Acts 6:1-7
Notes
Transcript
The Passion for Christ in the Church
The Passion for Christ in the Church
Luke describes for us the 1st century church’s struggles, challenges, and victories.
This is the reality of the church. There will be shares of struggles, challenges, and victories along the way that we will encounter...
From our text today, we can get helpful principles that we can learn and apply to our church today to be more passionate for Christ. May the Lord speak to us through this text.
The Jerusalem Church is increasing in number as God intended it to be as the believers were passionate for Christ
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.
A growing local church has it’s internal challenges and it’s not problem free…
1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.
it encountered organizational challenges .(v.1)
in the church, there will be weak and strong christians.in the church, there will be clashes of personalities and temperaments, different preferences..
10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.
in the church, there will be times where people are in need and people will be be able to supply for the need.
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving (diakoneō) one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as the oracles of God; if anyone serves (diakoneō), let it be as by the strength that God provides”
“It is not customary that an intelligent person clothes and cares for one part of his body and leaves the rest destitute and naked. Oh, no. The intelligent person is solicitous for all his members. Thus it should be with those who are the Lord’s church and body. (cont…)
All those who are born of God, who are gifted with the Spirit of the Lord, and who, according to the Scriptures, are called into one body of love in Christ Jesus, are prepared by such love to serve their neighbors, not only with money and goods, but also after the example of their Lord and Head, Jesus Christ, in an evangelical manner, with life and blood.… Behold, such a community we teach” - MENNO SIMONS
The members must understand the importance of the division of labor within the local Church
2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.
3 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.
4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.
6 And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.
- God raised up godly people in the church to help organize and fill in the need (v.3-6)
Priority of God’s Word
Pastors and Elders lead ministry (teaching and modeling)
Deacons facilitate ministry (leading servants, mobilizers)
The Congregation does ministry (caring, sharing, encouraging, lifting, and loving one another)
Jesus modeled for us the the servant leadership.
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Examples of sharing different roles:
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
The Word of God will keep on spreading by His grace and working through the local church
7 The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
When there is a faithful preaching of God’s Word, Genuine Fellowship by sharing life and service to those in need, Godly men and women ready and available for service, everyone during their share of proclaiming the Gospel (5:42) - The church will grow in quality worship (v.7a) and quantity of believers (v7b)
Application
Application
Internal difference and conflict will be present, but it should not cause disunity in the Church.
3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Know and do your role in the Church - after all you are part of the body of Christ
6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
The Church is the Body of Christ, take care of it (not just some part of it)
The Church is the Bride of Christ, maintain it’s purity (not just it’s beauty)