bigger problem.

So, what did the leadership of the church do?

Acts 6:3–4 ESV

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.”

Their solution:

Appoint Godly Servants

The apostles, however, laid down basic qualifications which the seven had to meet.

First, they were to be “full of the Spirit,” i.e., they were to have manifested a special degree of allowing the Spirit to work in them.

Then they were to be known for their “wisdom,” probably referring to the kind of practical know-how necessary for the proper management of the charitable funds.

By selecting the seven, the apostles were free to carry out their primary responsibilities of preaching and bearing witness to Christ.

Meaning, the primary ministry of preaching and witnessing could continue to the the priority, but the ministry of meeting the practical needs of the community of faith can be effectively accomplished.

The plan was acted upon.

Acts 6:5–6 ESV

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.

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The solution proposed by the apostles was pleasing to the whole group, which made its selection.

It is important to note that the congregation made the selection.

The apostles assumed the leadership in making the proposal, but they left final approval of the plan and selection of the seven to congregational decision.

That they were all Hellenists is likely, given the nature of the problem and the fact that all seven names listed in v. 5 are Greek.

The point is: The church…

Affirm Unity in Diversity

The selection of the seven is followed by their installation.

The congregation chose them and presented them to the apostles.

The apostles confirmed the congregational decision by laying their hands on them.

What was the result of this problem and its solution?

Acts 6:7 ESV

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.

With the problem of the Hellenist widows solved, the community was once more at peace.

The apostles were freed for their witness, and the word of God spread/grew.

Here “the word of God” points to the proclaimed word as it was preached in wider and wider areas.

The “word” grows when it is faithfully proclaimed and falls on fertile soil. In this instance it grew on unexpected soil—among the Jewish priests.

The solution did not just solve the problem, it served as a witness of the Gospel.

The Gospel is…

Advance through Service

When we come together in unity and strive to work ethically in finding ways to meet needs, the Gospel is advanced! It is advanced through compassionate service to others.

Conclusion

All of us our leaders of something. And our leadership should include the qualities of…

Acknowledging the challenges we face.

Appointing people to help meet those challenges (we can’t do it alone).

Affirm unity in diversity. It can’t just be a certain group of people—but needs to include those who are underrepresented.

And Advance through service. Serving one another is a powerful witness to the truth of Jesus Christ!

At the beginning of this message, I shared the story about C.P. Ellis and Ann Atwater.

The Rest of the Story.

The turning point came when a federal grant funded a 10-day community meeting—a series of intensive public meetings—to address the school crisis.

To force cooperation, the organizers appointed Ellis and Atwater as co-chairs. [1, 2, 3]Initially, the meetings were hostile.

However, forced to sit together day after day, they began to talk during breaks.

They discovered they shared identical struggles: both had grown up in severe poverty, both felt ignored by the city's elite, and both were fighting desperately to secure better futures for their children. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The breakthrough moment occurred when they realized their children were being bullied in school because of the roles their parents were playing in the charrette.

This shared pain shattered their mutual prejudice. 

[1]On the final night of the meetings, in front of a stunned audience, Ellis stood up, tore up his KKK membership card, and renounced the Klan. 

[1]Their transformation was permanent. Ellis was ostracized by his former white friends, but Atwater and the Black community embraced him.

The two remained devoted, close friends for the next several decades, frequently traveling together to speak about racial reconciliation.

When Ellis died in 2005, Atwater sat with his family at the funeral and delivered his eulogy, celebrating the man who had once been her greatest enemy as her dearest friend.

1 John 3:16–18 ESV

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

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