Title Page
Lesson Six
Acts 6:1-2
Acts 6:1-2
1 And in those days, when the number of the
disciples was multiplied, there arose a
murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews,
because their widows were neglected in the daily
ministration.
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the
disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason
that we should leave the word of God, and
serve tables.
Acts 6:3-5
Acts 6:3-5
3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you
seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over
this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to
prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude:
and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and
of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus,
and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and
Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
Acts 6:6-8
Acts 6:6-8
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when
they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God increased; and the
number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem
greatly; and a great company of the priests were
obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great
wonders and miracles among the people.
Focus Verse
Romans 12:13
Distributing to the necessity of saints;
given to hospitality.
Focus Thought
Every Christian has a ministry and calling
to use his individual abilities and talents
for the glory of God. Those who serve
must be spiritual, wise, and willing
to minister.
Introduction
Introduction
The Book of Acts recorded the rapid growth of the
early church. At the birth of the church on the Day
of Pentecost, “there were added unto them about
three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41), and the Lord
continued to add more believers daily (Acts 2:47).
Even persecution could not stop the church’s
phenomenal growth. After the first outside attacks
on the church, the Lord added approximately five
thousand men (Acts 4:4). By this time, the
congregation numbered at least twenty thousand,
and Luke indicated that God later added
“multitudes both of men and women” to the
number of believers. (See Acts 5:14.)
Introduction
The early church certainly had all the signs that
identify a growing, spiritual church.
• Worship. They believed in glorifying God.
• Instruction. They believed in training disciples.
• Fellowship. They believed in loving one another.
• Evangelism. They believed in winning the lost to
Jesus Christ.
• Service. They believed in caring for the needs of
others.
Introduction
Since the church experienced such phenomenal
growth, it became difficult for the apostles to
minister to everyone. In the most exciting moments
in the history of the early-church revival, a
dissension arose among the people.
Introduction
Persecution and corruption failed to stop the
church, but internal fighting now threatened its
progress. Disunity and division was ready to
achieve what beatings and imprisonments had not
been able to accomplish. Fortunately, however, the
church corrected this error and continued to move
forward in revival, refusing to allow their
differences to derail revival.
Spiritual Growth
I. Spiritual
Growth
(A)
Brings
Physical
Challenges
In Jewish society, widows were particularly needy
and dependent. Both the Old Testament and the
New Testament single them out along with
orphans as those most in need of help.
I. ASpiritual
Growth (A)
natural division already existed within the
church because on the Day of Pentecost
thousands of Hebrew Jews who were born in
Israel united with Grecian Jews born outside the
Holy Land. As wonderful as the new-birth
experience was, it did not erase all their earlier
prejudices, and the Grecian widows soon began
feeling ignored in the daily distribution of food.
I. The
Spiritual
Growth (A)
word “murmuring” comes from the Greek
word gongysmos. The translators of the
Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old
Testament, used the same word for the murmuring
of the people against Moses in the wilderness.
(See Exodus 16:7; Numbers 14:27.)
I. When
Spiritual
Growth (A)
the Grecian Christians at Jerusalem began
complaining, they simply did so among
themselves instead of appealing to those in
authority. Their grievances soon became
contagious, and the church was in turmoil.
I. When
Spiritual
Growth (A)
Christians are unhappy and begin to
murmur, they should always begin by first
searching their own hearts.
One day a family traveling down the highway
between Johnstown and Jamestown stopped at
Farmer Jones’ place for a drink of water, which he
gladly gave them. “Where are you headed?” he
asked them. “We are moving from Johnstown to
Jamestown to live,” they told him. “Can you tell
us what the people are like?” “Well, what kind of
people did you find where you lived before?”
Farmer Jones asked. “Oh, they were the very
worst kind!” the people said. “They were gossipy
and unkind and indifferent. We are glad to move
away.” “Well, I am afraid you will find the same
in Jamestown,” replied Farmer Jones.
I. Spiritual Growth (A)
The next day another car stopped at the farm, and
the same conversation took place. These people
were moving to Jamestown, too. “What kind of
neighbors will we find there?” they asked. “Well,”
said Farmer Jones, “what kind of neighbors did
you have where you lived before?” “Oh, they
were the very best! They were so kind and
considerate that it almost broke our hearts to have
to move away.” “Well, you will find exactly the
same kind again,” replied Farmer Jones (R. Kent
Hughes, Acts: The Church Afire [Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Books, 1996], 98-99).
I. Spiritual Growth (A)
A. The Word Must
Take
Priority
I. Spiritual Growth (A)
Many pastors and church leaders must deal with
petty issues that hinder them from accomplishing
God’s highest purposes in ministry. They may have
to miss a prayer meeting in order to repair the
plumbing or the bus. Bible study and preparation
for teaching can give way to menial tasks that daily
confront them. Such necessary tasks can become
distractions that potentially inhibit the church’s
progress.
in the minds
of the apostles
was the
I.Uppermost
Spiritual
Growth
(A)
necessity of maintaining prayer and the preaching
of the Word of God. They were convinced that their
primary calling was to proclaim the Word of God
and lead in the spiritual matters of the church.
Sometimes a person demonstrates false modesty
when he states, “If Jesus washed the disciples feet,
then I can clean the bathrooms.”
issue is not one’s
willingness (A)
or resistance to
I.The
Spiritual
Growth
perform seemingly menial tasks, but his letting such
tasks cause him to neglect what God has called him
to do. As one person said, “When I do your job, I
am not doing my job, and we both are denied a
blessing.”
apostles delegated
the daily physical
needs of
I.The
Spiritual
Growth
(A)
the church to others. “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” (Acts 6:3, NKJV). The
apostles did not regard this work as beneath their
dignity, but it was outside their primary calling.
B. The Gospel Moves
in
a
Physical
Realm
I. Spiritual Growth (B)
William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army,
was interviewed near the close of his life. He stated
to the interviewer: “God had all there was of me.
There have been others who had greater plans,
greater opportunities than I; but from the day I got a
vision of what God could do, I made up my mind
God would have all there was of William Booth.”
I. Spiritual Growth (B)
When the New Testament speaks of ministering to
the saints, it does not mean just preaching to them;
it rather involves the devoting of time, effort, and
substance to provide all the practical help possible.
As our supreme example, Jesus taught that the
purpose of leadership and ministry is to serve.
Matthew
20:26-28
“But it shall not be so among you:
but whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister; and
whosoever will be chief among you,
let him be your servant: even as the
Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many”
(Matthew 20:26-28).
word minister Growth
comes from the(B)
same Greek
I.TheSpiritual
word from which we get our title deacon, and it
means “an attendant, a waiter, a servant.”
Therefore, ministry is using what God has given us
to serve Him and others.
In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren
used the word shape as an acronym for
Rick Warren SHAPE
The
Physical
Realm
II. The Physical Realm
Must Be Delegated
to Godly Men and
Women
It is interesting that Jesus, who could do all things,
realized the limitations of His humanity. His
leadership and ministry on this earth began with
the choosing and equipping of twelve men, who in
just three and one-half years would assume the
leadership of the church.
Church growth advocate Tim Massengale wrote:
“In his book A Quest for Vitality in Religion, F. B.
Edge draws a marked distinction between ‘the
work of the Church’ and ‘church work.’ Church
work is the every day routine of necessary, but
often superficial, tasks. After all, someone must
have the church van inspected, copy off the Sunday
bulletin, and take Sunday’s offering deposit to the
bank. . . . On the other hand, ‘The work of the
Church’ is to do the tasks that Jesus would be
doing if He was pastoring in your place” (Tim
Massengale, Total Church Growth, Vol. 1, 1-1).
II. The Physical Realm
What would Jesus do if He lived in our
community? Perhaps a good answer appears in
Matthew’s Gospel: “And Jesus went about all the
cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues,
and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
healing every sickness and every disease among
the people” (Matthew 9:35).
II. The Physical Realm
“Did you ever go to the bank and find the president
typing the interoffice bulletin for printing? It’s not
that he’s too good to prepare the bulletin or feels
that it’s beneath him. Rather, he’s simply too busy;
he has more important things to do. His time is
valuable. True, the bulletin needs to be typed, but
let others do it. Let the pastor give himself to study,
to prayer, and to winning the lost. Delegation is not
so a pastor can sit back and do nothing; it is so he
can do the things only he can do!” (Total Church
Growth, Vol. 1, 1-1–1-2).
II. The Physical Realm
A. Moses Delegated to Leaders
II. The Physical Realm (A)
According to L. A. Allen, “Delegation is entrusting
responsibility and authority and establishing lines
of accountability” (quoted in Total Church Growth,
Vol. 1, 1-2). The Book of Exodus reveals the
enormous load that Moses carried as he led the
Israelites through the wilderness. (See Exodus
18:13-26.)
Up to this point, the people of Israel had
experienced deliverance from Egypt and the
bondage of Pharaoh. God had taken them through
the Red Sea on dry ground, fed them manna from
heaven, and enabled them to be victorious over the
Amalekites. Now, they were camped next to Mount
Sinai. After all these accomplishments, Moses’
leadership was stymied by his determination to
handle all the work himself. He was settling
disputes and counseling people from morning to
evening until his father-in-law, Jethro, pulled him
aside and advised him to delegate the workload.
II. The Physical Realm (A)
It is interesting that after he delegated various
responsibilities to others, Moses had a great
encounter with God and received the Ten
Commandments. What Moses had been doing was
both important and urgent, but someone else could
better accomplish these tasks so Moses could seek
God.
II. The Physical Realm (A)
B. Qualifications for Leaders
II. The Physical Realm (B)
Leaders should not only be called of God but also
meet certain qualifications in order for the Lord to
use them effectively. The greater the position of
trust and influence, the more stringent the
qualifications should be.
II. The Physical Realm (B)
“The universal church has the authority to
recognize God’s calling upon a person, to ascertain
his qualifications, to send him forth into the
ministry, to evaluate his subsequent teachings and
actions, to ask for a report of his activities, to
recommend a course of action, and to establish
standards for continual fellowship. (See Acts 13:23; 21:17-26; I Timothy 1:19-20; 3:1-7; III John 912.)” (J. T. Pugh, The Forward, January, 1993.)
II. The Physical Realm (B)
Apostolic leaders receive divine authority only as
they submit themselves to authority. One reason for
the outstanding characteristics of Christ’s ministry
was that the people listened to Him and recognized
that He spoke with authority (Matthew 7:29). How
was Jesus able to do this? The centurion revealed
the key: he understood that a person who is under
authority could exercise authority (Matthew 8:8-9).
II. The Physical Realm (B)
The Book of Acts clearly defines qualifications for
leaders in the church:
1. Have an Honest Report. For God to use us, it is
essential that we be honest and trustworthy.
Certainly, a person in leadership should be credible
so that people find it easy to follow him. One who
aspires to a leadership position need not think he
can fill that role without the trust of others.
When Fred Phillips, retired public-safety director
and police chief of Johnson City, Tennessee, was a
regular police officer, he and his partner pulled
over an unlicensed motorist. They asked the man to
follow them to the police station. While en route,
they spotted a North Carolina vehicle whose
license plate and driver matched the description in
an all-points bulletin. The officers took off in a
high-speed chase, and finally stopped the wanted
man’s car. Minutes later, as the felon was being
arrested, the unlicensed motorist drove up. “If y’all
will just tell me how to get to the station, I’ll wait
for you there,” he said. “I’m having a time trying to
keep up with you.”
II. The Physical Realm (B)
2. Be Full of the Holy Ghost. One of the first
characteristics the disciples were to look for in
leaders was that they be full of the Holy Ghost.
Certainly, that is important since the Holy Spirit
would provide unity among the leaders. Writing to
young pastor Timothy, Paul provided him with
some other practical qualities that should be in a
church leader.
II. The Physical Realm (B)
“Likewise must the deacons be grave, not
doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy
of filthy lucre; holding the mystery of the faith in a
pure conscience. And let these also first be proved;
then let them use the office of a deacon, being
found blameless. Even so must their wives be
grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling
their children and their own houses well” (I
Timothy 3:8-12).
II. The Physical Realm (B)
3. Be Full of Wisdom. Wisdom is necessary to
minister in the kingdom of God. Ministry requires
the knowledge that comes from faithfulness to the
house of God and from the study of His Word.
Pastor F. Joe Ellis noted: “It is estimated that a
person who has gone to church faithfully, from
ages eighteen to forty, has been exposed to
approximately 4,000 hours of preaching and
teaching.
II. The Physical Realm (B)
II. The Physical Realm (B)
The same person could have received a bachelor’s
degree in college with approximately 1,800 hours
in the classroom. For a master’s degree, it would
be 3,150 hours. But for 4,000 hours of training, he
could receive a doctorate” (The Forward, April
1992). What wisdom we find in the Word of God!
II. The Physical Realm (B)
According to Solomon, the fear of God is the
beginning of wisdom, defined as “the ability to
discern what is true or right.” The English word
has both moral implications, discerning what is
right, and intellectual implications, discerning what
is true.
Ministry
in
the
Physical
III. Ministry in the Physical
Realm Is Necessary
Jesus clearly stated that ministry of spiritual things
was closely related to the ministering of physical
needs within the community. (See Matthew 25:4145.) When we use the word love in association with
God, we also find an accompanying action. We
should consider the words of John 3:16 in light of
this principle: “For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16, italics
added for emphasis).
III.God’s
Ministry
in the He
Physical
love is demonstrative.
does not merely
say, “I love you,” but He proves it with His actions.
The love of God is living and active, tangible and
easily recognized. When God pours out His love,
action always accompanies it.
III.God’s
Ministry
theus toPhysical
love within in
us calls
loving service. Jesus
equates our acts of kindness on behalf of those in
need around us as acts of kindness given to Him:
“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to
one of the least of these, ye did it not to me”
(Matthew 25:45).
III.Renowned
Ministry
inauthor
theA.Physical
Christian
W. Tozer made this
observation: “Before the judgment seat of Christ my
service will be judged not by how much I have done
but by how much I could have done! In God’s sight,
my giving is measured not by how much I have
given but how much I have left after I made my gift
. . . not by its size is my gift judged, but by how
much of me there is in it. No man gives at all until
he has given all! No man gives anything acceptable
to God until he has first given himself in love and
sacrifice” (A. W. Tozer, Renewed).
III.Jesus
Ministry
in ofthe
used the images
sheepPhysical
and goats to describe
two different groups of people based on how well
they served those who were in need around them.
He said that the sheep were those who saw the
needy and responded to their needs with acts of
loving service. On the other hand, the goats were
those who saw the same needs but failed to act to
alleviate the suffering they witnessed. As a result of
their decisions, each was given what was due—to
the sheep was given great reward; to the goats a
harsh judgment.
III.AsMinistry
in out
theof the
Physical
a man was coming
church service, the
preacher was standing at the door as he always did
to shake hands. Grabbing the man by the hand and
pulling him aside, the pastor said, “You need to join
the army of the Lord!” The guy replied, “What do
you mean? I’m saved! I’m already in the army of the
Lord, Pastor.” The pastor questioned, “How come I
don’t see you except at Easter, Mother’s Day, and
Christmas?” He whispered back, “I’m in the secret
service.”
A. Visiting Prisoners
III. Ministry in the Physical
(A)
Spending time
behind the walls and fences of
correctional facilities are millions of men and
women whom society has locked away because of
their crimes. Each one of them has a soul for whom
Jesus died when He went to the cross. In Jesus’
first sermon, He specifically cited those in prison
as some of those whom He had come to save (Luke
4:18).
III. Ministry in the Physical
The mission(A)
of the church is not to secure their
release from the physical prison of stone and
barbed wire, but to deliver them from their spiritual
prison of sin, guilt, and desperation. Without Jesus
Christ, the prisoner has no hope. While the prisoner
cannot reverse his crime, God will forgive it when
he obeys the gospel message.
B. Visiting the Sick
III. Ministry in the Physical
(B) many of the hospitals and
Throughout America,
healthcare systems bear the names of religious
groups. Although various large corporations may
now own them, these names reflect a time when
churches took quite literally Jesus’ commandment
to care for the sick and the dying.
III. Ministry in the Physical
(B) prophet asked the rhetorical
The Old Testament
question, “Is there no balm in Gilead . . . ?”
(Jeremiah 8:22). God intended the church to be a
place of healing and recovery. Jesus’ death included
provision for physical, emotional, and spiritual
healing. The prophet Isaiah declared, “But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was
upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”
(Isaiah 53:5).
III.
C. Caring for the Widows
Ministry
in the Physical
and Fatherless
(C)
The role of both a husband and a father is to protect
and provide for his family. When he deprives his
family of that support, God has mandated that the
church care for them. In modern society where
government plays such a large role in providing a
social safety net, the church may feel that it no
longer has a part to play. However, the needs of
widows and children with single or no parents go far
beyond medical care, food, and shelter. Indeed, the
church should reach out to assure that those who are
most vulnerable in our communities are never left
out or forgotten.
III.
D. Giving to the Needs
Ministry
in the Physical
of the Poor
(D)
Someone taunted a young boy in the ghetto by
saying, “If God loves you, why doesn’t He take
care of you? Why doesn’t God tell someone to
bring you shoes and a warm coat and better food?”
The young boy thought for a moment and then,
with tears starting in his eyes, said, “I guess He
does tell somebody, but somebody forgets.”
III. Ministry in the Physical
(D)
God places many people along our paths to help,
and He has chosen us to be the answer to alleviate
much of the suffering around us. God will call us to
account for those opportunities—offering us
blessing or judgment based on how we respond.
Certainly, God will judge us based on our loving
service.
E. Being Hospitable
III. Ministry in the Physical
Hospitality has almost become a lost art in our day
(E)
of fast food restaurants and hotels, but it still plays
an important part in ministry. When a new family
visits the church, the ministry of hospitality should
motivate believers to invite them either to a church
member’s home or to a local restaurant for a meal.
Moreover, the ministry of hospitality should cause
us to reach to someone who is ill or bedridden, or
to a family who has recently lost a loved one.
Certainly, these acts of caring speak more loudly
than words.
III.
F. Serving through the
Ministry
in of
theHelps
Physical
Ministry
(E)
God does not call everyone to preach or to sing, but
many other opportunities are available for one to
give of himself through the ministry of helps.
Cooking meals, maintaining the church facilities,
driving a Sunday school bus, or printing a
newsletter are examples of ways in which someone
may minister to the needs in the church.
III.
G. Sharing Craftsmanship
Ministry
in
the
Physical
Skills
(G)
Just as God may give a musician great talents to use
for Him, He may also entrust someone else with
other talents. Sewing, woodworking, construction,
artwork, and computer skills are just a few of the
many talents of craftsmanship that a person could
dedicate to the purpose of God’s kingdom. (See
Exodus 31:3.)
Reflections
The work of the church could never be a one-man
show. It takes the efforts of many people with
various talents working together to affect their
world with the gospel. Moreover, every Christian
has a ministry and a calling to use his abilities and
talents for the glory of God. When a church utilizes
these various ministries, the work of God reaches
its fullest potential.
Reflections
Those who serve in the church should be spiritual,
wise, and willing to minister to others. When they
serve others, they also are serving Jesus Christ.