Intro:

Acts 4:32-34

³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them.

Wouldn’t you agree that this is a church body that is pretty healthy? From these verses it doesn’t quite seem that anyone has had a bad experience in the church.  This new Spirit-filled community is riding high, and those that were apart and joined in – they joined something pretty special, no real sense of anything negative for them yet.

Would you go somewhere honest with one another this morning?  I was moved when I saw a Pastor ask the congregation to raise their hands of they have had a bad or many bad experiences in the church.  If you have had a negative or painful experience within the church – would you raise your hand?  Would you raise your hand so we can see how many people that are here could not speak Acts 4 as their own experiences in the church?

If you have not, unfortunately, give us time. Acts 4, the early church has had a few good months but by the time we get to Acts 6, the honeymoon is over and reality hits this church.  And, I would say ride the few months you can have, but unfortunately just like in Acts, we too cannot avoid the obvious – we have issues as a church.

Look to your neighbor and say: “you have issues” – and then say right back to them: “you have them too”

The goal isn’t to NOT have issues, but rather, it might be to acknowledge them and work toward health – addressing them and finding freedom and healing from them.

2017, there was a pop song that I think the chorus sums up the reality of the church… remember, the church is us – a people… and while this song was written about a general relationship – it has some profound truth in it for us.  Julia Michaels in her song Issues, says:

Issues Song Lyrics:

'Cause I got issues
But you got 'em too
So give 'em all to me
And I'll give mine to you
Bask in the glory
Of all our problems
'Cause we got the kind of love
It takes to solve 'em

• Julia Michaels, Issues

We all have issues; this church has issues…. The church always has issues.

You have joined a church with issues!  If you are visiting, welcome, we have issues!  If you are considering joining us – please do, bring your issues and join them to ours… because we are a church with issues!

We have seen earlier that one of the first issues in the church was dishonesty and deception… issues of sin.  What we’re going to see today, however, is that some issues in the church come as a result of growth.

As a church expands and takes new territory for the Gospel, it’s going to experience its share of growing pains, discipleship firsts, and yes, family issues.

Turn to Acts 6, as we read about the family issues the church in Jerusalem was having.

Text:

Acts 6:1-7

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² 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. ³ Brothers and sisters, 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 ⁴ and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

⁵ 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. ⁶ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

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.

Sermon Body:

I want you to note how this section begins and ends… the issue is right in the middle and we will dive into it next, but notice that what leads into these issues is

• “the number of disciples was increasing” in verse 1.
• And then, after they dealt with the issue we read in verse 7, “The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith”

See this, the church is growing, an issue arises, it is dealt with, and the church keeps growing.  Do you need any more motivation to look at this issue?  What it is that has happened as a result of growth and led to more growth?

I want to look through this text in smaller sections and after we do, there will be some clear application for all of us… so we can allow this text to be a “This is Us” call…

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

• When Acts begins Jesus has a meager 120 followers. It’s a small, rural, primarily underground church that’s making no real dent in Jerusalem. By Acts 5 the church has exploded. We know from the end of Acts 4 there were at least 10,000 to 15,000 believers. And according to verse 1, the church is still growing. But in any movement or organization growth causes certain pinch points.

• During this time of growth, the church started getting some complaints from a group called the Hellenists.

• “Hellenists” mean the Greek-speaking believers. The Greek believers are complaining that the Hebrew widows are receiving special treatment. That the Greek widows are being neglected. Just to be clear, the surface level problem is food, but the underlying problem is prejudice.

• Realize that when you hear “Hellenists” you’re talking about people who are Jews by birth but who have fully embraced Greek culture. Or Greeks who have converted to Judaism and are now following Jesus. This means they’re all in with Greek language, Greek dress, Greek politics. The Hebraic Jews would have been seen the Hellenist Jews as traitors. There were natural tensions between these two groups. These were cultural and language issues. They were there before they accepted Jesus, and these tensions have made their way into the church.

• Cultural problem between these groups, but also, it is not a insignificant point that the issues surrounds widows.

• We will see throughout Acts and the New testament a constant question around what from the Old Covenant remains and what goes… in fact, the next few sermons will address these kinds of questions… so while diet and surgery (circumcision) will find a change in the new covenant, - this story shows us something that will remain:

• Simply put God’s call to care for the economically and socially vulnerable remains. You cannot read the message of the Bible and not see the consistent all on the people of God to care for, make a priority, and sacrifice for the Widow, the Orphan, the Stanger, and the Poor.

• God’s heart and call begins in the Pentateuch, affirmed throughout the prophets, embedded in the words and ministry of Jesus, and now they are showing up in the first moments of the church…

• Social reality to faith. Responsibility of the people of God to have the heart of God – which should take us to protective, radical, and redemptive ways to care for and advocate care for these groups… which is why I would argue at minimum issues of adoption and immigration matter for the followers of Jesus.  Not because they are political – but because they are Biblical. 

• So, we have a cultural conflict, and a social conflict – both conflicts in the church and both conflicts that Jesus has taught – so the Apostles knew these issues matter. So, what did they do?

(2) 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.

• The 12 are not saying waiting on tables is unimportant, quite the contrary

• As a church grows and changes, it’s structures must also grow and change and this new problem allows for such a change

• We will later see more in the NT about the church being a body (1 Corinthians), and this moment we start to see that the mission of the church has roles for all to play

• See here, some to do the ministry of the Word and Service (waiting on tables), and in the next verses we will see the Ministry of Prayer.

• Verse 2 does not dismiss the issue, it takes it seriously that the function of the church expands and we begin to see that the church is not a spectator sport – but rather a team sport, there are multiple parts of being the church… preaching, prayer, and serving

 (3-4) Brothers and sisters, 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.”

• As a response to the growing needs of the church, they select members of the church who love God, who are sensitive to God’s leading, full of character, and wise, and they delegate this responsibility to them. The team sport is starting to shape

• They are assigned to a job, not an office. While this has a structural reality, it is about addressing the needs of the widows here.  And it is very strategic as to who they chose for the work, lets read the next 2 verses:

(5-6) 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.

• The Team:

• What’s interesting about this list is that all seven names given here are Greek names. Do you remember who was upset? The Greek widows. Now, if the Greek widows thought they were being mistreated by the Hebrews and to solve the problem you gave the responsibility to the Hebrews do you think the Greeks are now going to feel cared for? No, it would just create greater tension.

• What they did here was incredibly wise. Both Hebrews and Greeks were part of the solution. The answer is never just to separate from the people who are different from you. But they gave the authority for the solution to the Greeks. They chose leaders who represented the concerns and needs of the people.

• Story: Pastor Lian, a Myanmar Immigrant church pastor this week in class. This refugee community was settled near Chicago about 10 years ago.  He now has a church that is growing.  He is such an amazing pastor – he is. A pastor because of the verbs in pastoring and not the noun.  It is not about him… and while I have much I could share I was struck with how “on his own” he is.  Real needs for these Christians… how do I buy a car, how do I call the police, how do I navigate a new language and new country – cultural and social problems… and I wonder about how much more impact could be had if an existing church heard their needs, empowered them with the resources to address the needs, and “grow” the church of Jesus as a result.

• Let’s take a note, when social needs and cultural issues arise in the church, we need those closest and most familiar with the need to lead the effort.

• They were empowered to solve this NOT investigate the need, to see if it was worthy of addressing. There was action because they knew the heart of God for this group of widows/

(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.

• It seems as if the Spirit was pleased with how they addressed these issues… and as a result, the church keeps growing…
• What might this mean for us today?

Application:

A I have studied this text, I found it interesting that there were two very major themes emphasized as to the meaning for today. The first one was that this is about the leadership of the church.  Some citing that this text makes a clear call for those who preach to focus on that and not spent time on administrative things.  Along this line, it was presented that in these verses we find the structure of the church and some foreshadowing to deacons. Pastor Mathew last week quipped that this was the church of Jerusalem’s Ministry Council.  I imagine that some of you would even read into verse 5 and “that it pleased the whole group” to be a proof text from some kind of Congregational approval that helps frame church polity.  I do not disagree with these claims, I can see clearly in some of them make great sense. But- one perspective is that these verses are addressing an Administrative issue.

The other perspective speaks more to the relational aspect of the text.  It looks at the cultural realities, and doesn’t simply find a way to address an administrative problem, but rather, these verses show what and how life is to be shared in this new family - the church.  That this issue is one that churches still face today – and when a group of people from different cultures, lives, and experiences come together into a new family – and all the issues that arise – how do we deal with each other and be the people God made us to be. 

Administrative or Relational?  Both… but I sense here at LAC today we should lean more deeply into this text and ask the Word of God to shape us in our Family Issues…

But briefly, let me pull out a couple of thoughts on the “Administrative” parts of this text:

1. Missional not Structural

I do not see in these verses a case for an ongoing church structure. You can’t claim a formal congregational church polity from these verses. Rather, I see how a church structured to address a need that would possibly compromise their mission.  And the Mission seems to include in these verses at least 3 things:

• Ministry of the Word
• Ministry of Prayer
• Ministry of Service

All of these are for the mission.  All of them matter and all of them need attention from the followers of Jesus in the church…but notice, that there seems to be a deeper and more descriptive call to those people because I read that we have….

2. Servanthood not Leadership

This text does not used the word deaconate – this is not a formal leadership office here… but more dynamic and reactive in nature…

More of a verb than a noun… servanthood.

Servanthood is the heart of the people of God and the mission of the church… it is so serious that we read that they were commissioned for the work of serving… prayed for by the laying on of hands… we do this… you do this… we serve together…which is another aspect of the Administration side of these passages:

3. Everyone Has a Role

When everyone serves, everyone wins. More ministry is done, better ministry is done, and more people come to know Jesus.

Your role in this family?  I want to stay here, it is pressing for us… but honestly, this relational application is MORE pressing I sense…

As this comes to an end, I pray that what I will say becomes the beginning for many of us today:

Take note of the POSTURE in this church family

Posture: Speaking

The safety and freedom for these women to speak up is crazy.  As someone with great privilege, I can only intellectually see this reality.  A vulnerable group, being slighted was able to share their experience in the church. 

YOUR BAD EXPERIENCE?  Likely connected to this.  Proved to not be a space you could be your true self and share your story and pain, or you never felt secure enough in the body of the church to risk… your need and your experience wasn’t allowed in or held with honor and care…

Posture Listening

Not only could the widows speak up, the church listened.  They heard them, they were present with them.  They gave their words power and heard their experience and pain.  Yes, they get to solving, but before solving, they had a community in which the leadership listened… in which the barrios of gender, power, and culture were down enough to be heard…

Posture: Trusting

This was a church with trust…No proof needed, experience was taken at face-value.  Speaking and Listening without trust and belief is simply being polite.  Trust is the deep act of respect that says you are sharing, I am listening, and I trust your words.

Lake Ave Church, I have to stop right here.  Do you hear me, speaking and listening is just being polite?  Can I say that one of our issues is simply that – being polite.  Being polite is not even the goal – were not done, but we will never get to a deeper place as a church, and I pray grow as a church, if we cannot even speak and listen to each other.

There are important lessons here for us – a convicting call for many in this room… listen to your brother and sister from another culture, race, economic class – allow them to speak, to lead, listen to them and TRUST them and their words and experience.  Stop asking for them to prove themselves, their experience – lets them speak, listen to your brother and sister, and the evidence of if we can trust one another is:

Posture: Addressing

Can we get people working on addressing the needs?  Spiritual leadership decided to address and solve the problem.  This is what I have signed up for… being part of the Spiritual Leadership of Lake Avenue Church – that doesn’t simply focus on the structure of the church, or a=the identity in our polity, or the formal things we are “supposed” to do… no, it was Ray Ortlund who said,

• "I refuse to be an ordinary pastor! I refuse to pastor an ordinary church!"

Ordinary church looks like the culture around them… no different.  And if you have not gotten the memo, the world around us would not trust the experiences and stories of those who are different.  Social realities, cultural differences – all used to divide, all connected to mistrust and dismissal… and sadly, still often times around the issues and stories of the widow, orphan, stranger (immigrant), and the poor…

We have a chance to be extraordinary… and it seems like if we can grow in our posture – we have a shot. 

Lake, let’s get to serving – no overdrawn process here, there are needs here… let’s get some folks on them and get them addressed.  Let’s talk, listen, and trust – and get going. We have a mission to fulfill!

The Bible tells us that the gates of hell will not prevail and the Church of Jesus will triumph …. Yet, the small c-church will never fulfill God’s full intent without obedience as we have seen in Acts 6… so LAC, be assured the big C-church will prevail, but as a small c-church we got issues… and I sense God saying to us:

So give 'em all to me
And I'll give mine to you
Bask in the glory
Of all our problems
'Cause we got the kind of love
It takes to solve 'em