Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning we are picking back up in our study of the book of Acts.

If you’re new to our church this morning, we practice a form of preaching called Expository Preaching.

What that means is we believe the best way to teach the Bible is to study it by taking books of the Bible and then studying them from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what the Bible is saying in our lives today.

With that said, we are currently doing that through the book of Acts.

A book that was written for two reasons.

First, to teach us how the church was started and the circumstances that surrounded it.

And second, to provide us with a template on how Jesus intends us to accomplish the mission He has given us.

The mission to take the gospel to the entire world.

So, if you haven’t been with us, I would encourage you to go online to “MCF.LIFE” where you can listen to all of the messages leading up to today.

As we come back to our study today, we find ourselves back in chapter 6 as the church continues to grow, yet is about to face another challenge.

You may recall from last week, chapter 6 follows an attack on the church by a group called the Sadducees.

A Jewish religious and political body that was threatened by the early church.

But despite the persecution it has faced, the church continues to grow as more and more people are coming to faith in Jesus.

The growing pains

And while that’s good news and something to celebrate, there are some challenges that have come from the growth.

The growing pains

Now, at this point you might be thinking, “Pastor, it sure seems like the early church faced a lot of challenges?”

Acts 6

Luke says as the church grows, there are some people falling through the cracks.

And this is a problem on two levels.

First, it’s a problem because nobody wants widows to be neglected.

That’s not good.

And as a result the disciples are being pulled away from their primary duties of teaching and preaching in order to address the growing needs.

And second, it’s a problem because as a result of the need, the disciples are being pulled away from their primary duties of teaching and preaching in order to address this issue.

And now the ministry as a whole is suffering.

Luke writes:

Now, some might say, “Well pastor, maybe the church is just getting to big.” No, that’s not the problem.

Because the fact is, Jesus is all about His church growing bigger.

The problem is with a growing church come growing needs, and the apostles, like us, are human beings, and don’t have the capacity to meet all of those needs.

Like us, they have limits.

And now they are spread thin.

So, how do they solve the dilemma?

Well, the disciples had a solution.

And the solution involved asking people within the church to step up.

The solution involved starting a volunteer ministry at First Century Church.

Luke writes:

And what was true for the church then is still true today.

The fact is, as a church grows, needs grow with it.

And and at some point the pastor and staff are going to reach a capacity.

And in order for those growing needs to be met, other Christians are going to need to step up in a volunteer capacity so that the pastor and staff can continue their focus of teaching, preaching, and raising up new disciples.

In fact, that’s how Jesus designed the church to work.

The Apostle Paul puts it like this:

That being the case, that’s what we asked many of you to do last week.

The fact is, we are a growing church.

And that’s something to celebrate.

But the reality is, with our growth have come growing needs and challenges.

And if we’re going to meet those needs and continue to reach more people, we need more people to step up.

And so last week, I asked for people to step up.

And many of you responded to that call as you signed up for ministry opportunities in our church.

In fact, nearly 40 new volunteers signed up to help meet the needs in our growing church.

And so over the next couple of weeks, our goal is to contact you and start the process of getting you plugged into ministry, and then next Sunday, I’m going ask those of you who signed up to stand up so we can pray for you.

Because this isn’t just a job you signed up for.

This is a spiritual opportunity to be used by God, and you need God’s help to to do that.

Luke says this about those who signed up to serve tables:

Acts 6:

So, that’s what we want to do for you as well.

And I would say this to those who weren’t here last week, or didn’t sign up.

It’s not too late.

There are sign up sheets in the lobby or you can go online to MCF.LIFE and sign up for an area of ministry.

Because here’s the reality for the Christian.

If you want to continue to grow in your faith, if you want to walk into His plan for your life, you have to be willing to get involved in what God is doing through His church.

Otherwise, you may never move forward.

So, that’s where we were last week.

With that said, as we come back to chapter 6, come to another challenge for the early church.

Now, at this point you might be thinking, “Pastor, it sure seems like the early church faced a lot of challenges?”

And you would be right, they did.

But as we learned last week, that’s the life of a growing church.

In fact, I would say if a church isn’t facing challenges, then it’s probably not a healthy growing church.

So, what’s the challenge this time?

So, what’s the challenge this time?

Now, at this point, you might be thinking, “Wow pastor, it just seems like the early church was constantly fighting battles.

It

Well, it’s one of persecution.

A persecution that will result in the death of the first Christian, and the widespread persecution of Christians in the chapters to come.

And if you’re thinking that, you would be correct.

They faced constant challenges.

And today, we’re going to talk about and discover why they faced challenges.

So, to help prepare us for what we are about to read and learn today, I want to begin by asking you a a couple of questions in regard to some possible relationship challenges you have encountered in your life.

Encounters that maybe left you scratching your head.

The first question goes like this:

First Question - In your experience with relationships, have you ever encountered somebody who you really didn’t know, maybe somebody you’ve never even been around, but for some reason they didn’t like you?

In fact, they just didn’t not like you, as time went on, it became apparent that they hated you.

Anybody ever experienced that?

I think we’ve probably all encountered somebody like that in our life.

I think we’ve probably all encountered somebody like that.

Second Question - Now, let me ask you this.

When you’ve encountered that person, did you ever find yourself wondering why they hated you?

Asking yourself, “What in the world did I ever do to them?

Why does this person have it out for me?”

How about this.

Have you ever encountered somebody that just didn’t like you, but they hated you?

Anybody?

Personal Example - I remember one time when I was in high school, I had gone to the movie with some friends, and as we were coming out of the movie, there was a guy standing by the exit door, somebody I had seen in school before.

And as I walked out, for a moment I glanced at him and then turned away.

And as I turned away, he said, “Do you have a problem?”

So, a little surprised by his comment, I turned around, looked at him and said, “No, I don’t have a problem.”

At which point he turned and started to walk away.

And then being a punk, I said something I probably shouldn't’ have, but I felt was appropriate at the time.

I said, “Do you?” Smart, right?

And no sooner had I said it, this guy came at me like it was WW3 as he verbally unloaded and tried to pick a fight with me.