The Church will have its unity tested.

text: acts 6:1-7

remember those that helped you?

they were used like lights on a path.

it’s those

The Challenges of the Gospels Success

Attacks from without;

Acts 6 marks the honeymoon of the church is over. They are dealing with internal corruption, and disputes and divisions. How they deal with it will determine much of its future.

The Disciples have multiplied. So the Kingdom of God is expanding.

They of course had some organization.

They knew how many were saved.

They met at specific locations.

They collected money and goods.

They dealt with sin.

The Challenge of the Gospels Servants

The Hebrew/Hellenist breakdown.

Acts 1. A Dispute about the Distribution of Assistance to Widows (1)

To oversimplify, Hebrews tended to regard Hellenists as unspiritual compromisers with Greek culture, and Hellenists regarded Hebrews as holier-than-thou traditionalists. There was already a natural suspicion between the two groups, and Satan tried to take advantage of that standing suspicion.

The care for the widows was at one time handled by the Jewish Temple leaders but they refused to do so for the Christian widow most likely because the Christian leaders kept preaching in the Temple.

Satan loves to use unintentional wrongs and exploit them to division.

The Challenge to the Gospels Sequence

The Church Leaders obviously prioritiesed the role that keeping the word in front of the people and the prayer to support it was given.

This is why we find the Word so Important. This is not to say that they they didn’t want to be bothered and they were going to just sit and read and pray all the time. Rather they were about the ministry of the Word. Our great need is the truth. We can live lives hunger thirst and suffer pain but the real need of the human is truth.

All of these experiences are had within all mammal's. But what sets us apart is that in the image of God we cherish truth. And to imagine that you and I can do that apart from the equipping of prayer is a falacy that we fall into far to often.

Now there is a place for caring for physical needs...

But even in the qualification of the officers the essential need was a life that had been affected by the truth.

Notice the wisdom of the problem solving.

They didn’t chasten the complainers

They didn’t throw out the accusers.

They didn’t ignore the need

They didn’t divide the congregation Hebrew vs. Hellenist

They didn’t form a committee to discuss it ad nauseum

The Challenge for the Gospel’s Steadfast

Honest Report - When you have the Wisdom and work ethic of a steadfast life this is noticable. Some of you have experienced and demonstrate the difference that the Gospel has made in your life.

Full of the Holy Ghost & Full of Wisdom - This is an issue of practical holiness. Godliness is not thinking thoughts that make no difference rather Discipleship is thinking the way Christ thinks feeling the way Christ feels and then doing the things Christ does.

Matthew 10:16 KJV 1900

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Available - That we may appoint.

The Best ability is availability - Football Coach Bill Parcells

You may also see a point of Pastoral leadership here. The church was given the task of identifying the leader and then the pastor appointed them in the work.

The People were Glad

The highest and greatest measure is not if everyone likes it but this was a point of the church unity in response to God’s working in this way. It is an interesting point that the names mentioned here are all Greek names.

Acts 3. The Selection of Deacons (5–7)

Stephen … Philip, Prochorus …: The seven men all had Greek names, indicating that they were probably Hellenists themselves. The people (and the apostles) showed great sensitivity to the offended Hellenists by appointing Hellenists to take care of the widows’ distribution.

Laid hands on them

Once again you see the priority of prayer and God’s equipping.

Let them lose - Their work wasn’t glamorous but needed. They were not celebrated but faithful. God Blessed the church through them.

The Kingdom increased even more

More disciples were added

Many of the Priests were saved.