WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:01.120 Good morning. 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:06.639 Today's reading is from Acts chapter 6, verses 1 through 7. 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:18.719 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. 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:26.960 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. 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:37.359 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:41.119 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:44.000 And what they said pleased the whole gathering. 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:59.679 And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Niconor, and Tymon and Parmonas, and Nikolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:04.959 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:15.599 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests came or became obedient to the faith. 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:17.040 This is the word of the Lord. 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:18.719 Thanks be to God. 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:24.000 Good morning. 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:26.000 Thanks for joining us this morning. 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:27.359 My name's James Rathburn. 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:29.760 I'm the pastor here at Redemption Church Denver. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:33.920 Uh before we pray and jump into this, this is uh I'm not sick. 00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:37.920 That's not entirely true, but I'm the l less sick than I have been for the past like month. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.680 And it's not Easter, and I want to talk about my new pulpit. 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:50.000 So I after high school, I worked with a family friend who's a furniture maker back in Florida. 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:55.359 And uh he makes beautiful furniture, like world-class furniture maker. 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:56.640 And I I followed him around. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:01.519 He's like a mad scientist, and I would follow him around and keep notes of what he wanted me to not forget. 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:04.879 And that was basically the extent of my job, as well as vacuuming. 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:09.680 And uh we've we've maintained a friendship since then. 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:17.599 Uh he's flown out here once and um I got to help bring some furniture that he made for a house that somebody was building in Telluride. 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:18.960 Got to install those sorts of things. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:29.840 Anyway, um he uh uh his name's Doug Jewell, and uh we commissioned him to make a pulpit for our church, and you can see it from where you're sitting. 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:31.599 The um final product of that. 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:36.159 Now I've heard several people say it looks like the the bow of a ship. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:37.680 Yes, it does. 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:40.000 That's exactly what I was hoping for. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:43.599 We'd gone back and forth texting drawings and things to each other. 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:55.120 Um so uh uh there was a time in our church's history where I was reading Moby Dick for the first time, and if you listen through some old sermons, you can tell the time that was because I quote it in every sermon. 00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:13.599 And this uh there's a chapter early on in Moby Dick before they set sail, uh, in which uh they go to a uh chapel um on Nantucket, and uh the uh preacher, Father Maple, preaches from a pulpit that is the prow of a ship. 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:15.759 Prow is like the front of a ship. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:20.800 And uh there's a whole chapter in in that book about the pulpit. 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:23.280 And that that chapter concludes with this. 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:26.639 This is actually engraved on the back of the pulpit, just for me. 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:32.000 Uh but you can come, you should, after the service, you should come and look, uh you should come look at it. 00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:34.159 You'll be you'll be glad you did. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:39.039 Um so this is what it says that I loved and I I found so inspiring. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:41.919 It says, What could be more full of meaning? 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:45.919 For the pulpit is ever this earth's foremost part. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:48.240 All the rest comes in its rear. 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:50.400 The pulpit leads the world. 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:57.120 From thence it is the storm of God's quick wrath is first descried, and the bow must bear the earliest brunt. 00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:02.400 From thence it is the god of breezes, fair or foul, is first invoked for favorable winds. 00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:08.639 Yes, the world's a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete, and the pulpit is its prow. 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:11.199 Isn't that so cool? 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:17.279 If you're a preacher, that like really does something to you, deep, at like a molecular level. 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:24.480 Uh so I my dream was to have a pulpit that was the prow of a ship, and dreams come true. 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:26.160 So here it is. 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:33.759 Plus, I can stand at the front of the pulpit and go like this, which I've also longed to do. 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:46.319 So uh actually there's a in in the second set of worship songs that we're singing, um, we're gonna be singing Celine Dion's near far, wherever you are. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:49.279 So we'll be singing. 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:55.199 Uh all right, so uh one more uh announcement real quick that I wanted to draw your attention to. 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:59.920 In two weeks, we have uh a um uh training for kids volunteers. 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:03.839 We need about six more volunteers in Redemption Kids. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:04.319 Thanks. 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:06.160 Uh now we need four more. 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:09.279 Um so uh in Redemption Kids. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:20.959 If we if we uh hit that six number, then all of the current Redemption Kids volunteers will be able to continue serving at a sustainable level, and you'll be able to join them and serve at a sustainable level as well. 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:28.639 Um it's uh so if uh you are uh a member of our church, this is a wonderful place to serve. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:36.399 Um and it's it's deeply beneficial for the whole congregation and especially our children in preparing them to be able to join us here. 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:44.160 And uh that's uh so yeah, check your check the calendar on the church's website and volunteer for that. 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:46.079 So we need six more. 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:52.319 So if you should think that's just you and five friends, so you can take care of this for us. 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:53.600 So that'd be great. 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:57.680 All right, let's pray and we'll enter into our text for the morning. 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:10.560 Holy Father, we praise you that we rest in your hands and that your covenant promises to us, they rest on the assurance of your word, the word of God. 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:32.480 You have no one higher than yourself by which you can swear, and you swear by yourself that you will remain faithful to us, that you will hold us and care for us, you will provide for us, that you will atone for our sins, and that you will see to it by the work that you have accomplished on our behalf and the applying of it to our to us by your Spirit, that we will live in glory with you eternally. 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:36.079 Lord, these are unthinkably great promises, and we praise you for them. 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:41.360 Father, lift up to you all the worship that is taking place to you across our city this morning. 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:47.279 Lord, we pray for the other churches that are gathered together now in worship of your name, that you would be glorified in it. 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:58.160 Lord, I pray that you would work effectively in the hearts of the people, hearts of the Christians in our city, Lord, that we might be a blessing to the city that you have placed us in, that your name might be great here. 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:12.079 Father, I pray especially for the prison in Sterling, who this morning uh is hosting a uh uh gathering for the prisoners there through the Kairos Ministry, of which several members of our church are able to be a part of. 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:21.360 Lord, I just pray that you would be effective there and that you would work in the hearts of the inmates and that they might receive just like fresh water in the desert your word, Lord. 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:29.600 And I pray that uh it would be effective and life-changing, Lord, as your gospel always is and as your word always is as it goes forth. 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:32.319 Lord, we pray those things for our church this morning. 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:41.680 Lord, we come in with all kinds of problems and difficulties that we're facing, but Lord, we know that we can bring these to you and that you are an ever-present help in times of trouble. 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:47.600 You are the one who holds us in your hands, and we pray that we would act in faith on those promises. 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:49.199 We lift that up in Jesus' name. 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:50.079 Amen. 00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:58.319 In 1773, William Cowper penned uh the great hymn, God Moves in Mysterious Ways. 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:01.920 And it has one of my favorite uh verses in it. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:05.920 It says, Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:12.240 The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head. 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:13.439 Isn't that good? 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:21.439 The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break with blessings on your head. 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:27.759 Today's text is about the occasion in which deacons were established in the church. 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:37.919 The church has two offices for the government of the church that are established by uh God in the scriptures, and these are the office of elder and deacon. 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:44.480 The office of elder is for the oversight of the church and the teaching and ministry of the word and sacraments within the church. 00:08:44.639 --> 00:09:01.440 The office of deacon is for the more physical needs, the practical needs of the church, giving to the poor, cultivating generosity within the church body, caring for members of the church generously, caring for the physical needs, church buildings, distribution of funds, that sort of thing. 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:10.240 And this is about the occasion in which these two perpetual offices in the church are established in the scriptures. 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:19.039 And what you what you'll see in this is that the the reason that the office of deacon is established is because the church encounters a problem. 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:24.080 And you might think these are two perpetual offices in the church. 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:33.679 They're necessary and glorious offices, that the Lord, and there are only two of them, and the Lord has established them for the care of his church. 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:45.440 Why did God structure things in such a way where he allowed the church to encounter a problem before establishing the office of deacon? 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:58.320 Why didn't he just preemptively, like right out of the gate, establish the office of deacon so that they wouldn't have had to experience the problems that came along with not having an office of deacon? 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:00.000 Why is it that God did it this way? 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:08.720 Perhaps right after the Great Commission, Jesus could have said, you know, go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:14.080 And to do that, I recommend two church offices, elder and deacon. 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:18.639 This will really help going forward, and you're not going to encounter some of the problems that you would have encountered. 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:19.679 No, he doesn't say that. 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:27.120 He establishes the apostles and their eldership role, but the office of deacon doesn't come until a problem arises within the church. 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:42.639 But I was reading uh John Calvin's commentary on this, and in answering that question, he says, why is it that God did why is it that God allowed them to encounter this problem before establishing the office of a deacon? 00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:45.279 He says, Well, because it's better that way. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:48.799 So there you go. 00:10:51.919 --> 00:11:00.320 So while we're looking at particularly at deacons this morning, I want us to see this underlying principle uh of the way that the Lord operates. 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:02.159 And it's right in that verse. 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:09.279 The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head. 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:11.200 You have problems. 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:13.919 You got you you have problems. 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:15.200 You got a problem? 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:16.399 You know? 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:18.960 I'll solve it. 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:21.360 Check out the hook. 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:24.240 Thanks. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:26.320 Just so I'm not alone in here. 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:31.840 It's the prow of a ship that harkens to the well, anyway. 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:34.320 So God uses problems. 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:38.159 You have problems, you came in with problems, and God uses those. 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:49.519 They are intentionally there, they are placed there so that God might provide his blessings through these problems in a better way than he could have if they weren't there. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:51.279 He intends them. 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:56.879 He intends them in order to demonstrate his glory and his mercy. 00:11:57.759 --> 00:12:04.159 The way that we ordinarily look at problems or receive problems that come into our life is by fear and dread. 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:10.799 They are coming over the horizon and we are afraid of them, and we live in a state of fear and dread. 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:14.080 But fear and dread has no place in the Christian life. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:27.600 Because we understand that the problems themselves are in the hand of the Lord, and we know that He promises to be with us in them and to care for us through them, and that even within the problems, He has blessing and mercy for us. 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:33.919 That is sort of the underlying principle that sh that is shown in this story of the establishing of the deacons. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:53.279 So as you consider your own problems, as you listen to this sermon, look at the way in which God solves the problems of the need for deacons and how he establishes those things, and how the apostles respond to the problem that they have in faith that the Lord will provide something more glorious that will continue to serve the church forever. 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:54.480 Take courage. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:58.080 The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy. 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:00.240 So first let's look at the problem. 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:02.240 Acts 6.1. 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:15.759 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. 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:31.600 Now, what we've seen so far with the church is uh uh pictures, repeated pictures of glorious growth, incredible growth in numbers, and glorious unity within that growth. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:36.240 So they're growing to these vast numbers and they are all in agreement with one another. 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:39.759 It's a beautiful picture of this time in the early church. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:41.600 And it and part of it makes sense. 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:47.279 Like, imagine if we had the guys that wrote the scriptures with us. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:51.120 And we could go to them and be like, could you, what do you think about this? 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:52.240 Or what did you mean here? 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:54.159 And they would just explain it to us. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:55.679 That would be great. 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:57.840 I think that would cultivate a lot of unity. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:03.600 There's a glorious blessing within this early part of the church's history that they were experiencing. 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:18.080 But what comes into that glorious blessing is amidst this growth, a complaint arises, and it arises by the Hellenists against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:28.960 One thing that I want us to notice is that there is no structure so sound that it will prevent problems. 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:32.720 So quit trying to make one. 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:40.960 There is no structure so sound that it will prevent the arrival of problems. 00:14:42.240 --> 00:15:04.480 The apostles who bore witness to Jesus, who are healing by the power of the Holy Spirit, who are proclaiming w words that come out in there written down as scripture, the very words of God, they had a church structure which invited problems. 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:07.440 So how do you think yours is gonna be? 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:10.559 Maybe you'll have problems too. 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:13.600 Maybe you'll have problems too. 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:19.759 And there is no church that is built in a day. 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:23.600 The church always requires adding on. 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:26.720 The church always requires growth and change. 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:29.200 It's a it's a constantly moving target. 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:41.200 I used to have these imaginations when I was early on in my pastorate of we'll get the church set and we'll get all these things in place, and then once all these things are in place, then it'll just sort of be, you know, humming along. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:50.559 And then that'll be the church structure will be so good that it won't need all this tinkering and you know uh management and or or shepherding. 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:53.279 It won't even need that anymore because the structures will be so good. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:54.559 That that's a that's a myth. 00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:55.759 That's that's fake. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:56.320 You know? 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:05.519 We'll have all of the AI agents, we'll be doing everything we need to pastor the church, and I'll just be able to vibe pastor was the hope. 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:08.240 But there's no such uh there's there's no such thing. 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:13.919 There's there's no such system or pattern in your life which prevents problems. 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:16.000 They are there for us and they will keep coming. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:22.799 Now, this particular problem was a complaint against the Hebrews from the Hellenists. 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:31.039 So what these are is these are two groups of Jews, but now within the church, these are two groups of Jewish Christians. 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:44.720 And the two groups of Jewish Christians are the Hellenists, who are the Greek-speaking Jews, the now the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians, and the Hebrews, who are the Aramaic or Hebrew-speaking Jewish Christians. 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:53.440 So these are the two groups that are that are uh within the church, uh, most predominantly represented in Jerusalem. 00:16:53.919 --> 00:16:56.080 And there's a daily distribution. 00:16:56.480 --> 00:17:01.600 And the word for distribution here is diakonos, and so you might see where we're headed. 00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:09.519 And at the daily distribution, what happened is the church was collecting funds, and then they were taking care of the widows who couldn't take care of themselves. 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:11.839 The church had taken on that responsibility. 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.319 The church had made this commitment to one another. 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:17.680 There will not be a needy person among us. 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:25.279 And in seeing to that commitment, they took responsibility for the most needy among them, who were the widows. 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:34.000 And so they gathered up the resources and the money and the food, and they would daily distribute those to the widows. 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:53.599 But the complaint arises from the Greek-speaking Jews against the Hebrew-speaking Jews that says that they're they were unsatisfied with with the way that their the Greek-speaking Jews were unsatisfied with what the their widows were receiving at the daily distribution. 00:17:54.720 --> 00:18:06.319 And whether what what exactly the disparity was, if there was a disparity, if there was merely an appearance of dis of disparity, the scripture is is ambiguous with that regard. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:10.720 But what we see is there is a fissure within the church. 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:15.440 And the fissure takes place along ordinary lines. 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:20.480 There are several things that we can learn from this fissure within the church. 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:24.079 The first one is in just that first phrase in verse 1. 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:32.079 Now, in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, growth is always attended by new difficulties. 00:18:32.319 --> 00:18:32.960 Always. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:38.799 It takes whatever problems you have now, and now you have those problems at scale, at least. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:42.400 But you also have whole new problems that you didn't expect to have. 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:46.720 Growth always is attended by difficulty. 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:59.440 But this fixation on the difficulties that are attended by growth is one of the subtle mechanisms of Satan, which he uses to discourage the growth of the church. 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:01.200 And this happens all the time. 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:16.799 You can hear it at basically every level, whenever there's any change towards growth within a church, even if it's just at a small group level, you know, what happens is we've experienced for a time this glorious fellowship amidst us as a people. 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:19.359 But there are more people to be brought in. 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:30.799 And when these more people get brought into this fellowship, it's going to change this great dynamic that we've had and this great closeness that we've been able to experience with one another. 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:35.839 We we want to guard this fellowship that we've been able to experience with one another. 00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:38.559 So maybe we shouldn't bring others into this. 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:47.920 Maybe we should put the brakes on this growth because we can spot how this is going to change things and this is going to bring new problems that we aren't experiencing right now. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:52.160 But this is a subtle mechanism of Satan. 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:56.319 Because the purpose of the church is growth. 00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:00.079 Growth is referred to constantly in the book of Acts. 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:04.319 Do you know how many times church growth is referred to negatively in the book of Acts? 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:06.240 None times. 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:07.359 Great guess. 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:08.480 Great guess. 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:09.440 Zero times. 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:10.720 Growth is good. 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:12.799 It is good for the church to grow. 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:15.599 Do you know when it's bad for the church to grow? 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:19.920 No, nope, nope, nope, not bad. 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:22.160 Not bad. 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:24.400 It's a good thing. 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:27.440 Church growth is a good thing. 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:29.839 We want to see the church grow and expand. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:34.640 So growth is always attended with new difficulties, but that should not slow us down. 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:41.839 That should that should not cause us to think, oh, there's problems on the other side of that thing that we'll need to solve, therefore we shouldn't pursue it. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:43.200 That doesn't make much sense. 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:52.480 You know, we're getting we're getting close to like uh the it the the seams of this size of a building. 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:58.000 And so that means as more folks start to come in, it means we'll probably have to do something like move to two services. 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:01.279 Is two services better or worse than one service? 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:05.039 You know? 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:07.039 Let's see, you can see it. 00:21:07.359 --> 00:21:08.400 You know what it means? 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:09.599 Problems. 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:12.480 There'll be problems associated with that. 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:17.359 Well, this is no reason to not pursue the growth of the church. 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:29.839 Secondly, what we see in this is that the diversity of nations within the church requires practical working out that is not merely settled at Pentecost. 00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:35.039 You know, you look at Pentecost, and you know what everybody was doing it on the day of Pentecost? 00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:37.920 Hearing each other in their native tongue. 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:51.119 So this is uh an expression of the Lord's intention to bring his gospel, bring the reign of his kingdom to all nations, so that all nations will be under the Lordship of Christ. 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:52.160 And we know that. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:57.519 This is what the this is Jesus' intention, this is the Great Commission that's shown. 00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:59.759 And we see a picture of that in. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:17.279 In the day of Pentecost, but you know what happened like the day after Pentecost is the Hellenists who spoke Greek went up to the Hebrews who spoke Hebrew and they tried to have a conversation together, and they said, I don't know what you're saying. 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:28.799 I don't I I don't know what one of us is gonna have to speak the other's language if we're going to be able to figure out how to work together in these things. 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:39.519 See, there's always a practical consideration, there's a practical difficulty that is faced as the gospel crosses international boundaries. 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:45.680 That is the ordinary picture of the gospel, as the gospel crosses cultural boundaries. 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:49.119 That is the ordinary picture of the gospel. 00:22:49.440 --> 00:23:00.400 So these two groups, they spoke different languages, they had different synagogues that they would have attended, but now, suddenly, they find themselves within this unity under Christ. 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:12.799 And they find themselves within a church in the city, which is in Jerusalem, sharing this unity in the same church together, that has made this commitment as a church that there will not be a needy person among us. 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:19.200 And you know what one of the difficulties of a daily distribution is when there shouldn't be a needy person among us? 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:24.799 One of the difficulties is, ah man, I didn't even know that the Hellenist widows weren't getting their stuff. 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:28.799 I thought they were, because we sent out that announcement just earlier this week. 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:30.240 Why didn't they get that announcement? 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:34.799 They should have been checking that thing, and it's like, ah, it was in Hebrew, wasn't it? 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:43.039 You know, you can imagine just these ordinary challenges, these ordinary difficulties that are faced with church growth. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:46.079 Now, these two issues are necessarily related. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:24:02.000 The growth of the gospel at the local church level poses its difficulties, and the growth of the gospel, as the gospel is required to cross cultural lines, that that has its difficulties with it as well. 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:08.079 Now, these are both subtle mechanisms of Satan to stop the growth of the gospel. 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:12.799 Because you can create something that is maximally pure and equally understood. 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:18.960 It is very simple to create a like-mindedness amongst people who are already like-minded. 00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:21.279 But the gospel has these demands. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:28.240 We are required to go to all nations and proclaim the good news of Jesus, to proclaim the lordship of Jesus. 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:35.599 We are required to seek to grow the church so that those among us might know the truths of the gospel. 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:38.559 These are ordinary requirements. 00:24:38.799 --> 00:24:42.960 And that means, you know what that has an attendant with it? 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:44.960 Problems. 00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:48.960 That means problems will arise in these things. 00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:56.400 And so the apostles step into these with a picture of what it looks like to step into these problems that the church faces. 00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:07.119 In Acts 6.2, it says, 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. 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:12.880 Now, you might hear that and think, Who do these guys think they are? 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:14.640 I'll serve tables. 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:19.200 There's no job too low in this church, you know, that sort of thing. 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:21.519 But this is not an arrogant statement. 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:49.440 What we're about to witness is a masterclass that the apostles provide in showing just incredible church leadership that allows for a unity of the church to be developed and protected amidst very ordinary fissures, very typical fissures that would take place within a body that are almost irresistible in their taking place. 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:51.839 And that that's what they are showing here. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:54.400 And so you might read that verse. 00:25:55.359 --> 00:25:57.039 Let me see it again. 00:25:57.440 --> 00:26:03.680 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. 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:06.400 They recognize immediately what their calling is. 00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:13.839 This is not a neglect of the problem, saying we're too important to handle this problem within the church. 00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:22.880 Instead, what's actually being demonstrated here is a recognition of their primary responsibility before the Lord. 00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:31.279 And the primary responsibility of the apostles that no one else can do is be dedicated to prayer and to the ministry of the word. 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:39.200 They are required by God to be dedicated to the ministry of the word in a way that no one else in the church is at this point. 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:46.079 They've got a commission which says we need a lasting witness, a lasting testimony. 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:47.200 You know what that means? 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:51.519 We're at least going to need to write some, we're probably gonna need to write some more word of God. 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:54.799 That's something that only the apostles can do. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:27:07.119 If you see somebody who is saying that they are speaking or proclaiming in the Word of God and they are not explaining the scriptures more completely, then you can know that they are not speaking the Word of God. 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:11.039 That is a right that was reserved for the apostles. 00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:11.839 It was only theirs. 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:31.039 So what's happening here is like what happens with Moses when he is leading the church in the wilderness, and Moses leading the church in the wilderness is uh there there are too many problems within the people of God for him to handle all on his own. 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:42.559 And so his father-in-law, Jethro Tull, explains to the explains what you need to do is you need to delegate these problems downstream. 00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:52.720 You you need to have some subsidiarity in your uh uh organizational structure, because right now it's too flat of an organizational structure. 00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:56.240 Let's add some verticality to that, and it'll be much more useful. 00:27:56.400 --> 00:28:01.440 And so that same thing, that same principle is what the apostles are doing here. 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:05.200 They are saying there are responsibilities that they must hold. 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:10.480 This is a real problem, therefore it needs to be delegated. 00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:19.200 This is not arrogance, this is a rec this is a humble recognition of their calling before the Lord and their own limits. 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:21.839 That's what this is. 00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:32.319 And so in recognizing their own limits and their calling before the Lord, they determine that this new role needs to be created in order to handle this problem. 00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:40.240 This is one of those things where if they did not delegate this responsibility, they would be neglecting their responsibility. 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:54.720 If they continued to try and take on handling of the distribution, then they would be neglecting their responsibility both to the distribution and to their ministry of the word, which was their highest calling. 00:28:55.440 --> 00:29:13.759 So in Acts 6, 3 through 4, it says, Therefore, brothers, the the apostles say, 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, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:17.039 So here are three things that they lay out. 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:19.119 And this is this is masterful. 00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:29.200 They say, first of all, you pick, they gather the brothers together, they gather the disciples together, the disciples of Jesus, which would be like a church meeting. 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:35.680 They gather the church together, and they say, You need to pick out from among you seven men. 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:38.079 And so they say, You pick. 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:39.359 You know who's gonna pick? 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:40.559 The church. 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:46.079 The church is going to need to discern these men and discern these qualities. 00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:52.799 And they say, Here are the qualities that you are looking for in these men that you're picking out. 00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:57.519 They need to be full of the spirit and full of wisdom. 00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:00.640 Full of the spirit and of wisdom. 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:15.519 Now, why is it that we we need we need men that are of like character to the apostles in order to handle the distribution of the uh of the goods to the to the widows? 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:18.000 Now, why do they need to be full of the spirit? 00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:24.079 They need to be full of the spirit because they need to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind. 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:46.880 They need to be gentle, they need to be self-controlled, they need to be full of the spirit because theirs is a ministry of love and generosity that is meant to be cherished in their own hearts, which is cultivated by the spirit, and then demonstrated to the church so that the whole church might participate in this spirit of love and generosity. 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:57.920 And they need to be wise, they need to have some shrewdness in being able to do this because it's not just like uh setting up a line of food, and that that's the end of things. 00:30:58.079 --> 00:31:00.400 This is people we're talking about. 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:06.240 And there are all kinds of fractures which are possible throughout any group of people. 00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:17.599 And so they will need to have incredible wisdom in order to face the problems that are just inherent in any distribution of money amongst a group of people. 00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:19.839 They're distributing food and money. 00:31:20.079 --> 00:31:25.200 You can probably think of like five problems that they will face right now off the top of your head. 00:31:25.519 --> 00:31:32.480 If you're distributing free food and free money, do you think some people might show up to take advantage of that? 00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:36.079 Do you think you might need to be wise and discerning how that happens? 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:38.640 Do you think some might try and get more than others? 00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:41.119 Think you need to be wise and how that happens? 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:45.599 Do you think some people who look like they're taking advantage aren't actually taking advantage? 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:47.519 They're just foolish, silly people? 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:54.960 And they'll need to be handled and dealt with in a in a way that offers more gentleness for them to help them overcome their foolish, silly peopleness? 00:31:55.519 --> 00:32:00.720 Do you think you can see they have to be wise in order to do this? 00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:05.599 Likewise, they will receive just what the apostles are receiving. 00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:08.960 They will receive complaints and murmuring about them. 00:32:09.200 --> 00:32:14.160 These men are being placed in a leadership position within an organization, within the church. 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:21.279 That means they will hear lots of murmuring and complaints about them and the way that they're doing it. 00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:31.039 And so, you know what the apostles demonstrate here is this masterclass in how you are to respond to that. 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:38.240 What we see demonstrated in the apostles is meekness and humility in the face of these complaints. 00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:45.200 And the deacons that are brought into this role, they will need to have that same characteristic because there will be complaints about them. 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:46.640 We're talking about money. 00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:51.920 There's going to be complaints within this, uh within their distribution. 00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:59.759 And the apostles demonstrate this incredible humility and meekness that I want to draw our attention to in the way that they step in and handle this problem. 00:32:59.920 --> 00:33:07.519 Because the complaints are not, it's not a generic complaint from the Hellenists against the Hebrews. 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:12.160 It is really a complaint against the apostles. 00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:17.440 Because the apostles are the ones responsible for the distribution. 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:27.279 And within the complaint against the apostles, there is this subtle accusation of partiality. 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:31.680 Are you demonstrating a partiality among the body? 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:38.319 The apostles were Aramaic speaking, it's more simple to engage with the Aramaic speaking part of the church. 00:33:38.400 --> 00:33:43.200 It's more complicated, although they spoke Greek and wrote in Greek, it's the trade language of the world. 00:33:43.359 --> 00:33:48.880 These are just different cultures that are, it's more complicated to make these things work in, and yet they are over them all. 00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:52.079 That is part of their apostolic role. 00:33:52.720 --> 00:34:00.559 And so instead of receiving this problem and thinking they don't get it anyway, and they don't even understand how complicated of a thing this is. 00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:04.319 And if they did understand how complicated of a thing this is, they wouldn't get this problem. 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:14.159 And by the way, maybe the uh Hellenists could do a little bit better of a job of taking care of their widows because the Hebrews seem to do a pretty good job of that, but that's classic Hellenists. 00:34:14.239 --> 00:34:17.039 You know, the Hellenists are always, you know, something like that. 00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:27.519 The apostles could have easily stepped into something like that and taken it as like this personal affront, but they don't. 00:34:27.760 --> 00:34:30.480 We see the meekness and the humility of the apostles. 00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:34.159 Instead, what they say is, yes, there's a problem here. 00:34:35.199 --> 00:34:38.719 And the problem has to do with us in some way. 00:34:39.840 --> 00:34:42.480 We ought to try and solve the problem. 00:34:43.119 --> 00:34:55.840 And that means solving the problem means changing our relationship to the problem, which is what the apostles do, and delegating this responsibility towards others so that they are brought into the problem itself. 00:34:55.920 --> 00:35:00.960 And then we will trust the Lord that this is the type of thing that will solve the problem. 00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:10.960 Leadership is constantly discovering problems of which you did not expect to arise and which are in some way your fault. 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:16.960 And if you aren't comfortable with that, you should not lead anything. 00:35:17.840 --> 00:35:28.639 But if you're going to be an elder, if you're going to be a deacon, if you're going to be a manager, if you're going to have people under you, if you're going to carry any responsibility in the world, then you need to be comfortable with this reality. 00:35:28.800 --> 00:35:37.360 You are going to be surprised by problems that you did not see coming, and you will discover that aspects of those problems are your fault. 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:40.239 Aspects of them belong to you. 00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:53.599 And the apostles show us the humility and meekness that maintains the unity of the church amidst this situation that is just the fault lines are already drawn. 00:35:53.679 --> 00:36:01.920 You know, it's so it's you can it's like a, you know, they're trying to keep paper together that already has like perforated middle. 00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:03.760 It's like, where would this tear? 00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:05.519 It's like this could easily tear. 00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:07.679 I can tell you exactly where it will. 00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:10.719 So it takes incredible wisdom that they demonstrate. 00:36:11.519 --> 00:36:21.760 And by the way, the way that they uh this pattern that they that they show for how the uh deacons are to be appointed is the very pattern that we use in the church today. 00:36:22.079 --> 00:36:24.639 The deacons are recommended from among you. 00:36:24.800 --> 00:36:31.039 If you're a member of our church, then you would recommend these men to the church office. 00:36:31.280 --> 00:36:37.440 And then you would demonstrate that recommendation as a body by electing them to the church office. 00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:43.280 But their election is not, it doesn't just end with the choice of the body. 00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:48.960 But there is uh another backstop, which is the authority of the elders within the church. 00:36:49.199 --> 00:36:57.039 The elders within the church then appoint or ordain these men to the position of deacon or to the position of elder. 00:36:57.199 --> 00:37:01.760 This is where we get that model for how church government should work. 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:15.119 And it's a glorious model because if there is just one man at the top who is appointing and and uh just appointing things, you could see like, ah, this this would seem like tyrannical sort of mechanism of appointment. 00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:22.639 But if it was just the the body choosing, then you can imagine the the madness of crowds takes over. 00:37:22.960 --> 00:37:27.199 You know, like democracy is great, but you can have too much. 00:37:28.239 --> 00:37:29.760 That's why we don't have one of those. 00:37:29.920 --> 00:37:34.159 That's actually why we have a republic, because of Presbyterians. 00:37:36.239 --> 00:37:37.119 That's true. 00:37:37.360 --> 00:37:38.639 You're welcome. 00:37:39.199 --> 00:37:40.639 And I'm sorry. 00:37:41.280 --> 00:37:42.719 No, you're welcome. 00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:51.360 This is the that that's the the way that this uh church government is meant to operate, and that's the very way that our church government operates today. 00:37:51.519 --> 00:37:58.000 We receive it exactly from the scriptures, and it's a glorious, it's a glorious pattern of how we ought to work together. 00:37:58.159 --> 00:38:00.639 So here are the men that were appointed in Acts 6.5. 00:38:01.360 --> 00:38:03.840 And what they said pleased the whole gathering. 00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:16.159 This is one of those times where church polity is explained, and the whole church is like, yes! I've experienced this on numerous occasions, church polity conversations, and this is one of those, the praise that's given. 00:38:16.320 --> 00:38:27.519 And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Procorus, and Niconor, and Tymon, and Parmanus, and Nikolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 00:38:28.880 --> 00:38:33.199 There are two men that have things said about them amongst these initial seven deacons. 00:38:33.440 --> 00:38:43.679 The first one is Stephen, and we'll learn much more about Stephen over the course of the next several weeks, uh, who will be the first martyr in the early church. 00:38:43.920 --> 00:38:47.679 And uh it is a deacon who is the first martyr within the early church. 00:38:47.920 --> 00:38:51.679 The second one who has something said about him in this list is Nikolaus. 00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:55.360 Nikolaus is a pro a proselyte of Antioch. 00:38:55.599 --> 00:39:03.679 That means he was a Greek who converted to Judaism, and then having converted to Judaism, he converted to Christianity. 00:39:03.920 --> 00:39:16.559 Now, Nikolaus' story might end here, but the early church fathers uh consistently speak of Nikolaus as the one who organized the Nicolacians. 00:39:16.719 --> 00:39:28.159 And we don't know exactly what the Nicolaitians believed, but they were some cultic offshoot of the early Christian church that promoted some heresy, and we don't know exactly what it was. 00:39:29.039 --> 00:39:38.079 But in Revelation 2, 6, when Jesus is speaking to the churches, when he speaks to the church in Ephesus, he says, Yet this you have. 00:39:38.400 --> 00:39:42.239 You hate the works of the Nicolaitians, which I also hate. 00:39:42.480 --> 00:39:44.079