Morning troops. Keep your Bible open in Acts 6. You're going to need that open.
But I want to kick off looking back to Luke's first letter to his mate Theophilus in Luke.
Because in Luke chapter 8, Jesus tells his boys and disciples a story.
It's known as the parable of the sower.
And to a large degree, the point of the story is this.
Living things grow.
A farmer in that scene wants a harvest, needs a harvest.
And so he goes mental, sowing this seed everywhere.
He doesn't mind where it lands.
Wherever he goes, he's just sowing it all over the place.
Now some of it lands on a path.
Gets trampled on, gets eaten by birds. He gets nothing there.
Some of it lands on rocky ground.
Doesn't take root, gets no moisture, nothing grows.
Some of it lands amongst thorns.
They choke anything that grows.
But some lands on good soil.
And what lands on good soil grows like mad so that he makes 30, 60, even 100% profit on what he sows.
And when Jesus tells his disciples that story back in Luke chapter 8,
he's actually preparing them for life in the book of Acts.
He's saying, listen boys, as the farmer sowed the seed, preach the gospel to everyone and to anyone.
Don't be stingy.
Don't be selective about the who or the where.
Everyone and everywhere needs to hear this word.
And boys, you need to know this.
That in some places, the devil will steal it away and you will get nothing.
In some places, the floggings you get from the authorities will scare people off so that you get nothing.
In other places, the enticements and the entrapments of the big city will allure people away and you'll get nothing.
But I promise you that some of what you sow will find good soil.
And their living things will grow.
Boys, you need to get ready that although in Acts chapter 1 you're going to start off in a tiny little upper room,
very quickly you're going to burst out of that thing.
It's going to overflow.
Because there is a harvest of people that the devil cannot snatch, persecution cannot steal away,
and the enticements of the world cannot allure away from you.
Living things grow.
If you were here last week, I presume you did Acts chapter 5,
and you will have heard a Pharisee guy called Gamaliel say this,
that actually if this is just some kind of mad rebel revolutionary,
it will come to nothing like seed planted among the thorns.
But if it's from God, this living thing will grow.
To nick another one of Jesus' parables,
from a teeny weeny little mustard seed to a mahousive tree.
Because living things grow.
And in Luke and in Acts, it is the word of God that gives life and grows life.
The word of God will spread, the church will increase, and the kingdom will grow.
And Luke is so desperate for us to see this in the book of Acts,
that he gives us about six headlines from a newspaper
that tell you this time and time and time and time again.
You've seen it already in Acts by this point,
but he then wants to make six headlines.
He's seen already 120 in an upper room in Acts 1.
That expanded to about 3,000 in Acts 2 after Pentecost.
In Acts chapter 4, that goes to over 5,000.
And he wants to keep giving you the point that living things grow.
So, open your Bibles, track with me through his headlines.
Acts chapter 6, verse 7.
We had it read to us.
The word of God spread, the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly,
and a large number of priests become obedient to the faith.
See the point?
Living things grow.
Flick over to Acts chapter 9, verse 31.
Second headline.
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace,
was strengthened, and living in the fear of the Lord
and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in number.
Living things grow.
Acts chapter 12, verse 24.
Look over a couple of pages.
12, 24.
But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.
Living things grow.
Look at chapter 16, verse 5.
So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Next one.
Acts chapter 19, verse 20.
In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
Last one.
Last words of the book.
Acts 28, 30, and 31.
For two whole years,
Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.
He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ
with boldness and without hindrance.
What is the point?
Living things grow.
As the word of God spreads, the church increases, and the kingdom grows.
So if you come back to Acts chapter 6 and you read the first verse,
it sounds like this is going to be a proper positive moment in the book of Acts.
So Acts chapter 6, verse 1.
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing.
All right.
It's growing.
Especially when you come off the back of chapter 5.
Because in chapter 5, at times it felt like rocky ground.
When the apostles have been flogged within an inch of their life.
It's tough soil.
At times it's felt more like the kind of thorny ground
because Ananias and Sapphira have been lured away by the pleasures of this world.
You think Acts chapter 6, finally, after those two, we've got good soil.
But as most teenage boys know, growing is rarely without growing pains.
And that's exactly what you see in Acts chapter 6.
So read again verse 1.
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing,
the Hellenistic Jews complained against the Hebraic Jews
because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
Now here's the issue.
And it's kind of like a complicated ming and onion that's got multiple layers.
The first layer is that the church is just growing.
I'm a kind of 90s boy in terms of music,
so it's kind of the notorious B.I.G. problem
where the more people you come across, the more problems you see.
As the church is increasing, there's creaks.
It groans.
But the second stage is that as it groans, there's complaining.
They're probably speaking Hebrew.
Obviously some of them are speaking Greek.
But although they're in Jerusalem,
there's that kind of natural Scottish language of gurning.
Something's wrong here in Jerusalem.
Now what's going on?
Third layer, there's tension.
Potential prejudice between Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews.
Now they're just two different groups of people.
One from outside the city who spoke Greek.
Others from inside the city that spoke Hebrew.
But it seems to be that the final complicating layer is
that some people are looking at it and going,
our group are not getting the necessary food that our widows need.
And they're starving.
Now a lot of older folk in that time would have come from outside the city
back to Jerusalem because they would want to die and be buried in the holy city.
Now it's always the Bible's view that widows should be cared for by their own families.
See that in 1 Timothy chapter 5.
But if their own families aren't around or aren't able,
then the Bible prescribes that it is the church that ought to care for the most alone,
the most vulnerable in their community.
But here's the problem.
The church is growing great,
but widows are starving.
Far from great.
And we need to see the potentially nasty flavor to this.
As people look at it and see that it's one specific people group
whose widows are being overlooked,
people are at best questioning it.
Maybe at worst they're going,
is there some institutional racism inside this church in Jerusalem?
Are the widows being overlooked,
especially because of where they're from
or maybe just the language that they speak?
Now you start off the chapter going,
oh, the church is growing.
Wahey, happy days.
And all of a sudden you're going,
flip, this church could split.
This could be a devastating moment in the book of Acts.
Now what I want to show you this morning,
we could go a million different ways with this text.
All I want to do is give you four applications
for you guys as Brunsfield Evangelical Church.
Some of them are going to be for all of us together.
Some of them are specifically going to be for the elders.
But the first one is one that hits us all together
and it's simple.
Church.
So speaking of all of us,
church, people must not be overlooked.
As a church, our primary responsibility
is to care to one another in the church.
Now you could instantly kind of come back at me and go,
hang on, Primey, we're in the book of Acts here.
The whole point is we're meant to take the gospel to the world.
However, one of the clearest ways that the church witnesses to the world
is the love and care that we show for our own people.
And in the church, people must not be overlooked.
You've seen that already in Acts chapter 2 at the end,
again at the end of Acts chapter 4.
If someone is in need,
we ought to be the ones who meet that need.
If the church has people who are hungry,
the church should feed them their food.
If someone is in need,
it is our responsibility.
However, here's the struggle.
And hasn't that been particularly clear in the last 18 months?
That there are periods in the church of life
where it's easy to accidentally overlook people.
Especially when everyone can't be in the room.
We don't have a scooby who's watching this.
And so we need to make sure in this season
that the people we haven't seen for a while
or heard from a while
may not be either physically or spiritually being overlooked.
And whose responsibility is that?
All of us.
Church.
People must not be overlooked.
However,
it's actually more sinister here.
The sinister reality is that even within a church,
it can be possible for people to be deliberately overlooked.
In the book of Acts,
Luke wants to show us on repeat
the attractiveness of the purpose of God
to bring people from diverse backgrounds
into the church of his son.
He repeatedly shows us
the power of the gospel of Jesus
to unite people who were once enemies
and to break down the barriers and walls
that have culturally divided people for centuries.
The church is meant to be multicolored,
multilingual,
and multiclass.
However,
the book of Acts is not rose-tinted.
It is real life.
And since then,
and probably still today,
some of the prejudices that we held
before we were Christians
continue to have a hangover
now that we are Christians,
which means we need to be on guard about this
in Grace Mount Community Church
and in Brunsfield Evangelical Church.
Now, maybe that's on issues like classism.
And we need to make sure
that we don't look down on people
because of where they have come from
or what their backstory has been.
In the church,
Christ unites us
more than class divides us.
Our identity is not in our class.
It is in Christ.
That is not meant to be a dividing barrier
for membership
or leadership in Christ's church.
But we need to be careful
not just on classism,
but on racism.
If someone enters our church
and they raise a concern
that they feel like an outsider
because of where they're from
or the language they speak,
we need to be asking ourselves
the hard question
that we are not
in some subtle, unconscious way
overlooking some people.
When our church is predominantly white
in a community
that is increasingly diverse,
we need to ask the hard questions
that we are not
maybe even deliberately
overlooking people.
Because in the church,
people are not to be overlooked.
Definitely not if they're needy
and absolutely not
just because they are different.
But that's the issue in Acts 6.
Widows are being overlooked
from one particular people group.
Now, how do the apostles respond?
Have a look back in Acts 6.
Look at verse 2.
So, the 12, that's the apostles,
gathered all of the disciples together
and said,
it would not be right for us
to neglect the ministry
of the word of God
in order to wait on tables.
So notice what the apostles do.
They take the lead.
They do it immediately.
No time for this to fester.
And they do it by gathering
the entire number of disciples
around them.
And notice how they start.
It's a surprising thing.
They don't start by saying
what they must do.
They start by saying
what they must not do.
They start with something
that is not a right response.
So they say,
okay, overlooking people
is a priority.
We must not overlook people.
However, it's not the only priority.
It would not be right for us
to neglect the ministry
of the word of God
in order to wait on tables.
So here's the second thing
this morning,
second application.
And this one,
especially to the elders in the room.
So, Shanksy,
Alice is watching at home.
Anyone else who's an elder?
Here's the important thing
we must remember this morning.
Word ministry
must not be neglected.
So people must not be overlooked.
But word ministry
for elders in a church
must not be neglected.
Here's the two things
that are not right.
Widows being overlooked
or the apostles and elders
overlooking the responsibility
to be teachers of the word.
Now, that is not the apostles
saying that waiting on tables
is beneath them.
Like the queen saying,
wiping skidmuffs of a bog
is beneath her.
That's not the point.
It's not that they're too good
to do this.
The point is,
it's more like a nurse
in a hospital
who's saying,
I cannot leave my post
on the ward
to go and cook meals
for everyone
because that would be
neglecting what my role
is in this place.
It's not saying that
the chef is less needy
than the,
not needy is the wrong word,
but needed,
than the chef.
But actually,
the hospital will fall to bits
if both parties
don't play their vital roles
in this thing.
Without both,
the hospital falls apart.
It's not a difference
of importance,
but rather a difference
of calling.
Now, come back to the thing
we started at the start.
Living things grow.
And if the church
is to grow,
it is the word
that will give life
and preserve life.
So the life
and growth
of a church
is dependent
on the apostles'
teaching of the word
of God.
How did the widows
come into the church
in the first place?
Through the teaching
of the word of God.
What's going to sustain
the widows
even in their hunger
for physical food?
The teaching
of the apostles' words.
Now, they do need
the spiritual food
as well as
the physical food,
but whose responsibility
is the spiritual food
in the life
of a widow?
The apostles.
And so just as
a nurse needs
to stay
on her ward,
the apostles
need to stay
in the ward.
Now, it is
significant here.
The apostles
don't try and silence
the complaints.
They don't try
and spin the narrative
to preserve
their own reputation.
They don't try
and hide it
in darkness.
They acknowledge
the complaints.
That is vital.
Widows are being
overlooked
and that must not happen,
but the first thing
they do is to make sure
that everyone knows
this is not going
to be
something that
we deal with
personally.
Our task,
our service here
is the ministry
of the word.
So elders,
you're not a psychologist,
you're not a social worker,
you're not an entertainer,
you're not a delivery driver,
a gardener,
a community worker,
or a politician,
you are a minister
of the word.
When people meet you,
they ought to be
served the word.
Just like you can tell
by looking at a farmer
how much he's committed
to his harvest
by how much he sows the seed,
you can tell
by looking at an elder
how committed
they are to
their people
and their community
by how much
they serve up
the word of God.
And if you
were here last week
for Acts chapter 5,
you'll know that
doesn't just happen
from a pulpit,
it happens as they go
house to house
to house to house
to house.
Elders are not
to hide up here,
they're to go
to the houses
of the most vulnerable,
the most needy
to serve
the scriptures.
Especially when
the church
is on the verge
of split
because of prejudice
and potential racism.
What does the church
need most in that moment?
For its leaders
to teach the gospel
that doesn't just
unite us to God
but unites us
to each other.
The answer
in this moment
is not to split
the church
into ethnic groups
but to preach
the gospel
that unites
every group.
And in these moments
of tension
the church
needs its teachers
to teach.
But actually
when it comes back around
see if you look
to verse 4
they kind of reinforce
this priority
in verse 4
and they add something
to it
where it says
and we will give
our attention
to prayer
and the ministry
of the word.
An elder
who does word ministry
without giving
their attention
to prayer
is still
neglecting
word ministry.
To preach
without praying
is to neglect
preaching.
It's like
trying to send
a letter
without a stamp
on it.
It might have
good content
but it's going
nowhere.
And just as
the power
of the preacher
is not in his
preaching
but in the word
of God
the power
of his preaching
is not so much
in his preaching
but in his praying.
above the desk
of my study
where I write
my sermons
I've got a whiteboard
that's just full of quotes
that I've picked up
from somewhere
I've no idea
where they're from
but there's one
right at the top
that every week
says
he who has
truly prayed
has completed
the half
of his study.
So elders
are you doing
that half
of your study?
Because my guess
is
prayer can be
often more
overlooked
than widows
are.
Living things
grow
but they will
only grow
if the elders
give attention
to prayer
and to the
ministry
of the word.
Now
here's what
we're up to
so far.
There's still
a problem
but all we've
kind of got
is there's two
things that
wouldn't be right.
It's not right
that the
widows
are overlooked
it's not right
that the elders
neglect preaching
and prayer.
So where do we go?
Something needs
to happen.
So look at verse 3
look at what the
apostles lead
them into.
Verse 3
Brothers and sisters
choose seven men
who are among you
who are known
to be full of the
spirit and wisdom
we will turn
responsibility
over to them.
So here's a second
application to elders
third one in total
but second to elders.
Elders
you must
turn responsibility
over to the
church.
Notice here
the answers to
the church's
problems
is the whole
church.
The apostles
can't do everything
in the church
but thankfully
the apostles
aren't the only
ones in the
church
and word
ministry
is not the
only ministry
in the church.
Look at verse
the word ministry
comes up in verse 2
it would not be right
for us to neglect
the ministry of the
word and it also
comes up in verse 4
and we will give
our attention to
prayer and the
ministry of the
word.
However
verse 1 uses
the same word
and when it says
because their
widows were being
overlooked in the
daily distribution
of food
the same word
ministry is in
there.
There's different
types of ministry
in the church
there are some
who do the
ministering of the
word and there
are some who do
the ministering of
food
but both are
vital ministries
both are ministries
areas of service
that serve the
church and serve
the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Again it is not
that one is more
important than the
other they are
both vital they're
just different.
What is vital is
the elders turn
responsibility over.
Come back to the
illustration of the
hospital what would
kill a hospital is
if a nurse also
tried to be a
chef a cleaner an
administrator and a
security guard.
the thing falls to
pieces.
What makes a
hospital thrive when
every different
person plays their
distinctive roles.
What kills a
church when it
relies on just a few
people who are
trying to do
everything.
What makes a
church thrive when
everyone is fulfilling
their distinctive
roles.
And here's where I
need to make a
confession and repent
and go my name's
Andy and I'm an
irritating micromanaging
control freak.
And I think it's a
temptation that a lot
of pastors and
elders fall into but I
will drive myself to
burnout and my church
to a burning car crash
if I try and keep my
finger in every pie and
control over every
detail like a nurse
trying to do
everything in a
hospital.
And often I need to
ask my church for
forgiveness for the
times when out of my
arrogance and anxiety
I've neglected my
main calling and I've
underemployed everyone
else's gifts in the
church.
And so as leaders our
instinct needs to be the
same as Acts 6 where we
get over ourselves and we
remember we're not the only
people in the church and we
do the same as what the
apostles do.
To solve the problem we
gather everyone, verse 2.
To remedy the problem we
employ all of the members,
verse 3.
And employing all the
members, verse 5, they
please everyone and to
meet the need they
empower specific members
to deal with a specific
issue in verse 6.
Now that shows us when
these moments of
tension come up in this
church, the way to
preserve unity in the
face of complaints and
prejudice is to decide
to face the issue
together.
Living things grow but
the church collectively
grows through the active
ministry of every single
person.
So, elders, keep
turning responsibility
over.
And here's my final
application, number 4,
that comes to everyone.
Church, be known for
being full of the spirit,
of wisdom, and of faith.
Be known for being full
of wisdom, full of the
spirit, and full of faith.
What happens in these
verses and acts is the
church becomes the
answer to its own
problems.
Both in its leaders as
they give attention to
the word and prayer, and
as all its members begin
to fulfill their
ministries.
And that happens as the
church look out for,
choose, and present
seven blokes who are
known.
For what?
Not a CV that impresses
in Jerusalem.
It's not what they're
looking for.
But for character that
impresses King Jesus.
These men, verse 3, are
known for being full of
the spirit.
That means that the
spirit is the driving
influence in their life.
These men are being
known for full of wisdom.
That means they take the
apostles' teaching and they
apply it to every aspect of
their life.
They're known for being
full of faith.
That means that what their
lives are impacted by is
not the visible and the
temporary, but the
invisible and the eternal.
And these guys stand out in
Jerusalem as being
different because of their
relationship to Jesus.
These types of people would
stand out in Brunsfield
because of their relationship
to God.
They're known for it.
That's a challenge, isn't it?
What are you known for?
It's a reminder.
See if you look at one of the
names.
Just got time to look at one.
In verse 5 you get this guy
called Nicholas.
Notice how he's described.
He's described as a convert.
Now if you're new to
Brunsfield, new to church,
that's something you need to
get that you don't join a
church simply by coming.
You join Jesus' church by
being converted.
His word gives you a new
life as you repent of your
sins, trust in Jesus and
trust that he forgives your
sins.
This isn't a club.
It is a hospital where
Jesus' crucifixion extracts
the fatal sin within you.
Where Jesus' righteousness
imputes his perfect record to
you and Jesus' resurrection
life implants eternal life
within you.
And when you are converted by
him, there's a change in you.
Like in Nicholas, he was a
convert.
And that change is recognized,
it's known in the church.
So much so that they spot it,
they empower it and they employ
it to overlook the church and
make sure that no one is
overlooked.
That's a searching question.
What are you known for?
And has that changed since you
became a Christian?
Full of the spirit, full of
wisdom, full of faith.
There's a great story that Paul
tells, not a story, he writes to
the master of a former slave who
had bolted from this guy.
But the slave, when he bolted,
met Paul, probably in prison.
He gets saved and Paul writes back
to the master.
And what he says about him is
this.
He was once useless to you.
But now he is useful both to you
and to me.
That's what Jesus does.
He saves us when we were useless.
But then what does he do?
He fills us with his spirit.
He teaches us his wisdom.
He strengthens our faith so that we
become useful in Jesus' church.
And Brunsfield Evangelical will be
at its healthiest when all of its
members are flourishing in these
three things.
My conversion from the old useless
me means that I'm now full of the
spirit, full of his wisdom, and full
of faith.
You do not come to church as a
spectator.
And that's the danger of the last
18 months.
We've kind of got into that place,
particularly if we're still watching
from home, where we think, I come
here as a consumer.
Not true.
You don't come here as a consumer.
You definitely don't come here as a
complainer.
You come here as a convert if you're
a Christian.
A convert to serve, to care for the
needy, to strive for unity, and to
take the gospel to the ends of the
earth.
Which means, if you're sat here and
you're a Christian this morning, it
needs to be your thing when you come
to church to go, I'm going to make
sure no one's overlooked.
I'm going to make sure the needy are
cared for.
I'm going to make sure no one is
starving.
I'm going to make sure if Shanks is
doing something that he shouldn't be
doing because he's an elder, so he
should just be doing the word and
prayer, and he's doing stuff that I
could do to take off him, then I'm
going to take it off him.
Because it is only as the elders are
fixated on their thing, and all of us
are doing our thing, that the word of
God is going to take off in this
place.
And by the way, don't then take that
as an excuse to go, fine, they get to
preach and teach, and I don't have to
do any of that evangelism thing.
Nonsense.
One of the guys who's chosen as a deacon
in these verses is a guy called Stephen,
and you're going, fine, Stephen, what's he
going to do?
He's going to wait on tables.
Look at what he's going to do next
week.
The rest of Acts chapter 6, the Holy
Acts chapter 7, he preaches one of the
best sermons you'll ever hear and gets
murdered for it.
And you're going, Stephen, you've just
been set apart to wait on tables.
You're stealing the elder's job.
Nah.
Just because something is their priority
doesn't mean it's also something that we
get to be involved with.
We're to go and do ministry.
We're to go and be the church.
Because when a church is faced with a
threat to its unity, we need to see here
the answer is found within the own
church.
And look back to verse 7 as we finish,
because look what it unleashes.
When every member is doing his ministry,
every member is provided for, when none
are needy, none are overlooked, when the
elders are giving their attention to the
word of God, look what happens, verse 7.
So, the word of God spread.
The number of disciples increased rapidly.
And a large number of priests became
obedient to the faith.
They were groaning at the start.
But all of a sudden, they're growing again.
It looked like at the start of Acts chapter 6,
he was a hurdle for the gospel.
But by the Spirit, he takes what is a hurdle
and he makes it a stepping stone for the gospel.
Now, I'm not a mathematician, but apparently
there would have been about 10,000 priests in
Jerusalem at this time.
And Luke says that a large number of the
priests became obedient to the faith.
What do you reckon a large number of 10,000 is?
A couple of thousand?
4,000?
5,000?
Now, here's the challenge then.
They were growing and there was problems.
What's now happened even more?
More growth.
What's going to come at them?
More problems.
People will be overlooked.
The elders will be tempted to give away their
attention to the word and to try and solve all the
problems.
And so the whole thing in this beautiful
livingness kicks off all over again.
Which means that there will never be a moment in
our church where we don't need to get these
things right.
Right.
No one should be overlooked.
The elders must not neglect the ministry of the word
and prayer.
Therefore, elders must turn responsibility over.
And church, you must continue to be known for being
full of wisdom, full of the Spirit, and full of faith.
Because here's what you can guarantee.
That kind of life grows.
And whatever challenge hits us next, more COVID stuff,
more lockdown, more tension in the church,
the Spirit can take through the word of God,
even the worst hurdle for the gospel,
and make it into a stepping stone for more growth.
Shall we pray?
Our gracious Father in heaven,
we thank you that when we were dead in our sins,
you graciously gave us life in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you for the reminder this morning that that is not
just a life on our own, but a life within the living church
of the living Lord Jesus.
And I pray for this congregation.
I pray for my little church up the road.
That we would be members known for full of wisdom,
full of faith, and full of the Spirit.
And that together we would navigate the challenges of the world,
the flesh, and the devil.
And that you would work all things for your glory,
for our good, and for the growth of the gospel
in this city and beyond.
And we pray these things for Christ's sake.
Amen.