Living Things Grow

Morning troops. Keep your Bible open in Acts 6. You're going to need that open.

But I want to kick off looking back to Luke's first letter to his mate Theophilus in Luke.

Because in Luke chapter 8, Jesus tells his boys and disciples a story.

Luke 8 · chapter mention

It's known as the parable of the sower.

And to a large degree, the point of the story is this.

Living things grow.

A farmer in that scene wants a harvest, needs a harvest.

And so he goes mental, sowing this seed everywhere.

He doesn't mind where it lands.

Wherever he goes, he's just sowing it all over the place.

Now some of it lands on a path.

Gets trampled on, gets eaten by birds. He gets nothing there.

Some of it lands on rocky ground.

Doesn't take root, gets no moisture, nothing grows.

Some of it lands amongst thorns.

They choke anything that grows.

But some lands on good soil.

And what lands on good soil grows like mad so that he makes 30, 60, even 100% profit on what he sows.

And when Jesus tells his disciples that story back in Luke chapter 8,

Luke 8 · chapter mention

he's actually preparing them for life in the book of Acts.

He's saying, listen boys, as the farmer sowed the seed, preach the gospel to everyone and to anyone.

Don't be stingy.

Don't be selective about the who or the where.

Everyone and everywhere needs to hear this word.

And boys, you need to know this.

That in some places, the devil will steal it away and you will get nothing.

In some places, the floggings you get from the authorities will scare people off so that you get nothing.

In other places, the enticements and the entrapments of the big city will allure people away and you'll get nothing.

But I promise you that some of what you sow will find good soil.

And their living things will grow.

Boys, you need to get ready that although in Acts chapter 1 you're going to start off in a tiny little upper room,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

very quickly you're going to burst out of that thing.

It's going to overflow.

Because there is a harvest of people that the devil cannot snatch, persecution cannot steal away,

and the enticements of the world cannot allure away from you.

Living things grow.

If you were here last week, I presume you did Acts chapter 5,

Acts 5 · chapter mention

and you will have heard a Pharisee guy called Gamaliel say this,

that actually if this is just some kind of mad rebel revolutionary,

it will come to nothing like seed planted among the thorns.

But if it's from God, this living thing will grow.

To nick another one of Jesus' parables,

from a teeny weeny little mustard seed to a mahousive tree.

Because living things grow.

And in Luke and in Acts, it is the word of God that gives life and grows life.

The word of God will spread, the church will increase, and the kingdom will grow.

And Luke is so desperate for us to see this in the book of Acts,

that he gives us about six headlines from a newspaper

that tell you this time and time and time and time again.

You've seen it already in Acts by this point,

but he then wants to make six headlines.

He's seen already 120 in an upper room in Acts 1.

That expanded to about 3,000 in Acts 2 after Pentecost.

In Acts chapter 4, that goes to over 5,000.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

And he wants to keep giving you the point that living things grow.

So, open your Bibles, track with me through his headlines.

Acts chapter 6, verse 7.

Acts 6:7

We had it read to us.

The word of God spread, the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly,

and a large number of priests become obedient to the faith.

See the point?

Living things grow.

Flick over to Acts chapter 9, verse 31.

Acts 9:31

Second headline.

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace,

was strengthened, and living in the fear of the Lord

and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in number.

Living things grow.

Acts chapter 12, verse 24.

Acts 12:24

Look over a couple of pages.

12, 24.

But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

Living things grow.

Look at chapter 16, verse 5.

So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Next one.

Acts chapter 19, verse 20.

Acts 19:20

In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Last one.

Last words of the book.

Acts 28, 30, and 31.

For two whole years,

Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.

He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ

with boldness and without hindrance.

What is the point?

Living things grow.

As the word of God spreads, the church increases, and the kingdom grows.

So if you come back to Acts chapter 6 and you read the first verse,

Acts 6 · chapter mention

it sounds like this is going to be a proper positive moment in the book of Acts.

So Acts chapter 6, verse 1.

Acts 6:1

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing.

All right.

It's growing.

Especially when you come off the back of chapter 5.

Because in chapter 5, at times it felt like rocky ground.

When the apostles have been flogged within an inch of their life.

It's tough soil.

At times it's felt more like the kind of thorny ground

because Ananias and Sapphira have been lured away by the pleasures of this world.

You think Acts chapter 6, finally, after those two, we've got good soil.

Acts 6 · chapter mention

But as most teenage boys know, growing is rarely without growing pains.

And that's exactly what you see in Acts chapter 6.

Acts 6 · chapter mention

So read again verse 1.

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing,

the Hellenistic Jews complained against the Hebraic Jews

because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

Now here's the issue.

And it's kind of like a complicated ming and onion that's got multiple layers.

The first layer is that the church is just growing.

I'm a kind of 90s boy in terms of music,

so it's kind of the notorious B.I.G. problem

where the more people you come across, the more problems you see.

As the church is increasing, there's creaks.

It groans.

But the second stage is that as it groans, there's complaining.

They're probably speaking Hebrew.

Obviously some of them are speaking Greek.

But although they're in Jerusalem,

there's that kind of natural Scottish language of gurning.

Something's wrong here in Jerusalem.

Now what's going on?

Third layer, there's tension.

Potential prejudice between Hebraic Jews and the Hellenistic Jews.

Now they're just two different groups of people.

One from outside the city who spoke Greek.

Others from inside the city that spoke Hebrew.

But it seems to be that the final complicating layer is

that some people are looking at it and going,

our group are not getting the necessary food that our widows need.

And they're starving.

Now a lot of older folk in that time would have come from outside the city

back to Jerusalem because they would want to die and be buried in the holy city.

Now it's always the Bible's view that widows should be cared for by their own families.

See that in 1 Timothy chapter 5.

1 Timothy 5 · chapter mention

But if their own families aren't around or aren't able,

then the Bible prescribes that it is the church that ought to care for the most alone,

the most vulnerable in their community.

But here's the problem.

The church is growing great,

but widows are starving.

Far from great.

And we need to see the potentially nasty flavor to this.

As people look at it and see that it's one specific people group

whose widows are being overlooked,

people are at best questioning it.

Maybe at worst they're going,

is there some institutional racism inside this church in Jerusalem?

Are the widows being overlooked,

especially because of where they're from

or maybe just the language that they speak?

Now you start off the chapter going,

oh, the church is growing.

Wahey, happy days.

And all of a sudden you're going,

flip, this church could split.

This could be a devastating moment in the book of Acts.

Now what I want to show you this morning,

we could go a million different ways with this text.

All I want to do is give you four applications

for you guys as Brunsfield Evangelical Church.

Some of them are going to be for all of us together.

Some of them are specifically going to be for the elders.

But the first one is one that hits us all together

and it's simple.

Church.

So speaking of all of us,

church, people must not be overlooked.

As a church, our primary responsibility

is to care to one another in the church.

Now you could instantly kind of come back at me and go,

hang on, Primey, we're in the book of Acts here.

The whole point is we're meant to take the gospel to the world.

However, one of the clearest ways that the church witnesses to the world

is the love and care that we show for our own people.

And in the church, people must not be overlooked.

You've seen that already in Acts chapter 2 at the end,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

again at the end of Acts chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

If someone is in need,

we ought to be the ones who meet that need.

If the church has people who are hungry,

the church should feed them their food.

If someone is in need,

it is our responsibility.

However, here's the struggle.

And hasn't that been particularly clear in the last 18 months?

That there are periods in the church of life

where it's easy to accidentally overlook people.

Especially when everyone can't be in the room.

We don't have a scooby who's watching this.

And so we need to make sure in this season

that the people we haven't seen for a while

or heard from a while

may not be either physically or spiritually being overlooked.

And whose responsibility is that?

All of us.

Church.

People must not be overlooked.

However,

it's actually more sinister here.

The sinister reality is that even within a church,

it can be possible for people to be deliberately overlooked.

In the book of Acts,

Luke wants to show us on repeat

the attractiveness of the purpose of God

to bring people from diverse backgrounds

into the church of his son.

He repeatedly shows us

the power of the gospel of Jesus

to unite people who were once enemies

and to break down the barriers and walls

that have culturally divided people for centuries.

The church is meant to be multicolored,

multilingual,

and multiclass.

However,

the book of Acts is not rose-tinted.

It is real life.

And since then,

and probably still today,

some of the prejudices that we held

before we were Christians

continue to have a hangover

now that we are Christians,

which means we need to be on guard about this

in Grace Mount Community Church

and in Brunsfield Evangelical Church.

Now, maybe that's on issues like classism.

And we need to make sure

that we don't look down on people

because of where they have come from

or what their backstory has been.

In the church,

Christ unites us

more than class divides us.

Our identity is not in our class.

It is in Christ.

That is not meant to be a dividing barrier

for membership

or leadership in Christ's church.

But we need to be careful

not just on classism,

but on racism.

If someone enters our church

and they raise a concern

that they feel like an outsider

because of where they're from

or the language they speak,

we need to be asking ourselves

the hard question

that we are not

in some subtle, unconscious way

overlooking some people.

When our church is predominantly white

in a community

that is increasingly diverse,

we need to ask the hard questions

that we are not

maybe even deliberately

overlooking people.

Because in the church,

people are not to be overlooked.

Definitely not if they're needy

and absolutely not

just because they are different.

But that's the issue in Acts 6.

Widows are being overlooked

from one particular people group.

Now, how do the apostles respond?

Have a look back in Acts 6.

Look at verse 2.

So, the 12, that's the apostles,

gathered all of 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.

So notice what the apostles do.

They take the lead.

They do it immediately.

No time for this to fester.

And they do it by gathering

the entire number of disciples

around them.

And notice how they start.

It's a surprising thing.

They don't start by saying

what they must do.

They start by saying

what they must not do.

They start with something

that is not a right response.

So they say,

okay, overlooking people

is a priority.

We must not overlook people.

However, it's not the only priority.

It would not be right for us

to neglect the ministry

of the word of God

in order to wait on tables.

So here's the second thing

this morning,

second application.

And this one,

especially to the elders in the room.

So, Shanksy,

Alice is watching at home.

Anyone else who's an elder?

Here's the important thing

we must remember this morning.

Word ministry

must not be neglected.

So people must not be overlooked.

But word ministry

for elders in a church

must not be neglected.

Here's the two things

that are not right.

Widows being overlooked

or the apostles and elders

overlooking the responsibility

to be teachers of the word.

Now, that is not the apostles

saying that waiting on tables

is beneath them.

Like the queen saying,

wiping skidmuffs of a bog

is beneath her.

That's not the point.

It's not that they're too good

to do this.

The point is,

it's more like a nurse

in a hospital

who's saying,

I cannot leave my post

on the ward

to go and cook meals

for everyone

because that would be

neglecting what my role

is in this place.

It's not saying that

the chef is less needy

than the,

not needy is the wrong word,

but needed,

than the chef.

But actually,

the hospital will fall to bits

if both parties

don't play their vital roles

in this thing.

Without both,

the hospital falls apart.

It's not a difference

of importance,

but rather a difference

of calling.

Now, come back to the thing

we started at the start.

Living things grow.

And if the church

is to grow,

it is the word

that will give life

and preserve life.

So the life

and growth

of a church

is dependent

on the apostles'

teaching of the word

of God.

How did the widows

come into the church

in the first place?

Through the teaching

of the word of God.

What's going to sustain

the widows

even in their hunger

for physical food?

The teaching

of the apostles' words.

Now, they do need

the spiritual food

as well as

the physical food,

but whose responsibility

is the spiritual food

in the life

of a widow?

The apostles.

And so just as

a nurse needs

to stay

on her ward,

the apostles

need to stay

in the ward.

Now, it is

significant here.

The apostles

don't try and silence

the complaints.

They don't try

and spin the narrative

to preserve

their own reputation.

They don't try

and hide it

in darkness.

They acknowledge

the complaints.

That is vital.

Widows are being

overlooked

and that must not happen,

but the first thing

they do is to make sure

that everyone knows

this is not going

to be

something that

we deal with

personally.

Our task,

our service here

is the ministry

of the word.

So elders,

you're not a psychologist,

you're not a social worker,

you're not an entertainer,

you're not a delivery driver,

a gardener,

a community worker,

or a politician,

you are a minister

of the word.

When people meet you,

they ought to be

served the word.

Just like you can tell

by looking at a farmer

how much he's committed

to his harvest

by how much he sows the seed,

you can tell

by looking at an elder

how committed

they are to

their people

and their community

by how much

they serve up

the word of God.

And if you

were here last week

for Acts chapter 5,

Acts 5 · chapter mention

you'll know that

doesn't just happen

from a pulpit,

it happens as they go

house to house

to house to house

to house.

Elders are not

to hide up here,

they're to go

to the houses

of the most vulnerable,

the most needy

to serve

the scriptures.

Especially when

the church

is on the verge

of split

because of prejudice

and potential racism.

What does the church

need most in that moment?

For its leaders

to teach the gospel

that doesn't just

unite us to God

but unites us

to each other.

The answer

in this moment

is not to split

the church

into ethnic groups

but to preach

the gospel

that unites

every group.

And in these moments

of tension

the church

needs its teachers

to teach.

But actually

when it comes back around

see if you look

to verse 4

they kind of reinforce

this priority

in verse 4

and they add something

to it

where it says

and we will give

our attention

to prayer

and the ministry

of the word.

An elder

who does word ministry

without giving

their attention

to prayer

is still

neglecting

word ministry.

To preach

without praying

is to neglect

preaching.

It's like

trying to send

a letter

without a stamp

on it.

It might have

good content

but it's going

nowhere.

And just as

the power

of the preacher

is not in his

preaching

but in the word

of God

the power

of his preaching

is not so much

in his preaching

but in his praying.

above the desk

of my study

where I write

my sermons

I've got a whiteboard

that's just full of quotes

that I've picked up

from somewhere

I've no idea

where they're from

but there's one

right at the top

that every week

says

he who has

truly prayed

has completed

the half

of his study.

So elders

are you doing

that half

of your study?

Because my guess

is

prayer can be

often more

overlooked

than widows

are.

Living things

grow

but they will

only grow

if the elders

give attention

to prayer

and to the

ministry

of the word.

Now

here's what

we're up to

so far.

There's still

a problem

but all we've

kind of got

is there's two

things that

wouldn't be right.

It's not right

that the

widows

are overlooked

it's not right

that the elders

neglect preaching

and prayer.

So where do we go?

Something needs

to happen.

So look at verse 3

look at what the

apostles lead

them into.

Verse 3

Brothers and sisters

choose seven men

who are among you

who are known

to be full of the

spirit and wisdom

we will turn

responsibility

over to them.

So here's a second

application to elders

third one in total

but second to elders.

Elders

you must

turn responsibility

over to the

church.

Notice here

the answers to

the church's

problems

is the whole

church.

The apostles

can't do everything

in the church

but thankfully

the apostles

aren't the only

ones in the

church

and word

ministry

is not the

only ministry

in the church.

Look at verse

the word ministry

comes up in verse 2

it would not be right

for us to neglect

the ministry of the

word and it also

comes up in verse 4

and we will give

our attention to

prayer and the

ministry of the

word.

However

verse 1 uses

the same word

and when it says

because their

widows were being

overlooked in the

daily distribution

of food

the same word

ministry is in

there.

There's different

types of ministry

in the church

there are some

who do the

ministering of the

word and there

are some who do

the ministering of

food

but both are

vital ministries

both are ministries

areas of service

that serve the

church and serve

the Lord Jesus

Christ.

Again it is not

that one is more

important than the

other they are

both vital they're

just different.

What is vital is

the elders turn

responsibility over.

Come back to the

illustration of the

hospital what would

kill a hospital is

if a nurse also

tried to be a

chef a cleaner an

administrator and a

security guard.

the thing falls to

pieces.

What makes a

hospital thrive when

every different

person plays their

distinctive roles.

What kills a

church when it

relies on just a few

people who are

trying to do

everything.

What makes a

church thrive when

everyone is fulfilling

their distinctive

roles.

And here's where I

need to make a

confession and repent

and go my name's

Andy and I'm an

irritating micromanaging

control freak.

And I think it's a

temptation that a lot

of pastors and

elders fall into but I

will drive myself to

burnout and my church

to a burning car crash

if I try and keep my

finger in every pie and

control over every

detail like a nurse

trying to do

everything in a

hospital.

And often I need to

ask my church for

forgiveness for the

times when out of my

arrogance and anxiety

I've neglected my

main calling and I've

underemployed everyone

else's gifts in the

church.

And so as leaders our

instinct needs to be the

same as Acts 6 where we

get over ourselves and we

remember we're not the only

people in the church and we

do the same as what the

apostles do.

To solve the problem we

gather everyone, verse 2.

To remedy the problem we

employ all of the members,

verse 3.

And employing all the

members, verse 5, they

please everyone and to

meet the need they

empower specific members

to deal with a specific

issue in verse 6.

Now that shows us when

these moments of

tension come up in this

church, the way to

preserve unity in the

face of complaints and

prejudice is to decide

to face the issue

together.

Living things grow but

the church collectively

grows through the active

ministry of every single

person.

So, elders, keep

turning responsibility

over.

And here's my final

application, number 4,

that comes to everyone.

Church, be known for

being full of the spirit,

of wisdom, and of faith.

Be known for being full

of wisdom, full of the

spirit, and full of faith.

What happens in these

verses and acts is the

church becomes the

answer to its own

problems.

Both in its leaders as

they give attention to

the word and prayer, and

as all its members begin

to fulfill their

ministries.

And that happens as the

church look out for,

choose, and present

seven blokes who are

known.

For what?

Not a CV that impresses

in Jerusalem.

It's not what they're

looking for.

But for character that

impresses King Jesus.

These men, verse 3, are

known for being full of

the spirit.

That means that the

spirit is the driving

influence in their life.

These men are being

known for full of wisdom.

That means they take the

apostles' teaching and they

apply it to every aspect of

their life.

They're known for being

full of faith.

That means that what their

lives are impacted by is

not the visible and the

temporary, but the

invisible and the eternal.

And these guys stand out in

Jerusalem as being

different because of their

relationship to Jesus.

These types of people would

stand out in Brunsfield

because of their relationship

to God.

They're known for it.

That's a challenge, isn't it?

What are you known for?

It's a reminder.

See if you look at one of the

names.

Just got time to look at one.

In verse 5 you get this guy

called Nicholas.

Notice how he's described.

He's described as a convert.

Now if you're new to

Brunsfield, new to church,

that's something you need to

get that you don't join a

church simply by coming.

You join Jesus' church by

being converted.

His word gives you a new

life as you repent of your

sins, trust in Jesus and

trust that he forgives your

sins.

This isn't a club.

It is a hospital where

Jesus' crucifixion extracts

the fatal sin within you.

Where Jesus' righteousness

imputes his perfect record to

you and Jesus' resurrection

life implants eternal life

within you.

And when you are converted by

him, there's a change in you.

Like in Nicholas, he was a

convert.

And that change is recognized,

it's known in the church.

So much so that they spot it,

they empower it and they employ

it to overlook the church and

make sure that no one is

overlooked.

That's a searching question.

What are you known for?

And has that changed since you

became a Christian?

Full of the spirit, full of

wisdom, full of faith.

There's a great story that Paul

tells, not a story, he writes to

the master of a former slave who

had bolted from this guy.

But the slave, when he bolted,

met Paul, probably in prison.

He gets saved and Paul writes back

to the master.

And what he says about him is

this.

He was once useless to you.

But now he is useful both to you

and to me.

That's what Jesus does.

He saves us when we were useless.

But then what does he do?

He fills us with his spirit.

He teaches us his wisdom.

He strengthens our faith so that we

become useful in Jesus' church.

And Brunsfield Evangelical will be

at its healthiest when all of its

members are flourishing in these

three things.

My conversion from the old useless

me means that I'm now full of the

spirit, full of his wisdom, and full

of faith.

You do not come to church as a

spectator.

And that's the danger of the last

18 months.

We've kind of got into that place,

particularly if we're still watching

from home, where we think, I come

here as a consumer.

Not true.

You don't come here as a consumer.

You definitely don't come here as a

complainer.

You come here as a convert if you're

a Christian.

A convert to serve, to care for the

needy, to strive for unity, and to

take the gospel to the ends of the

earth.

Which means, if you're sat here and

you're a Christian this morning, it

needs to be your thing when you come

to church to go, I'm going to make

sure no one's overlooked.

I'm going to make sure the needy are

cared for.

I'm going to make sure no one is

starving.

I'm going to make sure if Shanks is

doing something that he shouldn't be

doing because he's an elder, so he

should just be doing the word and

prayer, and he's doing stuff that I

could do to take off him, then I'm

going to take it off him.

Because it is only as the elders are

fixated on their thing, and all of us

are doing our thing, that the word of

God is going to take off in this

place.

And by the way, don't then take that

as an excuse to go, fine, they get to

preach and teach, and I don't have to

do any of that evangelism thing.

Nonsense.

One of the guys who's chosen as a deacon

in these verses is a guy called Stephen,

and you're going, fine, Stephen, what's he

going to do?

He's going to wait on tables.

Look at what he's going to do next

week.

The rest of Acts chapter 6, the Holy

Acts 6 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 7, he preaches one of the

Acts 7 · chapter mention

best sermons you'll ever hear and gets

murdered for it.

And you're going, Stephen, you've just

been set apart to wait on tables.

You're stealing the elder's job.

Nah.

Just because something is their priority

doesn't mean it's also something that we

get to be involved with.

We're to go and do ministry.

We're to go and be the church.

Because when a church is faced with a

threat to its unity, we need to see here

the answer is found within the own

church.

And look back to verse 7 as we finish,

because look what it unleashes.

When every member is doing his ministry,

every member is provided for, when none

are needy, none are overlooked, when the

elders are giving their attention to the

word of God, look what happens, verse 7.

So, the word of God spread.

The number of disciples increased rapidly.

And a large number of priests became

obedient to the faith.

They were groaning at the start.

But all of a sudden, they're growing again.

It looked like at the start of Acts chapter 6,

Acts 6 · chapter mention

he was a hurdle for the gospel.

But by the Spirit, he takes what is a hurdle

and he makes it a stepping stone for the gospel.

Now, I'm not a mathematician, but apparently

there would have been about 10,000 priests in

Jerusalem at this time.

And Luke says that a large number of the

priests became obedient to the faith.

What do you reckon a large number of 10,000 is?

A couple of thousand?

4,000?

5,000?

Now, here's the challenge then.

They were growing and there was problems.

What's now happened even more?

More growth.

What's going to come at them?

More problems.

People will be overlooked.

The elders will be tempted to give away their

attention to the word and to try and solve all the

problems.

And so the whole thing in this beautiful

livingness kicks off all over again.

Which means that there will never be a moment in

our church where we don't need to get these

things right.

Right.

No one should be overlooked.

The elders must not neglect the ministry of the word

and prayer.

Therefore, elders must turn responsibility over.

And church, you must continue to be known for being

full of wisdom, full of the Spirit, and full of faith.

Because here's what you can guarantee.

That kind of life grows.

And whatever challenge hits us next, more COVID stuff,

more lockdown, more tension in the church,

the Spirit can take through the word of God,

even the worst hurdle for the gospel,

and make it into a stepping stone for more growth.

Shall we pray?

Our gracious Father in heaven,

we thank you that when we were dead in our sins,

you graciously gave us life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for the reminder this morning that that is not

just a life on our own, but a life within the living church

of the living Lord Jesus.

And I pray for this congregation.

I pray for my little church up the road.

That we would be members known for full of wisdom,

full of faith, and full of the Spirit.

And that together we would navigate the challenges of the world,

the flesh, and the devil.

And that you would work all things for your glory,

for our good, and for the growth of the gospel

in this city and beyond.

And we pray these things for Christ's sake.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.