so if i could have invites you to open
to Acts chapter six last week we were
talking out of Acts chapter 5 we shared
a very sobering story about a couple
that came and offended the Holy Spirit
and were judged right then and there and
struck down right at that moment and so
it was a very sobering message for us
about the holiness of God if you were
not here I invite you to look for that
on the internet we have a youtube page
it's linked to the line of Judah webpage
and all of our sermons are catalogued
there and please i invite you to see
that because those are the kinds of
messages that provide important balance
for our message of seeing the holiness
of god and the mercy but also the
severity of our God acts six opens up an
interesting window into the life of the
earliest Christians does anyone know
that in church sometimes there's drama
anyone know that anyone know that
sometimes in church sometimes people can
maybe annoy one another maybe there can
be conflicts there can be grumbling well
you know I find it comforting to know
that that is as old as the Apostles in
the Bible it really as old as the Lord's
Supper if you think about it Jesus at
the Lord's Supper you know though this
is my body broken for you you know when
Jesus instituted that you know what the
disciples were doing during the dinner
anyone know they were arguing about who
was going to be the greatest when Jesus
so Church fights arguments ego conflicts
difficulties administrative problems is
as old as the Twelve Apostles it's as
old as the early church and we need to
face this and see what God would speak
to us about it in Acts chapter six we're
going to read about some church drama
I'm going to see how God's power was
manifest in the midst of that very human
situation so Acts chapter six in verse 1
it
says in those days when the number of
the disciples was increasing the Grecian
Jews in other words greek-speaking Jews
among them complained against the
Hebraic Jews Jews that spoke Hebrew
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 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 we will
give our attention to prayer and the
Ministry of the word this proposal
please the whole group they chose
Stephen a man full of faith and of the
Holy Spirit also Philip procuress
nicanor timon par- and Nikolas 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 let's pray dear
God I thank you so much for the way you
speak to us from your word lord I thank
you God that your word has everything we
need for life and godliness your word
has everything this ministry needs to be
healthy and to grow and to become what
you want us to be so lord I pray it
would be your word that speaks to us
today father that your power would be
perfected in my weakness and God that
together our eyes would be open to see
how you would give us wisdom and that we
would grow and become the mature
community that you want us to be in
Jesus's name Amen at that time the
number of disciples was increasing
growing pain
means growing pains I could title the
sermon growing pains growing plans this
is a pivot for God's growth there were
too many people anyone ever lived in a
house with too many people know anyone
ever been crammed into a space maybe you
didn't choose all those people who were
there maybe there aren't enough
bathrooms to go around what usually
happens in a small house with too many
people in it everyone lives peaceably
and shares and waits their turn right
that's what happens right growth usually
brings problems usually people get
annoyed with each other as we grow as we
multiply we step on each other's toes we
annoy one another and problems emerge
well that happened in the early church
their numerical growth had outstripped
their administrative capacity in other
words they just weren't ready to handle
all these people too many people what do
we do balls get dropped things don't
work the way they used to when it was a
small group when things are small things
can function very informally people just
you know figure out how to make things
work in a church as things grow there's
too many people some important balls can
get dropped people there can be
administrative problems in using the
space how about parking there's no
parking no there are no seats that's you
know this is a problem we're going to
start having very soon praise the Lord
suddenly you got to be jammed in a
little bit something you got to move
over and make space for somebody
sometimes we need to grow as a church to
adapt to our numerical growth and catch
up with ourselves I compare it to end an
adolescent teenager whose physical
growth has gone quicker than their
coordination right so they're tall and
gangly but they're tripping over
themselves their voice is cracking they
don't quite know how to coordinate their
big body well churches can have that
happened to leaders can get burnt out
during this time underlying areas of
tension that you could live with when
everything's okay suddenly they come to
the surface and you realize just how
annoyed you are no there can be
different misunderstandings people can
feel disappointed and let down leaders
can feel criticized and pressure because
I just can't take care of it all right
am I saying that from the gut maybe a
little bit too much just today you know
what happened just today I came here
nice bright and early praise the Lord
the moon's up box playing on the radio I
come here hi hi up there god bless you
we love our balcony too there's lights
shining but I know you're there god
bless you we came here and the platform
was entirely empty there was nothing and
the thing was open because there had
been a baptism here yesterday another
church not our church another church had
asked to use the church we said yeah
sure you can use it so they came
everything they got moved and nothing
got put back right and I was like oops
so I texted all our guys and I was like
huh you know you gonna come is gonna be
a lot of extra work to do and that uh a
ball got dropped I don't know who
dropped it but I have a vague feeling it
was me i don't know but i think i'm the
one who probably should have known and
should have told somebody and i don't
know i had to see these things happen
now can you imagine now just imagine if
the people who left everything empty
yesterday happened to have been part of
an ethnic group that you in your
ethnicity had had tension with for many
years right and you come and you find
that they didn't put everything up again
what's the first thing you're gonna
think right well they just don't care
about us do they hey just say that's
well that's what happened here only it
was even worse it wasn't just forgetting
some instruments which by the way i do
think i'm the one who dropped the ball i
think i shouldnae it it's not we're not
just talking instruments that can be set
up you see in the early church we read
about how people would make donations
major donations
would sell properties and lands and they
would put the feet at the disposal of
the Apostles the Apostles would then
distribute to members of the church who
had needs it was amazing there was
radical generosity radical sharing the
people were together it was amazing an
amazing time in the church now the
people especially who needed donations
were the widows of the community these
were women who had no other options they
couldn't get a job because widows didn't
do that back then in that society they
couldn't they didn't have any family to
take care of them and there wasn't a
government that had any kind of programs
that could help them they were helpless
widows older ladies and these are ladies
who the Bible in the Old Testament says
one of the main signs of your righteous
devotion to me is that you will take
care of widows and orphans in their
distress the by your taking care of the
widows you're going to show that you
love God and on top of it just think
about widows ESO no hablo alitas de la
comunidad no these are the grandmothers
these are the most precious members of
the community these are the matriarchs
who who lived and died for you who gave
their lives who serve to raise their
kids and families like officially all
these years and now they happen to be
alone and there's no one to take care of
them and they are given food every day a
massive benevolence program but some of
the widows got overlooked now it gets
worse if you can believe anything worse
than a widow not getting food and going
hungry well it gets even worse because
the widows who are being overlooked
happened to be the Greek widows now to
us that might not mean a whole lot but
in that community the main racial and
ethnic divide in the early church would
be between Hebraic Jewish Christians and
Greek speaking Jewish Christians okay
now let's just do a little background on
this see at this time there were many
Jews who were born and raised in
Jerusalem they spoke Hebrew correctly
they practiced their faith properly the
way it was taught in Jerusalem right
sort of like a Catholic growing up in
the Vatican right that's where it's
happening but then there were other Jews
who lived throughout the Roman Empire
called the Diaspora they were spread out
throughout the Roman Empire they were
still Jewish ethnically and religiously
but they were raised in other countries
maybe they were raised in Greece maybe
they're raised in Syria maybe they were
raised in Turkey it wasn't called that
back then but it is now that area maybe
they were raised in another country so
they still spoke Hebrew but their
primary language was the common language
of the time which was Greek that was the
language they were comfortable speaking
so they probably spoke Hebrew a broken
Hebrew or Hebrew with a thick accent
some of them may have mixed ethnically
and married some converts to Judaism
from the countries they came from so
they may have become ethnically and
racially mixed with the nation's so they
may have looked different they have may
have picked up some of the cultural
practices of the countries they were in
and so even though they were religiously
Jewish they may be really felt more
Greek for more Syrian or more whatever
so in and yet they had come to Jerusalem
they had met Jesus and they were part of
the same community with the Hebrew
speaking Jews are you following me can
you see how there could potentially be
tensions between these two communities
could you see how there could be a
natural elitism of the Hebrew speaking
Jews looking down on the greek-speaking
Jews right can you see how that happens
so not only were some widows overlooked
going hungry Abuelita going hungry your
grandmother or not your grandmother you
be taking care of her so somebody's
grandmother who can't take care of her
right now but they're going hungry and
it happens to be members of a particular
ethnic group within the church and so
there's tension and it makes sense
doesn't it no I think tensions different
types of tensions that come from the
society around us are naturally in the
church and that's why the
church needs to be not just a
multi-ethnic community but to multi
ethnic community right where we don't
just worship the same God but we worship
the same God together not just in the
same building but where friendships form
our community forum where we learn to
love and understand each other right as
a light in the darkness we declare
there's a new kingdom on earth well it
doesn't matter what a person looks like
or where they come from that we are all
one in Christ we are citizens of the
kingdom of God that's an amazing thing
to be part of but in the best of
families their problems and difficulties
right so the grecian Jews started
grumbling against the Hebrew Jews now of
course they thought what do you think
they thought they thought you didn't
feed our widows because they're Greek
and so because they're Greek you don't
care about them it's a natural
assumption isn't it when there are
ethnic tensions it's natural to assume
discrimination it's a very natural toxic
situation in my seminary experience at
gordon-conwell there was a significant
group of Korean American students and
Korean students and one of them once
told me they said you know whenever
someone is a jerk to me I just assume
it's because I'm Korean and and they
even told me a specific experience and I
won't name names because all of this is
recorded and I don't want to get in
trouble right but there was a particular
member of the administration who
apparently was a rather grumpy
individual even at a seminary right and
so they're dealing with this person a
part of the administration and this
person is being who she is she's being
obnoxious with them because that's just
what she does you know and what do they
think they think is because I'm Korean
they hate me cuz I'm Korean that's it
but then the next week they noticed wait
a minute she was obnoxious wait a minute
she's just it she's just obnoxious it's
not but at first there's that feeling
you can see how maybe this accident
happened no in he in Jerusalem the
Hebraic widow
were probably known by the Hebrew
Christians who were naturally in
leadership because they were part of the
dominant community and so they just knew
each other things were done informally
they didn't know perhaps they didn't
know who the Greek widows were and
things fell through the cracks but there
wasn't just things it was people people
falling through the cracks so they had
to do something about it now there was
grumbling and complaining that was
happening and I believe that this moment
of internal conflict was a bigger threat
to the growth of the church than
anything else you know a friend of mine
spoke here a few weeks ago was a
missionary in a very dangerous part of
the world where people are literally
being they're losing their lives for
their faith and he is surrounded by some
of the most grave dangers the church has
ever faced and I worry about him a lot
you know pray for him and his wife and
two daughters right but you know in his
prayer letters what he asked for prayer
about is problems internal problems with
some of the truth some of the team
members there's one in particular who is
very very conflictive a very troubled
person who's just making his life
miserable and they're trying to work it
out and there's legal issues involved
because they're managing an english
center and there's money involved and
he's like God deliver me so in other
words the persecution doesn't make them
lose sleep at night it's the internal
conflict and that's the way it is when
there is conflict in a church that can
derail a movement of God even more
powerfully than outer persecution think
about it when Peter was thrown in jail
we studied this a few weeks ago it
should be on the internet when he was
thrown in jail and they threatened to
kill him did he look all intimidated and
said okay I'm going to quit preaching
remember what he said they said you
shall not preach in the name of Jesus
member what Peter said full of the Holy
Spirit he said judge for yourselves is
it right for me to
obey God or you you tell me they got
together they prayed the earth shucks
where they prayed and they preached the
Word of God boldly in the church spread
in other words persecution was like
pouring gasoline on the flame no so even
worse than persecution is conflict in
the church the grumbling the word used
here for the complaining of the Grecian
Jews is the word grumbling it's gone
Guzman and you know how sounds like your
Congress mas Coco's Bosco's comes it's
meant to sound like whispering dong goos
Moscow's cosmos usually if you have to
whisper something no usually you
probably shouldn't be saying it right
when you say that if it's got to be
whispered and mumbled it's probably not
something to be repeated it's not always
that way sometimes you know there's
different reasons you know but they were
mumbling and grumbling the Bible talks
about grumbling what kinds of things do
you think they were grumbling that you
don't don't care about our widows do
these Hebraic Christians maybe could
there have even been some grumbling
against the Apostles themselves right
they were the ones running the show
these apostles peter john they don't
care they don't care about it the
grumbling the Bible says that grumbling
and mumbling is as severe a sin as
sexual immorality and as idolatry when
the people of Israel came out of Egypt
in Exodus 16 they just been delivered
from slavery God had separated the
waters of the Red Sea and done amazing
miracles it was amazing at that time
they went into the desert and they got
hungry and do you think they said don't
worry about it our God is a great God
he's with us Moses is a great leader
he's anointed by the Lord do you think
that's how they handled it when you're
hungry what do you do you complain when
you're uncomfortable you complain look
at what they said it said the Israelites
in the desert the whole come
he grumbled against Moses and Aaron the
Israelites said to them if only we had
died by the Lord's hand in Egypt there
we sat around pots of meat and ate all
the food we wanted but you have brought
us out into this desert to starve this
entire assembly to death how about that
they had just been delivered from
slavery and they're whining they're
whining anyone here do any whining
sometimes know that whining tone of
voice anyone familiar with that whining
tone of voice no I am intimately
acquainted in these days of my child's
development of that whining tone of
voice and then you say stop whining
they're like I'm not whining and they
whine even louder like how do we how do
we deal with us what are we gonna do
right whining well grown-ups wine
sometimes too and there's an accusation
behind it Moses you don't love us you
want to kill us you saved us from
slavery to kill us in the desert they're
accusing Moses I think there was
probably in this grumbling a little
accusation against the Apostles you
don't care about Abuelita no don't you
care aqui no I amor there's no love here
you just preach but you know her know
what's going on there's grumbling
there's complaining there's this
conflict going on people's eyes are off
the mission and they're on each other a
church conflict can turn people's
attention and consume their energies
like nothing else persecution is no
problem persecution comes and the church
is strong in jesus but when there's
internal conflict we can be derailed but
you know what there's an even bigger
threat here the biggest threat to the
growth of the church at this time is
that the apostles would get sucked into
the situation out of guilt would roll up
their sleeves and try to
fix it themselves because if they try to
do that they're not going to have time
to do what Jesus told them to do in the
first place when he said go and make
disciples of all the nations baptizing
them them in the name of the Father Son
and Holy Spirit and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you to
do jesus said you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you and
you'll be my witnesses your job is to
preach and to teach not to take care of
widows that doesn't that sound bad but
the widow's had to be taken care of God
wants the widows taken care of what are
we going to do somehow there's got to be
a solution that doesn't keep the
Apostles from doing what they're called
to do but that the widows don't go
hungry either this is a major thing I
get the feeling Peter and Paul could
handle Herod and and all these evil
leaders trying to throw them in jail i
think they weren't afraid of them but a
hungry widow forget about it yeah it's
gonna break their heart right because
these are the most precious people in
the community these are the people you
want to take care of you love them you
care about them and on top of it you
know some you know some widows can be a
little tough little strong about how
they express themselves I don't anyone
there was a hermana anastacio i'll never
forget anyone know it hermana anastacio
she passed away at the age of 99 and a
half several years ago she was Cuban
Cuban i'm on a mother's day she took a
tumble down these um these wooden stairs
in the back I'll never forget she
tumbled down on a mother's day they
called me she was 98 years old I'm like
what's what am I gonna find she was
laying there saying I'm fine let me up
let me up I'm fine and but we said no
don't move don't move we put her in the
stretcher take her to the hospital and
spend all of mother's day with her then
let me go home let me go home the
doctors like no and she went Cuban on
him she just really let him out of
achieving excuse me but she really let
him out
she didn't have a you know what she
scraped her finger and that's it no
injury no nothing and she was proud
about it she was like she said oh they
como una goma I rolled like a tire and I
was fine and her daughter took a fallen
like broker her jollies as a yes diet
that's a romp a pedo jaw roll a comb
we're not going my said my daughter is a
whim she gets hurt when she falls but
not me I don't get hurt she was a tough
cookie and as and she really adopted me
early on in my time here we felt really
close I loved at Mauna anastacio dearly
and her daughter mere now who is still
very much with us praise the Lord and
but I'll never forget as the church got
bigger and and I got busier and I wasn't
able to see her as much as I used to and
then I got married and then things got
even busier and did that I'd see her in
church sometimes and once she said to me
and she would talk really loud remember
that ah that loud voice no matter what
was going on the pastor will be up here
preaching and I would be coming in and
she would just grab me from behind I
feel that you know oh and it was her and
she would say mate tienes botao is which
means you got me thrown away in the
garbage so let's just put it this way i
think persecution ain't nothing like abu
aletta like the grandmother and I did
but the thing is that they had to be fed
these were the precious people in the
community they needed to be taken care
of the Apostles can you imagine the
guilts oh the Guild's anyone here who is
there anybody here feels guilty a lot
feel guilty some guilt is very good
sometimes we feel guilty because we
should feel guilty because we did
something wrong amen but if only we
would feel guilty about the right things
you know usually we don't feel guilty
about the wrong things we do and we feel
guilty why else do we feel guilty we
feel guilty because maybe we let someone
down or we didn't fulfill an expectation
that someone might have on us and maybe
God doesn't maybe he's not angry with
you but we feel guilty about it when we
shouldn't even right so there's
different kinds of guilt there's
god-given guilt and there's neurotic
guilt now it
very interesting the apostles say
something very interesting as they
answer the accusation by the or the
complaining by the Grecian Jews they say
it wouldn't be right for us to leave off
praying and preaching the word to wait
on tables I don't think they mean that
in a negative sense like to wait on
tables I don't think they mean that I
think they just mean to do this task of
managing this food program they say it
wouldn't be right you know I study this
text in the Greek and I don't usually
see anything significantly different
from what's in the English text the
translations we have are all excellent
they really are I really haven't met a
translation I don't like but in this
case there's an interesting Greek word
that's used when they say it wouldn't be
right for us to leave preaching the word
to do this I'm expecting the typical way
in Greek you would say it's not right to
do something the word that is used is
the word for pleasing they say it
wouldn't be pleasing for us to do to
take care of this problem rather than
preaching the Word of God it's a very
unusual use of that word it's usually
the word used for trying to please a
king what is pleasing the eyes of the
king it's the word that's used when it
talks about trying to please your spouse
and do what your spouse wants and needs
you to do to please your wife to please
your husband it's saying it wouldn't be
pleasing I don't think they're saying it
wouldn't be pleasing to us I think
they're saying it wouldn't be pleasing
to God for us to take care of this
problem and neglect preaching the Word
of God now here's what I'm going the
real question that they're asking is how
can we solve this problem in a way that
pleases God first and foremost not
pleasing the people okay now here's
where I'm going with this I think in
ministry it is legitimate to care about
what people want around you right in
evangelism the Bible says I become all
things to all people so that I can win
them
we should care about what people want
and need when I make decisions about my
lifestyle I shouldn't just think about
what's going to please me but what
should please the people around me if
I'm going to do something that's going
to hurt the feelings of the people
around me I shouldn't do that right so
we should be aware of pleasing people
around us but if we let that dictate all
of our decisions if i only make
decisions based on wanting to make other
people happy I will not serve God do you
see where I'm going the first question
we need to ask is what does God want me
to do not the people around me not now
don't get me wrong if your boss wants
you two to do a job and it's not against
a commandment you please your boss but
if your boss wants you to do something
that's going to violate the Word of God
then the ultimate question is what's
going to please God here even if it's
going to cost me even if I might feel
guilty because I'm letting a person down
I need to do what God wants me to do and
God had called the apostles to preach
the word the word was not negotiable it
is very easy as a church to get tied up
and busy with all kinds of different
things and trying to make everyone in
society happen happy and to forget about
preaching the Bible but the Bible is
living and active it's sharper than a
double-edged sword the Word of God is is
the seed that will cause any church
community to grow and take on life the
Bible God says as the rain and the snow
comes down from heaven and wha and does
in waters the earth and brings forth
seed for the solar and food for the
eater so is my word that proceeds from
my mouth it will not return to me void
it won't return to me empty but it'll
accomplish the purpose for which I sent
it the Apostle Paul said I am not
ashamed of the gospel because it is the
power of God for the salvation of
everyone who believes if Peter and Paul
Paul wasn't in the picture if Peter and
John but
say had decided you know what let's take
a break from preaching for a few a
couple months so that we can really get
involved and lead this distribution
program they would have failed and what
Jesus called them to do the church
fizzles and none of us are here today
amen they needed to stay focused on what
God had called them to do you know Jesus
had to do that one of a story that
really speaks to me in the Gospels in
the Gospel of Mark early in Jesus's
ministry when he had just begun
preaching he went over a Peter's house
he healed his mother-in-law people
brought him all the sick from all the
region and jesus healed them healed them
healed them too late at night remember
the story early the next morning the
Bible says that Jesus snuck off and hid
in the woods or hid somewhere and it was
still dark and he was praying to his
father then as the Sun was coming up
Peter and everybody came looking for him
they all came looking for him and
Peter's the first to speak and says
Jesus everyone's looking for you why do
you think they're looking for him
there's more people to be healed let's
go back to the town and finish healing
there's still some sick people you know
what Jesus said to them he said we must
go on to the next town and preach the
good news because that is why I have
come can you imagine how difficult that
must have been but there's still sick
people back here I can't Jesus didn't
respond to the need he responded to the
mission his father had given him amen
now i can imagine some guilt don't you
care but there's a sick person I gotta
do what God has called me to do the
Apostles had to do what God had called
them to do every yes we say involves a
know and we need to focus on saying yes
to God and sometimes by saying yes to
something that God doesn't want me to do
I'm saying no to something God does want
me to do you know I think of that when
people
say yes to sin and have fallen away from
the Lord and have left the church there
are some people in our church who have
recovered from terrible situations or
still in recovery and when they come
here to church it makes a difference
their life touches people here just this
morning I was remembering an individual
who had come for about a year and has
since back slit and then gone you know
gone back to the streets and I was I was
looking out the window just saying oh
lord what I would give to see that
person walking down the sidewalk again
coming back to church I miss him so much
but right now he's not he's not there
right now I miss him he is saying yes to
the world is saying no to all of this
say no to me saying no to the Lord
saying no to what God wants them to do
now that's saying God's gonna bring him
back and I know I'm not worried don't
get me wrong but what I'm saying is our
yes to one thing is a no to something
else every now and then people will
invite me to speak in other churches and
every now and then I feel like God wants
me to say yes to that but when I do I
don't do so lightly because saying yes
to that means but I can't be in two
places at once right so it means I won't
be here so it means saying no to hear
being saying no to the to the to the
classes i'm teaching you mean saying no
to something else now sometimes God
wants me to do that and then someone
else preaches who does a much better job
anyway and the co teacher teaches the
class and everything's good because it
was God's will for me to say yes to that
invitation and no to this but we need to
make those decisions not saying well a
person's asking me to do something I
don't want to let them down you know I
don't want to disappoint them no it
needs to be what does God want me to do
now don't get me wrong I don't want us
to be ruthless now and uncaring about
our Greek widows right there Greek
widows who need to be fed and they have
to be fed somehow there needs to be a
solution and praise the Lord there is a
solution now if you would look with me
again we're back in chapter six they
have their first congregational meeting
you ever heard of a congregational
meeting or a church business
meeting some of you were like uh-uh el
Senor Brenda I don't want any others of
you like yeah let's get down to work
right a lot of yucky things can happen
in church business meetings but a lot of
beautiful things can happen in church
business meetings to the English me
ministry we really haven't had many
church business meetings here
everything's so new and growing that we
really will I hate to break this to you
we're gonna have to have some church
business meetings coming up in 2015 we
got doubts get some organization going
here right you know up to now we haven't
had as much and that's okay but we're
going to need to change well they have
their first business meeting and look at
what happens it says the 12 gathered all
the disciples together and they told
them now they said it would not be right
or pleasing to God for us to neglect
this Ministry of the word of God in
order to wait on tables and then they
propose a solution brothers choose seven
men from among you who are known to be
full of the spirit and wisdom we will
turn this responsibility over to them
and we'll give our attention to prayer
and the Ministry of the word one thing I
want to point out the church business
meeting was not a meeting for everyone
to get together and grumble and complain
right it wasn't an airing of grievances
session that had already happened there
had already been plenty of complaining
going on and now it was an issue of of
just needing to solve the problem the
Apostles don't come and in this context
and try to solve the problem with all
the believers together if you try to
solve a problem with hundreds of people
in a room some of you is we try to do
that sometimes alright it's not the
place you got to work on it in a smaller
setting and then bring a proposal to the
larger group ok so the Apostles clearly
had already met and thought and prayed
and sought wisdom administrative
institutional wisdom and they came to
this meeting with a proposal now I
shouldn't use the word proposal because
these are the apostles of the risen Lord
Jesus anointed with the Holy Spirit who
shadows heal they had a solution that
they were this was not a democracy well
that's said this was the Lord Jesus
ruling through the Apostles but if you
notice the solution that they bring
isn't saying we're going to fix it it's
saying we're going to find people to
delegate this responsibility to so that
they can fix the problem in other words
they are going to empower those closest
to the problem to solve the problem amen
now this is why this gets real important
sometimes people want to bring a problem
to pastor Roberto that deals with a
ministry issue that he he just he's not
informed about all the details and the
intricacies of the situation it's not
fair dad someone who is distant from us
it was the people who know how to fix
the problem are the people dealing with
the problem every week amen there any
people at work who deal with problems
every week and you know look just let me
I know how to do this if people would
just listen to me if you're in the
situation you've got something to say
well that's what the Apostles do another
thing I want to point out the Apostles
don't pick the seven leaders who are
going to fix the problem they take
nominations from the community that is
affected now that's very important to
point out the Apostles don't impose
leaders on the community they recognized
leaders that are already recognized by
the community and then they install them
to take care of this task very important
okay so in other words even though it's
not a democracy they're taking the voice
of the people involved into account
they're listening they're involving
people and it's very much a partnership
in solving the problem another thing I
want to point out they do set the
guidelines they say these are the kinds
of people you should pick you should
pick people who are full of the Holy
Spirit and a faith and of wisdom and
have a good testimony in other words
even though
this is an administrative task they need
to have spiritual credentials amen
because people without good character or
good spirituality even if they're for
saying overseeing something that is
administrative they can do a lot of
damage everything is holy in the Church
of God the physical plant is holy the
practical components the administration
can you imagine what our church would be
life if our administrative secretary
were not filled with the Holy Spirit
bible-believing Christian it would be a
disaster that person needs to be
anointed needs to be full of the Holy
Spirit so they give the guidelines and
then people propose the leaders the
Apostles install them in the task now
many people think that these are the
first deacons but they're not called
deacons here and it's really important
they are assigned a specific task
they're saying take care of this project
and it's a good thing that they don't
over define their role because
everything is new everything is in
formation and all the seven people they
pick if you notice I don't know if
anyone knows what a Greek name sounds
like I didn't really know before but all
of these names are Greek in other words
the leaders who take care of the problem
are members of the community that feels
marginalized and abuse so they're fixing
their own problem but they end up being
a couple of them end up doing something
very different you see when new leaders
emerge God raises up people who do
things you never would have expected and
it's interesting i'm just thinking of it
now isn't it interesting timing that
today was the day of the discipleship
graduation for level four in the interns
and we're talking about this because
this text is all about God raising up
new people with new ministry and new
anointing to do the ministry of God and
that's what God is going to do here in
the English ministry we are moving out
of an embryonic phase out of and into a
young face and it's going to be time to
organize ourselves and God is going to
raise up people for different tasks and
different things and it's going to raise
up people in authority and some of those
people are going to surprise you on this
list there are two individuals that
we're going to get to know in the next
chapters one of them is named Stephen he
started out as someone responsible for
this project he ends up becoming a
preacher that is so anointed and so
powerful that he becomes the first
martyr in the Christian Church there's
another member of this list named Philip
who becomes one of the wildest anointed
evangelists the early church ever saw
God used him to do miracles and did some
of the most dramatic signs and wonders
through Philip so they just they started
administrating this program but then
other gifts and callings emerged there
may be people who start doing a very
specific administrative task and a new
anointing emerges in them and they do
something very different that's why we
need to allow a lot of flexibility at
this stage this problem ends up becoming
a pivot for growth because out of this
God raises up new leaders and the
English ministry needs new leaders we
need people that God will raise up now
we're in a very different place then
this community was which was very large
we're in a very different place but we
are a very diverse community and just as
we wrap this up I want us to think about
some of the challenges that we face and
I thought here they had Hebraic
Christians and grecian Christians and i
thought this english ministry thing that
God is doing is highly complex it's not
a church separate church but nor is it
just a ministry it's sort of a church
within a church it's a community within
the church there's a Spanish church and
then there's here English there's people
from a lot of different
from a lot of different walks of life
all mixed in together in the same place
and you know I did a little
brainstorming and I was thinking about
the variety of people that God has
thrown together here we have among us
many people who are struggling or in
transition who are homeless who are
fighting to survive we also have among
us people were very established in their
fields and I was thinking about it we've
got plumbers school principals we've got
EMTs small business owners child care
providers carpenters economist doctors
speech therapists chefs missionaries
lawyers cab drivers grandmother's
substance abuse counselors investment
analyst scientists mechanics the list is
kind of I'd like I started to get
excited as I wrote this we have a radio
personality among us administrators
nurses custodians full-time moms high
school teachers personal trainers high
school students college students grammar
school students graduate students
kindergarteners seminarians techies who
do stuff I can't even explain paralegals
pastors missionaries maintenance
supervisor security officer social
workers musicians dental hygienists a
molecular biologist and a cop whose
identity will remain secret we have
people from all over the United States
right here we have people from the
Midwest who like to wear cowboy boots
and square dance and I'm not
exaggerating we got a dude from Texas we
got people from Los Angeles we have
people from New York Hawaii Wisconsin
Louisiana Alabama Connecticut
we have a variety of ethnicities we have
african-americans we have asian american
italian american native american we got
immigrants do we got immigrants we have
people and i did some Counting we have
people from guatemala el salvador
dominican republic puerto rico poland
haiti honduras nigeria jamaica dominica
tortola Taiwan Ghana Japan Ecuador
Barbados Columbia Vietnam Panama
Nicaragua France Peru South Korea
Jamaica Italy st. Croix Canada and you
know i was saying god why don't we have
kenny cape verde ins we got a cape
verdean visiting today praise the Lord
could stick a pin in Cape Verde Barbados
folks we are quite a hodgepodge of
people we're quite a mix we're gonna
need leaders our challenge is is is God
raising up leaders that will help
provide context for community for
cohesion for us to come together the
problem isn't that we're too ingrown
because everyone's the same the issue is
because we're so radically different and
we're united by the Holy Spirit and
that's why the worship is so important
because here at the altar when we drink
from the same wine that bonds us
together because what else is going to
bond us it's got to be Jesus it's got to
be the Holy Spirit and we're gonna need
leaders who can come and flow with that
and help people discover one another
we're gonna have to grow up this year we
have been in an embryonic phase and in
embryo when an infant has bones that are
very flexible and pliable that's why we
it's a temptation to try to over
organized too soon and set things up too
quickly that's not healthy the bones
need to be flexible and minimal and
cartilage II I don't know the word for
that but we are going to need to begin
to develop infrastructure this year and
I would challenge you to view this text
as a promise from the Holy Spirit that
is we do this the widow's will be better
taken care of the Apostles will preach
with more anointing and freedom I don't
there's no apostles but there's some of
us except for baptized
again but we just preach but the
preaching will continue way men and God
will raise up Stevens and Phillips and
Nichkhun oars and Timaeus God will raise
up people to do different things and
gifts that are hidden some of you are
called to do amazing things and you
don't know it yet but once you start
rolling once you start serving God and
being faithful God leads you from one
thing to another thing and the next
thing you know you're preaching and
God's using you to do big big things it
starts by being faithful with the little
things and then God brings us forward
two different things and shows you what
he's called you to do we are going to be
called to grow up this year at a
different way to go to another level and
today as we read this text I want to say
yes Lord yes Lord give us wisdom give us
guidance we're ready to grow in the ways
you're calling us to grow amen so i
invite you to stand with me and let's
let's make this commitment to the Lord
let's pray this prayer to the Lord if
you are here you are not here by
accident and I mean that for everybody
there are people who are brand new maybe
you've come maybe you don't even know
Jesus yet or just barely you just
started maybe you think with all the
very severe issues in my life he can't
be talking to me I'm talking to you some
of the people here that we would least
expect it are the ones we're going to
have the biggest impact on this ministry
if you are here you're not here by
accident you may be young you may be in
grammar school you are an important part
of this community and you've got
something to contribute we need you we
need you God has called you the harvest
is plentiful and the workers are few
listen to what God would say to you in
this year let's pray dear God I thank
you I thank you Father that in your
awesome wisdom Lord God you raise up men
and women and children Lord God to serve
you in powerful ways god I pray Lord
Jesus that as we as a community deal
with our complexity as a community the
complexity of being a church within a
church the complexity of internally of
who we are
God that you would bestow on us wisdom
the way you gave wisdom to the Apostles
at that time Lord you promised in your
word that if anyone lacks wisdom he
should ask God who gives freely without
finding fault God we know that we are
babes that we don't know the best thing
to do with each situation but you do I
pray God that you would give us wisdom
to discern what is pleasing to you even
as we seek to please people also out of
love but pleasing you first god I pray
in Jesus name that you would give wisdom
wisdom wisdom to us in this community
and then we would grow and we would go
to a new level in this year a new level
of maturity a new level of
administrative excellence God a new
level of organizational competence a new
level of spirituality god I pray in the
name of Jesus for the Stevens and the
Phillips that are hidden among us god I
pray for the the time wars and the
Nicholas's and the ones who are called
to serve in the in the practical
administration of the affairs of the
church I pray for people who are hidden
god i pray lord of the harvest that you
would raise up harvesters for your
harvest Lord God Father you raise up men
and women and kids who preach and serve
you and love people and find their
calling in their destiny in you Lord God
do this for us we pray in Jesus name
Amen amen