In Acts 6:1, we learn about a problem in the early church. The next few verses don’t describe how the problem got worse, though. Instead, we begin to learn how the problem was solved.
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.”
Acts 6:2-4 NIV
This issue comes back to the apostles, at whose feet money was being placed in an earlier series of articles (see Acts 4:32-37, for instance). The apostles don’t just let the situation fester indefinitely: They call a meeting (the good kind: not the 3-hour business review kind), and offer a course of action.
(Incidentally [per Reese, p.247-249], the Greek for the help being provided here could refer to either serving food or distributing money to those in need. While I am using examples based on food here, the principles should be similar if money was being allocated – perhaps by the apostles – to those in need.)
Now, we could read too much into the apostles’ comments here. It kind of sounds like they are saying that prayer and teaching or preaching (as I read it) is more important than taking care of physical needs in the congregation.
However, in light of 1 Corinthians 12 (whose headings in the NIV are “Concerning Spiritual Gifts” and “Unity and Diversity in the Body”), I think that we need to be careful in reading too much into the way that this was said. It is clear from this letter of Paul (i.e., 1 Corinthians) that God gave all kinds of gifts to those in the church, and – since He doesn’t seem to impart everything to everyone – that we need each other.
Even if we consider 1 Corinthians 12:28, which suggests an order to various gifts, earlier verses suggest that every part of the Body of Christ is needed (including the weaker ones).
Think about it: If the apostles had tried to manage the distribution of food, or even take over and do the work themselves, their prayer and proclamation would have been diluted. Yes, they could have taught while serving food, but there were thousands of believers needing to be taught, as well as a lost world outside of the church who needed to hear about Jesus. And, in addition to being eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, it appears that the Holy Spirit made them really good at sharing the good news with people who needed it. On the other hand, if the apostles had just ignored this inequity that had been reported, then discord, discontent and distrust were likely to eat away at the church from the inside.
I appreciate that the apostles had a practical solution here. They could have just said, “Solve it among yourselves”, or “Sorry, Hellenistic widows”, but they didn’t.
Instead, they respected those who needed help, opened up an opportunity for other members of the church to help, and insisted that the ministry be overseen by those who were “full of the Spirit and wisdom.” [see v.3]. They didn’t just say to “pick some leaders at random”, or ask for volunteers. No, they wanted wise, Spirit-filled leaders. After all, an unwise leader might have made bad choices, like continuing to discriminate, for instance, or maybe forcing everyone to have the same amount of food (sending everyone home a little bit hungry) without letting the donors in the church know that there was more need.
There’s an old song called “Home Run” by a group called “Geoff Moore and the Distance”. In that song are the lyrics, “We’re on the same team, but we’re not all the same”. I think that this line captures multiple key points from today’s lesson:
First, we’re on the same team. There’s no place for excluding fellow Christians from ministries based on external characteristics. Everyone in the church is important, and we need each other – even those who are quite unlike us. We also have the same ultimate leadership (i.e., the three persons of God), as the early church.
Secondly we’re not all the same. Not everyone is called to preach. Not everyone is called to help lead a ministry. Everyone has their own role in the church, though, and none of us can say that just because we aren’t like our neighbor, we aren’t important.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for October 15, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, October 15, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts, by Gareth L. Reese. © 1976, College Press Publishing Company.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Acts, by Dennis Gaertner. © 1993 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 