DISCIPLESHIP : Different People, One Lord

(This is the last of 3 posts that focus on what results when we’re a gospel-centered church.)

Acts 6:7 is one of the first “progress reports” in the Book of Acts. Luke is summing up everything that has happened in the first 5 chapters, and this is what he says.

[7] 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 became obedient to the faith.

Disciples multiplied because the gospel was central.

It would have been very easy for the apostles to be distracted from the central work of prayer and preaching the gospel, but they acted in wisdom. They were led by the Spirit. No doubt, Peter – the leader of the apostles – had Jesus’ words echoing in his heart – “Peter, feed my sheep. Feed my sheep.” Peter knew that didn’t mean physical food, but Jesus wants His sheep fed with the living word of God.

Because the ministry of the word was protected and the gospel was prioritized, God kept adding to the church. And not just numeric growth, but spiritual growth as well.

Jesus has called us, not just to fill seats in an auditorium, but to make disciples. It’s good to invite people to church. In fact, we should do more of that. But getting people to church is not our ultimate goal. We must be about making disciples – sinners saved by grace who are also growing in grace and, eventually, helping others grow. That’s discipleship, and that’s what we’re called to.

Here’s an important question: Who are you discipling? Who are you taking time to sit down and read scripture with, and pray with and encourage in the gospel?

Jesus calls His church to “go and make disciples of all nations”. That’s not just a command for pastors and missionaries. We are all called to make disciples. Start by sharing the gospel and making disciples right where you are.

You don’t have to wait for a position or title or a different stage of your life when your kids get older and you’ve got more time. Start right where you are – in your neighborhood, in your school, in the places you go everyday, in your extended family.

Just like the church in Acts, as the word of God increases in us, it will increase through us. As the gospel does its good work in you, it will begin to overflow to something God will do through you.

When the gospel is central, we remember how God saved us from our sin. We remember that it was not because of anything we had done, but simply because of God’s extravagant love and mercy that he reached down and made our dead hearts alive.

If you’re saved, it’s because God opened your spiritual ears to hear that wonderful news. Not only did God open your heart, but He also sent someone to you to share the gospel…

…someone who submitted to God.

…someone who resisted their fear.

…someone took time to teach you, to pray for you.

…someone took time to encourage you in the faith.

And now, you are a disciple of Christ.

Take a moment to thank God for His love for you in Christ. Thank God for that someone who first shared the gospel with you. And now, ask God to help you to be that “someone” who can share the gospel with another.

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DELEGATION : Different Gifts, One Purpose

Yesterday we saw how a gospel-centered church will be diverse. Today, let’s consider how a gospel-centered church will result in delegating – everyone doing their part for the purpose of the gospel going forth.

We must remember that the church is called to serve. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said,

“The very motto of the Christian should be ‘I serve.’ ”

Talking to other church leaders, he said…

“My brethren, what is our relation to this church? What is our position in it? We are servants. He that in his heart and soul is always ready to serve the very least of the family; who expects to be put upon; and willingly sacrifices reputation and friendship for Christ’s sake he shall fulfill a heaven-sent ministry. We are not sent to be ministered unto, but to minister.”

To accomplish this, in God’s wisdom, He made each one of us different with different gifts, so that we can all share in the responsibility and joy of serving, instead of just leaving it to a few.

In Acts 6:2-4, the apostles heard about the Hellenist widows being overlooked, they knew this had to be addressed.

[2] 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. [3] 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. [4] But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

The apostles knew they could not minister to all the needs of all the people all the time. So what did they do? They delegated. They shared the authority and responsibility to minister.

We need each other.
We’re not meant to go it alone – we need each other.

That was one of the first leadership lessons Moses learned. Leading millions of people through the desert, settling their disputes, giving them counsel. His father-in-law came to him and basically said, “Moses, you’re going to kill yourself. You can’t do this alone. You need help.” And so Moses chose men of good character to help him.

We all need that reminder. So why do we often struggle with reaching out for help? For some, it’s pride convincing you that you can do it yourself. For others, you may think people are just too busy and your problems don’t matter. Whatever it is, God is the only one who is self-sufficient, and you’re not God. We need each other. Reach out to God for help, and reach out to the people that God has put around you.

Not all needs are the same.
The apostles knew it was important to help feed the hungry. But they also knew it was not good to focus on this while neglecting the preaching of the word and prayer.

So, the apostles delegated some authority and responsibility. Those who had the problem helped to solve the problem by choosing seven men full of the Spirit and wisdom in order to help in meeting the physical needs of the church.

While this delegating helps us in understanding the role deacons later in the church, these seven men here are not called deacons. They served a specific need of the church at a specific time. And this wasn’t all they did. In coming weeks we will see men like Stephen and Phillip have a vital role to play in the preaching of the gospel and the growth of the church.

Men like this remind us that every believer, regardless of title or position, has a part to play, a gift to use, a place to serve. When everyone in the church embraces their call to serve, the church functions as God intended. When everyone pitches in and serves, the preaching of the gospel can remain central while other needs are met as well.

We are all part of the Body, all have different delegated areas to serve, different gifts, yet we are all called for one purpose – to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Diversity, not Division

(This is the first of three posts that will explore the results of a church being gospel-centered, specifically as we see in the Book of Acts.)

Text: Acts 6:1-7

The early church faced some serious challenges. Persecution from without and potential division from within. Yet the church was growing. No matter the pressure, the gospel kept going forward. The Holy Spirit led the apostles to keep the gospel central, above all else.

As a gospel-centered church, there are things we should expect to see: Diversity, Delegation, and Discipleship. We’ll look at the first one today:

Diversity: Different Cultures, One Church

As a direct result of growth in the church in Acts, diversity also grew. More people, more differences. Apparently, there was no consistent oversight to be sure all those in need were given food in a fair way. When food and resources were being handed out, the Hebrew widows were being favored, and the Hellenist widows (Greek-speaking Jews) were being overlooked, likely because of this language or cultural barrier.

There are lots of differences in any given church. Differences are good, but differences can bring the potential for division. The solution is not just hanging around people who are like you. The solution is also not becoming “cookie cutter” Christians who all look and sound the same. The solution is the gospel. We build relationships based on unity in the gospel – the love God has shown to us in Christ, and reflecting that love to one another.

Unity in the midst of diversity. What does that look like?

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:4-5 ESV)

The interests of others, caring for the other person instead ourselves. The older and younger, the single and married, the home schooler and the public schooler, we develop relationships that are meaningful and life-long because they don’t center on their own interests.

Instead of letting differences divide us, the gospel reminds us that we may be different cultures, different backgrounds, but we are one Church. Out of many, we are one. Out of a God-given diversity, we are unified when the gospel is central.

Because the gospel reminds us that we are all sinners, all in need of God’s grace, none of us better than the other. There is unity in who we are because there is unity in whose we are. We are one in Christ.

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The Power of Prayer

C. H. Spurgeon on the power of prayer:

“All hell is vanquished when the believer bows his knee in importunate supplication. Beloved brethren, let us pray. We cannot all argue, but we can all pray; we cannot all be leaders, but we can all be pleaders; we cannot all be mighty in rhetoric, but we can all be prevalent in prayer. I would sooner see you eloquent with God than with men. Prayer links us with the Eternal, the Omnipotent, the Infinite, and hence it is our chief resort…Be sure that you are with God, and then you may be sure that God is with you.”

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