Acts 6:1-7

 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.  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.  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.” 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.  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.

The young church in Jerusalem is growing quickly and is becoming a target for the religious leaders as well as the enemy of the Lord, Satan.  There is persecution that is coming from outside the church and now problems begin to arise from within the church.  Satan will do all he can do distract and destroy the church, its members, and especially it leadership.  Every group of people will have difficulties especially when there is exponential growth occurring.  It is important that these difficulties be handled with expediency and grace.  Problems cannot be ignored but we must be careful not to allow them to take over all our efforts.  This is an important balance to strike.

THE CREATION OF CONFLICT: The early days of the church were marked by massive growth in the number of believers.  There are always “growing pains” when there is quick growth.  One of the ways the enemy tries to derail that growth is through personal conflict.  There was an early conflict in the church because the widows of Hellenistic Jews seemed to be suffering from discrimination in the food distribution.  Hellenistic Jews were those who had learned to speak Greek and to a certain extent had assimilated into Greek culture.  In its early days, the church was predominately if not exclusively Jewish.  However, Jesus made it clear that the Gospel was for all nations.  There is not room for discrimination within the church.  The complaint was a legitimate concern and if left unchecked, could have had an adverse effect on the church.  There was clearly a problem.  However, it is important to remember that it is dangerous to begin judging the motives of leaders and others in the face of a problem.  It would be wrong to assume that the motive behind this problem was prejudice amongst the apostles.  It seems this was more of a structural problem than a sin problem.  Conflict is fertile ground for mistrust that leads to division.  Never presume we know “why” a certain problem exists.  Focus on the problem and the solutions without questioning the motives that we have no way of genuinely knowing.

THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER: When people are upset about a physical problem, it is easy for us to rush to the most obvious solution.  A group of the apostles could have started overseeing the food distribution process ensuring that it would be done with equity.  However, they understood that this would become a distraction from their priority which was prayer and the study and proclamation of Scripture.  They clearly understood their priorities and the fact that they were dependent upon the Lord to accomplish the mission they had been given.  Prayer was the power behind their preaching, their serving, witnessing, healing, and courageous living.  There could be nothing that would distract them from that priority in their lives.  It seems like prayer has become an afterthought or a last resort in the lives of many believers.  Perhaps that is one of the reasons that there is such a lack of power in the lives of many believers.  Our insistence upon doing things as opposed to asking God to do things leaves believers and churches anemic and powerless to transform the lives of men, communities, and nations.  We must return to the priority of prayer and the preaching of God’s Word as opposed to sharing the wisdom of men.

THE SOLUTION OF SERVICE: One of the main functions of leadership is delegation.  The apostles recognized that they should not add to their responsibilities, but they also realized that the problem needed to be solved.  The solution was the selection of deacons who could see to the physical needs of the people.  A voting process was established, and seven men were set aside for this purpose.  By the names that were chosen, it appears to be a mixture of ethnicities were in the group.  Both the Hebraic and Hellenistic Jews were represented in the leaders who were chosen to serve in this manner.  Most problems that arise in the church can be solved with members of the body stepping up to serve.  When people are willing to serve one another out of love and with grace, the body of Christ functions in a way that gives a great testimony to all who observe.  When we perceive a problem, God may be calling us to serve to solve it.  He also may be showing us that we need help, and it is time to delegate some functions to others.  As we become members of the body of Christ, we are called to serve one another and edify His church. 

APPLICATION: In times of conflict be sure to focus on the real issue and don’t try to judge our guess motives.  Know that there is no place for discrimination in the body of Christ.  Prayer and the study of God’s Word is a priority in the life of a leader.  The power and wisdom to resolve conflicts comes from prayer, not man’s wisdom or work.  Delegate as much as is possible to involve people in the work of the body of Christ.