20231105 Acts 6:1-7 Internal Threat 2: Neglect of Minorities
These are the awkward topics to mention in church: giving, church discipline, sex, modesty, gender, submission to authority, and service. Our text is about service. The word, “service” is not often tied to happy thoughts. In Greek, the words "service" and "ministry" are the same. Service is ministry. Serving people is ministering to them. Service becomes exciting to me when it becomes personal and understood as an act of love for real people. I love people and I want them to have what they need and beyond, I want people to have a good time, I want them to flourish. I am not alone because I have benefited from other’s free and kind actions. If service is connected with loving real people, I find that it loses most of its burden.
Acts 6:1-7 deals with service.[i] This text teaches us of an internal problem of the church. So far, the apostles have been faithful in being Christ’s witnesses and we see God expanding his kingdom in Jerusalem. There have been external threats with persecution from the Jewish religious authorities. There was an internal threat of hypocrisy within the community in Acts 5. This text highlights a second threat of neglecting minorities in church ministries.
Traditionally, we have associated this text with the establishment of the church office of “deacon”. The word “deacon” which is a transliteration of the Greek word “servant” is not in the text, but the noun “service” occurs twice as well as the verb “to serve.” Because there is a laying on of hands with the task of service, it is appropriate to see this as the ordination of deacons.
What is clear is the theme of this text is service or ministries in a growing diversifying church. We will see that church ministries or services have their shortcomings, they can be improved, and they can bear fruit.
Being known for our love begins with the gospel welcome we extend to each other. It may be that you welcome someone to church who has never been to a church before. We want to welcome them like Christ has welcomed us (Rom 15:7). Christ loves us extravagantly. We were God’s enemies and he loved us by welcoming us and calling us friends, sons and daughters. So we want our actions to show the love we know!
An area of deep concern for parents is their children. People change churches to find a good children’s program during the worship service. When parents visit churches, they want to know whether it is child friendly. They want to know that they will not be judged if their child is loud and will be supported if they need help. We serve parents by welcoming, encouraging, comforting, supporting, in any way we can.
We can serve our teenagers. Being a Christian is counter-cultural. The younger generation wants to know that faith in Christ makes the most sense of the world as we experience it. The good news of God the Son dying for the forgiveness of sins though folly to the world is the ultimate wisdom for all of life. We want them to know that living differently because of Jesus is worth it. It is truly in denying ourselves that counter intuitively, we find life. We have young adults and students who struggle to find meaningful Christian community and peers. We have tough work environments where some deal with unreasonable demanding bosses.
Every church has lots of needs. We cannot divide the church between those in need and those who can serve. We all need to be supported and to support others. A great way to begin service is through having meals in each other’s homes. When we spend time together, we get to know each other, we get to love each other, we become aware our each others’ needs, we pray for each other, and God works and puts it on our hearts to serve one another. When we think of service in the church we are not serving an institution, we are talking about practical acts of love for real people.
A great way to start getting involved is by committing to people. If you can, join a community group, and make loving those people your priority!
Second, we also learn from the complaint that just because you are serving God does not mean you are doing everything perfectly. You can have great intentions and do things well and need feedback in areas you can improve. We are human, we change, we get into bad habits, we need others to help us stay on track and improve. We want ministries to welcome feedback.
Third, we learn from the complaint, that complaints are not necessarily a bad thing. There was a problem and so in this case it was right for the people to speak up and complain. If they did not complain, their problem would not have been addressed or resolved and so we need to speak up. You don’t have to have to complain behind closed doors or no changes will occur. Let it be known.
John Piper is probably one of the great preachers of our generation. There was an audio clip that I heard in which he was sharing a list of 10 critiques he received about his preaching. He says that some people’s critiques when they are genuine are really helpful. Other times it can be emotional immaturity and lack of self-awareness. He insists that when you listen to complaints of sincere people, moved by the Holy Spirit, you will hear truth in what they are saying.
Our tendency may be to want to quit because of the discouragement. We may get defensive and come up with a list of excuses. We may even want to attack the complainer. Christian humility and following the crucified Messiah allows us to listen and later follow up with the person.
A fourth lesson from the text is that it is a group complaint. If you are going to be individual complainer, make sure it is not about your personal preferences. You can voice your preferences but don’t complain about them.
It is not gossip if you have a concern and share it with another to try to discern wisdom. When you bring your complaint be specific. Name names who were involved. Don't say, “people are saying.” There was an article saying that “people are saying” is church staff’s least favorite phrase to hear because often it just means the person bringing the complaint has a problem or there are anonymous grumblers.
If people want to remain anonymous don't bring up the complaint. It is unhealthy, to have people complaining and others bringing the complaint on their behalf. When there is love, trust, humility, and a desire to see God’s church flourish, anonymous complaining does not have its place. When it does occur, church leaders need to make sure that they show warmth and openness to bless those with complaints. Those with the complaint need to seek to increase the depth of their relationship with church leaders.
Acts 6:2 is a significant verse for distinguishing between elders and deacons in a church. Acts 6:2 emphasizes the role of elders which is to be primarily about taking care of the ministry of the Word of God. Acts 6:3 lays the qualifications for a deacon: (1) good reputation; (2) full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom; (3) in charge of the needs of the widows. 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 both teach that the body of Christ is made up of different members with different roles according to our gifting. We all need each other, and no ministry is superior to other ministries. When we love each other, we will sometimes serve in areas that are not our favorite. The more we have this mindset collectively, the less the burden of doing burdensome tasks will fall on one person.
Acts 6:3-6 discusses the process of appointing suitable servants.[iii] The apostles tell the gathering of the disciples that they will choose 7 men to minister to the widows. They bring the problem before the whole church. They are transparent. They do not try to hide the fact that there was a problem. They do not try to solve this behind closed doors! According to Acts 6:5, the whole gathering was pleased with this resolution. They chose seven from among them and according to Acts 6:6, the apostles prayed and laid their hands on them. This is how elders and deacons are appointed in our church. Members elect (c.f. Deut 1:13) and the elders ratify or confirm the choice by the laying on of hands (c.f. Deut 34:9).
When we look at the list of names of the 7 servants, we see they all had Greek names. It was not just anyone. They were filled by the Holy Spirit and had integrity among the minority group. We see that the Hellenists complained and then they are also empowered to be part of the solution. What an excellent way to empower an under-represented group. This shows one of the key lessons of Acts that Jesus is for all people! We can empower people from the underrepresented groups in the community and they will be the most invested in solving the problem of neglect.
In the story line of Acts, this account is important. Jesus commissioned the apostles is to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea-Samaria and to the ends of the earth. This means the church will grow in number and in diversity. This text shows the adaptivity of the church to its growth in diversity. The response to this crisis equips the early Christian church for what comes next. The Hellenists were a lot closer to the Gentiles from a cultural perspective. In caring for the Hellenist widows they are building a bridge for future church ministry, outside of Jerusalem starting in Acts 8 with Philip. This is preparing them for the next stage which will be ministry to the Gentiles. In an international church, so many of us may feel like minorities. There is richness in learning from one another and learning from different perspectives in this room. Rather than always trying to think in black and white categories it is enriching to understand church problems and ministry opportunities from the perspective of people who are different than us. If the minority group would not have spoken up in Acts 6, it seems like the apostles as well-meaning as they were would not have addressed the problem. As we try to be intentional about serving others, we can see this as ministry opportunity first in the actual service, but also it allows us to empower people for ministry who will in turn be equipped to serve different groups of people.
Churches have to be flexible. We are not an administration institution we are for God and people. As the people change, we need to adapt with love, care, and wisdom.
[i] Acts 6 begins a new sub-section in Acts, with the phrase “In those days.” Acts 6:1-7 is a self-contained unit. It begins and ends with the growth of the church. .
[ii] E.g. Paul had to rebuke Peter in Galatians… even then we can think that was the only time, and final time Peter ever had to stand corrected…
[iii] In Exod 18:19-20, Moses was to delegate to God-fearing, trust-worthy, respected men now this is also the case in Acts 6:3, they had to be of good reputation (// 1 Tim 3:7 – integrity) and full of the Spirit and wisdom.
Acts 6:1-7 deals with service.[i] This text teaches us of an internal problem of the church. So far, the apostles have been faithful in being Christ’s witnesses and we see God expanding his kingdom in Jerusalem. There have been external threats with persecution from the Jewish religious authorities. There was an internal threat of hypocrisy within the community in Acts 5. This text highlights a second threat of neglecting minorities in church ministries.
Traditionally, we have associated this text with the establishment of the church office of “deacon”. The word “deacon” which is a transliteration of the Greek word “servant” is not in the text, but the noun “service” occurs twice as well as the verb “to serve.” Because there is a laying on of hands with the task of service, it is appropriate to see this as the ordination of deacons.
What is clear is the theme of this text is service or ministries in a growing diversifying church. We will see that church ministries or services have their shortcomings, they can be improved, and they can bear fruit.
1 First, we see in Acts 6:1 that church ministries have their shortcomings.
In Acts 6:1, the church was growing and there was a complaint from the Hellenists to the Hebrews. The Hellenists claimed that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.1.1 Application: Church Ministries
A first application is that a church has Ministries/Services. We learn that the church had appropriate ministries to care for people. Care is a characteristic of the church in the summary in Acts 2:41-47. Love and care between Christians is part of the church’s witness to the world (Acts 2:45-47). Jesus was a servant so Jesus’ followers serve. Jesus served by dying on the cross to forgive our sins. So, Christians serve. Jesus said in John 13:35 that the world would recognize his followers by their love for one another. Every church has opportunities to love through service. The following are examples.Being known for our love begins with the gospel welcome we extend to each other. It may be that you welcome someone to church who has never been to a church before. We want to welcome them like Christ has welcomed us (Rom 15:7). Christ loves us extravagantly. We were God’s enemies and he loved us by welcoming us and calling us friends, sons and daughters. So we want our actions to show the love we know!
An area of deep concern for parents is their children. People change churches to find a good children’s program during the worship service. When parents visit churches, they want to know whether it is child friendly. They want to know that they will not be judged if their child is loud and will be supported if they need help. We serve parents by welcoming, encouraging, comforting, supporting, in any way we can.
We can serve our teenagers. Being a Christian is counter-cultural. The younger generation wants to know that faith in Christ makes the most sense of the world as we experience it. The good news of God the Son dying for the forgiveness of sins though folly to the world is the ultimate wisdom for all of life. We want them to know that living differently because of Jesus is worth it. It is truly in denying ourselves that counter intuitively, we find life. We have young adults and students who struggle to find meaningful Christian community and peers. We have tough work environments where some deal with unreasonable demanding bosses.
Every church has lots of needs. We cannot divide the church between those in need and those who can serve. We all need to be supported and to support others. A great way to begin service is through having meals in each other’s homes. When we spend time together, we get to know each other, we get to love each other, we become aware our each others’ needs, we pray for each other, and God works and puts it on our hearts to serve one another. When we think of service in the church we are not serving an institution, we are talking about practical acts of love for real people.
A great way to start getting involved is by committing to people. If you can, join a community group, and make loving those people your priority!
1.2 Application: The Complaint
A Second application follows the Complaint. In Acts 6:1, there is a complaint about an area of service. This complaint gives us so much insight into the first-century church. We learn that the First century church had shortcomings like us. I’m sure our problems were similar. Some parents were controlling others neglectful. The children in the church could be self-righteous and zealous, or rebellious, insubordinate, and disrespectful. There were unreasonable people in church back then the same as today. There were extroverts who may appear to be fake and introverts who do not seem like they enjoy being part of the church. There were church leaders with strong opinions on what ought to be done that may lead them to go separate ways.[ii] Some bully others not engaging.Second, we also learn from the complaint that just because you are serving God does not mean you are doing everything perfectly. You can have great intentions and do things well and need feedback in areas you can improve. We are human, we change, we get into bad habits, we need others to help us stay on track and improve. We want ministries to welcome feedback.
Third, we learn from the complaint, that complaints are not necessarily a bad thing. There was a problem and so in this case it was right for the people to speak up and complain. If they did not complain, their problem would not have been addressed or resolved and so we need to speak up. You don’t have to have to complain behind closed doors or no changes will occur. Let it be known.
John Piper is probably one of the great preachers of our generation. There was an audio clip that I heard in which he was sharing a list of 10 critiques he received about his preaching. He says that some people’s critiques when they are genuine are really helpful. Other times it can be emotional immaturity and lack of self-awareness. He insists that when you listen to complaints of sincere people, moved by the Holy Spirit, you will hear truth in what they are saying.
Our tendency may be to want to quit because of the discouragement. We may get defensive and come up with a list of excuses. We may even want to attack the complainer. Christian humility and following the crucified Messiah allows us to listen and later follow up with the person.
A fourth lesson from the text is that it is a group complaint. If you are going to be individual complainer, make sure it is not about your personal preferences. You can voice your preferences but don’t complain about them.
It is not gossip if you have a concern and share it with another to try to discern wisdom. When you bring your complaint be specific. Name names who were involved. Don't say, “people are saying.” There was an article saying that “people are saying” is church staff’s least favorite phrase to hear because often it just means the person bringing the complaint has a problem or there are anonymous grumblers.
If people want to remain anonymous don't bring up the complaint. It is unhealthy, to have people complaining and others bringing the complaint on their behalf. When there is love, trust, humility, and a desire to see God’s church flourish, anonymous complaining does not have its place. When it does occur, church leaders need to make sure that they show warmth and openness to bless those with complaints. Those with the complaint need to seek to increase the depth of their relationship with church leaders.
1.3 Application: The Hellenists and their widows
Those who bring the complaint are Hellenists. At this point, there were no Gentile converts yet. These Hellenists were Greek-speaking Jews rather than Aramaic-speaking Jews. Interestingly, it is a complaint from a minority group. We currently live in an era of history, particularly in the West that is so different from most of human experience. There is a lot of talk and programs focused on how to better serve minorities. Outside of our era, normally, minorities get crushed. In Egypt, the Hebrews became slaves. In Acts 4 and 5, Christianity was the minority religion in Jerusalem. The apostles were treated harshly by those of the dominant culture. Maybe because of our context, this text loses its shock value. Typically, when a minority group complains, they get crushed. We see that it is not so in the church. The church listens, empowers, and thrives.2 Second, we see in Acts 6:2-6 that Church Ministries Can be Improved
We have a whole church gathering in Acts 6:2. The apostles establish the principle that because of church growth, more people need to be given responsibilities and people need to specialize in areas of service. When we read, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables,” we could understand that they are saying that preaching the word is more important than serving tables. It does not have to be. They are saying that they have enough on their plate and need people to focus on other, just as important areas that need particular attention. There is an echo with Exod 18:19-20. Moses was hearing and solving all the disputes of Israel alone (Exod 18:16). His father-in-law, Jethro instructed him to focus on teaching the word of God (Exod 18:20), and he would delegate the job of solving disputes to “able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe.”Acts 6:2 is a significant verse for distinguishing between elders and deacons in a church. Acts 6:2 emphasizes the role of elders which is to be primarily about taking care of the ministry of the Word of God. Acts 6:3 lays the qualifications for a deacon: (1) good reputation; (2) full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom; (3) in charge of the needs of the widows. 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 both teach that the body of Christ is made up of different members with different roles according to our gifting. We all need each other, and no ministry is superior to other ministries. When we love each other, we will sometimes serve in areas that are not our favorite. The more we have this mindset collectively, the less the burden of doing burdensome tasks will fall on one person.
Acts 6:3-6 discusses the process of appointing suitable servants.[iii] The apostles tell the gathering of the disciples that they will choose 7 men to minister to the widows. They bring the problem before the whole church. They are transparent. They do not try to hide the fact that there was a problem. They do not try to solve this behind closed doors! According to Acts 6:5, the whole gathering was pleased with this resolution. They chose seven from among them and according to Acts 6:6, the apostles prayed and laid their hands on them. This is how elders and deacons are appointed in our church. Members elect (c.f. Deut 1:13) and the elders ratify or confirm the choice by the laying on of hands (c.f. Deut 34:9).
When we look at the list of names of the 7 servants, we see they all had Greek names. It was not just anyone. They were filled by the Holy Spirit and had integrity among the minority group. We see that the Hellenists complained and then they are also empowered to be part of the solution. What an excellent way to empower an under-represented group. This shows one of the key lessons of Acts that Jesus is for all people! We can empower people from the underrepresented groups in the community and they will be the most invested in solving the problem of neglect.
In the story line of Acts, this account is important. Jesus commissioned the apostles is to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea-Samaria and to the ends of the earth. This means the church will grow in number and in diversity. This text shows the adaptivity of the church to its growth in diversity. The response to this crisis equips the early Christian church for what comes next. The Hellenists were a lot closer to the Gentiles from a cultural perspective. In caring for the Hellenist widows they are building a bridge for future church ministry, outside of Jerusalem starting in Acts 8 with Philip. This is preparing them for the next stage which will be ministry to the Gentiles. In an international church, so many of us may feel like minorities. There is richness in learning from one another and learning from different perspectives in this room. Rather than always trying to think in black and white categories it is enriching to understand church problems and ministry opportunities from the perspective of people who are different than us. If the minority group would not have spoken up in Acts 6, it seems like the apostles as well-meaning as they were would not have addressed the problem. As we try to be intentional about serving others, we can see this as ministry opportunity first in the actual service, but also it allows us to empower people for ministry who will in turn be equipped to serve different groups of people.
3 Third, we see in Acts 6:7 that Christian ministry can bear Fruit
Acts 6:7 book-ends the account. The same way Acts 6:1 began with the growing in number, after solving this issue, God increases the number of disciples. God blessed a well-governed and structured church with numerical growth. Acts 6:7 even mentioned the great many priests who were following by faith.Churches have to be flexible. We are not an administration institution we are for God and people. As the people change, we need to adapt with love, care, and wisdom.
4 Conclusion
The theme is service. The text describes how the early Christian Church responded to a crisis and God blessed it. Crises or changes are opportunities to bless and empower. Christians serve because Christ served us. Jesus said combining OT images from Daniel 7 and Isaiah 53, the Son of Man did not come to serve but to give his life as a ransom for many! The good news is about Christ’s serving in dying for the sins of all who believe. In response to Christ’s service, Christians serve. Service includes but is not limited to what happens on a Sunday with welcome, setup, tear down. We serve Christ everywhere in our schools, homes, work, and society. And yes, there are many ways to love people at church. If every other month you want, you want to check in with a parent and baby even hold a baby during worship, that could be great. If every other month, you pick one Sunday to come early, make coffee, or help with set up, that would be a huge help. If every other month you help out with welcoming, you may miss the beginning of the worship service, but you could become someone's first Christian to welcome them to a church. To serve well, we need to know each other well, and love each other well. If you can, join a community group where we share meals together, pray together, study the Bible together, celebrate together, and serve together! For the Glory of God.[i] Acts 6 begins a new sub-section in Acts, with the phrase “In those days.” Acts 6:1-7 is a self-contained unit. It begins and ends with the growth of the church. .
[ii] E.g. Paul had to rebuke Peter in Galatians… even then we can think that was the only time, and final time Peter ever had to stand corrected…
[iii] In Exod 18:19-20, Moses was to delegate to God-fearing, trust-worthy, respected men now this is also the case in Acts 6:3, they had to be of good reputation (// 1 Tim 3:7 – integrity) and full of the Spirit and wisdom.
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