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MESSAGE SERIES: “CHURCH ON THE MOVE”
Acts 6:1-7

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Church on the Move, and we are following the amazing growth of the early church in the book of Acts. So far, it seems nothing could stop the church’s growth. The believers shared the gospel, and thousands of people believed—check! They experienced persecution from the religious leaders, and they continued to share the gospel—check! God disciplined the church for sin, and they continued to grow in numbers—check! It’s like we said last time, nothing can stop the gospel.

However, with any growth comes challenges, and in today’s passage we see the church going through some growing pains. How will they face these challenges, and will the church’s rapid growth itself become an obstacle to further growth? Those are the questions we face in today’s passage. (Read Acts 6:2-4 and pray.)

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Have you ever experienced growing pains? Whether you are a growing family, a growing business or a growing church, new growth always brings new challenges, and we all go through some growing pains along the way.

The early church was no different. So far, we have seen the church growing steadily throughout the book of Acts despite opposition. The apostles have had some skirmishes with the Jewish leaders, first when they healed the crippled man and then again when they refused to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. The religious leaders had them all locked up, and then God let them out!

Gamaliel, one of the religious leaders, advised the others, “Let them be. If this is not from God, the movement will falter.” The apostles were flogged and released, and guess what? It must have been of God! The movement certainly didn’t falter, because we’re all here! Despite opposition, the church on the move just kept on moving.

But here in Acts 6 the church was faced with something that might have caused it to falter—not persecution from the outside this time, but rather inner tensions. The church was experiencing growing pains, something that comes naturally with growth.

Here’s today’s message in a nutshell: growth brings challenges, but God gives solutions, and when we follow God’s solutions, we can continue to grow for God’s glory. So, let’s look at the early church and see what we can learn from how they handled these challenges.

I. Growth brings challenges (1)

First of all, growth brings challenges. The church continued to grow, and with that increased growth came new challenges. Let’s look at verse 1 together:

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. (Acts 6:1)

   A. Good problem to have (1a)

The number of disciples was increasing, which is a good problem to have. There are good problems and bad problems. Numerical growth is one of the good problems to have as a church, but it can still be a problem. Growth is nice but brings new challenges. It becomes easier for things to slip through cracks. In this case it came down to the distribution of food among the widows in the church.

There were two camps of believers in the early church in Jerusalem—the Grecian Jews and the Hebraic Jews. And although they were all united by faith in Christ, there were still some cultural differences, and so the Grecian Jews were not as well integrated into the body as the Hebraic Jews.

As a result, when it came to the distribution of food, some of the Grecian widows were being overlooked. They weren’t getting their fair share. This caused them to grumble against the Hebraic Jews, and all of a sudden, you’ve got growing pains in the early church.

Things don’t change much, do they? It seems we never take the direct approach. People naturally grumble, murmur and complain—which undercuts the church’s ministry and divides the church’s fellowship.

Now the Grecian Jews had a legitimate complaint here, but they were going about it in the wrong way. Grumbling and complaining is never the right way to approach a problem. Please, if you have an issue with anything here at our church, come talk with me or one of the other pastors or one of the deacons. We want to hear your feedback, but we want to hear it directly, and not through an undercurrent of grumbling or complaining going on in the church body.

   B. No one left behind (1b)

Now once again, this was a legitimate problem, because in the church we are supposed to be watching out for everyone. “No one left behind” is a great slogan for the military, and it is also a great slogan for the church. But in this case, the Grecian Jews were being left behind.

The church was growing. Things were beginning to slip. People were being overlooked, which caused grumbling and complaining, which threatened the very unity and fellowship of the church.

Numerical growth—it’s a good problem to have, but it can still be a problem. New growth brings new challenges, and the early church was experiencing its first set of growing pains.

II. God gives solutions (2-6)

Growth brings challenges, but fortunately God gives solutions. It is God who gives the growth to begin with, and it is God who gives the solutions for the challenges created by the growth. So, let’s see what God’s solution was for this particular problem, and it has to do with deacons.

   A. Two layers of leadership (2-4)

Ever wonder where deacons came from? You’re about to find out! Because God’s solution involved adding a second layer of leadership to the church. Look at verses 2-4 with me now:

So the Twelve gathered all 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. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:2-4)

First, the apostles gathered everyone together and acknowledged the problem. They understood correctly that it would not be right for them to neglect the ministry of the word in order to wait on tables.

So, what was God’s solution? There would be two offices in the church, both performing vital ministries: 1) the office of pastor (or elder), and 2) the office of deacon. These offices are described more fully in the Bible in 1 Timothy 3.

      1) pastors/elders (the word of God and prayer)

The apostles at that time were fulfilling the office of pastor or elder. This office focused on the word of God and prayer. Therefore, it would not be right—the word in the original language means “fitting or proper”—for them to neglect the ministry of the word of God. The apostles were charged with teaching the people God’s word, and they could not neglect this charge in order to wait on tables.

      2) deacons (called to assist)

So, what should they do? God’s solution was there would be a new office of deacons who would come alongside the pastors in order to assist with other aspects of the ministry—in this case, the physical distribution of food.

The word translated “distribution” here in Acts 6 is the Greek word diakonia. It’s the word from which we get our English words “deacon” or “diaconate,” and it literally means “ministry or service.” In fact, it’s the same word that is translated “wait” on tables in verse two. And it’s also the same word that is translated “ministry” in verse four when the apostles speak about giving their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.

In other words, the daily distribution of food and the waiting on tables were not looked upon as a lesser ministry, but simply as a different ministry. Both offices are important. Both are vital ministries in the church. The pastors and deacons work together to minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the church.

The people were instructed to choose seven men to assist the apostles in the ministry. There was Old Testament precedent for this solution of people coming alongside to assist. In the Old Testament when the Israelites increased in number (i.e. “growing pains”), they were too heavy a burden for Moses to carry alone. So, Moses had them choose wise, understanding and respected men from each of their tribes to come alongside him and assist with the various disputes among the people (Deut. 1:9-18). In many ways this became a model for what God had the apostles do in the book of Acts.

God’s solution to all this was brilliant. The church didn’t need to choose between the ministry of tables or the ministry of the word. They could do both! The apostles would focus on their specific ministry of prayer and the word of God. And the deacons would focus on their ministry of the daily distribution of food.

Here we have the beginnings of deacon ministry in the church. Some people have thought that this limits diaconal ministry to only the physical needs of the church or benevolent work. But it is better to view this as a specific response to a specific need. Whenever ministry needs must be addressed that would detract from the praying and teaching ministry of the elders, diaconate ministry is both needed and appropriate.

   B. Careful choices (5-6)

So, who would these deacons be, and how would they be chosen? God prescribed a careful process for the choosing or selecting of these new deacons. Look at verses 5-6 with me now:

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. (Acts 6:5-6)

Stephen and Philip are listed first. They are the most well-known of the seven. Nicolas is listed last. Nicolas was a proselyte, which means he was not born a Jew but rather converted to Judaism later. Also, he was not from Jerusalem but from Antioch. It’s interesting, all seven men have Greek names rather than Jewish. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all were Grecian Jews, but it’s very likely that some were. Nicolas certainly was. Think about it. Why would they want to make sure that some Grecian Jews were included among the seven? Because it was the Grecian widows who were being overlooked. And so, there was great wisdom in these choices.

So, how did they go about choosing these seven new deacons?

      1) Qualified leaders
         – full of faith (mature believers)
         – full of the Spirit (walking with the Lord)
         – full of wisdom (wise and discerning)

First, they were to be qualified leaders. The Bible gives more specific qualifications elsewhere (1 Timothy 3), but here three main qualifications are given. These deacons were to be full of faith, full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. In other words, deacons should be mature believers who are walking with the Lord and are known to be wise and discerning.

This is so important. These new deacons were not just functioning as teenage waiters in a restaurant. They were to be mature believers who would stand alongside the apostles as leaders and ministers in the church.

      2) Prayerful process
         – chosen by the people
         – presented to the apostles
         – appointed with prayer

There was also to be a prayerful process in selecting these leaders. They were to be chosen by the people, then presented to the apostles, and then appointed with prayer and the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands was an act of identification. It represented a sharing or passing on of leadership authority. The church followed these guidelines and chose seven men to serve the church as deacons alongside the apostles. These are good guidelines for the church to follow today as well!

III. The church continues to grow (7)

Growth brings challenges, but God gives solutions. So, what was the result of following God’s solution for these challenges created by increased growth? The church continued to grow! Look at verse 7:

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7)

   A. The word of God spread

First of all, the word of God spread. Once again, this emphasizes the primacy of God’s word in the ministry of the church. Remember, this is the reason why the deacons were instituted to begin with—so the apostles could give their full attention to the ministry of the word of God and to prayer.

The church cannot grow without God’s word. Jesus said the word is like seed that the sower sows. No seed—no garden. No word—no growth.

   B. The number of disciples increased

The word of God spread, and the number of disciples increased. The word of God grows the church both spiritually and numerically. It is through the ministry of the word that we grow spiritually in our knowledge and love of God, in personal holiness, and in our love and care for other people. It is also through the ministry of the word that other people hear the gospel and come to Christ for salvation. A church on the move always seeks to be growing both spiritually and numerically.

   C. Unlikely converts – the opposition joins the team!

And the ministry of the word also yields some unlikely converts. In this case a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. The opposition joined the team! Perhaps the testimony of the food distribution had an impact on them. The priests had a similar system in place for the poor Jews living in Jerusalem. Perhaps seeing the love of these early Christians in action by taking care of the poor believers in the church softened their own hearts towards the gospel.

When you share the gospel within your own personal network of neighbors, friends and co-workers, don’t be surprised when the most unlikely of converts joins the team. Never write anyone off when it comes to the gospel. God can draw anyone he wants, and he loves to draw the most unlikely people to Christ. Just look at the apostle Paul who went from persecutor of Christians to persecuted for Christ.

APPLICATIONS: So, what are some applications we can draw from today’s passage? There are several.

1) First of all, the pastor’s ministry in the church should focus on the ministry of the word and prayer. I like to think of the pastor’s job description in terms of the three P’s: preaching, people and prayer. Prayer includes both praying for people and with people, and so the pastor needs to be available to the people for both counsel and prayer.

2) Deacons are called to serve alongside pastors to help with other ministry needs as the situation demands.

3) Both types of ministry are equally necessary. Neither should be neglected.

4) The church should carefully choose qualified people as deacons. They are God’s second layer of leadership for the church.

5) The church must adapt its leadership to meet changing needs. Deacons may need to vary their roles depending on the current needs of the church.

6) Church leadership should be bathed in prayer. Church leaders should be chosen in prayer, they should be prayed over at appointment, and they should be prayed for during their term of service.

7) And what is the result of all this? A healthy, growing church where God’s word is taught, lived out, honored and spread.

God doesn’t grow his church just so it can flounder or fail. So, when God gives the growth, we can expect God will also give solutions for the challenges that come with that growth. We need to follow God’s leading and his word in order to face the challenges and continue growing our church to the glory of God.

© Ray Fowler

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