Listen to Glisten: Choosing the Seven

Choosing the Seven

More challenges:

Acts 4:32-34:

“All believers were one in heart and mind”

“There were no need persons,” didn’t last long.

How long do you think Adam and Eve were in the Garden before they ate the Fruit??

“How long could you last without sinning?”

Part I:

1,000 Foot level: Passage

10,000 foot level: Diaconia what?

Conclude with: 20,000 foot level: Big Picture?

Passage

Group #1: Grecian Jews

Jews born all over the Greco-Roman world

Spoke Greek

Most likely came back to settle back to Jerusalem for help.

Poor widows would travel to Jerusalem at the end of their life.

Group #2: Hebraic Jews

Spoke Aramaic. Palestinian origin.

Grumbling:

v. 1: “Complain arise by the Hellenists agains the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.”

v.1: Complaints by the Hellenists: Complaints= gongysmos, LXX for Jews against Moses in the desert (Ex. 16:7; Num 14:27).

A missing piece here...

Was favoritism happening here...

Did the Apostle’s rebuke anyone for grumbling?

NOPE.

Apostle’s Got to work:

Gathered the whole group together and announced: “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables...”

We’ll get to that later...

But they Pick the Seven:

Good repute: They have a good testimony… Martyr—> Foreshadow of Steven

Full of the Spirit

Wisdom

The Twelve appoint the Seven

Philip

Prochorus

Nicanor

Timon

Parmenas

Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch

“Each person chosen had Greek names” NIVAC: Fascinating!

“Hellenistic Seven”

Purpose of this Passage on Face value:

HOW this passage is applied to the church today is tricky.

Wisdom:

Deal with grumbling right away… Don’t let grumbling persist.

Wisdom to empower those who can relate to the issue

Greek leaders for Greek widows

Leadership:

Mobilize people for mission

Diaconia

“Waiting on Tables”

“To wait at a table”

“To supervise the meal” i.e. its whole provision, preparation, and organization.” TDNTA

One of my favorite words in the Bible: There’s a reason why we named our second boy Deacon!

Key word: Diaconia

douleuw: “Serve as a slave”

Therapeuw: “willingness for service”

Latreuw: “Serve for wages”

Leitourgew: “Public service, service in the temple or church”

Diaconia: “Personal service rendered to another out of love”

Bible Examples of Diaconia

John 12:2: “So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.”

Literal giving of a meal

Luke 10:40: But Martha was distracted with much serving.

Can you do too much diaconia??

II Cor 5:18: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation

John 12:25-35: 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Generally anyone who follows Jesus!

Referred to as a deacon:

Stephanas in Corinth

Preachers

Angels

Evangelists

John Mark

Paul

Timothy

Epaphras (Co. 1:7)

Tychicus: A servant in the Lord (Eph 6:21)

Paul

General servants and ministry

The same word is used in our passage three times, but used in such a way to describe different ways to serve within the church

Diaconeiv vs. Diaconia

Diaconia: Servants of waiting on tables

Those who serve those who need physical help

“Barclay observes, “It is extremely interesting to note that the first office-bearers to be appointed were chosen not to talk but for practical service.”” NIVAC

ResLife examples

Ministry of Tables: Taking care of one another with integrity must also be at the forefront of our activity

ResLife Examples

World Relief Durham: How to serve refugees coming into North Carolina?

Training seminar coming up

Love Life: An attempt to protect the unborn and to serve their parents

Safe Families

Excel Kids: Serving those who need an upper hand in life

Delegating tasks must also be at the forefront of our activity

What does this mean?

Ministry and Calling

Music and worship

Administration

Finance

Leadership and Pastoral Care

Support the work of the Word

Balanced perspective on life

Diaconia: Servants of the Word

“One who waits at tables.”

Serving people food!

John 6:48-51: Jesus said, “48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

Serving the Bread of Life

Preaching and Evangelism

Preaching remains central to our worship services

Operation Christmas Child: Evangelism tool

Door to Door Evangelism

Mostly rejected

But other places are much more receptive!

Worship and Sacraments:

If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

I Corithians 11: “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Communion points us to the CROSS!

To point to Jesus as the bread is to point to suffering on the cross.

To point to Jesus as the bread is to point people to the rejection Jesus experienced on the cross.

Numbers 11:5-6: 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

The Word needs to be enough!

The Word needs to matter more than the size and cleanliness of the nursery.

The Word needs to matter more than smoke machines and size of worship band

The Word needs to matter more than the number of people

The Word isn’t always flashy, it’s purpose is not for your entertainment!

The Word isn’t stand up comedy, a political speech, or a pep talk. It’s entirely other: It’s the Proclamation that Jesus is the food this world needs more than anything.

That’s done on an official capacity in the hear and now...

But it’s also done in the there and later when you are out and about...

And it’s BECAUSE we have this Word that we are reminded our response to the Word is a ministry of service.

And so yes, the only thing needed for a transformed life is the BREAD OF LIFE.

We are waiters of that Word

But that WORD also pushes us out into acts of service.

The Word energizes the work.

The Message motivates the mission

The Bread feeds the beloved to love

Big Picture

Stott:

v. 7: 1st of 6 summary statements of growth.

Three Strategies the devil has used to destroy the church (spiritual warfare)

Jewish authorities (shut up about the word!) Preaching

Ananias and Sapphira (hypocrisy) Giving and sharing

Squabbling widows to distract its leadership from prayer and preaching