So far in Acts, we have seen both the early success of the church as well as a few set backs and obstacles that Satan has put in place in order to disrupt the progress of the Church and God’s purposes. First, it was blatant opposition. When the apostles were harassed for their teaching about Christ by the religious leaders in Jerusalem.
After that Satan attempted to soil the fellowship and trust among the disciples through the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira. Now here in Ch. 6 we are going to see a third tactic of Satan. One that is deceptive and subversive. And because it is, it has tragically gone unnoticed in many churches over the years and this has led to the disintegration and downfall of these churches.
This tactic of Satan is Distraction. Which may not seem like too big a deal. But John Stott calls this tactic of satan “his most clever.” Which is all the more reason we ought to be aware of it, but also guard against it.
Not too long ago, I came across a video that was drone footage of the grounds of an abandoned amusement park in New Orleans.
It used to be Six Flags of New Orleans which opened in the year 2000, but just 5 years later because of Hurricane Katrina, it lay completely dormant and abandoned. And eventually weeds grew up, rusts set in and animals took up residence. And eventually the condition it lay in made it impossible to recover the site as an amusement park. It is an eerie site to see something like that abandoned.
Because it is so easy to imagine what it once was. All the structure and signage is still there… The lines where people would wait are all still there…but there is one huge missing piece - people. Life. The main thing it took to get to that condition was neglect. The hurricane was certainly the catalyst for the downfall of the park. But once the hurricane came and went - for good reason, other things became priorities in the city of New Orleans and the park and its future was neglected.…
Other more pressing issues took up the priority. Sadly, the same could be said of the condition of many churches today. The church building is still there. They may even have Sunday services and activities throughout the week, but clearly something is wrong. Something has happened. The church has fallen into disrepair not just physically, but spiritually. Once there was people joining, families growing, and vibrant Sunday worship - now all of that is a thing of the past.
Why is that? And how does a church get to a point like that? One way happens - is through distraction.
Only when the ministry of the Word is prioritized in the life of the church will there be healthy spiritual growth. First, you must identify the problem.
The Problem
In verse 1 - there is an emerging situation in the church. And we are given a couple of details about it here at the start. First, is the fact that the disciples were increasing in number. The church is growing. More people are coming to faith in Christ. A good thing…More people are believing in Jesus and seeking to follow Him.
This is why Luke explicitly says the disciples were increasing in number. We will return to this point, but he is saying its not just that a crowd was growing. That people were just coming out to see what the fuss is all about (much like people did during Jesus’ earthly ministry) - no instead the number is increasing of true believers.
But with this growth comes growing pains. People begin to feel slighted and frustrated as we will see in a second. But I think it is important to consider this aspect of growth. Especially as we are here at Providence, a young and growing church. The thing to consider is that as a church grows, people will step on each other’s toes!
Growth is a good thing. Jesus himself said he would “build his church.” And so we should expect growth in many ways. That if we are being faithful to God and seeking to do His will in all things - it is ok and even good to expect God’s blessing on His church in this way…
But we have to also remember that because (a) we are sinners and because the growth of the church (b) will provoke the ire of the world and Satan - we should expect a certain level of pain and hardship alongside growth that will even come within the body…
Much like our physical bodies experienced the pain of growing when we were younger - so too will the body of Christ. And that is what we see here.
So, the growing pain that arises is in the form a complaint by the Hellenists against the Hebrews.
The church at this time was made up of greek-speaking Jews and Hebrew-speaking Jews. And this is not merely a matter of different languages, but it is a cultural difference. These two groups are now under the same roof, and so Satan, in his hatred of the church, is seeking to stoke animosity and rivalry between these two groups. And so we are told of this complaint - from the Hellenist against the Hebrews…
Which is that the Hellenistic widows are being neglected in the daily distribution. This is a legitimate concern. Those who are most vulnerable, most needy - the widows - are not being properly cared for by the church. And even though there is no indication that this is intentional, it is still the reality.
And so there is before the apostles, the commissioned and ordained leaders of the church - a dilemma. A problem. An urgent, administrative problem needs to be addressed. But the question, however, that needs to be answered is who will do it?
Because if no one does anything - and the complaint goes unaddressed…the grumbling will fester and then factions in the church will grow… with the tragic potential for broken fellowship and disintegration. So someone must do something about it.
But here is where the real problem lies. And it is the same problem that the church faces today. The apostles, because they are at this time the ordained and commissioned leaders of Christ church - are expected to do something. But - if they are the ones to handle the crisis, the dilemma - they will neglect what is of greater importance. The will neglect what they have been commissioned to do…
This is what “the twelve” we are told say in the very next verse. “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.” They are not saying - that the serving of tables is beneath them. No, they are saying instead - the ministry of the Word of God - has to remain the focus. It has to remain at the center. It has to be the priority. It is not right to give it up…
And so what the church here is tempted with - is to be distracted from what God has commissioned her to do. Namely, to prioritize the preaching and teaching of His Word.
The problem that arises then - is not what appears to be the problem - the unintentional neglect of caring for widows. It is instead the temptation to be distracted with social concerns. This is why there are churches - that were once thriving and faithful to the Lord - that have become de facto country clubs OR community centers. A place for people to hang out with friends OR a place to feel good about volunteering throughout the week.
The church should be socially concerned. There is nothing wrong with caring for people’s needs, in fact the church must do this - especially those within its midst…there is nothing wrong with social concerns per se. But when they become the reason the church exists - the church then has lost the plot.
This doesn’t happen over night - you get there by distraction. By being distracted with what seems to be good and what seems to be urgent. But ultimately is not what should be our priority.
It is easy for us all to come to church - and want the church to take up our pet interest. Some task, some new ministry that we feel is being neglected — maybe its care for the elderly, maybe its a sports ministry, OR outreach or a men’s ministry…there is a place for these things in the church…
But we must be careful to not be distracted and make these things the priority. And you know they are the priority when they take up the most time - the energy, the most money, the most volunteers… This is when the proverbial tail wags the dog. So first - here with this first point - we must be aware of the temptation.
The temptation to be distracted by good things in the church - distracted from the ministry of the Word of God.
How do we guard against this distraction?
The Solution
The solution is to prioritize the Word. This is done we see in this passage in really two ways. Specific men are appointed to the work of service. They are appointed to this specific ministry of caring for the widows.
In v.3 - The apostles say to ‘the full number of disciples’ : “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 day.” This may seem like common sense to us, but this was a big stage in the life of the church.
The apostles were the twelve men chosen by Christ to serve as officers in His church. And now there is a new class as it were of officers in His church - appointed and installed by the Apostles. Some commentators make the point that there is no reference to these men as deacons - but it is clear that the work they are being called to and set aside to do is diaconal… In fact, the same root word for deacon is used in v.1 in the word daily distribution and in the verb in v.2 - with serving tables. So it is clear here that the work of a deacon is in mind.
And this work is not merely the grunt work of the church. Instead, it is spiritual work. Not just practical work. The apostles say to the body of believers here - that they are to pick out men who are of good reputation and who are full of the Spirit. And we are told Stephen is a man full of the Spirit.
This is a qualification because the work of serving in the church (and this is true for all believers) - even though it is physical will always have spiritual components to it. Because we are to serve Christ by faith - by the power of His Spirit. And so deacons in the church are to be mature in Christ… Typically the office of deacon in the church is broken into three categories: Facilities, Finances and Mercy (caring for the physical needs of the body).
But these things are not just to be dealt with as some business would handle its bottom line or its overhead. These things are to be handled with wisdom and care because they impact the spiritual lives of the people of God. And not only that, but these areas of service in the church further encourage the multiplication of ministries in the church body.
This is why it is a mistake to say that the elders are the varsity and - the deacons are the junior varsity. Both offices are officers of leadership - but are different in nature. Elders are to rule and lead in this capacity while deacons lead in service…and in this way they further encourage the body as a whole to serve. And these things promote the health and growth of the whole of the church.
But as we will see again in a second - growth ultimately comes from God through His Word. Remember Paul said - I planted, Apollos waters, but God gave the Growth. But the ministry of service is still vital to the church…
A helpful analogy is the analogy of a Trellis and a vine. The growth ought to and will come from the ministry of the Word as the Spirit blesses it. But for it to grow properly and in order - you need good structure where the whole of the is serving in their various capacities. This is why the work of a deacon - and by implication the work of the whole of the church is vital to the health of the body.
So first we see part of the solution to the problem of distraction in the church - is to have men set aside, commissioned, ordained and installed to the work of service and to lead others in service in the church. And then secondly, we see to guard against distraction the church must have men dedicated to the ministry of the Word and Prayer.
In v.4 - the apostles say, after having given the command to choose men from among them to the work of serving. They say, We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. There are a few things to make note of here about this statement.
First, is the wording of devotion. The situation that has arisen because of the complaint from the Hellenist - has further galvanized the apostles to the work of the Word. To what they have been called to. So they speak of devotion - because they rightly understand the priority the Word is to have in the life of the church.
And secondly, it is interesting to note - that in their statement they include the work of prayer. Which they did not mention in v.2. All believers are called to a life of prayer - in fact it is our privilege as children of God. But here, they mention the work of prayer because—first, they realize the ministry of the Word, in order to be effective, requires the work of the Spirit. Teaching and Preaching in ones’ own power will be useless unless God blesses it.
They rightly understand that they are wholly dependent upon God. And secondly, they realize as well they are shepherds. They are to pray for the flock. Once again, this is a task that they are not able to do in their own will power - they can not keep the flock by their own efforts, they can not disciple and encourage merely by their own wisdom. But as the Word goes forth and as they seek the Lord in prayer - God will bless the church.
Which is what we see in this passage.
The Result
The Word increases therefore the number of disciples increased. Having identified the problem and seeing that the solution is provided - this passage concludes with God’s blessing. The result of faithfulness to His commands. In v.7 - “And the Word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priest became obedient to the faith.”
There are a couple of things to make note of here. First, is what is increasing. I alluded to this earlier. Just as this passage began so it concludes with the mention that disciples were increasing. It is not just in numbers of people. It is not an increase in fame and renown of the Jesus movement. Its not an increase in the churches resources, in a bigger budget or in real estate.
The increase is in true disciples. This is the clear fulfillment of the great commission which Christ gave His church. To make disciples. Disciples are being made. And there are a couple of qualifications tagged on to the statement of disciple multiplication.
These disciples were increasing in Jerusalem (this was happening in the city) and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. This is important, not only because it is a fulfillment of Christ’s commission to His church and a fulfillment of His statement at the beginning of Acts - that the apostles would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria…
But it also displays the effectiveness of the Word of God. This gathering of Christ followers and disciples - is getting in to every facet of society in Jerusalem. It is not just some sect forming out on the periphery of society. We have already read about how the number of disciples includes the Hellenists and the Hebrews - the gospel has crossed these cultural boundaries.
But Now we are told even the priests are becoming obedient to the faith. Its fair to say then that the gospel is crossing class boundaries as well. Its not just some fringe movement - for the outsiders of society - even though it includes them as well… the disciples are being made out of every portion of the Jerusalem community.
This makes Gamaliel’s words in the previous chapter that much more prophetic when he said to the Sanhedrin: Keep away from these men…for if this undertaking if of man, it will fail, but if it is of God you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!
This movement, this work that is going on in Jerusalem is of God. AND therefore it is unstoppable - men from all over Jerusalem are coming to faith - to obeying the Gospel call.
This is a helpful reminder for us in considering the work of God through the gospel. Which is that the gospel offer is an offer of God’s free grace to everyone. We are called to preach and witness to all who would hear…
God in this regard is no respecter of persons and so neither should we. Christ is not only for those who are deemed respectable in society or for those who are poor. It is not for a certain class of people or for a certain culture. The Church is made up of those from every tongue, tribe and nation.
And therefore we ought to be careful and watchful when we set up in our hearts preferences for the kinds of people to come to our church. So we see the disciples are increasing. But secondly and finally - we are given the reason why. We are told - how this is actually happening. It is happening because The Word of God continued to increase.
This phrase is a favorite of Luke’s in the book of Acts and he uses it to mark significant markers in the life of the church. Such as the conversion of Gentiles and the work of Paul in his missionary journeys.
Each time it is to show that the real power behind the growth of the Church is not man but God. The power is not to be found in a magnetic personality. Or the latest techniques for church growth. Or some program that promises big results.
It is the faithful, ordinary preaching and teaching of the Word of God; as it is used by the Holy Spirit. It is helpful for us to consider the fact that Luke says the Word of God continued to increase. Because - this is ultimately the way we will grow. Not just corporately, but individually. Not just in size, but in depth.
As important as making sure tables were served. That the Hellenistic widows were taken care of…- the emphasis in this passage - is that the church remained on task. Undeterred and undistracted. The Word remained the priority. And The Lord blessed them.
Therefore, we too must continue to prioritize the Word. Here are a couple of ways we are to do this. First - as a whole. One way we do this is to keep in our hearts and minds the importance and priority the Worship Service plays in the life and health of the church. Worship here at Providence - is Word-saturated.
From the Call to Worship to the Hymns and Psalms to the Preaching - the Word is what guides every aspect of the liturgy. We seek to be reformed according to Scripture. We sing the Word, we pray the Word, we hear the Word, We see the Word, We read the Word.
The Worship service is then for the people of God - the place where we will most grow. It is actually a disciple-making endeavor. But it does require that we show up prepared and it requires that we pay attention and that we respond to God’s Word with obedience.
Worship is first and foremost for God’s glory - but as we seek His face and His help by His Spirit - He will grow us. The second way in which the Word is to be prioritized is for it to be prioritized in our daily lives. We are all called individually to take ownership of our discipleship. We must regularly and consistently be in God’s Word. This requires us to read it, study it, meditate upon it, memorize it, pray through it.
You can’t outsource your discipleship to a YouTube personality or to a series of christian podcasts. I have heard it said that the Word of God can be compared to a foreign language. The more we learn it, study and mediate on God’s Word - the more we will learn to speak it, think it…and be shaped by it. And the Lord will use this to increase our love for Christ, our peace and joy in believing…and we will live more confident lives in Christ for His glory.
And in this way the Word will increase in our hearts/our lives and we will be more formed and ready for Heaven. Amen. Let’s pray.
