Table Service | Disruptive Presence 25

In which John and David explore how the apostles navigate a difficult tension inside the new church. Racial tensions abound for the young community as they attempt to live out the justice of Jesus. Their solutions are innovative, creative and worth paying attention to.

Episode 78 of the Two Texts Podcast | Disruptive Presence 25

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Transcript

Transcript autogenerated by Descript.com 

[00:00:00] John: Well, David, we are back and I have to say hello. This is a podcast and people hear our voices. I can see your lovely face and the the beard is looking magnificent. David, you're, you're, you really are a connoisseur of the beards. I, I can't grow a beard for love their money, and even if it could, I'm not sure my beloved would want one, but that beard looking magnificent, David, well dancer, 

[00:01:12] David: Well, we're heading into winter season here in Canada, so it's when the male of the species tries to, tries to stay warm in whatever way God has allowed. 

[00:01:23] John: Well, I, I, I'm suggesting not only you, but others could stay warm in that beard. It's marvelous. Well done, sir. It's looking good. And, and your, your, your throat is a bit better. You get, last time we, we podcast that you were struggling a little bit. 

[00:01:36] David: Yes, absolutely. I'm, I'm hoping that, that, that there was only, there was only one week of gravelly voiced podcasts, . So, so it's good to be back with you somewhat in more functional form. 

[00:01:47] John: It is, it's fabulous. And last time we left the disciples in the temple going from house to house teaching, preaching, and by implication, the church growing and expanding. It had another run in with the San Hadron and had come out the other end. And everything we've observed up to this moment, David has been external pressure. 

[00:02:10] If the church is coming, Any serious what looks like pressure or persecution or fracture, it seems to be stuff coming at them from the outside. But as we move into chapter six we've got a bit of an internal moment here, which sheds a little bit of light on the fact that even though this church is growing and increasing and expanding under our miracles and signs and wonders, they still are not without their problems and difficulties. 

[00:02:38] So, so you're gonna read the first. Seven verses fours of X, chapter six, and we'll, we'll kick into that conversation. See where we go. 

[00:02:46] David: Absolutely. Absolutely. So here we are from verse one of chapter six. 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 12 gathered all the disciples together and. 

[00:03:10] 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. 

[00:03:32] This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Also Philip pcos, Nien, Timone, Parmenas, and Nicholas 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. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. 

[00:04:08] John: Mm. So, so this is, this is our first sort of moment of pressure internally that we're coming across in the church. I'm sure there have been other moments, but at least on the record, we, we've had a little bit of a, a moment with Anna Na and Sia, but that's a sort of an. Different type of conversation, internal conversation. 

[00:04:28] But here we have now potential. I mean, you could almost look at this as there's a potential fracture point here. Around the management of resources and the distribution of the, those resources to different widow communities that are represented within the church, the Herre community and the Hellenistic community. 

[00:04:52] And, and we've got a moment here that needs to be addressed, don't we? And, and, and I love that the Book of Acts doesn't hide a moment like this. I think there's a lot to be learned from a moment like, 

[00:05:03] David: Well, it's interesting that it's, it's, it's a race issue as well, isn't it? An ethnicity issue that, that he exposes you so clearly that, that there's this divide happening between, between the, the Hellenistic J These are, these are. People who have converted to Judaism more likely, or at very least, have not been in Israel for the entirety of, of their life. 

[00:05:28] So, so, but fascinating. Again, just a little side note that there's still, this is, the church is still made up of Jews at this point. Just, just Jews from different parts in different, in different communities, but, but the exposure of acts. I think one of the things I love about Acts, no, no coverups here. 

[00:05:45] Here's what was going on. Because there seems to be no challenge that I can see. From Acts that this is not true. So 

[00:05:56] John: Yeah. 
 

[00:05:57] David: they were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So it's not like, it's not like it says, the Hellenistic Jews felt like they were being. Overlooked. Right. So, so we've, we've talked, and I think it's worth talking about this cuz you and I have talked about this incredible sharing that's going on, this incredible, passing on of issues of, of, of property in order to fund the apostles. 

[00:06:20] But, think of the scandal of this here. And Luke now comes out and says, people, if you stitch the story together, John, people were selling property, giving it to the apostles to. Good things with it. And, people were sharing amongst their own communities, but actually they, they, they weren't administering that overly well, 

[00:06:43] They were, they were administering it unequally. 

[00:06:47] John: Indeed. Indeed it is. And and there's some threads that come together. Don't, we don't there because we, we've already had these beautiful phrases like chapter two. They had all things in common. We've lent into that idea, chapter four, no needy persons among them. So, we've had two statements already of, of how the church is taken care of its community in that sense. 

[00:07:09] Chapter six, of course there's a little, a gorgeous. Paradox in, in the first verse there that you've got the daily distribution of food. I mean, that's a pretty spectacular idea. So, so it shows, it leans into your idea that the apostles were in fact using the resources in order to feed the poor or those who were struggling. 

[00:07:32] So, so the issue wasn't that they weren't using the resources cuz there's a daily distribution of food going on here. But somehow, for one reason or another, the administration of those resources is not being fairly distributed. And Luke seems to suggest to us that this is fundamentally not just a language issue, but a racial issue. 

[00:07:55] And we. The first significant racial tension conversation within the book of X, and interestingly, it's a racial tension within even a Jewish identity within the church. So both, both are from Jewish backgrounds, and yet we've got a differentiation of those who've never left. RMA speaking, perhaps Hebrew understanding, and then those who have either been part of the dispersity or have been converted in a Greek context, Greek speaking, maybe feeling because of the language issue, a little bit isolated. 

[00:08:37] In that context as well. But there's definitely, there's definitely strong racial overtones here in the con and the way even it's, it's phrased, had Luke just wanted to brush over the racial stuff, he just could have said, they were feeding widows every day in some widows. Felt they weren't being looked after very well, but he literally does call it, doesn't he? 

[00:08:58] He literally calls it out and he wants us to, to, to see that even with the spirit filled, more miracles and you can wa a stick at community sort of thing. We've still got the everyday problems of the heart and of society that are impacting the Ecclesia in this church. 

[00:09:16] David: And I think it's interesting that the problem is a very practical one, right? People are not being fed properly and. There's a tendency in sometimes how people have read this passage to see the apostles as sort of moving this into second territory, right? Like we are doing the word of God and prayer, so we need somebody else to deal with making sure everybody's fed. 

[00:09:46] But I think that's the wrong way to read this passage, cuz what I feel when I read this is, Somebody offers a complaint, we don't know the extent of the complaint. It just is overlooked. Right? So, so, maybe it's as extreme as people are starving. Maybe it's just unfair distribution, it's hard to tell for sure. 

[00:10:06] The 12 gathered all the disciples. I mean that's quite a meeting 

[00:10:11] John: Yep. 
 

[00:10:11] David: if you think about it. That's quite a meeting that you've got all the apostles and all the disciples together. So that immediately, to me speaks of this is being taken very seriously. I. This and, and then it's, we have our calling to work out, but we're not willing to let this continue. 

[00:10:31] So I would just encourage anyone reading this text not to read it as, Hey, we are doing the important stuff and we need some other people to do this stuff. That doesn't matter. But actually to take this thing and say, this is so important we're, we are making sure that it actually gets done without also impacting the, the, the church basically grows its leadership structure in order to do the work that it needs to do. 

[00:10:57] I think that's quite an important observation. 

[00:11:00] John: Yes. , I, I, I would totally agree with that. I think often this has been read in a way that throws a, a bad light onto the apostles. It's almost like some have interpreted this as the apostles don't wanna be bothered with the distribution of sandwiches, for example. And it's not my job to pick out which brand of coffee we're gonna have, et cetera, et cetera. 

[00:11:21] But. I, I totally agree with you. I think the way they act, the way they react to this grumbling, murmuring complaint, and it's a strong, strong word, that idea of that grumbling that's connected to the being overlooked there. Within that, it, it's interesting. I did a little, little check on the complaining grumbling word . 

[00:11:45] David: gomas , it's a  

[00:11:47] John: Goose Moss,  

[00:11:48] David: let's, yeah, it's, it's a 

[00:11:51] John: It's a, it's a, it's a mouthful of a word, isn't it? Absolutely. And, and it's interesting in, in the context of the use of that word in deception. Again, it's, it's connected to the grumbling against Moses and the wilderness in, in Exodus 16, so, so, It's not that I don't think Dr. Luke is comparing that to this, but, but I think the use of that word shows the seriousness of this moment. 

[00:12:17] This is not just, Hey, we haven't, we haven't had our dessert today. I think this is a serious moment. Were a level of complaint that being overlooked as being brought. And in fact, the apostles are reacting really quickly, really strongly to the complaint. There's no hanging around here. They move very, very, very, very quickly to try and resolve this and, and create almost a community context, the community forum to, to solve this, by calling the disciples together and ultimately saying to them, right. 

[00:12:52] You guys go and find the right sort of people who can fix this stuff for us allowing us to focus and concentrate on the issues that are going to continue to help lead the church forward. So I, I would definitely say it is a positive reaction by the apostles, not some sort of flippant backhanded, we can't be bothered with this. 

[00:13:12] Grab some guys and sort it out sort of conversation. I think it's a serious level complaint that needs to be address. 

[00:13:19] David: And, and also I, I noticed just the, the complaint like that, that word gomas, it's, , it's really, it's captured me. Maybe it's just the time in the morning that we're recording at, but I'm trying to think about how how many of our listeners could try and fit that as a word into the day, right. 

[00:13:38] and but. But the complaint is directed to the he Jews at some level. So the English translations have it, the Hellenistic Jews amongst them complained against the Hebraic Jews. So, you get this image in your head of, they come to the apostles and say, Hey, apostles, we don't think the food's been fairly distributed here. 

[00:14:02] John: Hmm. 
 

[00:14:02] David: The Greek is a little more vague than that, that it actually has, The Hellenistic disciples complained to words or to the Hebrew ones, so there's also this possibility. It's, this isn't because the word gomas often tends to refer, it's not used very much as you say. But it seems to be that, like you say that that kind of slightly internal grumbling and so is this, that the apostles have just overheard this. 

[00:14:32] This might not be a delegation that has come to them. This might, they just start to be aware there's grumbling in the camp for whatever, to use your image of, of of mos and, and Aaron and, and everything like that. So, so you've potentially got the apostles actually acting quite quickly here to solve a problem. 

[00:14:51] Not that's come to them, but they, they're aware of if that, if that follows. 

[00:14:56] John: Yeah, I, I think that's beautiful. I, I mean, and, and I think that then actually adds way to the conversation that the apostles are taken as super seriously. 

[00:15:05] So if this is a, if this is a complaint towards, other, other sections of the church rather than toward the a parcel. 

[00:15:15] Then they're, they're picking that conversation up and deciding, we, we've gotta do something, we've gotta move on this. 

[00:15:21] We can't allow this sort of grumbling to become a fracture within the community. So, so I love that idea and, and I do think that's there, and I think then that, that allows us to perhaps command and celebrate the actions of the apostles much more vigorously rather than feeling. They're palming this off to somebody else to fix. 

[00:15:45] They've actually taken the initiative and have responded very, very quickly and decisively to the problem. They're not running away from it. They've, they've called the disciples together to fix this. And so love that idea. I, I think that really fits well, works well, sort of within. 

[00:16:06] David: And I think it's fascinating that they clearly, and, and hopefully shouldn't be too fascinating in terms of the journey we've been on with act, but they clearly see this as an important role. It's clearly something that needs to be done and, and I, I would often. When I read this bit of act six, reflect on, how many of us, not just pastors, but, but people that go to church, would prioritize all the word of God in prayer and see the kind of justice work of the church. 

[00:16:37] John: Mm 
 

[00:16:38] David: Because there's a daily distribution of food because people are reliant on the church. I mean, think about the levels of reliance on the church community that are just being alluded to here, and the disciples, they're not willing to drop that. So, it would not be right for us in the neglected ministry of the word, in order to wait on tables. 

[00:16:57] Again, we, just to keep doubling down this thought, we've tended to read that as word of God, you. Is the top thing in reality. Okay. We've also gotta wait on tables. The point here seems the implication seems to be here is we, we have to wait on tables, . That is, that's not an optional for us. That is something we must do. 

[00:17:17] The question is how are we going to do it without neglecting the ministry of the word That, so we prioritize the pursuit of sometimes when we talk about it as justice, I also like to think about it as shalom. We've talked about this in this, in this age, we are prioritizing the wholeness and the equality and the mutual love. 

[00:17:39] All these things are, are going to be prioritized by this church. Difference and distance are, are, are being brought away, but we need to be able to do this without sidelining the word of God. 

[00:17:54] John: Yeah. 
 

[00:17:55] David: I I, and maybe I'm, I'm re hanging too much on just the way I'm looking at the text, John, but it strikes me as fascinating that the, let me try and say this more clearly. 

[00:18:06] What I'm saying is that the implication is we're definitely not going to drop the work of justice in Shalom. We need to make sure that we. Keep ahold of the word of God in that process. And my feeling in most of my modern church experience is, it's exactly the other way around. That the thing that's at risk of being dropped is, is our, is our witness to the community of a of  

[00:18:28] John: Yeah.  

[00:18:29] David: of a wholeness and a togetherness. 

[00:18:32] Help me out, John. I feel like I'm maybe just murking the waters 

[00:18:35] John: no, no. Yeah. That, that came across very clearly. And, and I think the level of their seriousness I know we're probably jumping ahead a little bit, but the level of their seriousness is in the caliber of the people they're gonna get, full of the spirit and of wisdom. So the people that they, they're saying, they're not telling. The community who to pick. They're not, they're not even telling them sort of how many to pick in that regard. The recommendation is pick seven. And there's probably a good sense of understanding why that is, but they're not, they're not telling them any other detail other than people full of the spirit and of wisdom. 

[00:19:17] David: Yes. No table waiting experience is required. 

[00:19:20] John: Absolutely that, that's it. And, and you realize, hold on a minute, the, this means the apostles really recognize this as a. Fundamental ministry in the life of the church. If this, forgive my language, if this was just distributing sandwiches then, then you'd be looking for people who have brilliant administrative gifts and how to organize stuff. 

[00:19:46] That would be, that would be the type of person you're finding. Find seven people like that. Who can run Excel sheets and, and, and, administrate and, and do less and organize people, but actually they say no. No. Find people that are full of the spirit and wisdom. I love this. I love this elevation of this ministry. 

[00:20:08] This is not, this is not a sidelining of the distribution of food and the work as you've described it as justice and compassion and mercy. This is an elevation of that ministry. And in fact, I love the fact that they're empowering the community. 

[00:20:25] David: Mm-hmm. 

[00:20:26] John: To be part of the solution. They're not just saying, Hey, we, we had a meeting and we've come up with an idea, so here's what we're gonna do. 

[00:20:32] Now they go, look, we've clearly got a challenge here. So, so we want you fully involved because we know that if you are fully involved in the solution and this solution's gonna last, it's not just gonna be something imposed on you, it's gonna be something you'll buy into. So again, at at the level of both involving the disciples, And then describing the type of person they want. 

[00:20:56] This is another nudge, a significant nudge to the elevation of this ministry. Not in any way to the sideline and of this ministry. It we we're almost reading it opposite to how many people will choose to read it. 

[00:21:09] David: and that I can't take credit for this observation. This is from my friend and colleague, Phil. But he, he taught in this, this text actually earlier this year at my church, and, and he pointed something out that is so. Blindingly obvious that I was deeply ashamed that I'd never noticed it before, but I'm just gonna confess it here. 

[00:21:31] And so that people, people know my confessions. But, but what's fascinating is, so the Hebraic Jews have a comp our. Not distributing the food fairly. So the Hellenistic Jews, so that's your Greek Jews complain about this to 12. Gather everyone together exactly as you've said. They say, listen, why don't you choose seven people? 

[00:21:59] Here's our specs. Full of the spirit and of wisdom. We're turning this respons. Over to you. We are gonna keep doing what we know God's called us to do, but we think you can solve this problem. Now, on a first level, that's not how most church leaders solve problems, , right? And, and, and doesn't this verse subtly release anyone leading in church to have all the answers themselves, right? 

[00:22:22] It's just actually, you you, you, here's what we need, this proposal then Acts six, five, please. The whole. Right. So they chose seven people. But this is what my friend Phil pointed out to me that I just, it's so obvious and, and even people who don't read Greek and spot it, Stephanos, is the first one. 

[00:22:42] And then we have Philip Pro pcos, Nick Canor, Timone Parmenas Nicholas from Antioch. They're all Greek names. . And, and, and so, So think about this, the, the he Jews have been accused of, of overlooking, right? So all by the Greek Jews, all of the, all of the Christian Jews gather together and go, how are we gonna solve that? 

[00:23:11] The apostles say to all of them, you. You pick people who can make sure we, we share food equally. And the Hebrew Jews pick no one They hand the entire responsibility over the people who have been marginalized. Right. And they, and it's not, it's, it's in the text but not explicit in the text. But they essentially, they. 

[00:23:34] I'm reading between the lines here, but I think you can see this. They don't take any picks themselves. They say, now you choose 'em all right. Now what an amazing moment. They essentially, they essentially open themselves wide open to the possibility that they get completely overlooked now,  

[00:23:49] John: Yes.  
 

[00:23:49] David: what my friend Phil said was, How often do we fail to do this in the life of the church where we have marginalized someone that happens all the time to groups of people? 

[00:24:02] It's not right, but it just has happened over history. But invariably, it's the majority or the powerful people who say, and we'll now solve it for you, but what would it be like to hand the keys over, to brothers and sisters in the faith who have been sidelined for one reason or another, and say, we are implicit, implicit in this is sorry that this has happened, right? 

[00:24:25] And now we give you the keys and say, you lead us forward in a way that makes sure this doesn't happen again. And I think it's, I think it's beautiful work of the Holy Spirit. 

[00:24:37] John: it's a stunning thing. And those, those seven. Greek names that represent a shift. So, so you've got a very I mean, you could say a very Jerusalem centric world up to this point. This is about the change. Of course, ironically, one of these seven people is going to be involved in the mother of all sermon. 

[00:24:59] That's going to drop a serious hand grenade into all of this stuff, and we'll, we'll probably have to spend about a gazillion podcasts on Stephen Sermon coming up. And of course, after Stephen sermon, it's, it's less Jerusalem centric and we get a much more gentle trajectory to the conversation. But of course, this represents a massive shift. 

[00:25:25] That you've got, everything up to this point has been directed by what we might say are he Jews? Now, the, this crucial ministry is being handed over to Hellenistic Jews who've become followers of Jesus. So it's a remarkable, courageous strategic step which, Represents. I think both humility and courage. 

[00:25:51] The humility to say we don't have all the answers, so we need your help to find the answer to this. I think the Apostles show a remarkable courage and humility in saying we don't have the answers. I think they also show remarkable humility and courage by going, actually the seven names you put on this list, that that's really. 

[00:26:10] This is, this is gonna work. And we, we not only sort of give a nod from a distance, but, but we'll lay our hands on these people and ensure they're able to operate in full authority. So you've, you've got community endorsement of the seven, and then you've got apostolic. Affirmation and endorsement of the seven. 

[00:26:29] So this isn't, this isn't just seven Greeks getting in sort of under the radar. This is, this is absolutely front and center. This is a radical moment of shift and it shows humility and courage at both a leadership and community level, which, which. We often, rarely see in our, in our journeys together. 

[00:26:51] But my goodness, it's a, it's a marvelous and remarkable moment. 

[00:26:55] David: And I think. Is one of these pieces. Again, if you're tracking with our whole series where you see the, the spirit doing what the spirit has been doing, asking, asking people to keep stepping out in faith, to keep trusting, faith and trust. Same word in Greek, to keep trusting that the spirit will, will guide and do. 

[00:27:18] The right things in people. I, I just think it's a beautiful, a, a beautiful moment for, for the church of, of, of the spirit working in them, which again, is fascinating because Luke, I think, is so confident that you see that's what's going on. He doesn't even talk about this as the spirit guided them in sort of this, it's as if they just now are, are, are on those tracks and they're working it out. 

[00:27:42] I, I want to, John, just, it, it, it seems at the minute that every single episode I have just one complaint about translation and so, so this, here's my complaint about translation. And I think it's an important little complaint. I understand again, why the translators do it. It would be not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word. 

[00:28:02] So, in verse in verse two, It would, it would not be right for us to neglect the, the ministry of the word in order to wait on tables. Right. The word to wait on tables is, is this word excuse me. The, the, the excuse me, John, while the, the throat issues from previous podcast return Diaconal, which is where we get the word deacon from. 

[00:28:23] DNOs. It means to serve, it be not it, not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word in order to, they've translated weight on tables in order to serve at tables, right? But what I love is in verse. Four. It says, we will return this responsibility over to them and we will give our attention to prayer and to the ministry of the word. 

[00:28:46] But in Luke's Greek, it's the same word, right? It's, it's this, this Diacon word once again. So I love the fact that in Luke's Greek, both groups of. That are actually in the Ministry of serving, which again, to, to my point from earlier, draws the whole passage together again. And, and just, I just get a little bugged that that translators almost obscure that slightly, that really what's going on here is the early church leaders saying, we are called to serve people. 

[00:29:19] We're called to serve people in different ways, but it's all part of serving the. 

[00:29:26] And I get, I say it slightly because this, a lot of church structures these days haven't used all of this language. We've moved away from it a little bit. But one of the reasons that it always kinda upsets me at some level is that we talk about church structure of elders and pastors and deacons, and there's the impression often that a deacon is just a not very good. 

[00:29:52] Elder , and, and so, so deacons are, the lower rung and then the really good ones are the elders. But what Acts does here is points out that everybody's in the ministry of serving. 

[00:30:05] John: Yes, 
 

[00:30:06] David: I have a friend who's a bishop, and he says this to me, he says, the thing that everybody forgets in the service of the church, he said is that the most important role is the deacon, right? 

[00:30:15] Because that, that that person has the title service in their name and in, and in some of the Episcopalian and Anglican traditions, you sort of start as a deacon. Then you become a priest and then you become a bishop. And my friend Bishop says this, he said, what you have to understand is we're all deacons really. 

[00:30:32] He says, priests are just slightly better dressed deacons. And he says, and bishops are just overdressed priests, 

[00:30:40] John: Yes,  
 

[00:30:42] David: But all of them serve as their primary role, 

[00:30:45] you  
 

[00:30:45] John: Absolutely. Absolutely. And, and years and years and years ago, a a, a great man of God, when I was a young man in Bible school, one said to me, he said, son, you must never lose the smell of sheep off your clothes. And. Actually that is such a powerful reminder that everything we do, whatever our label is about serving the flock, isn't it? 

[00:31:09] So whether my serving of the flock gives me the privilege of standing up in front of that flock with the Bible open, and they graciously and, and, and wonderfully allow me to speak to them for 30 to 40 minutes or whatever or whether, whether that's serving of the flock. Is the food bank or the closed distribution center, or helping those who are in need by visiting the broken and by, going to the places that sit on the margins. 

[00:31:39] This is all service and, and, and I think this saturates this idea. That there's a, even within that, David, there's a lovely little for me there was a lovely little sort of reminder in that, it says we, that, that's the apostles verse four. Now in the prayer and the ministry of the word will Stead, Fastly continue. 

[00:32:01] And there's a, I think there's a lovely little nod there to Acts 2 42 where we're actually, it says of the whole community. 

[00:32:10] David: Yes. 
 

[00:32:11] John: Stead Fastly continued in what? In the Apostles Doctrine Fellowship. And we know fellowship, we've talked about this much more than just meeting together in church. This was the sharing of one another, the sharing of something common to help the breaking of bread, which could, could point there to absolutely breaking bread in the eucharistic sense, but it could also mean the sharing of bread in homes. 

[00:32:36] And then these, this prayer. And there's this lovely, it's, it's almost like X six is an attempt to recalibrate to ensure that we're continuing steadfastly in the stuff that's going to help the church function and, and operate properly within that. And, and I just, I love that connection to service and that steadfast commit to those ideas that that seem to be, we we're reminded of, again, in xx. 

[00:33:03] David: Well, this, this word's super exciting. I, I'm so happy. You, you, you mentioned this, this pro car, right? Is is the word. Right? So the, so the believers in act 2 42 are, are pro car to each other, right? In the ministry that they're called to, here we have the apostles saying we must be prosero to the word. 

[00:33:25] What's really interesting is in Acts chapter, And I think this is just brilliantly subtle by Luke, but in Acts eight, verse 13, we have the story of Simon, right? And of course Simon is, looks like a believer, but he has the wrong motives and it's interesting that he is described as pros Car Ter to Phillip. 

[00:33:50] And it's really interesting. It's the only time that that you see this word attached to the wrong thing, right? And it's almost, I wonder sometimes, but just a subtlety of Luke, maybe we talk about this when we get to r h, but just a subtlety of Luke pointing out, make sure your pro ter to the right thing, the community and the word. 

[00:34:10] Not the individual. I mean that could take us off on a huge tangent, but it's interesting that Luke, I think he is intentionally using that word, this idea of just a firm grasp on the right thing. 

[00:34:22] John: Yes, yes, completely. And, and, and what, what looks like a story about sandwiches and, a bit of racial tension actually then becomes this amazing teaching opportunity of recalibration. The, the apostles are saying we've got to continue to serve by steadfastly, committing ourselves to word in prayer, but we can't neglect the work we've also committed ourselves to, which is part of fellowship and breaking of bread and standing with one another and the distribution of these resources. 

[00:34:58] And, and you end up with something a, a reminder of something quite powerful and quite dynamic sort of within the context of. Beautiful, beautiful passage. So it, it, it really is, it really is a standout story in so many regards around that. 

[00:35:15] David: and, and I love almost endorsing our position, I suppose. Sort of supporting what we're trying to say is verse seven. So the word of God spread. 

[00:35:26] John: Mm. 
 

[00:35:26] David: But I think this, again, is beautiful from acts. It's not that the word of God spread simply because. Peter was able to focus better on his Bible study. 

[00:35:39] It's that, that all of this service was happening and the, is the, the word of God spread because the church was able to be the church. And, and I think that's, I think that's really powerful. 

[00:35:51] John: And, and there is a suggestion even within there, David, that in terms of the, the large number of priests becoming obedient, I, I, I read one reflection on this that suggested that actually, the lower ranks of the priesthood, Numbered thousands of people, many of whom you know, wouldn't have financial status, wouldn't, wouldn't actually be that well off, wouldn't get the benefits of the cream at the top of the cake. 

[00:36:18] And actually it could be leaning into your conversation. There are that many of these priests are responding not just because of the word spoken, but because of the word practiced. Because actually, Benefiting from the generosity and kindness of this Ecclesia as they distribute food and look after the poor. 

[00:36:39] And, and so it, it's interesting that Luke mentions the priest specifically in the context of the distribution of resource. And it could be that that's a link. There's a, an unspoken link to the, to maybe the lower echelons of priesthood service and those who would've perhaps been economically struggling or even disadvantaged through that are now responding to the generosity of the church and how, how those resources are being distributed. 

[00:37:06] David: Well, I was in a conversation just this week, John, and it just prompted me to perhaps as we, as we can just land that aspect of the conversation in John chapter 17. Jesus is praying to the father in John chapter 17, verse 22 and 23. So Jesus prays and famous most. Most people that I've spent any time in John's gospel will recognize some of this language. 

[00:37:28] Jesus prays that they, this is for disciples, that they may be one as we are one. So he's saying to the Father, pray that the disciples are one as Jesus and the Father are one I in them and you in me. But then he says this so that they may be brought to complete unity. Which is a beautiful thought, right? 

[00:37:51] So that the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you love me. And, and notice this sense that Jesus is praying for the church to have unity, but one, but, but the reason that he's praying for the church to have unity is because that is what's gonna tell the world. 

[00:38:11] That God loves them. 

[00:38:12] So, so if, if we forget that, sometimes Act six just becomes a nice story about how, about how the church solved a difficult problem. But I think that that little comment. So the word of God spread is, is is the symbiotic relationship that you see in acts between preaching and behavior and unity. 

[00:38:33] Really what you were saying, it's even drawing the priests into this. But I just wonder if you'd be comfortable with that notion that really what Luke is showing us at the end of, of our passage here today is exactly what Jesus has prayed for. That the unity of the church will tell the world that God loves. 

[00:38:51] John: for sure.