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April 11, 2010

From Crisis to Opportunity (Acts 6:1-7)

by Rev. Jeremiah Cheung

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Acts 6:1 tells us that the church encountered complaining. Complaining is a frightening thing. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they wandered there for 40 years. Six hundred thousand able-bodied men died in the wilderness because of grumbling and complaining. Complaining is like a contagious disease. When someone starts to complain, someone will surely follow suit. One turns into ten, ten turn into hundreds. When the church is full of complaining, division will eventually happen. Acts 6:1 records the first time the problem of complaining came up in the early church. However, Acts chapter 6:7 tells us there was a good outcome – the word of God spread, the number of disciples increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. At the start, there was complaining, but in the end there was good news. Initially, there was a crisis but it was turned into an opportunity. What happened in between? Let us use three “one’s” to study this – one problem, one proposal, one outcome.

I. One Problem

Verse 1 “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” This was a problem that occurred in the early church. Was this a good or bad situation? The number of disciples was increasing, as a result some people became neglected. This was a good situation. Every church has problems, people are problem-makers. The early church shared everything together, they even ate together and so they encountered problems regarding food distribution – the Grecian Jews complained to the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. What kind of a problem was this?

1. This was a Problem of Fairness

In the daily distribution of food, their widows were being overlooked. This does not mean that their widows were totally not supplied with food, but they were not supplied daily. They distributed daily, but the Grecians widows were overlooked, this is called unfairness.

2. This was a Problem of Culture

The Grecian Jews complained to the Hebraic Jews. They were all Jews, but there were some who spoke Greek, and some who spoke Hebrew. The Grecian Jews were the younger generation, they spoke the popular language of that time, Greek. The Hebraic Jews were the older generation, they spoke their native language. Just like our young people today in the Philippines – the older generation speaks Fookienese, while the younger one speaks a combination of several languages. This was a problem of culture.

II. One Proposal v. 2-4

With their proposal, the apostles sought to resolve the problem at hand. When there is a problem, do not face it with fear because there is always a solution. But did you notice a bit of a problem in verses 1 and 2? Verse 1 “In those days, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” Verse 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.’ ” Did you notice that the answer was not the right one for the question! If the disciples had said, “We all belong to the Lord, we must love one another. Do not quarrel because of food. Don’t forget to give more attention to the widows’ needs”, it would have been a more reasonable answer. But the apostles said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.”

I think the situation had been like this: When a problem occurred, they, of course, asked the apostles to resolve it. They went and asked Peter because he was the big brother. While Peter was praying to prepare for his message, suddenly someone knocked on the door and asked him to go and resolve the problem. Peter ,of course, went. When Peter arrived, they must not have dared quarrel. But before long, after Peter left, they would have problems again. Then, they would go again to Peter, and Peter would go again, and the problem would get solved once more. But before long, another problem would come up, so, Peter goes again. So, Peter realized that this was not right. So he called the apostles and told them, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, 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.” What is this called? This is called division of labor.

There are two things we must take note of:

1. Co-workers must learn division of labor

No matter how skilled or talented you are, how much can you do? Even Moses admitted he couldn’t do everything alone. Do you think you are better or more gifted than Moses? Co-workers, we must learn division of labor. I have already served the Lord in the Philippines for 22 years. I understand that it is easier and more convenient to work alone. It is such a hassle to have to work with many people; even calling a simple meeting is a major problem, but how long can you last doing everything alone? It is very inconvenient at the beginning when we divide up our work, but in the long run, it will be a blessing, the church will be able to have more far-reaching accomplishments.

2. Co-workers must dare to put forth our requirements

We must divide up the work, but to whom do we give the work? The apostle said, “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.” The apostles were not careless, they set a standard – those who were to serve in food distribution had to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. If not, they were not qualified to serve. Sometimes, we make the mistake of allowing anybody to serve just because we are short of hands. As leaders, we must dare to issue certain requirements – those who are not willing to comply will not become good co-workers.

III. One Outcome

Verse 6 “They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.” This is called delegation. Those men then represented the apostles in managing the church. Just as I was ordained senior pastor by the Lord, in turn, I appoint the pastors, deacons, so that we may work together hand in hand in managing the affairs of the church. In verse 7 we saw an outcome, this outcome had three aspects. 1. The word of God spread 2. The number of disciples increased rapidly 3. Large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

1. The Word of God Spread

Why did the word of God spread? Because the apostles could now truly focus on prayer and the ministry of the word. They had more time to prepare for their messages. As pastors, we must be allowed to focus on the more important matters. Let the first thing be the first thing, that the Word of God may spread.

2. The Number of Disciples Increased Rapidly

Why was there an increase in the number of disciples? Do you think growth would have happened during the time the Grecian Jews were complaining against the Hebraic Jews? Everything prospers when there is harmony in the home. When there is disharmony in the home, how can there be prosperity? Now that they were reconciled and mutual love existed, people started to be drawn in. Love draws people in. Do you want to see the disciples increase in the church? Bring out your love! Love has a strong drawing power. When the church has love, the number of disciples will naturally increase.

3. A Large Number of Priests became Obedient to the Faith

The priests had their own religious dogma, they were Judaists, therefore, it was not an easy matter for them to come to believe that Jesus is the Christ. But after the seven deacons came out to serve, even the priests became obedient to the faith. Why? After the addition of the seven deacons, the leadership strata improved. Dr. John Maxwell said, “The rise and fall of everything is on leadership.” Success depends on leadership, do not assume that it is organization or method, it is the element of leadership. Without a good leader, the best organization and the best methods can become the worst organization or methods. People are the most important element. Co-workers, training up believers is our principal task; as long as there are good coworkers, any crisis can be turned into a great opportunity.

April 11, 2010