Acts the Story Continues (14)

Chosen to Serve

We are going to jump ahead a little because I feel this upcoming season is going to be big for our church. It’s a daunting task, but I believe we are coming into what God has called us to do. I am excited for this next step in ministry. When the church is confronted with a problem one of two things can happen.

The Church can unravel at the seams

Step back and reevaluate the way it’s run.

So they did.

Acts 6:1–6 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, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts 6:1

AS I contemplated the next steps for our church I began to look at what we as a church were doing and what the first century church was doing. I began doing some research. I saw three areas that that the Early Church focused on that I believe should be the bases of every church.

They took care of Each other.

The early church made sure everyone was taken care of. If someone needed something they were front and center to make sure it happened. Here in the book of Acts you see that there was a group of people, the Hellenists, who were being negected. These people were techincally called Greek-speaking Jews. Or NonJewish Christian converts, those who were coming t Christ. The Apostels set forth to correct this wrong and placed mature Christians in the place to overlook the dividing out of help.

I want to first state that you will notice their first response wasn’t “it’s the Apostle’s job.” Or it’s the Pastor’s job. The Apostles said that it wasn’t right for them to stop preaching the word of God to wait tables.

This wasn’t a slanderous saying, but rather an understanding that the Pastor’s job was to assist the church in their continual growth in Spiritual Maturity. They stated that their job was to preach the word and to pray. The burden of serving was given to the church.

Acts 6:2 ESV

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.

My job is to ensure that you have everything you need to serve those around you. To help those who inhabit the chairs around us. So what’s this look like in a tangible expression.

D.L Moody States: It is better to put ten men to work than to do the work of ten men.

In our church I believe this is more of us coming together. not only to serve the community but to spend time with each other.

We can only grow in love for one another IF we spend time with each other.

We have to purposefully like each other. This isn’t something that comes easy. Finding a good team of people doesn’t happen overnight, but rather it happens through a series of months growing closer. When I had my children. I instantly fell in love. Holding a child I helped create in my hands was one of the best feelings in the world. However, this isn’t true with other people. I didn’t instantly love you. I strived to love you. I looked for qualities in each one of you that I could help you develop. This is what we must strive for as Christ followers.

Why did this work?

They were full of the Holy Spirit and of Wisdom.

If we could get a long by ourselves families would be staying together not falling apart. The reality is we need the Spirit of God in and around us to help us deal with each other.

2. They helped Outsiders.

I believe this is a big Part of who we are. A while ago while looking at the ministries we did I began to ask why we did them. For example we used to give out hot dogs, hot chocolate and popcorn out during Halloween. It took a lot of time and finances to make this happen. As I contemplated the continuing of this type of ministry I sought God.

While studing the book of felt God ask me:

How did the first century church help people. I quickly began to realize that it wasn’t by joining in the celebration of Pegan Holiday’s. Halloween is a very Pegan Holiday. So what did they do?

I love this quote from Julian the Apostate, the last pegan emperor of Rome.

“These impious Galileans (Christians) not only feed their own, but ours also; welcoming them with their agape, they attract them, as children are attracted with cakes… Whilst the pagan priests neglect the poor, the hated Galileans devote themselves to works of charity, and by a display of false compassion have established and given effect to their pernicious errors. Such practice is common among them, and causes contempt for our gods.”

In another letter He told his pegan priensts to fake the compassion the Christians showed so that their religion would grow like that of the Christians. They quickly found out the truth of Jesus’ words in

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

So I looked at the impact they had and guide I now use to evaluate whether we should do something or not.

We are told in many ways to clothe people, feed people, preach the gospel.

We are told in many ways to clothe people, feed people, preach the Gospel.

I love the way it was put: The Christian conquest of the Roman Empire came not by sword, but by the preaching of the gospel joined with acts of compassion.

Then Julian the Apostate wrote in the same letter

“deeds were on everyone’s lips, and they glorified the God of the Christians. Such actions convinced them that they alone were pious and truly reverent to God. [W]hen it came about that the poor were neglected and overlooked by the [pagan] priests, then I think the impious Galilaeans [i.e., Christians] observed this fact and devoted themselves to philanthropy.”

What set the Christians apart wasn’t their preaching, but their serving.

And that’s the last apart.

It has to be done in conjunction with the Spirit of God.

When Julian told his pegan priests to copy what the Christians were doing it didn’t take long before they figured out that the behavior wasn’t sustainable. Thier ego couldn’t sustain the sacrifice and they soon failed.

We cannot endure true sacrifice apart from Christ and we cannot spread his word apart from service.

Friday as I was driving home from buying the coats I began to have an amazing worship service in the van. I began to see the what our church is doing in spreading the gospel. That Christ is glorified through all of what we are doing. Th at we aren’t doing them with self serving conceit but to ensure God gets the praise.

Philippians 2:3–4 ESV

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

And you have to love the outcome of true Christ service.

Acts 6:7 ESV

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.

The biggest idea to notice is that we don’t have to assert our christianity to preach the gospel we have to live out our Christianity and people will flock to us.