Acts of the Apostles (14)
Introduction
We see in this passage the formation of the Christian diaconate. The noun for deacon is not used here, but the context makes it pretty obvious. There was a daily distribution of food for the widows and some inequities in that distribution were causing problems. The Twelve said that they should not leave the diakonia of the Word (v. 4) in order to diakoneo tables (v. 2). A noun form is the word for deacon (diakonos). And what we can learn from all of this is the evangelistic potency of good church government.
The Text
“And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, who will be important later, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:1–7).
Summary of the Text
Notice that we are in the sixth chapter, and the church is still exploding. The number of disciples was still multiplying (v. 1). In this context, it is not surprising that some friction developed—a murmuring of the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution (v. 1). The Twelve summoned the congregation and said that they should not be distracted by this particular task of service (diakoneo), however worthy it might be (v. 2). So the Twelve told the brothers to select seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, and they would appoint them to it (v. 3). The Twelve would remain at their post—prayer and the ministry (diakonia) of the Word (v. 4). The congregation was pleased with this, and they chose Stephen, full of faith and the Spirit, along with six others—Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch (v. 5). These men were set before the apostles, who then prayed and laid hands on them (v. 6). This resulted in more growth that is described for us in three ways—the Word increased (v. 7), the number of Christians in Jerusalem increased (v. 7), and a large number of priests came to obey the faith (v. 7).
Growth Pains
It is not possible for a body to grow the way the early church did without creating stresses and strains. Remember that we have noted that a significant number of pilgrims from the day of Pentecost had stayed over. This is our textual indication that quite a few of them were still there. The KJV renders one of the groups as Grecians, but this is not referring to Gentile Greeks. Rather, it is referring to Hellenized Jews from the Dispersion. The Hebraic Jews were the hometown Jews. And the seven men selected were all in a position to guard the interests of those who had been neglected. All seven had Hellenistic names.
The growth of the church was not hindered because of the mere fact of a dispute. The dispute was actually the result of the church growing, the dispute was resolved in an honorable way, and the result of this good governance was that the church grew even more. Honest dealing with internal church affairs was honoring to God and attractive to outsiders.
Notice the pattern (that we seek to follow at CC), which is to have qualifications for office established by the existing leadership, to have the men of the congregation elect them, and then to have the existing leadership ordain them, setting them apart to the work assigned.
Male Leadership
It is worth pointing out that all twelve apostles were men. They told the congregation to pick out seven Spirit-filled men. And when the apostles addressed the congregation, they said, “Wherefore, brethren . . .” Now remember that the church is the bride of Christ, which means that collectively we are feminine. As the bride of Christ, we are to be submissive to Him, which means that the rule of the church is to be limited to men (1 Tim. 2:12). We model submission in this, not arrogance.
Someone may well ask about Phoebe, who was a servant of the church at Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1). But this was not a woman on the board of deacons but was rather a different serving office (1 Tim. 3:11).
Growth is Good, But . . .
We have been reminded many times in the book of Acts thus far that the church in Jerusalem was growing and expanding. Three thousand were added the very first day (Acts 2:41). More were added every day (Acts 2:47). A short time later the number of men was around five thousand (Acts 4:4), meaning that the entire church was over ten thousand. The Christians were held in awe (Acts 5:13), but continued to grow anyway—“multitudes” were added (Acts 5:14). And our passage begins with the note that the number of believers was multiplied (Acts 6:1) and concludes on a similar note (Acts 6:7).
Luke does in fact point to numerical growth as a sign of God’s blessing, as a sign of God’s authentication. But it is not an automatic indicator. Morning glory grows. Cancer grows. As Luke records the testimony of Gamaliel, the revolt of Theudas enjoyed some flash-in-the-pan growth, but then collapsed (Acts 5:36). The same thing happened to Judas of Galilee (Acts 5:37). Growth in isolation, apart from other factors, does not signify.
So we should conclude with the understanding that it is the growth of the Word that fundamentally matters (Acts 6:7). The Word of God increased. What is the Bible doing in all of this? Obviously, the Scriptures themselves do not grow—this is a way of saying that the influence of the Word in the lives of the people is growing. This means qualitative growth, and not just numerical growth.
For example, thanks to the Bible Reading Challenge many of you have read the Bible through more times in the last several years than you did in your entire life before. That is what we are talking about. And the size of our many congregations is directly related to that fact. So growth does bring about problems, but growth in itself should never be considered the problem itself.
And so what is the center of the Word that must grow and increase at the center of our lives? It is the grace of God in Christ. It is Christ crucified for sinners. It is Christ raised for our justification. It is Christ over all, now and forever.