May 11, 2014
Acts 6:1-4


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http://zachadams.org/acts/acts6_1-4.mp3

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Outline:


Before we dive into our text let’s look again at verse 1 and then set the scene… “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.” 


When it comes to the topic of “conflict resolution” within church life the most fundamental point to understand is that you will never find a perfect church or for that matter a perfect pastor this side of heaven! 


It’s been pointed out that the only condition needed for the potential of human conflict is the presence of only two people. Squabbles and discord will always be an inevitability when people seek to coexist within any type of community!


As we dig into chapter 6 you need to keep in mind that approximately 3 years has transpired since Pentecost. Though the birth of the church was sudden, its impact incredible, and the growth immediate, this first-century, Holy Spirit filled, Apostolic led church still needed time to mature and was not immune from problems.


According to verse 1, the core complaint centered around the Hellenists’ claim their widows were not being cared for through the “daily distribution” while the Hebrew widows were receiving some kind of preferential treatment. And to make matters worse, according to Acts 2 and 4 this ministry was under the direct supervision of the Apostles. 


Now keep in mind that while Luke does nothing to dismiss the reality these widows were actually being neglected, he also provides no indication this neglect was intentional.


The scene Luke establishes in verse 1 (neglected widows, upset Hellenists, oblivious Apostles) set the stage for a potential messy and divisive situation! Satan had shifted his attack on the church to a divide and conquer strategy and a real problem (widows being neglected) presented the perfect opportunity to achieve a destructive result. 


If any one party (Hellenists, Hebrews, or Apostles) did not seek to handle this situation in a Godly and appropriate way, Satan would be able to gain a foothold to divided and destroyed what God was doing through this church. 


Last Sunday we looked at the way the offended party handled this situation. We noted how their complaint did not demonstrate an attitude of ungratefulness and the way they handled their concern revealed their motivation was genuine and sincere. This morning let’s now see how the offending party (the Apostles) handle the situation.



Acts 6:2-4, “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.”



The first thing the Apostles did right was that they did not dismiss their complaint. 


From the flow of the text it would seem the Apostles listened intently to what these Hellenists had to say and genuinely took their concerns to heart. These men did not dismiss their rebuke, make excuses as to why these widows were being neglected, or claim some spiritual superiority to be above such criticisms. Instead, these twelve men showed incredible leadership and they demonstrated great humility by submitting themselves to those under their care. 


It’s sad to admit, but the reaction of these Apostles is more of an outlier to the way most in church leadership handle complaints and grievances. Because of pride, ego, or the simple reality many pastors feel under-appreciated and already struggle with discouragement, it can be hard to acknowledge failure or admit fault. For many it’s very hard not to take criticism personally. 


Now to be fair, the reason many complaints (even valid ones) are perceived to be a personal attack by those in leadership and the reaction ends up being less than desirable is because in many instances complaints are used by those offended to attack the leader! The old adage that “hurting people hurt" is even true for Christians. Sadly, people will use their gripes to sow seeds of discord among the church. Because they feel wronged they will pursue vengeance or restitution, not reconciliation and unity. 


Without fully understanding the repercussions, these people will air their complaints publicly with the intention of attacking or undermining the pastor. And in doing so not only do they limit the chance “to win a brother,” but in the end Satan is provided a perfect opportunity to destroy what God might be seeking to do in that church.


The reason these Apostles were able to handle this situation with such grace really boiled down to the way in which these Hellenists presented their complaint. In refusing to air their grievances in public and instead bringing their concerns directly to the Apostles these Hellenists demonstrated that their motivations were sincere and the desired outcome was for the Gospel to be furthered and unity achieved. 


Because they came to the Apostles out of love and respect there was no reason for the Apostles to take the complaint personally. The appropriate way in which the complaint was presented established a perfect environment by which the criticism could be received by the Apostles and a solution achieved.



The second thing the Apostles did right was that they owned up to the problem.


At this point in church life it would seem the Apostles had two fundamental jobs: (1) They cared for the spiritual needs of the people through prayer and the teaching of God’s Word, and (2) They cared for the physical needs of the people through the “daily distribution” of resources. 


In stating that “it was not desirable that they should leave the word of God and serve tables” the apostles were not diminishing the care of widows or saying this service was beneath them; rather they were affirming the reality that both the spiritual and physical needs of the church had simply grown beyond what they could manage. 


I give them credit for being honest… The Apostles were doing their best to adequately care for the needs of this growing congregation while also giving the necessary time to the study of Scripture and prayer, but their best was becoming increasingly inadequate.


In light of this complaint it became evident the Apostles were being stretched thin. Though the oversight was an accident, it was clear the time necessary to care for all of the needs of this growing church had simply exceeded the time they had available. 


In essence, these men came to a point of self-realization… They couldn’t do it all! Because everything relied on them, widows had been hurt and neglected. As good leaders, they knew this was unacceptable and something needed to change.



The final thing the Apostles did right was that they presented a wise solution.


Since this problem highlighted the growing inability of the Apostles to effectively care for all the needs of the church, they made two important decisions in this text.


1. They defined their job description… “Since it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables… Therefore… We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”


2. They delegated the rest of the work to qualified servants… “Since it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables… Therefore… Seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.”


Before we dig into this text, I’d like to make a simple observation… Though it was this group of Hellenists who presented the concern, it was the leadership of the church (the Apostles) who shouldered the responsibility to present a solution. 


The Apostles did not discuss the problem to death, nor did they beat themselves up over their inabilities, insufficiencies, or inadequacies. They didn’t form a committee or place the burden of finding the solution onto those who felt wronged. 


Instead, these men did what good leaders do… In recognizing this need presented an opportunity to bring more people into the ministry, the leadership of the church proceeded to act promptly, openly, and inclusively. It’s been said, “Unmet needs present a great way to bring more people into service.”


Please realize… One type of neglect does not necessitate another form of neglect. In regards to this situation it would have been detrimental if in order to meet the physical needs of these widows the apostles in turn neglected the spiritual needs of the church. 


And this brings up an important reality of ministry… Though meeting the physical needs of people is vitally important to a healthy church community, caring for the spiritual needs of the church is a pastor’s main responsibility. I’ve heard it said, “The one unpardonable, unforgivable sin a pastor can commit is to neglect the study and teaching of God’s Word.”


Though the spiritual needs of this church were still being met, the physical needs of the people had taken a back seat which created a significant problem. Note: The reason these widows had been neglected had not been malfeasance, but instead a simple failure by the Apostles to define their roles and delegate responsibilities early in their ministry.


To remedy this issue the Apostles decide to create and define organizational structure and establish a mechanism to recruit new servants to help meet practical needs. In the end this organization would result into two basic categories: Elders who cared for the spiritual needs of the church, and Deacons who cared for the physical.


By definition a living organism must be organized. Life never exists in chaos which is both true in the physical world as it is in the spiritual one. And while nondenominational churches tend to shy away from to much organizational structure because complex bureaucracies can and will stifle life, if the church is to be a living, breathing instrument by which the Spirit of God carries forth the will of Jesus throughout the world organization must exist in the church.


Now there are those who believe it is wise to allow organization to develop as the needs within a church arise. And while I agree there is a real danger in acting prematurely (the one thing worse than not having Elders is having the wrong Elders), Acts 6 seems to imply there is also a danger in not being forward thinking.


Tragically, many pastors get into the same type of trouble we find here in Acts 6 when they don’t proactively structure the church in such a way to handle growing pains and avoid situations where either the spiritual or physical needs of people slip through the cracks.


Let me provide an example of a common problem that taking the later approach can have in a growing church… Most sociologists reason that a full-time pastor can effectively care for the spiritual and physical needs of a church that totals around 150 people. 


Because the needs are rather simple (financials, payroll, ministries, facility, etc.) this pastor has plenty of time to visit with folks in the hospital, attend recitals and graduations, officiate weddings and funerals, counsel, have dinner with families in the church, balance family life, and still have two days a week to spend preparing his Bible study. 


But then something very subtle takes place… The church grows from 150 to 225 people and now the pastor finds himself struggling to manage the same set of responsibilities. 


At this point, because the pastor is inadequate to meet every need and there is no structure in place to alleviate this burden 1 of 5 things typically occurs: 


1. The pastor gets burnt out and quits the ministry. 


2. The pastor’s family ends up suffering from neglect. 


3. The pastor’s Bible studies begin to suffer as his study time decreases. 


4. People leave the church because they feel the pastor is no longer accessible. 


5. The pastor repents and restructures the ministry by delegating responsibilities. This is what we see taking place in Acts 6 and is the best of the five options.


Since we’re studying the book of Acts as the blueprint for how we should structure the church, at Calvary316 we want to learn from this example and avoid all five options by structuring things to sustain growth and ministry effectiveness right from the beginning. And we believe the key to do this is to have healthy, well-defined Elders and Deacons.



The Elders (like these Apostles) care for the spiritual needs of the church.


My main role as lead pastor (or Elder) is very simple… Above and beyond any other responsibility my job is to care for the spiritual needs of the church through the teaching and study of God’s Word and intercessory prayer for you and your family. I hope as evidenced by what takes place behind this pulpit on Sunday mornings you see that this is a responsibility I take very seriously, and therefore view as a singular priority when it comes to my work week.


Beyond this my energies are also spent working on the organization of the church: Raising up and equipping leaders, establishing vision and ministry direction, as well as the formation of the organizational structures that can sustain growth.


Now because of the financial limitations of our church, during this season, as the only paid pastor I also handle all the multimedia, financials, event planning, ministry scheduling, and facility concerns. And yet, we believe with growth will come the financial flexibility to meet these needs by simply adding additional staff.


But understand, this role of meeting the spiritual needs of this church is not something I carry alone. Because we view all of our Elders as being more than “overseers” but as pastors, each of the men God has raised up also carry a specific role when it comes to caring for the practical, spiritual needs of the church. 


Since I’m presently working two additional jobs, I recently decided to proactively delegate more of the spiritual care of our growing church to the Elders in order to safeguard against your needs being overlooked. 



We believe sharing the responsibilities to care for the spiritual needs of our church will insure no one person is overburdened, our families are not sacrificed on the alter of ministry, we can more effectively minister to the people who call Calvary316 home, and that this structure will be sustainable with growth.


There was a real problem within this church. Widows had been neglected - a complaint the Apostles rightly refused to dismiss. Instead, they owned up to the problem and presented a solution. In order to insure things like this wouldn’t happen again, the Apostles defined their role and next Sunday we'll see how they delegated responsibly…

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