HOW THE CHURCH SOLVED ITS FIRST GREAT PROBLEM
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on August 31, 2022 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group: August 31, 2022 from Acts 6:1-7
Theme: God is able to expand the work of the church when it seeks His priorities in solving its problems.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
When Satan attacks the church, he often seeks to attack it first from the outside.
That’s certainly what’s been happening so far in our study of the Book of Acts. As the church kept on growing, the opposition from ungodly authorities intensified. But as we saw in our last study, it only resulted in the apostles counting it an honor to suffer for Jesus’ sake;
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:42).
But when attacks from the outside no longer work, the enemy of our souls will often switch his tactic. He will seek to capitalize on division and dissension from within the church family. That may have been something that he was attempting to do in our passage this morning. But the leadership of the church wisely stepped forward and resolved the problem in a godly way. As a result, not only did the devil fail to have an opportunity to attack the spread of the gospel, but the gospel actually advanced.
That story is told to us in Acts 6:1-7. It’s the story of the church’s first great internal administrative problem … and of how it solved it in a godly way. Luke tells us;
Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith (Acts 6:1-7).
This passage has a great lesson to teach us. It helps us to see that problems will rise from within the church—but those problems don’t have to be fatal to the church or to its work. God is able to expand the work of the church when it seeks His priorities in solving its problems.
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Now; look at the first few words of this passage. Verse 1 tells us that this crisis arose “in those days”. What days were those? They were the days when great things were happening.
In Acts 5:12-16, we’re told that God was performing many miracles by the hands of the apostles. The number of believers was increasing so much that multitudes of men and women were coming to Christ. Jewish people were coming from the surrounding cities to hear the message of the gospel of Jesus and to be healed in His name. It was a time of astonishing growth for the church. One church historian estimated the population of Jerusalem at that time to be around 25 to 30 thousand people—not counting the 18 to 20 thousand members of the priesthood. And if this estimate is accurate, it would have meant that nearly a fifth of the non-priestly population was turning to Jesus. It was a time of staggering growth for the church.
But such times of growth result in growing pains. New challenges arise. New needs develop. Adjustments need to be made. Just think of what it would be like if a small church were to suddenly become a staggeringly large ‘mega-church’ of sincere followers of Jesus in a matter of just a few days! Just think of the administrative and practical challenges that would be involved for the leaders!
When challenges arise in a church, it’s not necessarily because Satan made them happen. But when they happen, he certainly knows how to take advantage of them in order to sidetrack the church from its mission, or to create division and resentment and bitterness within the church family, or to bring hindrance to the spread of the gospel. It may be that some of the most exciting times of growth within a church can also become its times of greatest vulnerability to attack from the enemy.
Our passage this morning tells us about …
1. THE COMPLAINT THAT AROSE (v. 1).
We’re told in verse 1; “Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.”
Who were these “Hellenists”? Because that word is associated with the Greek culture, some have mistakenly thought that these were Greeks—Gentiles—who were within the early church. But at this point in its history, the church was all Jewish through and through. Most likely, these “Hellenists”, then, were Jewish people who had formerly lived far away from Jerusalem, and who had grown up in regions of the Greek world, but who had made Jerusalem their home again. They were still Jewish people; but they had been raised in Greek culture; and spoke the Greek language. This would have put them in contrast to “the Hebrews”; who were Jewish people who had remained in their homeland, and grew up in the Jewish traditions, and spoke the Hebrew language. Outside the church, there would have been a bit of animosity between these two groups. The Hebrew-speaking Jews would have tended to look down on those who had been raised in Hellenistic ways. But the two groups were united in the church through Jesus Christ. They worshiped together. What a picture this is of the unifying power of Jesus Christ this is!
But as the church grew, and the number of disciples multiplied, a problem arose. As the church sought to fulfill its duty to care for the widows within its midst, it appears that the Greek-speaking widows (who naturally would have been inclined toward fellowship with one another) were being neglected in the daily distribution of food—while more attention was being paid to the Hebrew-speaking widows. This probably wasn’t because of any kind of deliberate or intentional neglect on anyone’s part. Nor did it probably result from any kind of overt bigotry. It most likely came about because of ‘growing pains’ within the rapidly expanding church family. Old cultural patterns had not yet caught up with the new covenant realities of the growing church.
But whatever the reason was that this happened, it reminds us that when such problems arise within the church family, they need to be treated seriously and dealt with wisely. As Hebrews 12:14-15 tells us;
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled (Hebrews 12:14-15).
Such challenges need to be prayerfully and carefully attended to. Otherwise, Satan will surely take advantage of them to bring about division within the church family. Sadly, many churches have lost their effectiveness in the cause of Christ by neglecting to deal with legitimate complaints—and by allowing them to turn into a source of crippling division.
So then; that’s when we’re told about …
2. THE SOLUTION THAT WAS ARRANGED (vv. 2-4).
We’re told that “the twelve” stepped forward. Who are “the twelve”? They’re the apostles; who were—at that time—the appointed leaders of the church. We’re told in verse 2, “Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.’”
When we first read those words, we might be tempted to think that the apostles were saying that they were too important to be bothered by such trivial matters as ‘serving tables’. But it’s not that they were thinking of themselves as superior to everyone else. Rather, it was that they were recognizing the important role that they had been given with respect to their apostolic ministry—and the danger that might result if they allowed themselves to become distracted and pulled away from the Lord’s call on their lives. It was not “desirable” (that is, not “pleasing”, or acceptable or proper) that such a thing should happen. They were thinking and acting strategically with respect to the church’s long-term health and well-being.
There’s a very important lesson for us to learn in this. Sometimes very urgent material and cultural needs cry out so loudly that they seem to demand to be given first priority. But the leadership of the church family needs to be careful not to prioritize those needs to the neglect of greater duties—higher spiritual responsibilities that don’t always cry out for dominance in the way that temporal needs often do. To neglect the word of God and prayer may appear to satisfy temporal priorities in short term; but in the long term, it would result in a disastrous loss to the church’s true ‘Great Commission’ calling. Sadly, many churches in our time have degenerated into nothing more than “table-services centers”—merely meeting the temporal needs of people while failing to proclaim the message of the gospel that meets their greatest need of all.
So; what did the apostles do? They certainly didn’t ignore the temporal need. But instead, they told the church family at large—in verses 3-4—“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” They treated this need seriously. They referred to it as “this business”; which, in the original language, means “this need” or “this necessity”… with the implication of the duty to meet that need, or fulfill that necessity. Rather than fulfill it themselves, though, they sought to commission other workers to the task.
Their solution was that the church family was to seek out (by careful investigation) seven men to whom this important “business” could be given. These seven men were to have specific qualifications. They were to be ethically qualified, in that they were to be of good reputation. They were to be spiritually qualified, in that they were to be full of the Holy Spirit. And they were to be practically qualified, in that they were to be full of wisdom. Once selected, the apostles would then exercise their proper role of authority by appointing these seven men to this work—thus getting the need met while still giving themselves faithfully to the important tasks of prayer and the ministry of the word.
Now in proposing this remedy, the apostles didn’t force the solution on the church family in a dictatorial manner. They respected the fact that the rest of the church family needed to accept this proposal and be involved in the process. Yet, their apostolic authority was respected by the church in that the church family came when they were called to hear this proposal.
And that leads us to see …
3. THE PROCEDURE THAT WAS FOLLOWED (vv. 5-6).
We’re told in verses 5-6, “And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.”
The seven men that the church chose were truly remarkable men of God. The first brother mentioned was Stephen (whose name means “Crown of Victory”). Luke may have mentioned him first because he went on to be the main subject of the next chapter-and-a-half of the Book of Acts. Luke went on to specifically state that he was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He proved this in his actions during a time of great trial (see 6:10 and 7:55). He went on —as it were—to wear the ultimate crown of victory; because he shortly thereafter proved to be the church’s first martyr. Philip was mentioned next. His name means “Lover of Horses”; which is interesting since, when we next hear of him in the Book of Acts, he is found running up alongside a horse-drawn chariot (8:29). He went on to play a large part in the story of the Book of Acts—gaining a reputation as “Philip the Evangelist” (8:4-13, 26-40; 21:8-9). The last man to be mentioned in the list was Nicolas; who is specified as a “proselyte” (to Judaism) from Syrian Antioch. This means that he was not a natural-born Jewish man. He may have been chosen for this role specifically because he was from Antioch—which not long after became a central place for the church. The Bible tells us that “the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
It’s very significant to notice that all of the names of these men are Greek. Could it be that the church was showing careful sympathy toward their offended Hellenistic brothers and sisters—and also great wisdom—in deliberately choosing men of a Hellenistic background to solve the problem? It must be that they were all excellent choices; because when these men were set before the apostles, the apostles prayed over them and then laid their hands on them as an act of official commission to the task.
Was this proposed remedy—and the procedure for putting it into action—effective in solving the problem? Yes! The problem was solved; and all the widows were fed; and—most importantly—the health, well-being, and ongoing mission of the church were preserved. That’s when we’re shown …
4. THE ADVANCEMENTS THAT RESULTED (v. 7).
In verse 7, Luke went on to tell us; “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.” That last point may be particularly significant. To the Jewish people, the priesthood represented the active practice of the old covenant. The fact that many priests were believing the gospel, and were turning to Jesus in faith, may show us that the old covenant patterns from the law of Moses were now giving way to new covenant realities in Christ.
And so; when it came to this crisis, the devil gained no advantage. The good news of Jesus was spread even further, and even more lives were transformed to the glory of God.
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If a Christ-honoring church is healthy and growing, it will experience the kind of challenges that come from growing pains. But those challenges don’t have to be fatal to the church or its calling. As Paul once wrote—with respect to the challenges he suffered;
But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel … (Philippians 1:12).
Our sovereign God can actually use the challenges the church faces to help advance the spread of the gospel that the church is to proclaim. This will happen if the church is faithful to resolve those challenges in a way that protects and pursues God’s ‘gospel’ priorities.
AE
