A Church with Growing Pains

How did you ever experience this when you were younger, but when I was a child up and I would wake up in the middle of the knot in thyme not because I've had nightmares or bad dreams or anything like that. Because I would have cramps in my legs and I was sorry painful when I was really young. I would you just cry out in the night.

Mommy would come in darling outside my legs off and she because she love me she message my legs until I felt better and I still have cramps in my legs in the middle of the night. I didn't need to cry out to Mommy anymore. I got so used to them that I just wake up and stretch out my leg and stomach cramps went away and I got it back to sleep. Sometimes I could do it even whilst I was asleep. I got so good at it and it used to annoy me because I didn't drink enough water. I was dehydrated did I not paid enough bananas and get enough potassium or whatever it was and my doctor said Worried about it's just growing pains. Yokai freedom and then and I will disappear and he was right. Well, I still have growing pains in my legs anymore. And I will go through Growing Pains don't lie. Lots of people lots of places lots of things. Lots of organizations have Growing Pains the fish that grows too big for the fish power that's painful the business that grows from being a sole Trader to us an international corporation that goes through a single-person household to a married couple that can involve change in time and then when children come along that's a whole nother level of pain and single-person household is a whole lot of change and pain that can be associated with that as well. And it's the same with the local church as a local church grows and changes over time. It's not Who did should be some pain oil change can be painful at times do people your relationships new cultures You languages new buildings 810 old course Pine a big fish in a small ball. Sometimes that needs to be intervention as well. Answer the question. I want us to think through this morning is how can we move through Growing Pains as a church in a healthy and effective why and I think we can see an answer to that question in Acts chapter 6 because we see our church. Growing through growing pains and the early church is indeed growing very quickly and the disciples was multiplying. And the size of this early church is in the thousands by now a small gathering of 12 disciples Around Jesus has multiplied and multiplied in a very quick time to thousands of people living in community. It's grown rapidly, but it hasn't grown smoothly hasn't we saw last week that the apostles were being imprisoned for teaching people about Jesus. We saw that they will come out and buy the government not to tell more people about Jesus. There are problems externally, but they're also problems internally as we saw with ananias and Sapphira problems of ungodliness deceased hypocrisy laws threatening the church from the inside the church was growing. Yes, but it had some pain as well. And one of the problems I guess of a growing group of people particularly once it gets into the thousands little on a church like a sway with 200 250 people. It can be difficult to know everybody concert. And when you can't know everybody in a large organization, what tends to humanely happen is subgroups and subcultures. To formed with people who are alike you or similar to you had signed interest to you. Listen to the same Christian music that you do follow the same football team that you do speak the same language that you did maybe from the same ethnic background it that you are and some subcultures in subgroups not just in the church, but in any organization can have competing desires and outcomes and they can be costly company. And that's what we say happened here in Acts chapter 6 verse 1 again in those days as the number of the disciples was multiplying there arose a complaint for the Hellenistic Jews against the hebraic Jews that their widows would being overlooked in the daily distribution. So they were two subgroups within this Christian Community. There is the hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews that just simply means stars who speak Hebrew and those who speak Greek? And there arises a conflict? At one group says webbing overlooks in the pastoral care of this community. We're missing out on the daily distribution. They're getting their money or their food or whatever. Am I missing out Thursday need a missing out valued than the Greeks. It might have just been a misunderstanding and miscommunication as this early church is growing. So rapidly it could just be that but whatever the case there is a problem isn't there experiencing and applying can still like be experiencing a church today? Are they might be members about Churchill from an unknown angle a background? And I might think about in this Anglican Church really only focuses attention on anglos and we miss out on Ministry and the budgets and and things like that single people might feel enough a Suburban Family Church that families and young children in people mouth feels left out. It's not an issue still like this to be experienced today. So what do the apostles? What did I do? We find a proposal in this to. Then the 12 summon the whole company of the d'santos instead. It would not be right for us to give up preaching about God to handle financial matters. Bissell Brothers select from among you seven men of good reputation full of the spirit and wisdom, then we can appoint to this duty, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the preaching Ministry. There's the proposal. Let's gather everyone together the first church annual general meeting.

First in church history, maybe one group of Christians for not caring people complaining. I see the problem. But I also see the problem as an opportunity when we say problems as problems only but the Apostle say problems as opportunities. It's an opportunity to restructure things to enable Ministry to happen more efficiently and effectively. So what did I decide to do when you touches? Well, let's start a great speaking to HIV. If it's for the great speakers and panelists not a hebrew-speaking church out of the Hebrew speakers and then I'll be happy to bring a multicultural community of the family of God expressing God's great vision for Humanity. They wanted to stay together, but have I do that with a proposal? Is 2 * leadership to enable more Ministry to happen. The proposal is to a point seven. Newly who would be responsible for overseeing the administration. the life of the community in these matters as a whole Y7 leaders, you might ask Will 7th and not difficult number isn't it? The seven days of creation when Moses had a little bit of a leadership crosses himself, and he was dealing with complaint off the complaint off the complaint from all the people of God, and he was getting so frustrated and Doing it all on your own. Appoint 70 other leaders to help you lead the people of God and said the seven here in Acts chapter 6, maybe an echo that were pointed to help him. doing my Bible study group during the week one member said First Church of rasta, you know, there are seven days of the week and starts with the points 7.

We don't know the why of the seven two weeks, but whatever. The reason we know that the apostles didn't feel the need to micromanage every aspect of the church live. But what happened to a point other people into leadership positions to oversee? Different aspects of the church lot so they could focus their attention. What on On prayer and the preaching Ministry all the apostles thing. Where the apostles we don't do at me. We don't do pasta. Okay. Our job is much more. Holy and spiritual than that. We do the preaching. We do the prayer. I don't think that's what this sign member of the Apostles of being involved in the truth. And I've been very caring and very strategic him up there playing tonight. But what they are saying is that the accounting the very commission that Jesus specifically gave to them as the 12 apostles. Remember that guy piece of my Witnesses in Jerusalem in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the Earth and if the apostles were going to just get bogged down in admin that specific Mission could be under threat

But they didn't want to just diminish past okay, or diminish the importance of the administration in a large organization that rather than doing it themselves. I provided an opportunity for others to do that so that I could fulfill their specific Cole from Jesus. Who did I appoint with rated?

The Proposal please the whole company so they chose Stephen A Man full of faith and the Holy Spirit and Phillip for chorus. Nicanor came on for Timon and Pumbaa Timon Thomas and Nicolas a proselyte from Antioch. They had them stand before the Apostle to Pride and lay their hands on them. So they is the seven the First Parish Council.

Steven and Philip will know and I will become quite famous themselves in the next few chapters of Acts the other five we don't know so much about it appears that some of them a Hebrew speakers and sleeping a Hebrew names and then I'll just appear to be Greek names. But is it a mix of Hebrews and grapes their 50? Now, what's the raisin V7 men wear pointed? It's because they were full of the Holy Spirit. and wisdom that would 9 to be Godly men where the fruit of the spirit was evident in their life. That would known as Men Who Loved full of joy peace, patience kindness goodness all those things, but that also wise I love at me. That was good at it that were intelligent that were good at organizing things and distributing things. And are appointed for that reason not just include because of the language that I could speak. What was the result of the product the seven we see? For the preaching about God flowers the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly. And a large group of priests became a baby into the fight.

The church continue to grow through that pain multiplying greatly whittled and be kind of baby into the fire.

old people

You know, I wonder whether it's a reflection hear that the x.18 mission is starting to be fulfilled because remember the first part of the Acts 1:8 mission is the apostles you will be my Witnesses in Jerusalem. And if he stays in the early church lost the bulk of the Christian Community have been ordinary men and women and children fishermen Tax Collectors things like that that he was told that a religious beliefs of Jerusalem. I being converted by God that they mission in Jerusalem is being fulfilled. Now there's not a clear prescription or indication heated just because the apostles implemented this particular strategy that that was the reason to church continue to grow. We can't necessarily draw that conclusion, but we can at least site is that decision to implement? This strategy didn't hold them back. It didn't hold them back. And so I think there is a principle that we can observe and then apply to a church today and the principal is this we can help growing pains in the church by opening Ministry Lane. By providing more opportunities for people to serve to multiply the amount of ministry that we can do and the number of people that we can impact eating out community help growing pains by opening Ministry lines.

I didn't just focus on the problem and who was too blind. They sold the problem is an opportunity to expand and DeGraw. I don't think that's a good principle for us that we have been growing over the years from a little church 30 years ago to now over 250 people that gather on a Sunday across the full congregations at the end of last year. Remember in the beginning of this year. We did notice that some growing pains and a Sunday morning service. We only had the one service at 10 and we were starting to notice some capacity issues and the parish council in the ministry team made the decision. To use that as an opportunity to restructure. Salutes to new congregations on a Sunday morning X Ministry so that more people in a community have an opportunity to gather together on a Sunday to sing God's Praises in to learn from his word. We've done that. At laskey's Thanksgiving Sunday. We raise the money to specifically enable this service to stop and have the opportunity for the sermon to be live interpreted into Mandarin for your Smartphone when visiting at technology to allow people to come in to hear God's word in the language that they more comfortable in listening to

We have opened up ministry lines. So allow continued growth and I think God has been faithful to us. Maybe you were here at the beginning of the 10:45 service look around now and see how many people a year.

And if the church and Sons and many churches outside its method the role of the pasta. The minister has had to change as well people joke that the life of a minister was easy, and I know those are only joking, of course when I say do whatever he wants to do. It's a easy life. If you think that because him anyways, the minister is expected to be. An amazing Bible teacher an accountant a lawyer a strategist a computer tech Wiz a counselor a public speaker a worship director a prayer Warrior a mentor a tryna and a fundraiser. I know about you, but I'm exhausted. Just thinking about that list. Someone wants to know that it doesn't matter how much you slice up a general. You'll never get an army. It's the same with the minister. Doesn't matter have thinly slicing Minister. You'll never get a church.

But the message of Acts chapter 6 and Ephesians chapter 4 that first reading that Steven red is it it's not The Minister's job. To be the sole person running the church. If you like it being on mission for Jesus at the chief role of the pasta and the teacher is to equip or to train God's people for the work of ministry. Let It Die can focus on prayerfully proclaiming the word of God I can try and do everything friends.

But I can't. And am I not lost? We need to open up ministry lines for others to running. Are you may or may not be familiar with L? What we called the renew pathway hear it mentioned Brie Mission as route. So wonderfully reminder. This is to like the New Testament make disciples and multiply communities that love Jesus and show Jesus love. How do you do that? Well, this is our particular strategy that we do as a church to say that mission become a reality. We call it the way we want to reach out to members of our community with the good news of Jesus. We didn't want them to be engaged in the loss of that church Community, but I can feel loved and valued and belong we want to see the nurse should in that knowledge and love of God through God's word and pray. We want to say them equipped for the task of mission and Ministry among stuff. And we want to do it all to the worship the glory the honor and price of God, but that's all renew pathway. If you think about church like the M4 freeway. These are the five lanes that we drive in. I wonder which line you are running or driving in to die. What's your ministry like? Where can you take up an opportunity? It said the Lord Jesus and run with and for him. Now. I recognize that there are many of you see to die who have been running so hard in the lot of that church you had served and given so much of your time your talents and your treasure for the good of Jesus and out should some of you multiple running in multiple lines your kids church leaders your scripture teaches your discipleship replay does your coaches your mentors your musicians your service latest your prayer Juarez. Thank you.

I appreciate all that you have done and continue to do in the life of a church. But the work is making disciples and multiplying communities is never over is it? There are 350,000 people in a local area many who do not know the Lord Jesus. That work is not done.

And maybe you're relatively new to at church. Maybe you'd come to us from another church where you are running so hard that you burnt out then you're just looking to be refreshed for the moment. And that's good. I'm glad that you're here.

I maybe you think sitting in church for a little while and Where you been thinking? I need to start running again. How can I serve the Lord Jesus? I don't know if you like running or not. One of my favorite events at the Olympic Games is the running relay. And I love it because there's so much excitement and drama surrounding this thing. It's not just one person just running around the track. Whoever can get there the quickest it's a team running activity where you have to run really hot. Yes, but you had this object called the Batman that you need to smoothly and efficiently pass on to the next member of your team so that they can do that's hot and then pass it on to the next person can do that and start that together. You can finish the rice. As effectively as efficiently as you can. And is drawn read me because all what if I drop the Batman and who's going to who's going to do what? Church ministry is a bit like a real eye rice.

I maybe you are somebody that has been holding the ministry Batman and you have been running so hard in multiple Lanes. And if you keep doing that you were going to Puff yourself out and you weren't the fruitful for the kingdom of God. So, what's the solution? Will locking the relay race at the Olympics you counted dropped the Baton and so I see you later. That's not good. What you need to do is smoothly and effectively pass the Baton on. So maybe you are someone that has been working so hard in Ministry. Maybe it's time that you stop doing a couple of things.

The pass it on to somebody. He could you pass it on to.

Look around the room as someone that you could talk to to dye that you could pass something onto to die. Because maybe you have someone in the room who is a bit like the hand ready to receive the bathroom. You just been waiting to be asked. I'm asking and then maybe I'll just double ask you to die as well. How can you receive that baton and how can you feel the same begin your run around the track? how to recharge card fuel that out Read through the serving at masonry foreman and see all the different Ministry lines that you potentially could running and let us know. I mean it look around. Church. What do you notice autism need for possible care in this particular area?

United States doesn't need for more evangelism or for better Administration write that down and put your name next to it.

A church-like house will continue to grow by God's grace we pride and no doubt. It might continue to have some pain throughout that breath, but we can help growing pains by opening up ministry life. So that more people can run in them and the work of God can multiply and flourish. What's your ministry line?

By the way, thank you for this picture of the early church. We thank you for the wisdom and guidance that you inspired in the apostles. We pray father that we might learn from them. Maybe not exactly what I did but to learn from them. That we might not think that way you learn need to do all things. But we might see each member of the church as gifts from you. Gifs, just ready to be Unleashed. So that more people have an opportunity. the love Jesus Show Jesus love enjoy more people into a relationship with you. If we pray in Jesus name.