Accountability of the Church in Practice

Introduction

We are going through a series this summer in which we are looking at our church covenant. We’ve said that this is a document that we have made that basically takes what we believe and shows how we will put it into practice in the life of the church.

The part of our church covenant that we are going to look at today is where it states that...

We will strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort...

When we think about this phrase of our church covenant, what comes to mind?

I would hope that this phrase points us ultimately to the issue of who is responsible for making sure that the church is doing what it is supposed to do.

There are many opinions as to who is responsible for this task.

The pastor(s)

The deacons

Others

If we as a church want to fulfill the role that God has created us to do, we would do that best by looking to God’s word to show us the answer to this question. The Bible is pretty clear in that God has had a plan for His church and how she should function — even as to who carries the responsibility of making sure the church is doing what she is supposed to do. So rather than go by the opinions of any man, why don’t we look at God’s word and let it show us the answer to this question today?

Acts 6:1 CSB

In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.

Acts 6:1-

Luke writes this letter that we know as ‘Acts’ in the New Testament as an account of God’s work through the church to fulfill His plan of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. We can see in where the church is empowered by the filling of the Holy Spirit and truly begins its work. The church begins to face opposition from the outside as God uses the church to do mighty things. and 4 show us where miracles were happening and some of the leaders were even being arrested.

When we come to , Luke shows that the church was booming. When you read in verse 1 that “the disciples were increasing in number,” it is important that we do not miss two key points.

The term “disciples” shifts from meaning the Twelve to referencing all believers and followers of Jesus.

The original word that is translated as “increasing in number” literally means “multiplying.” This was not just a couple of additions here and there. This was a growth that was hard to keep up with.

These seem to be some very good times for the church. One of the reasons for this explosive growth is seen in

Acts 5:42 CSB

Every day in the temple, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

The church was taking the call that God had given her very seriously. Because of this, God was blessing greatly. In the midst of this blessing, a problem arises. This is a different problem that the church had not experienced before. This problem did not come from those outside of the church seeking to shut it down. This problem came from within.

Luke shows us that there was a ministry within the church where those who were vulnerable and in need (widows) were provided for and looked after by those within the church. This is the heartbeat of ministry — to see those with a need and take the resources of God to them so that He can meet that need.

As the church grew, apparently there was some “falling between cracks” taking place. A certain group of widows were not being ministered to as the others were. It does not seem like this was intentional but rather a result of the growth of the ministry. In the verses that follow, we see how God leads the church to deal with this situation. It is here that we also see who carries the responsibility of making sure the church is doing what she is supposed to do.

Acts 6:2

Acts 6:2–6 CSB

The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch. They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The leaders called the church together

In verse 2, the Twelve (apostles) gathered the whole church together to address and deal with the issue. There is an order that God has set up in within the organisms in which He has created. Any team has to have a leader. The Twelve were those who had been the closest to Jesus during His ministry here on earth. The church looked to these men greatly for leadership and guidance on matters.

The response of the Twelve comes across a little strange though. They say that it wouldn’t be right for them to step away from their primary task (preaching and praying) to deal with this issue. This is not saying that other ministries are not as important at all. It was saying that the primary task of the Twelve was preaching and leading through prayer. If they were to take focus off of that and put it on other things — even good things — then the whole ministry of the church would suffer.

The church is tasked with selecting

In verse 3, the Twelve call the church congregation to step up and take responsibility for seeing this matter is settled. The Twelve did not just pass the responsibility, but rather they shared the responsibility with the congregation. The Twelve set some parameters and released the people to do what they had been equipped to do.

It is important to realize that every person that places his or her faith in and becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ, not only does that person receive forgiveness of their sins and a new life, but that person also receives the Holy Spirit who lives inside of them.

This is an important truth that needs to be seen in the church. The responsibility of the ministries of the church does not lie solely on the shoulders of the pastors. This responsibility does not lie solely on the shoulders of the deacons or any other titled office.

Because the Holy Spirit of God is given to every believer… because the Holy Spirit guides each and every believer to walk and serve in truth… the responsibility to make sure that the church is doing what it should do falls on each member of that local congregation.

Notice that the Twelve did not choose the men for this task — it was the congregation. Notice also that the men that were chosen for this task were not part of the Twelve — they were members of the congregation who met the qualifications. Notice also that when the church was asked to step up to their responsibility, they answered with joy.

Acts 6:

Acts 6:5 CSB

This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch.

It is easy in the culture that we live in to build a cubicle around our lives and say that certain things do not fall into our sphere of responsibility. We may say that is someone else’s job. In the church, that’s not necessarily the case. When it comes to the making sure that the ministries of the church line up with what God has called us to do, each member holds a piece of that responsibility puzzle. When it comes to taking the gospel to our community and around the world, that is not only the job of the pastors, deacons, and Sunday School teachers. That is the responsibility of each member of FBC Fulton.

There is no way that the pastors of this church can do all that FBC Fulton is called to do. I am grateful for the many in our congregation who step up and say, “I can do this. This is my part of the team’s work.” When we do that, we guard against others who are supposed to be doing something else being taken away from that task for something that God intends me to do.

Illustration: What if one position of a sports team had to play all the positions? There is no way that team would flourish. It might have worked for Bugs Bunny in the cartoons, but it doesn’t work for the church.

What happens when this really happens?

Acts 6:7 CSB

So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

We see from verse 7 that the ministry grew. More people were reached with the gospel. More lives were changed by the Lord. There were even some of the religious leaders of the day that were so dogmatic against the church becoming Christians themselves and part of the church.

How does this happen? This happens when we fall into line and function as God has designed. When we get in line with the LORD’s plan, He can work through us in mighty ways.

Once again in verse 7, the term “increased greatly in number” appears. This is once again the idea of the church multiplying. Wouldn’t that be great to see? Wouldn’t you like to see God bring a revival to the city of Fulton and Callaway County? Wouldn’t it be amazing to see people turning from their sins and turning to Jesus by the droves each week or even each day? I don’t think that this is wishful thinking… I believe that this might just be the plan.

This is yet another reason that church membership is so important. Being a member of a church is being a member of the team that God has placed in an area to impact that area for His glory. The church membership has a responsibility to make sure that the work of the Lord is being done and that the church is in step with what God desires. You cannot do that from the stands or even the sidelines. You have to get on the field to be a part of that.

Invitation

I would like to invite you to a couple of things.

First, if you have never trusted in Christ and experienced the saving work that He can do in your life, would you do that today?

Second, if you are not a member of a local church, would you ask the Lord to show you which church you should be part of and helping to fulfill its calling?

Thirdly, if you are a member here at FBC Fulton, would you do your part in helping make sure that we are on the right path? This comes from studying the Bible for yourself, praying, and getting involved using your gifts and abilities to help FBC Fulton accomplish its mission?