(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.

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.

(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.

“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.”

And there’s nothing like the warmth of familiar Christmas memories this time of year – memories of childhood and of family. It reminds me how often God speaks through the familiar, the common, to amaze us all over again.

Consider the familiar Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke. The angel appears to the shepherds watching over their sheep at night and proclaims,

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

To these lowly shepherds, the angel says “Unto you is born”. This message was not given first to kings or clergy, but to shepherds – to lowly shepherds out in the field with their flocks. All through the Nativity story, we see God choosing the humble, the weak, the rejected, and the familiar in society to proclaim the wondrous news of Christ’s birth.

The angel said this good news would be for “all the people”. Salvation is no longer limited to Israel, but is for every country, every race, every culture, every walk of life. The walls of division have come down. This truly is good news for the world.

And the good news of great joy is this: the Savior has come. Not just for the world, but He has come to save you.

Then the angel told the shepherds how they could go and see for themselves this wonderful sight.

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

They would find a baby in a barn, wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough made for animals. Now the shepherds were familiar with barns, so they were going back to something familiar – to surroundings that were not new to them. But what they would find there was anything but familiar.

The Christmas story reminds us that God humbled Himself and became a man. God used the lowly of the world to proclaim His glory. And God used the familiar to introduce what had never been before.

It’s easy to hear the story of Jesus and let it become too familiar. Most Christians have a story of when they heard the gospel for the first time, and the joy and clarity and hope that came upon them. And I love to hear those stories. But we should also share those stories when we heard the gospel clearly for the hundredth time, or the thousandth time, and joy and hope flooded our souls all over again.

When you hear the good news of the gospel preached, or when you hear it in the Christmas carols being sung, or when you read it in the Bible, does your heart still leap with joy? Sometimes, mine does not. Sometimes the message of the gospel isn’t good news of great joy.

Those are the times I need to go back and see for myself. Like the shepherds, we need to go back to something we may have seen a hundred times, and we need to see it again – as if for the first time. We need to pray for fresh eyes to see and hearts that will be moved again.

And we need to go back to that hill called Calvary and look upon the One nailed to the cross for us. We need to see the love and grace that poured from those wounds and be reminded of the great price Jesus paid for us. And in that familiar place, we will be compelled to kneel – and to worship.

Consider afresh the great love He has for you. That’s why He came, because of His love for you. Receive that good news today, and your familiar Christmas will be one to remember.

Youcef Nadarkhani is a name you’ve probably never heard of. But he’s become one of my heros.

Youcef is a Christian pastor who lives in Iran – a country dominated by Islam. Back in 2009 he humbly, yet courageously protested when the school his sons were attending were being forced Islamic teaching. He was arrested and put in prison. During this time, Pastor’s Youcef’s faith in Christ was revealed, and that he was pastoring some 400 other Christians – many who had converted from Islam. The Iranian religious leaders gave Youcef a choice – either reject his faith in Christ and embrace Islam…or die.

While in prison, they tried propaganda, making him read literature that claims Christianity is a lie. That didn’t work. They tried to drug him. That didn’t work. They repeatedly beat him and placed him in solitary confinement. That didn’t work.

Then they arrested his wife and ran her through a mock trial. They found her guilty of apostasy and sentenced her to life in prison. Still Youcef trusted God and held to his faith in Christ. Soon, his wife’s charges were overturned and she was set free. Then they threatened to take his sons – 7 and 9 years old – and give them to Muslim parents unless he denied Christ. Still, Youcef chose Christ.

Youcef has chosen Christ over his own life, over his wife, over his children. He has embraced persecution for the sake of the gospel. And to this day, he still sits in an Iranian prison, where his health is deteriorating and he could be executed at any moment, yet he refuses to deny Christ.

One news article reports…

During one hearing he was told to recant and he responded, “You ask me to recant. Recant means to return. What do you wish me to return to? The blasphemy that I was in before Christ?” The judges responded, “To the religion of your ancestors, Islam.” Youcef replied, “I cannot.”

In September of this year, the Supreme Court in Iran reviewed his case and passed down a sentence of death by hanging for “turning his back on Islam” and “converting Muslims to Christianity.” Pastor Youcef sits in an Iranian prison, awaiting either the sentence to be overturned, or to be a killed for the sake of the gospel.

Unfortunately, Youcef’s story is not uncommon. For the last 2000 years, Christians from across the globe have suffered persecution and death. Countless numbers of brothers and sisters in Christ have chosen imprisonment and death over denying their Lord.

When you’ve seen Jesus, when His gospel has changed your life, nothing else can compare to His beauty and splendor. As Paul says, everything else is worthless – nothing else compares to the worth of knowing Christ.

During this Thanksgiving holiday, take time to pray for Youcef, his family, and for the persecuted Church across the world.

Deuteronomy 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”

Moses says that God will one day send, “A prophet like me”. Moses was pointing to Jesus. How were Moses and Jesus alike?

-They were both born in a time when God’s people were under a foreign rule.
-They were both born in the midst of babies being killed, and survived.
-They both were Hebrew by birth, yet belonged to royalty.
-They both often spoke with God on a mountain.
-Moses was given the Law, Jesus fulfilled the Law.
-They rebuked people for their idolatry. Moses when he came off the
mountain and the people were worshiping a golden calf. Jesus when he went into the temple and turned over the tables of the money changers.
-Most importantly, they both freed God’s people from slavery. Moses freed Israel from slavery. Jesus frees God’s people from the shackles of their sin.

Jesus was the prophet that Moses predicted. But Jesus was infinitely greater than Moses.

-Jesus didn’t just deliver messages from God. He was the message.
-Jesus didn’t just bring the 10 commandments down from the mountain. Jesus wrote the 10 commandments, and He perfectly fulfilled them.
-And Jesus would not just be the one to speak with God on behalf of the people. Through faith in Jesus, we would be able to go to directly God in prayer. He would no longer be this scary cloud on a mountain. He would call us his kids, and we would call Him Father.

But Jesus is no longer with his disciples in body. Would miracles cease? Would the power of Jesus leave with Jesus? No. Jesus promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The presence and power of Jesus was with His Church through the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 3, this is the very first miracle we see the apostles do since Jesus ascended. God used Peter and John to heal a man who was crippled from birth.

That’s what this miracle communicated. The ministry and message of Jesus have not ceased, but continue in His followers – in His Church.

“The main point of the story is the continuing power of the name of Jesus to perform the same gracious and healing acts which were signs in the Gospels of the coming of the kingdom or rule of God.” –I. Howard Marshall

By healing this lame man, God is making it clear that Jesus is still the Messiah. And His followers carry the authority of Jesus because they carry the mission of Jesus.

So not only was Jesus a miracle worker, but Jesus made it clear to his disciples that they would do the same.

Miracles may not happen in the same way or the same frequency today, but they do happen.

I say that with certainty, because I’ve seen miracles happen. I’ve seen people on their deathbed be healed and recover. I’ve seen demons cast out of people. I’ve seen God heal disease, both in our country and others. We all saw and heard a miracle just a couple of weeks ago right here when Jeanne Chavez asked for prayer for breast cancer. We prayed, and God healed her days later. God still works miracles.

And I know God works miracles today because the work of the gospel goes on today. If God does miracles for the chief purpose of pointing to the gospel, it should be no shock that God is still pointing the gospel today, and sometimes He performs a miracle to do it.

When you know life, death won’t do.

In Acts 2, the Church is infused with life. The Holy Spirit has been poured out on followers of Jesus gathered in the upper room.

Peter preached the gospel and thousands are saved. The Holy Spirit regenerated them, and the Lord added them to His Church.

And what did they do next? They came together. They lived life together. They had new life. They received what Jesus called “life abundant”. Before salvation, they were dead and didn’t know it. Now, because they are alive, they realize what it is to be alive.

Those whom Jesus has saved are drawn to others whom Jesus has saved. Life is drawn to life.

And for followers of Christ, that’s the drawing of the Holy Spirit who is in you to others who are filled with the Holy Spirit. God put the Spirit in us – He gives us the unity of the Spirit, as Paul calls it – because the Church is meant to live life together, glorifying God and serving one another.

And as we are constantly filled with the Spirit, God will use you to point others who are dead to Jesus – the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.