Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
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Emotion
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Anger
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Let’s Say You’re Running a Business
You Want this Business to Be Successful and Grow
But Your Employees Aren’t Willing to Pull Their Own Weight/Do Their Share of the Work
What’s Going to Happen to Your Business?
It’s Not Going to Be Successful
It’s Not Going to Grow
It’s Going to Fail
What About the Church?
Jesus Obviously Wants it to Grow By Successfully Carrying Out His Mission
But What if His Servants/Christians Don’t Want Do Their Share?
The Church is Not Going to Be Successful in Carrying Out His Mission
The Church is Not Going to Grow
Paul Laid Out to the Ephesians Jesus’ Structure and Plan for the Church to Be Successful and Grow
Ephesians 4:10–16 (NASB95)
He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
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.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
There are Many Different Roles to Play in the Body of Christ
And Every Christian is Meant to Play a Role
When Every Part of the Body Does its Work…
When Every Person Pulls Their Own Weight…
When Every Member Does Their Share…
The Body Grows and is Built Up in Love
Christianity is Not a Spectator Religion
We Don’t Have Laymen, We are All Priests
Every Christian is to Contribute to the Work of the Church
And When We Aren’t All Doing Our Part…
The Body Doesn’t Grow Like it Should
The Church Isn’t Built Up in Love Like it Should Be
And Practically Speaking, Things Fall Through the Cracks and are Left Undone
The 1st Century Church Made a Habit of Taking Care of Each Other
Those Who Were Financially Able Would Give Money to the Apostles…
Who Would Then Distribute it to Any Christians in Need
But as the Church Continued to Grow, Naturally, this Ministry Became Increasingly More Difficult to Manage
Acts 6:1 (NASB95)
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.
The Church was Growing, Which Means the List of Needy Christians was Growing
At this Point, There was a Daily Distribution of Food Amongst the Needy in the Church
Widows Were Among the Most Needy
But, Unfortunately, Some of the Hellenistic Widows Were Being Overlooked
Hellenism Refers to the Spread of Greek Culture
So the Hellenistic Widows in this Text Likely Refers to:
Jewish Widows Who Were Born Outside of Palestine, Speak Greek, and are Accustomed to Greek Culture
Some of Hellenistic Widows Amongst this Growing Church…
Were Being Neglected When it Came to the Daily Distribution of Food
They Were Unable to Provide for Themselves
They Had No One to Provide for Them, Except Their Siblings in Christ
But Now They are Being Neglected By Them as Well
Complaining is Never Viewed as a Good Thing in the New Testament
But Surely We Can at Least See Where the Hellenistic Christians are Coming From
It Seems the Hebrew Widows are Being Well Taken Care of…
But the Hellenistic Widows Aren’t
A Person’s Culture Plays a Large Part in How They Read and Interpret the Bible
As White Christians, it’s Easy for Us to Read this Passage and Simply Say:
“Oh, it was an Honest Mistake that These Women Were Neglected!”
And That Very Well May Be the Case
But it Makes Me Wonder How a Majority Black Christian Audience Might Read and Interpret this Passage
I Don’t Assume to Speak for Black Christians…
But I Would Understand if They Interpreted this Neglect of the Hellenistic Widows…
As Based Upon Discrimination Instead of an Honest Mistake
That Might Give Us Some Insight into the Complaint of the Hellenists
It’s Probably Best that We Don’t Assume They Were Entitled and Ungrateful Complainers
They Might Have Perceived this to Be Discriminatory Instead of an Accident
In That Case, Their Complaints Would’ve Been Against Injustice in Jesus’ Church
Regardless of the Specifics, They Were Being Neglected
Acts 6:2 (NASB95)
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.
Once this Complaint Reached the Ears of the Apostles, They Had a Decision to Make
They Called the Jerusalem Church Together
And Their Decision was:
“It Would Be Better for Us to Focus Our Full Attention On Preaching the Gospel…”
“Rather Than Trying to Preach and Serve Tables (Feed People)”
The Apostles Were Coming to an Important Realization:
The Church Needed People Serving Tables
And the Church Needed People Spreading the Good News of King Jesus
And One Person/Group Can’t Always Do Both (Effectively, at Least)
We Have the Wrong Mindset When We Expect One Person/Group of People to Do Everything
First Off, People Eventually Get Burned Out
But Not Just That, Things Get Neglected
This was Happening in the Jerusalem Church
Important Ministries Were Being Neglected
But the Apostles Had a Solution
Acts 6:3 (NASB95)
“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.
The Apostles Told the Church to Choose 7 Men to Be Over the Daily Distribution
These Men Had to Be of a Good Reputation
People In and Outside the Church Know These Men to Be Good, Righteous Men
They Were to Be Full of the Holy Spirit
They Walk with the Spirit and Allow Him to Transform and Produce Fruit Within Them
They Were to Be Full of Wisdom
Wisdom is Needed to Successfully Oversee Any Ministry
Acts 6:4 (NASB95)
“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
With this Important Ministry Under the Authority of the 7…
The Apostles Would Now Be Free to Devote Themselves More Fully…
To Prayer and Preaching the Gospel
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