Model Servants

ME: Intro -

In recent years,

There has been many books written,

Podcasts recorded,

And emphases pushed on returning to the simplicity of the early church,

Where Christians stayed on mission and loved one another.

Where all the lost people were getting saved,

Sick people were getting healed,

And all of the Christians got along.

We act as if our problem is that we are making things so complicated,

And that is the reason so much division happens between Christians.

If we just stopped making things so complicated,

And return to the glory days,

Christians would be united.

That seems to be the situation in Acts.

We saw back in 2:42-47 and 4:32-34 things seemed to be going swimmingly!

The very beginning of ch. 6 shows that the church is still growing!

However, things are not so simple anymore.

Some Christians were upset and started complaining.

So, Acts 6:1-7 solves this problem by distinguishing model servants.

This passage is a brief but important historical narrative that is sometimes overlooked.

Because when we think of Acts,

We tend to think of the apostles.

But this passage is associated with distinguishing model servants,

As a solution to prevent the dissension that was brewing in this passage.

So, our passage shows the blessings, challenges, and opportunities of gospel growth.

Slide

This is outlined in four parts:

A Problem Arose (vs. 1)

Priorities Were Distinguished (vs. 2-4)

Discerning Together (vs. 5-6)

The Mission Continues (vs. 7)

Distinguished Deacons are an irreplaceable gift to the church.

WE: A Problem Arose (vs. 1)

Slide

Church growth comes with challenges,

And not all people react the same way.

Some celebrate it because more people is the mission, right?

Others are more skeptical.

Because the church is not all about numbers,

So, a growing church might be compromising principles in order to grow.

And then there are others who only see growth as a bad thing.

Because more people will bring more problems,

And they will ruin our church as we know it.

So, the early church helps us to understand how to react to church growth sensibly.

Vs. 1 starts with the early church experiencing gospel-centered growth.

That is the type of growth we must seek.

The previous chapters showed the church was preaching the gospel,

And compassionately ministering to the people.

As a result, the disciples were increasing in number.

The church was not growing by use of gimmicks or watered down sermons.

This is gospel-centered growth.

And this is the only true way to build a church,

By people embracing the gospel.

We can draw a crowd with gimmicks and motivational speeches,

But a church is only built through the gospel.

Therefore, the gospel must always remain primary.

Like the early church,

We must preach the gospel if we want to build the church.

The early church is all about seeing new faces join.

Again, vs. 1 says they were increasing in number.

So, is that all the early church cares about? Numbers?

No, we count people because people count.

People matter to God.

So, people must matter to us as well.

We should long to see new faces join the church.

And saying we should not count people because it means we only care about number is foolish.

I used to work as a day camp counselor for kids from 5 to 5th grade.

On a nice day like today, we would often walk to a nearby park.

When it was time to leave for the park,

I had all the kids line up,

And I would count to make sure we had every kid with us.

When it was time to leave the park.

I would have all the kids line up again,

And we didn’t leave until I counted every kid.

Now, imagine you are a parent of one of those kids,

And they got left at the park.

How would you feel if I said,

“Well, I didn’t count the kids because I didn’t want to be all about numbers?”

For one, that would be an absolutely foolish reason.

But also, you would be exceptionally upset.

As a person, it is a good thing to be counted.

The early church counted people to grow God’s Kingdom.

The apostles were not drawing a crowd to build their own kingdoms.

If they did, it would be idolatry.

So, even church-growth can become idolatry,

When we are drawing numbers for our own kingdom.

That is why the gospel must remain front and center,

And we rejoice in gospel-centered growth.

Acts is filled with examples of gospel centered growth.

Some have estimated the church is close to 20,000 people by Acts 6.

Regardless, this increasing number is a result of God’s grace.

Jesus loves gospel-centered growth in His church,

And we should too.

My desire is that FBC Afton would build to a church of 1,127 people.

Because according to the 2020 census,

That is how many people live in Afton.

That is what we should desire.

However, we must also expect that problems will come,

Even with gospel-centered growth.

Even the church in Acts has problems come with gospel-centered growth.

In Matt. 13, Jesus taught the parable of the net.

He illustrates how when many fish are caught,

Debris and bad fish are caught as well.

So, as Acts has already shown,

True believers, good fish,

And pretenders, bad fish,

Are present in the early church gatherings.

Ananias and Sapphira, for example, were bad fish.

So, when a catch is made,

Expect a bit of a mess to come with it.

God will sort the true believers from pretenders in His time.

But not only are there bad fish in the net,

There is debris.

Debris illustrates human limitations.

The early church is a model church for us.

But we must guard from idealizing it as perfect.

Yes, the early church had many wins.

But they had their limitations as well.

For example, the church is growing so much so fast here in vs. 1,

That taking care of all the members grows increasingly difficult.

So, people start complaining.

It says, the Hellenists are complaining against the Hebrews.

The Hellenists describes Greek speaking Jews.

They are Jewish followers of God who are ethnically Greek.

The Hebrews are ethnically Jewish Jews.

The Hellenists complaint is that their widows are not being cared for.

Caring for the poor and needy is something that goes back to OT teaching.

Slide

Psalm 9:18 says,

Psalm 9:18 ESV

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

God pays special attention to the cries of those who are needy.

Slide

As Psalm 72:4 says about God,

Psalm 72:4 ESV

May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!

So, God expects His people to reflect His care for the poor and needy.

And the early church was doing this.

Until a problem emerges.

Slide

The ethnically Greek Jews were feeling discriminated against.

Historically, they were treated as outsiders by native-born Jews.

Now, their widows were not getting the daily food distribution.

Other translations say they are being overlooked,

Which seems to most accurately express what is happening.

But a widow being overlooked is significant.

Widowhood in ancient times was dangerous.

Her economic security was based on her husband.

Without him, she would be one of the most vulnerable people in society.

And now they are being neglected by the church.

So, the church had a problem.

The rapid addition of Hellenistic believers created a logistical challenge.

The result was a specific group was being neglected.

Either intentionally or unintentionally,

They were being discriminated against.

So, this had the potential to be way bigger than a food problem.

This was a threat to the unity of the church.

Up to now, the apostles already had to deal with injustice from outside the church,

And hypocrisy from within their gatherings.

Now they had to deal with the complaints from this specific ethnic group that was being neglected.

However, notice it says the Hellenists were complaining against the Hebrews.

Slide

Meaning, they were not taking the matter to the apostles.

So, the Hellenists were rightly offended,

But they responded wrongly.

We can be the same way.

So, the apostles had to maintain unity by addressing cultural tensions.

Even though the Hellenists and the Hebrews all trusted Jesus,

There was still a trace of ethnic dissension.

The Hebrews had treated the Hellenists as dirty, second-class Jews.

So, that history is the lens the Hellenists are seeing the treatment of their widows.

The only place for that dormant tension to go was to the surface.

And if left alone, that tension would continue to spread to others into the church,

Manifesting itself in animosity and division.

So, the apostles have their hands full.

Now, we cannot excuse the church’s failure here.

But if I am being honest,

I find it weirdly encouraging to see the church struggle with this problem.

Because it is a reminder that good churches have problems.

The apostles learned first-hand from Jesus.

Yet, they did not lead a perfect church.

But their failure does not seem to be a direct result of sin.

Rather, it seems to be a product of human limitations.

Knowing what the apostles have been doing so far in Acts,

I find it hard to think the apostles did not care about these widows.

Rather, it seems that they were just not able to meet the needs.

They were still human.

So, even good churches have problems.

This should help us to adjust our own expectations.

We are gonna have problems to solve because our world is broken.

So, we must not wallow in our problems.

This problem did not end the early church’s mission,

Rather, it revealed that the way the church had been structured was no longer able to meet the growing demands.

So, the problem became an opportunity for the church to make a change.

Early on, the church probably had a manageable number of widows,

So, Peter or John could just swing by and say,

Hey, you need anything?

But now trying to keep track of the needs of thousands of people,

Requires a greater level of attention.

There was no way for the apostles to keep up.

More numbers means more administration.

This gospel-centered growth made what was once simple much more difficult.

So, the church had to devise a new way to solve this problem,

While continuing to advance the mission.

GOD: Priorities Were Distinguished (vs. 2-4)

Vs. 2-4 teaches how they solved the problem because Priorities Were Distinguished.

Slide

The twelve in vs. 12 is the twelve apostles.

That is the original eleven plus Matthias,

Who was discerned as God’s 12th apostle by the church in ch. 1.

So, the apostles acknowledge that they can’t do it all.

Their situation is very similar to Moses’ situation in Exodus 18.

Moses was overextending himself trying to lead God’s people.

So, his father-in-law, Jethro,

Came and warned him,

Advising him to choose able men to share the load.

Moses listened and the shared ministry was very successful.

Now the apostles are in the same scenario,

They know the ministry to the Hellenist widows needs doing,

But they are unable to do that while continuing in the ministry of prayer and preaching.

Making this an important crossroad for the church.

Praise God the apostles did not just go with their gut or follow tradition.

No, the Bible was their first priority.

After surveying the widows’ problem,

They call the entire church together for a meeting.

The first thing they say is that they cannot give up preaching the word of God.

And in vs. 4,

They include devoting themselves to the ministry of prayer.

Jesus did not ultimately commission the church to wait table.

He commissioned the church to go and make disciples,

Teaching them everything He has taught us.

The first recipients of this mission were these apostles.

So, they understand the priority of this ministry.

But they also recognize the importance of mercy ministries that meet physical needs.

It is the increase of these physical needs that demand the apostles to distinguish prayer and preaching as their primary responsibility.

They very easily could have become overwhelmed with meeting physical needs,

That slowly drew them further and further from their primary responsibility to the word and prayer.

Slide

So, in vs. 3, they teach the church a process for distinguishing God’s chosen leaders who would make physical needs their primary responsibility.

This process marks the beginning of the two formal offices of elder and deacon in the church.

Elders dedicate themselves to the ministry of prayer and the Word,

Deacons dedicate themselves to the ministry of model servanthood.

Although the word deacon is not used here,

Slide

The Greek word, Diakonea, from which we get the word deacon,

Is translated as serve in vs. 2.

The definition of Diakonea is simply attending to the needs of others.

In vs. 2, it refers to physical needs.

And in vs. 1, it is translated as distribution,

Again referring to physical needs.

Slide

But in vs. 4, it is translated as ministry.

Attending to the needs of the Word.

So, the apostle are saying it is not right that we attend to the physical needs of the widows.

Because we must devote ourselves to attending the people’s need for the Word.

But attending to the physical needs is still important.

So, they institute specific people to lead in attending to these needs.

But you could imagine, not everyone would like the idea that the apostles are no longer going to be personally attending to their needs.

Therefore, it may have been tempting for the church to be critical of this solution.

Meaning, the entire church,

Apostles included, needed wisdom and grace to discern God’s leaders together.

Slide

Therefore, going back to vs. 3,

The church shared the responsibility of discerning these model servants.

The church was tasked with picking seven men who fit important requirements:

They had to have a good reputation,

They had to be full of the Spirit,

And full of wisdom.

In other words,

The community must respect them,

And they must show clear evidence that they are empowered by the Spirit’s leading.

Because these men would be problem solvers.

They would need to know what needs to be done and how to do it.

These three qualifications summarize the deacon qualifications expanded in 1 Tim. 3:8-13.

These men would be responsible for the physical needs of the congregation.

While vs. 4 shows the apostles would be responsible for the prayer and preaching needs of the congregation.

And it is not as if only the elders pray and preach,

Or only deacons meet physical needs.

Rather elders and deacons are model leaders in these areas.

It would not be right for elders to stop leading in the ministry of prayer and the Word.

That is what elders are appointed to do.

If the elders of a church do not continue to preach the gospel,

Then very soon, that would no longer be a church.

Do not misunderstand what the Bible is teaching.

It is a great thing to give people food.

But a church that does not preach the gospel is not a church.

Homeless shelters and food pantries are great,

We should support these things.

But the thing that gives the church its identity,

The thing that gives the church its mission and purpose,

Is the gospel.

Therefore, a church must preach the gospel.

And elders are tasked with being devoted to this.

It is not as if elders are too good or too important to care for physical needs.

Rather, elders are to model a commitment to biblical priorities.

Elders do not sit up in an ivory tower sipping on cappuccinos,

While the piddly servant work is left for those who are less holy.

Slide

No, ch. 5 ended saying that every day,

In the temple,

And from house to house,

The apostles did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus.

Elders must be on the front lines of the spiritual battle.

Because the temptation is to give up preaching the word to attend to physical needs.

But the apostles demonstrate a refusal against being distracted from their priority in the mission.

Elders are called to prioritize prayer and the word.

But elders must also remain concerned for physical needs.

This balance challenges us all when it comes to distinguishing ministry priorities.

In other words,

It forces you to ask yourself,

What good things must I say “no” to,

So, I can say “yes” to my role in God’s mission.

For example,

Do you ever find yourself filling your time doing good deeds for people,

Without ever stopping to pray?

So, the apostles are a model of distinguishing priorities.

Slide

Their model then defines the way we distinguish priorities as a church today.

Deacons became in demand because of how important it is to serve one another.

The early church is modeling an ability to be flexible and make adjustments as needed.

Because the church is both an organism and an organization.

The organizational aspect demands constant evaluations and adjustments.

So, if we are to follow the early church’s example,

When we evaluate or adjust,

The first question must always be,

Is this biblical?

Then we can ask practical or logistical questions.

So, when it comes to distinguishing the priorities between elders and deacons,

We must allow the biblical process to define our process.

So, very similar to discerning God’s elders.

Our passage defines a process for discerning God’s deacons together.

First is identification.

Either existing deacons or any member of the church can identify a potential deacon.

Second is qualification.

The elders, like the apostles, are responsible to uphold the qualifications.

So, a time of examination based upon the biblical qualifications of a deacon in 1 Tim. will occur.

Third is affirmation.

Elders and current deacons bring a deacon candidate before the church for a vote.

If they are affirmed by the church,

The elders lay hands and pray over them to demonstrate the affirmation of their call.

This is the general process we see for discerning God’s chosen deacons together.

Our ability to discern God’s chosen deacons flows from a union with Christ.

By knowing Him and walking with Him as a church.

The early church is unique in many ways.

But they are a model that defines our church’s mission today.

They discerned God’s chosen leaders,

Slide

Both in Acts 1 for Matthias and here for the seven model servants.

This defines our processes for discerning God’s chosen elders and deacons.

Second, the seven men who would be chosen have distinguished priorities from the apostle.

This defines how we distinguish the priorities of elders and deacons.

Third, the qualifications given for the seven here are echoed and expanded upon in 1 Tim. 3.

Which defines the biblical qualifications used to discern God’s chosen deacons.

The NT church is forming into the functional model that defines our churches today.

Acts laying the foundation for our church to build upon.

Especially when it comes to defining the leadership of the church.

YOU: Discerning Together (vs. 5-6)

Slide

In vs. 5-6, it reinforces how the apostles did not solve this problem in isolation,

Rather, they were Discerning Together the solution to their problem.

Vs. 2-4 showed how the apostles gave the framework to discern God’s chosen model servants.

Vs. 5 shows how the church was pleased to pick these men as a result.

This demonstrates the flexibility, understanding, trust, and unity needed in the church.

Because the church is one body with many parts.

That is why the apostles proposed this solution to the entire church in vs. 3.

And that is why it pleased the entire church.

Which is somewhat a miracle itself,

The entire church was pleased with change!!

Remarkable!

What a lesson to be learned from the early church.

There are times and seasons that demand change for our good,

And for the good of God’s mission.

But no change can ever lessen biblical priorities.

In fact, it is biblical priorities that must be the catalyst for change.

The early church made a change to greater share ministry.

The apostles demonstrate a great model of leadership and cooperation.

And the church demonstrates a great model of participation and unity.

The people had been instructed to choose biblically qualified model servants.

Not the most innovative business men,

But men who were respected and filled with godly wisdom.

Because these would be important for their distinguished ministry.

Finally, vs. 5 lists the seven men who were chosen.

Some of these guys become important players in Acts.

Stephen, Lord willing, will take center stage in next week’s sermon.

Where he delivers a Bible lesson on the new covenant and the fulfillment of Scripture,

Convicting the religious elite with rejecting the God they claim to serve.

Then Philip’s ministry to Samaria and an Ethiopian eunuch is in ch. 8.

And although Nicolaus is not mentioned again.

Antioch, where he is from, is a center of missionary activity later in Acts.

Interestingly, these seven men have Greek names.

Meaning they are likely ethnic Greeks, not Hebrew Jews.

They are not from the 12 tribes of Israel,

They were not born in the line of Abraham.

Meaning they likely had a connection to the Hellenistic widows.

Making them a wise choice for this ministry.

But also recognizing non-Hebrews as these model servants among a predominately Hebrew body.

Slide

In vs. 6, the apostles embody what they said they would devote themselves to in vs. 4.

Prayer and the Word.

They lay hands and pray over these seven men.

They have already established the proclaiming the gospel is fundamental.

And they show how although other ministry is secondary,

It is still good.

In fact, it flows from the ministry of proclaiming the gospel.

The ministry of the Spirit is highlighted throughout Acts.

And prayer is directly connected to the Spirit.

Prayer and gospel ministry go hand in hand.

Before Jesus chose His 12 disciples,

Luke 6:12 says He spend the night in prayer.

Jesus would regularly go off in prayer before a day of ministry.

By praying and laying hands on these seven men,

The apostles are demonstrating the relationship between prayer and ministry.

How we are totally reliant on God to lead and provide and protect and spread the gospel.

Prayer emphasizes our dependence on God.

So, even after selecting seven men based upon biblical qualifications.

The apostles pray and lay their hands on them to recognize it is God who has called these men to be deacons.

And although these men are not referred to as deacons,

Most Christians believe this is the origin of the deacon ministry.

And deacon ministry is not about being ordained to an office.

No, vs. 3 said these men are appointed, or commissioned, to the duty of serving.

To the duty of deaconing.

Slide

So, the passage defines how we do ministry as the church.

And that is what elders and deacons model.

The seven men demonstrate the duty of deacons by assisting the apostles for the harmony of the church.

They freed up the apostles to focus on prayer and the Word.

And they were model servants.

But it is not only deacons who serve.

That is what church membership is about, serving.

Being a member at FBC Afton does not mean,

You come here to sit and listen.

No, being a member of FBC Afton means,

You are a part of this body to serve and love God and others.

Deacons are models of this type of membership.

They are a model of service and love.

And they encourage others to serve and love alongside them.

The distinguishing of priorities among elders, deacons, and the church as a whole unifies the church.

One comparison I have come across is that deacons are like shock absorbers.

A more biblical way to think of this is that they are peacemakers.

They are some of the most unifying members of the body.

The early church is saturated with this spirit of love.

Together they loved one another and showed grace to one another as they embraced change.

The problem in vs. 1 had the potential to spiral into a big fight or an irreconcilable conflict that would split the church.

But instead, they allowed God’s Word to bring them together in unity and love.

The result was deacons!

Distinguishing biblical deacons is an irreplaceable gift to the church!

Discerning God’s chosen deacons is an important task.

The entire church must discern this together.

The church shares in ministry as one body.

WE: The Mission Continues (vs. 7)

Because the mission Jesus has given us is important, right?

But the problem in the passage had the potential to derail the mission.

So, it is important to manage people well while continuing to advance the mission.

Slide

The elder qualification in 1 Timothy 3:4-5 expects elders to do this:

1 Timothy 3:4–5 ESV

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

Caring for God’s church involves managing people in a way that it does not become a detriment to the mission.

So, this means, FBC Afton is about more than just setting up comfortable chairs each week,

To sing nice songs and listen to a message that makes us feel good about ourselves.

No, it is about loving God and others,

Growing as Christ-followers devoted to serving one another,

And multiplying disciples.

This is our mission because this is the early church’s mission.

Slide

Vs. 7 reminds us of this.

The apostles managed the people by distinguishing priorities and instituting the first deacons as a church.

And vs. 7 says, the church kept preaching the gospel!

God’s Word continued to spread!

The number of disciples multiplied greatly!

This problem had the potential to be a crisis.

Ironically, times of crises are unique opportunities for churches.

Throughout the history of church,

Controversies, conflicts, crises, and problems have served to purify and strengthen the church.

I do not want to shy away from the fact that we have faced our fair share of controversies, conflicts, crises, and problems as a church in recent years.

We have that in common with the early church.

So, like the early church,

Let us choose to see these challenges as opportunities.

And let us continue the mission of...

Connecting, growing, serving, and going.

Starting with loving God and one another.

But not stopping there.

Because we are not the church if we just connect.

We must continue to balance every part of this mission,

All the way through to multiplying disciples!

We must advance the gospel in Afton,

And to the ends of the earth!

That is our mission because that is the early church’s mission.

In the midst of the problem the early church faced in Acts,

Vs. 7 ends by saying even a large group of priests trusted in Jesus,

And were joining the church!

That is amazing.

Up to this point,

Jesus had been rejected by the religious authorities,

They hated the apostles message,

Yet, here, it says many now trusted Him as their Savior.

Their inclusion here further demonstrates the reality of the church’s diversity.

From Hellenist Jews to Hebrew Jews,

From widows to priests.

The church is just beginning to reach some from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

And even the fiercest enemies of the gospel are being saved.

What a mighty demonstration of the gospel’s power!

The Holy Spirit worked powerfully through this small band of believers at the beginning of Acts,

Into the hearts of thousands,

And even into the hearts of Christ’s most heated enemies.

That same Holy Spirit is working in us today.

Slide

Vs. 1 began by saying the disciples were increasing in number.

Then growth was interrupted because a problem arose.

Now, this brief but significant story concludes by saying the Word of God continues to increase,

The number of disciples continue growing again.

And the solution to this potentially devastating problem,

Was the church distinguishing biblical deacons together.

Distinguishing biblical deacons is an irreplaceable gift to the church,

Because sharing ministry this way,

And by being model servants,

The mission of the church continues.

So, in closing,

Let us connect with God and others.

Let us grow as Christ-followers.

Let us serve one another.

And let us go into the world and multiply disciples.

Let us share ministry together and continue the mission.

And remember that it is Jesus who is building His church.

Pray.