Why don't we pray and ask the Lord's blessing as we enter into his word.
Father, we thank you for yet another Sunday where we can gather as your people and consider the words of your Holy Scripture.
Lord, by your Holy Spirit, we ask that you would minister to us this morning,
that you'd open our eyes to truth that we have either grown cold to or maybe have never considered.
And Lord, we pray that we will be not just hearers of the word, but forever, forever, Lord, we will be doers of the word.
We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
If any of you have watched, it was a couple of years now, The Last Dance on Netflix, it's a great documentary.
The language is not great. A bunch of basketball players, and they're not holding back.
But it's about the last championship run of the Chicago Bulls in the 90s.
If you've seen it, you'll remember that what ended that dynasty had more to do with internal politics,
the struggle in the locker room with management, than it did with the 20-odd teams that also played in the NBA that season.
In a big way, the Chicago Bulls, they were unbeatable that season.
They were excellent.
But the team suffered from internal strife.
Management sparred with players, coaches, with management.
And eventually, the team, before the start of the season, it was broadcast that this would be the last run.
It's a great life lesson for us, in general, when we consider the importance of unity, conflict resolution,
and team over self, in general, in life.
That oftentimes, when we fail, a good amount of the time, it's because of own goals.
Things are going, by and large, okay.
We trip ourselves up.
I bring this up this morning because we enter into Acts chapter 6, where the church will face yet another conflict.
Not round three with the Sanhedrin, but the third conflict that they will face will be from within.
I mean, thus far, there's been a highlight reel of the church.
Boldness of the apostles in front of the Sanhedrin twice.
Incredible boldness.
Times of wonderful prayer of the Holy Spirit visiting the church.
Opposition, and yet the spread of the gospel continues to go forth.
New converts, new converts, thousands of people, many men, women, and children, confessing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jerusalem has been turned upside down.
The ministry of the word that is preached and taught by the apostles from the scriptures, it has proven extremely fruitful.
However, an issue has arisen from within that had the potential to do what the Sanhedrin couldn't.
Really, to trip up and, I don't want to say destroy the church, but certainly, certainly splinter it.
You may remember that the ministry of the word, it has been front and center thus far in Acts, but only a few, in fact, only two specific references to the ministry of mercy that has happened in the church.
There's been just summary statements that talk about how nobody was in want or people sold everything they had and distributed among the poor.
So there's two different ministries at work within the early church.
Both the ministry of the word and the ministry of mercy or the ministry of charity were key to the obedient faith life of God's people.
And why wouldn't it?
The church is to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
And in heaven, there is no want.
In heaven, there is no hunger.
There is no rich or poor.
There is no elite and lowly.
And the community of God's people are to reflect that reality.
The new community that is marked by the death, resurrection, ascension of Christ was to be a community of mercy and equality.
No one was supposed to be overlooked.
There would be no wants.
And yet, and yet, an issue arose because a group of widows were overlooked.
So what would happen?
This internal problem had the potential to do great damage because it threatened to create factions and power struggles and tribalism within the church.
So unity would be broken and there would be little pods or groups of people that would have conflicting interests that weren't looking to bless but to consolidate power and to look out for themselves.
So the text will shed light on God's heart for the broken.
That's what we'll see in this as we take a deeper look into it.
It'll shed light on God's heart for the broken, his love for unity in his church,
and his commitment to the ministry of reconciliation, the ministry of evangelism, of the word.
So, for the sake of simplicity, we'll break the section into, the text into three sections.
The first, we'll look, it'll just be verse 1, the deep problem of overlooked widows.
The second will be verses 2 to 6, and it'll be the wise solution of needed administration.
And finally, verse 7, the godly result of continued proclamation.
So, let's just jump right into it, the deep problem of overlooked widows.
If you have a Bible, please turn with me to verse 1 of chapter 6.
Pause real quickly there.
The Hellenists, it's a catch-all term for Greek-speaking or Greek-encultured Jewish people.
The church, at this point, had not spread, by and large, to the non-Jewish world, the Gentiles.
So, when we see the Hellenists and the Hebrews, it's specifically talking about Jewish people.
Some from the Greek-speaking world, and then those that are native to Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.
So, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So, we learn that Greek-Jewish widows were not being cared for the same as the Hebraic-Jewish widows.
In all likelihood, given that in the first part of verse 1, that the disciples were increasing in number,
it's a good possibility that this was just a mistake.
They, that is, the apostles, couldn't create the structures of distribution fast enough to address the growing number of people that needed mercy or charity.
It could very well also be that there was prejudice against the Greek-speaking widows.
I mean, the text, it doesn't say, so, at best, we are only at liberty to speculate.
But regardless of the reason, the problem was, the problem was that Greek-speaking widows weren't getting the food and the resources that they needed.
That they were being overlooked.
The problem was a legitimate one.
And it was starting to cause internal strife.
The Greek-speaking folk in the church were saying, what's the problem with our people?
Why can't you supply the needs for the Greek-speaking widows?
And you can picture in your mind the Hebraic widows saying, at the expense of, or the Greek-speaking Jews, at the expense of our widows.
And all of a sudden, we have a faction starting.
We have not a unified group of people under the lordship of Christ, but we have interest groups.
They do not get along.
They are not in solidarity in any sense of the term.
But they're in opposition.
So the apostles had to get this right.
They had to get this right because factions were a huge problem.
But they also had to get this right because what we have here is a litmus test
for how God's people understood their own relationship with God and how they were to express their faith in response.
So what do I mean?
Throughout the Old Testament, widows, also orphans and foreigners,
they were often mentioned as vulnerable people that had nobody to advocate for them.
They didn't have resources, no ability to work.
They were people that were extremely vulnerable to swindlers and scammers
and people that would take advantage of them in their helpless estate.
Unless they had a wealthy benefactor,
they were subject to begging or getting some kind of money from the temple.
They lived in poverty.
And in short, they were helpless.
The care of widows is a major biblical theme because it reflects who God is,
who he has chosen to reveal himself as,
using the language of a caring and protective husband.
Also, God, he talks about himself being an advocate for those
that have injustice committed against them, that have no voice.
So God does not stand idly by when injustice and neglect are evident.
And especially when that happens to the orphan, the widow, and the foreigner.
So here's some of these scripture verses.
There are a ton I could have picked from.
I picked three that communicate the heart of God.
So Deuteronomy 10.18, speaking of God.
He, God, executes justice for the fatherless and the widow,
and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.
Deuteronomy 24.
Malachi 3.5,
Then I will draw near to you for judgment.
I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers,
against those who swear falsely,
against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages,
the widow and the fatherless.
You feel God is, he is a,
he is a good father to the broken and the vulnerable.
You feel God's passion, his care.
If you remember the Exodus, in addition to all this,
you remember the Exodus,
it was a prime example of the Lord showing his kindness to a helpless people.
Remember, widows are helpless,
but so too were the people of Israel when they were in Egyptian slavery.
They cried out to God in their helpless estate,
and what did God do?
He rescued them out of Egyptian slavery.
The helpless had a voice.
They had an advocate.
So it was supposed to be the same with the church.
For the church,
like the widow,
like the orphan,
like the foreigner,
like the people of Israel in Egypt,
they are a collection of helpless people.
Helpless to fight against the sin in their own lives.
Helpless to fight against the power of death
that claims all,
and helpless to fight against the evil that is always encroaching.
The church is a collection of helpless people.
And what does God do to helpless people?
He saves them.
And that's what he has done with the church through the cross of Christ.
So,
the church ought to reflect,
and imitate,
and mimic
the God who
hears the helpless,
who does not overlook the marginal.
For God can't overlook the marginal.
He sees all and knows all,
and because his very nature is that of love,
he is compassionate and merciful.
He sees the plight of the downtrodden.
And this is a wonderful truth for us to hold on to.
He does not get compassion fatigue.
God doesn't grow weary of doing good to those who need help.
That's excellent news if you are overlooked.
That's excellent news if you desire to be seen and understood.
And that just seems to be an elusive desire
because you feel forever overlooked.
Passed over.
We have an internal, deep, in our DNA need
to know that we matter,
at least to somebody.
That we have a desire to be,
ultimately,
to know God and be known by Him.
And this is something that is
just way more evident in widows.
So on the need to be seen and understood,
not too long ago,
I was talking to a friend of mine,
struggling to understand
the purpose of
what God has with,
for them in a daily struggle,
in their daily struggle,
especially when
God could easily remove the daily struggle.
So what is the purpose of it?
What is the meaning of it?
Why must I go through this daily grind?
This is the conversation.
So we talked,
I asked questions,
and my friend shared.
And really,
it was like a good half an hour discussion.
And in the end,
my friend told me
that they felt heard
and understood
any feelings of being alone
or passed over
or overlooked
were gone.
And I bring this up,
not to talk about how
great a listener I am,
because to be honest,
I'm a so-so listener.
But I bring up this
example,
because it's a good one,
because I had the privilege
to witness somebody blossom
when they were heard
and understood
and seen.
I saw this person blossom
before my eyes.
It was a,
I don't know,
it was a very,
I'm sure it's happened
in the past,
but it was a unique moment.
At least I saw it
for what it was.
Well, for you,
when you've felt broken
and a kind word
or somebody sitting beside you,
listening to you,
not necessarily offering advice,
but interested in you,
how has that affected you
when you needed it?
The apostles,
you see,
they couldn't afford
to mess up the distribution
to these widows
because they were
to imitate God.
They were to,
in a sense,
have the church
have a little bit
of a foretaste
of what heaven would be like,
a little taste,
a little sample.
they were to care
for the helpless
as those who were
themselves
once spiritually helpless
and,
to be perfectly honest,
still helpless.
The problem
could have the potential
to compromise
the very gospel message
and undo the church.
So,
if that's a problem,
and it seems to be
a glaring problem,
it's not just an issue of,
hey,
we need to get
these widows fed.
It's a much bigger problem,
and indeed it was.
So,
what would be
a suitable solution?
And this brings us
to our second point,
the wise solution
of godly administration
or delegation.
Verses 2 to 6.
And the twelve summoned
the full number
of the disciples
and said,
it is not right
that we should
give up preaching
the word of God
to serve tables.
Therefore,
brothers,
pick out
from among you
seven men
of good repute,
full of the spirit
and of wisdom,
whom we will
appoint to this duty.
But we will devote
ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry
of the word.
And what they said
pleased the whole gathering,
and they chose
Stephen,
a man full of faith
and of the Holy Spirit,
Philip,
Prochorus,
Nicanor,
Timon,
Parmenas,
and Nicholas,
a proselyte
of Antioch.
These they set
before the apostles
and they prayed
and laid their hands
on them.
So,
the apostles,
they recognized
that the problem
was a real one.
But they weren't
the ones
to address it.
They were very honest
with their ability,
their calling.
They were laser-focused
in a sense
of obeying Christ
and His calling
on their lives.
They understood
their limitations.
It's not that
in any way
in this text
do we see
a downplaying
or a minimizing
of the importance
of the ministry
of mercy.
It just wasn't
their ministry.
The apostles
were called
to prayer
and to proclaiming
the word of God.
They had to be
true to their calling
because it was
Christ's calling
on their lives.
So,
the apostles,
they don't
on one hand
ignore or
downplay the issue.
Instead,
they call a council.
They see that
the problem
has the potential
to snowball
both in terms
of the potential
for factionalism
or tribalism,
splintering,
disunity,
but also
they see it
as a potential
problem
in that
it will distract
them from doing
their calling.
That is the
proclamation
of the word.
They communicate
that they see
the problem
but they also
communicate
that the solution
cannot be found
in them.
So,
they call
the council
together.
And this is wise
because it means
everybody has a say
both the Hellenists
and the Hebrew
speakers.
everybody has a
place at the table
to solve an issue
that affects
everybody.
Calling a council
has always been
the way the church
has solved huge issues.
Now,
this isn't like
the first council
was the Jerusalem
council we'll read
in the future
but this is kind
of like it.
There was an issue
that was a problem
that had to be solved
and a council
was called.
There was no
tyranny here.
There was no
strong arming
by the apostles
but the invited
the entire
group of disciples
to participate.
As a minister
of the Word
and sacrament
my ministry
is to primarily
lead our congregation
as an under-shepherd
to the great shepherd
Jesus.
So,
I trained
and was examined
and called
to teach God's Word
to administer
the sacraments
to intercede
for you all
provide spiritual
counsel
when needed
and encourage
evangelism
and to keep
Christ lifted high
through the proclamation
of the gospel.
And that doesn't mean
that I do not touch
anything administratively.
In fact,
in many ways
the first year
or so
of planting the church
and a bit before
I felt like I'd
almost do
only administration.
There's seasons
for that.
So,
I do participate
in that
but that
is not my calling.
My calling
is the ministry
of the Word
and sacrament.
And to be perfectly
frank with you guys
you guys make this
pretty easy.
It's a
wonderful group
of people we have.
We're in a sweet season
of the church plant.
Many of you serve
in one or more
areas
and have rolled up
your sleeves
to help out
in remarkable ways.
I mean,
maybe if I
spent 10 minutes
thinking hard
I could come up
with an example
but I can't think
of an example
of somebody
kind of rolling
their eyes
or kind of
doing something
begrudgingly
here in this church.
There's a real joy
in how people serve.
It's a wonderful thing.
Folks have spearheaded
ministries
of mercy.
They have helped
with kids ministry.
You guys have given
your time
and your talents
and your resources
in various ways.
And honestly,
genuinely,
thank you
for that.
Keep doing it
by the way.
But friends,
we'd be foolish
if we thought
this would always
be the case
where things
would always be sweet.
That we'd always
forever have a sweet
season in the church.
See,
as we grow,
when I was training
early,
early in the church
planning,
somebody said
something very wise
to me about
how communities
are built.
I've shared this
with some of you
if you were around
in the early days.
When you gather
a group of people
together,
and then you have
pseudo-community.
Things are nice,
you know,
friendly,
there's new people,
we're Christians,
I'll pray for you,
sure,
let's grab coffee.
And then conflict
happens.
Why?
Because you are sinners.
And so am I.
But we're sinners,
so what happens?
And then conflict
happens,
and then we have
an opportunity
to either deal
with the conflict
in a godly way
or leave.
And if we deal
with it in a godly way,
we have real community.
But the thing is,
this isn't a closed-off
church.
We have an open door,
an unlocked door
in this case.
We have an open door
in our church.
So that means
new people come in
and then all of a sudden
we have community
mixed with pseudo-community,
mixed with conflict,
mixed with potential resolution
or people leaving,
and it's a big,
giant mess.
Sometimes.
We are in a sweet season
of the church,
but it might not
and likely will not
be this way
forever.
Factionalism in the church
is a real thing
and the fear
is that
those that are called
to mercy ministries
will be distracted
and I will be distracted
from the ministry
of the word.
These are very real threats
to the spiritual growth
and health
of our church.
It's a real,
real problem.
Not an impossible one.
Why?
Because we are called,
all of us,
to imitate Christ.
We have been given
his Holy Spirit
and hear these words
of Christ himself
from Matthew chapter 20
starting in verse 25.
He's saying this
to his disciples.
You know that the rulers
of the Gentiles
lord it over them
and their great ones
exercise authority
over them.
It shall not be so
among you,
but whoever
would be great
among you
must be your servant
and whoever
would be first
among you
must be your slave.
Verse 28,
Even as
the Son of Man
came not to be served,
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom
for many.
That is the very
animating force
behind why all of us
serve in the church
because we are
imitators of Christ.
And our king,
our leader,
our shepherd,
our captain,
our savior,
he served.
He takes off
his outer garment
and ties a towel
around his waist
and he cleans
the stinking feet
of his disciples
before he goes
to the cross.
He laments
in the garden
that the cross
before him
was so intense
and heavy
and yet he still went.
He took beatings
upon his back
and on his brow
and on his face
and hung on the cross
and did not call
for an army of angels
to take him down.
But he stayed.
And why?
Because the Son of Man
came not to be served,
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom for many.
Friends,
we will have
various opportunities
to serve both
inside and outside
the church.
Our driving force
in serving,
it has to be
the imitation of Christ
who is the servant
of all.
When conflict
comes in this church,
when frustration
with each other
might come in this church,
we serve one another.
We don't bicker
and grumble.
There's a whole history
of Israel grumbling
in the desert
and that did not
go well with them.
They did not see
the promised land.
Let us instead
take the posture
of Christ
and serve one another.
So,
we have a problem
that has been identified,
the solution
that has been suggested
and implemented,
the appointing
of the seven.
Now,
what do we see
as a result?
Look with me finally
in verse seven.
And the word of God
continued to increase
and the number
of the disciples
multiplied greatly
in Jerusalem
and a great many
of the priests
became obedient
to the faith.
So effective
was the solution
that it resulted
in continued growth
in the church.
So the words
increased and multiplied
in their original language
in the original
common Greek.
The tense
that is used
for both of these words
conveys a continuous
and ongoing
spread and growth.
It continued
and there's an
ongoing increase.
There's an ongoing
multiplication.
And remarkably,
even some of the
Levitical priests
came to obedient faith.
Now,
I mean,
maybe,
but likely,
unlikely rather,
that this is a reference
to the Sanhedrin,
any members
of the Sanhedrin.
You would remember
that some members
of the Sanhedrin
were of the priestly class,
but there was also
a whole class
of priests
in Jerusalem,
hundreds and hundreds
that would take turns
participating
in the work
at the temple.
And these priestly
class were almost
certainly not people
of lots of means.
If you are familiar
with the Bible,
when God is divvying
up the promised land,
the Levites
don't get a portion
of the land.
The Levites
are the priests.
The Levites,
the priests,
don't get a portion
of the land,
but the rest
of the nation
of Israel,
the people of God,
are to take care
of them.
So the priests
act on behalf
of God,
but the people
provide for the priests.
But by and large,
these priests,
given their number,
would not have been wealthy.
They would have relied
upon charity as well.
They were kind of like
helpless widows,
not necessarily
as they lost a spouse,
but they were helpless.
In the church,
the priests may have seen
a community
that reflected
the call of God,
the reflection of God,
the committed heart of God
to care for those
who could not
take care of themselves.
themselves.
And again,
this is speculation,
but that must have been
a beautiful
and exciting thing
for people
that were marginalized.
In essence,
these priests,
they were witness
to a faith
that was truly
obedient to
and reflective of
the heart
of Christ himself.
So in our cultural moment,
a situation
like the one
we have in
chapter 6
of Acts
would potentially
be met with
grumbling,
disruptions,
and calls
for an upheaval
of the power structures
of leadership.
Down with the Hebrews,
they've been in power
too long.
They've always
oppressed us.
Maybe,
maybe not.
But without a doubt,
if it happened today,
it would dissolve
and devolve
into a type of
tribalism
where various
factions claimed
various grievances.
And tribalism
and factionalism
unfortunately
are an all-too-common
solution
in our current
cultural moment
because they stress
differences,
constantly criticizing,
tearing down
without a viable
and healthy vision
of what things
ought to be like.
There's no solution.
For it never builds,
it only dismantles.
But consider the vision
that Christ has
for His church.
And it's not just
this tiny group
of people
because the church,
especially at the
tail end of chapter 6
with the martyrdom
of Stephen,
6 and 7 rather,
with the martyrdom
of Stephen,
the church will spread
and spread
all through Europe
and church history
tells us
into parts
of what is now
India,
all over
the known world.
So this vision
that Christ has
for His church,
really for the human race,
is of unity.
Where in Christ Jesus
real unity exists
without the elimination
of difference.
Historic and current
issues and grievances
do not,
should not,
find their way
into the church.
So for instance,
it should happen
and I would love it
to happen
if,
and you guys
know my background,
if I could worship
alongside
of an Arab
born in Nablus
in our church,
that would be
a beautiful thing.
It would be
a wonderful thing
if this was
in the deep south
in the 40s
or 50s
to see
a black man
and a white woman
together
worshipping
the same God.
Still black,
still white,
still Jewish,
still Arab,
but the dividing line
is destroyed
in Christ Jesus.
See Galatians chapter 3.
See Ephesians 2,
3,
and all of Ephesians.
Why?
Because
we actually hold
one thing in common.
We are unified
on one thing,
that we are sinners,
that we have fallen short
of the glory of God,
that we are in deep need
of a Savior.
And the other thing
that unifies us
is that God
has sent a Savior
for us.
All distinctions
and divisions
are obliterated
by the cross
because we are unified
on the issue
of sin
in our helplessness.
So you see,
in a very real way,
the entire human race
is just a giant collection
of orphans,
widows,
and foreigners.
Helpless people
in our sin
and slavery
to death and evil.
But Christ Jesus,
by hanging on the cross,
being buried,
resurrecting
to new life,
ascending into heaven,
sending the Holy Spirit,
He removes our sin,
He conquers death,
and He defeats evil
so that the orphan
is adopted,
the widow protected,
and the foreigner
is made a citizen.
It's a beautiful thing
about the Gospel.
And friends,
this reality
must mark the Church.
It must animate
our decisions
as we grow
and consider
mercy ministries,
evangelistic endeavors,
catechism
to old
and to young,
Sunday worship,
midweek study,
whatever it may be.
We must fight
against a pseudo-community
that is a counterfeit
for real
and godly
community.
So,
as we seek
to obediently
live out
our faith together,
we ought to expect
that in God's way
and in God's time,
we will see
continued increase
and multiplication
of disciples.
That we will grow
in our love
for Christ,
our love
for one another,
and
however many
God chooses
to give us,
grow in number.
If we stay focused
on the things
that He has called us
to focus on,
and we deal with issues
as they arise.
And by God's strength,
we'll do that.
Amen?
Let us pray.
Father in Heaven,
we thank You
for all of Your
many blessings
in the early church,
that You do not
spare in Your Word
the difficult
passages,
the uncomfortable
and ugly passages.
Lord,
Acts 6,
verse 1,
could have been
really, really bad,
and yet,
in Your goodness,
You brought
this wonderful
reality to bear
on the church
that increased
ministry.
Lord, let us be
people that see
need,
that see
opportunities to serve
and serve with
joyful hearts,
that do not
flee conflict,
nor do we run
to it with swords
drawn,
but Lord,
we look to You
for resolution.
Father,
that we would trust
that You
will build Your church,
that You love our church,
that You will continue
to love our church
until eternity,
for this church
is the very body
of Your Son.
So, Lord,
we pray that You
bless us this morning
and bless us
as we go forward.
In Christ's mighty name.
Amen.