Sermon Idea: A healthy church shares the work of ministry so that neither the Word of God nor the people of God are neglected.
Introduction: God delivered Israel out of Egypt and brought them across the Red Sea, but he did so by the hand of Moses. It was Moses who demanded that Pharaoh let the Israelites go, and it was Moses whose staff was raised as the Red Sea parted. When Israel saw the mighty works of God, they also saw Moses.
It is no wonder, then, that Israel would pursue Moses’ time to understand God’s statutes and laws. If there was a need, Moses was the man the people went to, and Moses took the time to minister to them. The problem was that there were a lot of people and only one Moses.
He would sit and listen to the people from morning until evening. Jethro, his Father-in-Law, took note of this and was not only troubled by it but also offered counsel in light of it.
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice…look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.” (Ex 18:17–23)
The burden of ministry is too heavy to rest on the shoulders of one man. Jethroe’s advice was wise. Moses maintains leadership, but his leadership will be shared by qualified and competent men who will serve over a particular number of people.
The vision of ministry taught in the Bible is a shared ministry.
In Acts 6, we see this vision of ministry continue into the early church in response to a problem that arises within the Jerusalem church. The Hellenistic widows were being neglected and were not being adequately cared for. The apostles receive this complaint not as a trivial matter unworthy of their concern, but as a serious matter worthy of a careful response.
What I want to do this morning is provide three reasons ministry should be shared (points 1, 2, and 4) and speak to the importance of sharing ministry wisely (point 3).
As we do so, I hope to teach us that a healthy church shares the work of ministry so that neither the Word of God nor the people of God are neglected.
I.) Share the work of ministry because the needs are significant (Acts 6:1)
The first reason churches should share the work of ministry is becasue the needs are significant. As the church has grown in number, so have the needs of the congregation.
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. (Ac 6:1)
Hellenistic Jews were those who spoke Greek and were culturally distinct from the Hebrew/Aramaic-speaking Jews. The complaint is that the widows of the Greek-speaking Jews were being neglected in their benevolent ministry of food distribution. To ignore the needs of widows is a serious matter in both the Old and New Testaments.
17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. (Is 1:17)
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (Jas 1:27)
This is a pivotal moment in the life of this early church. Responding poorly to these issues would not only weaken the church’s health but also harm its witness for growth. Our church will only be as healthy as the care we give to our most vulnerable members.
This is why we have two references to growth that bookend the conflict.
Vs. 1, “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number…”
Vs. 7, “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied…” (Ac 6:7)
Matt Smethurst sums it up well, “…Luke structures the story to make it plain: the joy of verse 7 rarely comes without the work of verses 2-6. Indeed, how our churches react to conflict can make all the difference in whether our gospel witness is obstructed or accelerated. Acts 6 is a story of church conflict handled well.”
How is it handled? They encourage the church to identify seven high-character men to see to the need. Given the significance of this need and the necessity to preach the gospel, others must help share the load.
In our context, widows are not as dependent on the church as they were in the first century, but we should still see that they are cared for. One of our sisters testified just this past Wednesday evening about how a member of our church checked on her and, while there, discovered a gas leak. She is not dependent on us as a widow in the first century, but it is good to see to their needs.
Beyond that, given Waldo’s size, there will be more spiritual and physical needs than one man can bear. Pastors, deacons, and church members are all meant to share the load of ministry respectively in a way that God has prescribed in His Word.
There is a reason why there is no example in the New Testament of a church led by a single pastor. The church is to be led by a plurality of pastors/elders/overseers who oversee the spiritual needs of the congregation.
There is a reason why the New Testament prescribed a plurality of deacons to serve churches. The physical needs of the congregation will be too significant for one man.
There is a reason why a primary task of elders in the life of the church is to “… equip the saints for the work of ministry.” (Ephesians 4:12)
Ministry is to be shared becasue the needs are too significant to rest on the shoulders of one person or one group of people. There are the spiritual needs of the congregation, which are met through the ministry of the Word of God, and then there are the physical needs of the congregation, which are met through time, labor, benevolence, and other means.
A healthy church shares the work of ministry so that neither the Word of God nor the people of God are neglected.
II.) Share the work of ministry because the Word and prayer are central (Acts 6:2-4, 7)
If the complaint reached the apostles, why didn’t they address this need themselves? They are the ones being asked, they know the situation, and they have the ability. Surely, they can handle the daily distribution of food to these widows.
They can meet this need, but they shouldn’t, at least not on their own. Why? Because the Word of God and prayer are central to the church’s health and growth.
2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. (Ac 6:2–4)
At this particular time, this is especially important because it is so early. The most important thing for the apostles to do is to preach the Word of the gospel, so that they can bear witness that Jesus is the Christ. This is God’s plan for church growth. He is saving sinners and building his church through the proclamation of the Word of God.
If the apostles stop to see to this need themselves, it won’t allow them the time needed to preach the Word and spend time in prayer. This has nothing to do with the apostles being above caring for widows. Far from it. It is about the centrality of the Word of God in God’s redemptive work.
These apostles demonstrate good leadership by delegating an important ministry, allowing them to devote themselves to the ministry Jesus called them to.
There is a vast difference between apostles and pastors, but what is similar is their devotion to the ministry of the Word of God.
13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Ti 4:13–16)
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Ti 4:1–2)
This is the ministry to which pastors are called. We are to be men who immerse themselves in the ministry of the Word and prayer. There is a great danger in being a busy pastor. We don’t need busy pastors. We need devoted ones—those who embrace the life of stillness, contemplation, prayer, and studying the Word. We want pastors who spend time in communion with God, preparing to minister to the communion of saints.
For this to happen, deacons and church members must help shoulder the burden of ministry. Pastors cannot tend to the Word and counsel the flock if they’re overwhelmed with administration, facilities, or even minor conflicts that don’t require pastoral intervention.
It is worth quoting Smethurst again, “…a church whose ministers are chained to the tyranny of the urgent, which so often shows up in ‘tangible problems’—is a church removing its heart to strengthen its arm. It’s a kind of slow-motion suicide.”
Deacons and church members bless the pastor and protect the church when they believe in the centrality of the Word and prayer, and then do all they can to ensure he can be devoted to it.
We are to share ministry becasue the needs are significant and the Word is central, but we are to do so wisely because character matters.
III.) Share the work of ministry wisely because character matters. (Acts 6:3, 5-6)
3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
The seriousness with which the apostles approach this problem is evident in the emphasis on qualification. Not any old body will do, but those of good repute, full of the Spirit, and or of wisdom. Just as Jethro instructed Moses to find men of high character to share the burden of ministry, so the apostles asked the church to find men of high character to assure these widows were cared for.
Those whom the church chooses are men filled with the Spirit and qualified to meet the needs of the widows. It’s also worth noting that scholars tell us these are Greek names. They not only find qualified men, but those from among the Hellenists themselves.
5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. (Ac 6:5)
Here we have a designated group of people, set apart to serve the church after the laying on of hands and prayer. These men will assist the apostles to serve the church, so they can be free to devote themselves to the Word of God and prayer.
You can see why many have read this passage as the origin or beginning of the office of deacon. This has been a prominent interpretation throughout church history, dating back to the second century.
Even those who may not see a direct correlation admit, “Acts 6 does provide a paradigm that seems to have been continued in the early church.” – Benjamin Merkle
What we see here in seed form in Acts 6 grows into a full bloom later in Acts and the epistles with the teaching on elders and deacons. God has given the church two offices to share the burden of ministry. These offices are distinct from one another and have particular functions related to their specific roles. We see both offices listed together in Philippians 1:1.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons (Php 1:1)
Pastors/Elders/Overseers are those whom God sets apart to lead the church in the ministry of the Word, shepherding, and prayer. They are the leaders becasue the church takes its direction from the Word. That is why, in 1 Timothy 3, a qualification for an elder is the ability to teach.
Deacons are those whom God has set apart to serve the church in practical matters, so that the elders are free to teach and shepherd. Deacons do not have the qualifications to teach, and so, by definition, they are not the leaders of the local church. They do lead, but they lead by serving the congregation based on the physical and practical needs present in the church.
God institutes both of these offices for the good of the church, and both should be viewed with reverence and gratitude. They are not in the same office, and so they do not have the same function.
Healthy churches have both qualified elders and deacons, along with members who understand their distinct biblical roles. If these offices become confused or treated as the same, we risk weakening the church’s health and the ability to ensure that neither the Word of God nor the people of God are neglected.
In light of Acts 6, how might deacons serve the church today?
- Deacons serve the church by meeting the practical needs of the church.
By being aware of the practical needs of the church, deacons not only serve members but also the pastors.
In the game of football, one of the most critical positions on the team is the offensive line. They block the defenders and protect the quarterback, allowing him the necessary time to do his job. When the offensive line is poor, your quarterback’s play is going to suffer. In 2002, David Carr was sacked an all-time high 76 times in one season. That is nearly 5 times a game. That year, the Houston Texans went 4-12 and were in last place in their division.
This is why Matt Smethurst calls godly deacons who serve well the offensive line of the church. They protect pastors from being overwhelmed by practical needs, so that they can faithfully execute their role as shepherds of the flock throughout the Word and prayer.
- Deacons serve by seeking to preserve the unity and peace of the church.
Notice that those being neglected were Hellenist widows. That is, they are Greek-speaking Jews. The language barrier contributed to their neglect, but one can only imagine how this difference could lead to division and disunity. By faithfully attending to this need, these servants preserved the peace of the congregation.
Deacons similarly serve the church. Deacons can look out for potentially divisive situations and gently seek resolution by offering a solution to any problems that may arise. This problem was easy to solve; it simply required godly, qualified men who would give themselves to that need. Deacons can be a godsend to local churches through service, so that no one falls between the ministerial cracks.
Deacons can further preserve the unity of the church by their voice and example.
“You don’t want people serving as deacons who are unhappy with your church. The deacons should never be the ones who complain the loudest or jar the church with their actions and attitudes. Quite the opposite. The deacons should be mufflers or shock absorbers.” – Mark Dever
- Deacons serve by supporting the pastors and assisting them in executing their vision for the church.
As servants of the church, godly deacons assist in the ministry of the church by supporting and helping to execute the vision of the pastors. That is, there will be a variety of needs that arise to accomplish the church’s ministry, and deacons come alongside pastors as they seek to fulfill that ministry.
When it comes to specific ways deacons serve, we need to allow for flexibility based on the church’s individual needs. Deacons should serve the church according to its needs.
IV.) Share the work of ministry because church membership matters (Acts 6:3, 5)
A church is not only healthy because of its offices—elders and deacons—but because of its members. There is a subtle, but essential part of this decision-making process. The servants are chosen and affirmed by the members of the church.
3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. (Ac 6:3)
5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, (Ac 6:4–5)
This is one of many texts that reinforce the idea that it is the congregation under the Lordship of Jesus Christ that serves as the governing body of a local church. The apostles don’t choose the servants here, but the church does.
Church membership should be meaningful because it is a responsibility given to us by God to serve as a final court of appeals regarding doctrine, leadership, and membership.
It is the church that serves as the final court of appeal in Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 regarding matters of church discipline. It is the church, according to Paul, that has the authority to recognize the true gospel and curse even an angel who preaches a false gospel. It is the church in 2 Corinthians 2 that, by a vote of a majority, brings a repentant member back into membership.
Local churches are supposed to be elder-led, deacon served, and congregationally governed.
To be a healthy church that shares ministry as God intended, it must have a high view of the church offices and a high view of membership.
Application
- View your church membership as a vital part of Christian discipleship.
- Pray for God to give his church qualified elders and continue to give his church qualified deacons.
- Embrace and love the biblical model of shared ministry: Elders lead, deacons serve, the congregation governs under the Lordship of Christ.
Nathaniel R. Martin 