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“Build Your Church” by Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music

The Call to Unity in Acts 6

“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’

“This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

“So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” -Acts 6:1-7

Early Church Growth and Its Challenges

At this point in the Church, it is believed that there could have been close to 20,000 followers of Jesus. That is how much the Church had grown in just five chapters—our timeline of perspective! Chapter 6 shows us the shift that began to take place in their growth in Jerusalem specifically. What is so profound is that the apostles didn’t have the New Testament to refer back to to tell them how to structure church growth; they simply had their life with Christ and all He taught them. In fact, some of these guys would pen the New Testament as they lived out the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among them and now lived inside of them.

This will be an interesting passage to ponder and work through because, on one hand, you have the phenomenal increase of believers and rapid church growth. On the other hand, we are beginning to see drama and tensions arising amongst believers. You and I both would say, “Well, that’s no shock!” However, up until that point, everyone was being cared for (Acts 4:34), and the infant Church was in a honeymoon stage of affection for Jesus and one another. It was beautiful. As one commentary says, “We can say that with Acts 5 and 6, the good old days were over for the earliest Christians. They now had to deal with internal corruption, and now disputes and potential divisions. How they dealt with those things made all the difference (David Guzik).”

Cultural Differences in Acts 6

Let’s dive into the tension. So, who were the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews? The Hellenistic Jews were Jewish converts to Christianity who spoke Greek and who most likely came from outside of Jerusalem. The Hebraic Jews were Jewish Christians who spoke Aramaic and most likely existed from the birth of the Church in Acts. So not only would there be linguistic differences but also cultural differences. The widows were beginning to gripe that their needs were not being met sufficiently. So, the disciples decided to present this to the whole Body and commission seven who would own this task. The Body was beginning to share responsibility for the growth of the Church. The agreement of the whole group showed the favor of God in their process, choosing not to negate the needs of the people for the mission but allow for the increased spread of the gospel and the health of the Church. Stephen and Phillip were among the seven selected, and we will soon see their impact on the Church was well beyond what they were initially called to do.

Wisdom in Biblical Leadership

In the midst of the tension, we see the Apostles dead set on the bullseye target of their calling to pray and proclaim the Word of God. There was no way they could continue to spread the gospel if they were caught in the administration of needs that existed in these thousands of followers. As increase happens, so do the needs of so many people. And here comes the enemy trying to stir up discord, complaining, and distraction by pitting one group of Christ followers against another. (He loves to do that!) His hope was to slow down the growth of the Church, but these spirit-filled men responded with great love and humility. And it’s in the love and attention of their response that even more were won over to the faith!

“Satan’s strategy failed. He tried to divide the church, and it did not work. But Satan’s second strategy also failed. The apostles were not distracted from the focus of ministry God had for them – to focus on the word of God and on prayer.” -David Guzik, Acts 6 commentary

Satan tried to use distraction to usher in division amongst all the followers of Jesus. The apostles knew their clearly defined calling, even though they knew the importance of both social work and pastoral work. At such a crucial juncture of growth for the early Church, they had to remain focused and deploy others into the ministry for these widows.

“The devil’s next attack was the cleverest of the three. Having failed to overcome the church by either persecution or corruption, he now tried distraction. If he could preoccupy the apostles with social administration, which though essential was not their calling, they would neglect their God-given responsibilities to pray and to preach, and so leave the church without any defense against false doctrine.” -John Stott, “The Message of Acts”

Every believer must wrestle with and find their place in the Great Commission. However, not every ministry opportunity, although good, is God’s calling for you to take as your responsibility. Maturity comes when we can discern what is yours and what is mine in the Body of Christ.

The apostles knew the Church would not grow if they did not continue to pray and proclaim the gospel! They delegated the social work so the pastoral work could continue. “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 (Acts 6:7).” The very ones who had proven themselves contentious to Jesus and the apostles were now coming to faith. It is thought that around 8,000 priests may have been living in Jerusalem at that time, keenly watching the transformed lives of scores of people. And they were giving their lives to Jesus. Miraculous!

“‘I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.’” -John 17:22-23

We have some beautiful takeaways from this passage of Scripture!

Preaching the gospel and prayer should be central in the Church.

It takes the Body working as a team in unity for the hardest of hearts to encounter the love of Jesus!

Showing grace to one another is imperative for increase.

One of the enemy’s key tactics is dissension and distraction. We war through humility and laser-focused vision.

Jesus continues to build His Church all over the world.

We are a part of the Bride of Christ, so we must take our privileged part in helping to see Her increase among the nations!

Do you know what your role is to play in this hour?

A Few Key Notes

• Our first Arise Summer Series dinner is this Thursday! Join us for three cross-cultural dinners on June 13, July 11, and August 15. We will enjoy a meal while learning about the Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim cultures and faith. You will experience an evening of sisterhood, education, and conversation as we discuss what God is doing among these three major world religions. Registration is free; you will only have to pay for the cost of your dinner.
• Come take the gospel to the nations with Arise. View our open teams and apply for one today!