Acts #8: Service and responsibilities in the Church (Acts 6); Patrice Berger

Text: Acts chapter 6 (check the sidebar)

The Hellenists, who are they?

The text mentions the Hellenists in the text, Acts chapter 6, they are Jews of Greek origin. These Jews, dispersed in the Mediterranean basin and having lived their life in a Greek context, returned to Palestine often in their old age.

It seems that their younger wives survived then but with difficulty because they did not have the local family fabric to take care of them.

Moreover, if they accepted the gospel, they were banished from weak ties in the Jewish community.

The Hellenist Jews were not considered the “top”, speaking little or bad Hebrew, with an accent that betrayed their origin and not being accustomed to all the codes and rules of the Jewish community of the time.

A bit like we would detect a Swiss from abroad when he returns to settle in Switzerland…

Welfare distribution is different from what we know

Social assistance has nothing to do with what we know in Switzerland at the federal, cantonal or communal level even if there was a solidarity fund from the Temple or the support of families, or even perhaps of corporations.

Problems in Accepting Christ

By turning to Christ, people were mostly denied and excluded (at the family and work level) and therefore from the usual support for a Jew or a Jewess: without work and help, what to do? The nascent Church, therefore, set up its own social assistance system.

Distribution to tables

The distributions of social assistance were made at the tables, the text of the day will tell us: it is not a question of a distribution to eat where the nice apostles would pass between the tables to serve the dishes. Already most often, we did not eat at the table at the time! But here the word used in Greek for “table” is “ trapeza ”, the same that we find today on the signs of Greek banks.

(The same word is used for the money exchange tables in the temple when Jesus drives the merchants out of the temple, John 2:15). It was therefore mainly about the distribution of financial relief.

Read Acts – Chapter 6

The central interest of the text

This morning’s text is simple: in the face of a real difficulty due to the growth in the number of disciples, the Church assigns certain tasks to reliable people at the level of the Gospel, so as not to hinder the ministry of the leaders, so that they can pray, proclaim and teach the gospel.

The priests

How happy to see (verse 7b) that the priests have finally grasped the fulfillment in Jesus of what God has been preparing for centuries.

Ecclesial remark

Apart from the central point communicated by this text, we can note useful aspects applicable to our life of faith or ecclesial life.

It is the number of followers that increases

Another small remark: again, the book of Acts mentions the number of disciples which increases not the number of local Churches.

Confusion between making local churches and making disciples

Sometimes we tend to confuse between making local Churches and making disciples: it is obvious that for practical reasons and also of proximity, it is good that there are new local assemblies if we want our fellow citizens to know the gospel. But it also seems to me that there is confusion about the objective, we are proud of the number of churches, whereas God is interested in people. Men are flattered by parochial statistics but God looks at lives.

No single model, the most important, lives

• Sometimes branching out other congregations (making new churches) is helpful in increasing the number of disciples and other times it is the concentration of several small local churches that promotes the number of disciples.

Example:

AB in Montbéliard

• 4 assemblies (Belfort, Sochaux, Valentigney, Héricourt), of 30-40 people each on average, definitively merged in 2000 (i.e. 120-150 people);
• 10 years later, 450 people were linked to the assembly.
• Now, having more foundations, it is being redeployed in 3 places (Le Plateau, Belfort, in Héricourt).

Swarming was not the right solution at one time. From 4 bell towers, we went to more than one but many more people were affected.

What I want to emphasize here is that God wants to touch lives, not a number of churches.

And sometimes we confuse structure, steeple, association, local church, strategies, or quantification with the real objective.

And in our sincere concern to testify, we can also confuse by mimicry of what others do, for example, method of expansion (as if swarming were the norm) whereas God seeks lives and is not limited by human strategic patterns.

Ask for wisdom!

Following His 2 remarks

This morning’s text is simple.

Increase in disciples therefore widows increase

• The number of disciples increases therefore the number of widows in charge of the nascent Church in Jerusalem also increases considerably.

In charge of the Church

They are, by their faith, excluded from traditional support (temple funds, family, work) so it is in the Church that this help is organized.

Big load for the apostles

Initially, the apostles oversee this service, most likely because the money was given to them (cf. Barnabas, Ananias, and Sapphira, acts 4:35 and Acts 5:2).

But the growth becomes so phenomenal (some venture to think that the Church has doubled since 5000 people accepted Christ in Acts 4:4) that the apostles can’t manage the supervision of welfare properly and they need to have the time necessary for prayer and gospel teaching.

Overload leads to unequal treatment

The big problem is that, obviously, widows of pure Jewish descent are treated better than those of Hellenistic descent. We don’t really know why, it could be: the language barrier, cultural differences, or hints of identity preferences. Still, there is a form of discrimination.

More attention from the apostles?

The apostles could remedy this, by being even more present and attentive in their supervision. But if they do this work by devoting more time, it would be at the expense of what they are called to and where they are decisive, that is to say, to be witnesses of the resurrection of Christ by testifying, by exhorting, by teaching the gospel and praying that they will always be linked to Christ and that the mission to which Jesus called them remains God’s mission and not a human enterprise.

New turning point

The Church is again facing a course, a difficulty that could be fatal to her, difficulty from within, after having had difficulties from without (previous chapter, 5)

Stoppage?

Outside difficulties and persecution could have stopped the testimony of Christ, the difficulties from within could have diverted the action of the apostles by doing nothing more than social issues and thus losing the thread of the gospel, or even could have created a schism with a church for the Hebrews and one for the Hellenists.

A solution

Finally enlightened by God and by His Spirit, the Church, through the apostles, will find a practical solution so that there is no discrimination in social assistance and so that the apostles can devote themselves to the task Jesus assigned to them.

The well-identified central subject of the text

It is the central subject of this text which is underlined in the very structure of the text that we have just read.

Currently, if we had to highlight the central part of the text, we would have made a line to underline the important words or we would have put them in bold type.

And in the usages of the time that we see in today’s text, it is the structure of the text that emphasizes the central point and the important point.

A funnel that puts the most important subject in the center

The construction of the text that we have just read is “funnel-shaped” which points to the central interest of this text

(Chiasmatic construction)

Verses 1 and 7 tell us about increasing the number of disciples.

The continuation of verses 1b-2 and 6-7 speak to us of the “service of the word” restrained at the beginning and unhindered thereafter.

Verses 3 and 5 tell us about assistants: in verse 3, the criteria for choosing assistants, and in verse 5, assistants are chosen.

It remains what is in the middle and in the writing habits of the time, which meant that was the important part.

Acts 6 verses 3c and 4 – we will charge them with this work. 

4 As for us, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Breakdown structure

The nascent Church will structure itself and distribute certain responsibilities so that the gospel continues to be announced and taught.

Not a disinterest in practical service

The subject is not the helpfulness of the apostles, they have already demonstrated it, but rather to be relevant, to put the right people with their gifts in the right place so that the Gospel can continue to spread. To do this, wisely, all responsibilities are not concentrated by a few but distributed.

Distribution keeping the thread of the Gospel

Distribution while keeping the same requirement of attachment to Christ.

Attachment to Christ is visible in a life positively influenced by the Holy Spirit.

It is on this basis that the seven assistants are appointed by the whole assembly.

NB: there too, there is no question of voting.

The dictatorship of the vote?

I emphasize the subject again because we are conditioned by this practice (voting) in our Western societies: choosing, recognizing, and designating people for service in the Church is not necessarily synonymous with an election. In any case, it has nothing to do with an election campaign, we simply recognize the obvious, the appointments should be more synonymous with approval, the expression of support, and the support of brothers and sisters.

Obvious recognition of the church

Full delegation to the church

I noticed that the apostles were not involved in the appointment of the assistants.

Clear recognition

Not a disinterest because we see gestures of association and support expressed by the apostles:

• they pray for them
• they lay their hands on them (a gesture which has nothing magical about it but which made sense in their culture for official designation, a gesture of support, solidarity, and trust granted to the person designated)

Distribution and solidarity vs independence

This clear official gesture also shows that these assistants will not be free electrons but linked with the other officials.

Conclusion

• And so here are seven assistants who will take the responsibility in place of the apostles for the service at the tables and the apostles will be able to devote themselves to prayer, to the proclamation, and to the teaching of the Gospel.

Representative of the diversity of disciples

The names seem more Greek-inspired, but that doesn’t mean they’re all of Greek origin (some followers of Jesus had names of Greek origin and yet they were completely Jewish)

For one, in any case, we know that one came from Antioch, much further north of Jerusalem (we will talk about it in the Book of Acts, Chapters 11,13,14,15,18)

In view of these names, we can think that it was quite representative of the diversity of the disciples.

In sum

An organizational problem can become dramatic

It seems to me that this text shows us that sometimes the internal problems in the Church can be of structural and organizational orders and create sufferings that can endanger the unity and the mission of the assembly, by overloading certain people and also by stifling the proclamation and teaching of the Gospel.

Divine wisdom

This can be handled with wisdom (thinking with God and for God), and common sense, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit while keeping the basic spiritual requirement that leaders be committed to and reflect the gospel and that the attachment to Christ is evident.

Don’t Hold Back the Gospel

The central objective: is that the Gospel is not penalized in its progression.

It’s up to us to do the same

May this inspire us so that the life of our assembly aims to be the most natural, and logical, putting in their place the people, the gifts, and the capacities that God gives to favor the life of the Gospel in its proclamation, just as in the personal implications.

 Practical and spiritual “Diakonia”

The other lesson that this text gives us is not immediately obvious because we do not have the Greek text (the main original language of the writing of the New Testament) in front of us.

For this, I will reread

Acts 6: 2 The twelve called together all the disciples and said, “It is not fitting that we forsake the word of God to serve (Diakonia) at tables.

 3 Wherefore, brothers and sisters, choose among yourselves seven men of a good record, filled with the [Holy] Spirit and with wisdom, and we will charge them with this work.

 4 As for us, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to prayer and to the ministry (Diakonia) of the word.”

Same term Diakonia = service, the same root word that servant comes from.

This is exactly the same term that is used for the

• “table service”, practical
• “service (or ministry) of the word”, more oriented towards the teaching of the Word

Both equally spiritual

What the author, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, emphasizes here is that both perform an equally useful service, for the smooth running of the Church.

In this, both are equally spiritual, there are no “second division” practical services and “first division” spiritual services!

Value hierarchy?

There is no spirit of superiority or value, it is service for God, for Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The structure of the book supports the idea

Certainly Luke, the co-author of the book of Acts, underlines this aspect in the following two passages:

Stephen

Stephen will be discussed in the text that follows in chapter 6 verse 8 through chapter 8 verse 3. his living testimony to the Gospel.

Philip

The same thing regarding Philip also, following the passages concerning Stephen, (chapter 8, verses 4-40) the subject which holds the attention is not either the distribution of money to widows but his living testimony of the gospel.

Layout

These texts, their arrangements following our text today, show us that Stephen and Philip are just as well known for their practical service likewise their spiritual service: these two aspects remain a service of equal value.

Diakonia makes us think of deacons

The term “service”, Diakonia, gave rise to the term “deacon” which we find in the epistles.

Prototypes

It does not appear that the first seven assistants were called deacons, even though history often refers to them as the first.

Perhaps even in the heading of certain versions of the Bible, it is written as such. It doesn’t really matter (the headings are not in the original inspired text but it is the editor who proposes them), one could say that these seven assistants were the “prototypes” of what was made very clear in the epistles about deacons.

Hermeneutics (Bible interpretation)

And it is there, again, that we must look in the epistles at what is said of deacons.

Narrative texts (like Acts) are still illuminated and understood for us today, in light of Jesus’ words and the epistles.

Some texts in the epistles

Three simple texts from the epistles tell us about it.

First text

Philippians 1: 1 From Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, to the officials, and to the deacons: 2 Grace be unto you and peace from of God our Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Three Classes of Believers

In this letter to the church of Philippi, therefore, there are greetings: 

• to all saints, believers, disciples in Christ,
• to those that have responsibilities (officials) in the church
• and to deacons.

This proves that in the first assemblies, people exercised the ministry of deacons.

An identified ministry

And that the ministry of leaders, is another type of ministry identified, recognized, visible and readable in the assembly.

Second text

1 Timothy, Chapter 3: 8 Deacons too should be respectable, of one word, and not indulged in drinking or lured for gain.

 9 They must guard the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 

10 Let them first be tried and then minister if they are blameless. 

11 Likewise, women should be respectable, not slanderous, sober, and faithful in everything. 

12 Deacons are to be faithful to their wives and to lead their children and their own household well.

13 In fact, those who have done their service well win the esteem of all and have great confidence in faith in Jesus Christ.

The qualities of the gospel

Just as in the book of Acts, for the assistants, we see that the identified ministry of deacons is based on people committed to and living the Gospel at the level of:

• personal testimony of life (verses 8 – 11)
• testimony of married life for those who are married (verse 12)
• family testimony for those with children (verse 12)
• foundation in the solid gospel (verse 9).
• The Deacon can also be feminine, a deaconess (verse 11).
• Common sense governs the establishment of their service by a probationary period (verse 10)
• and service well done, faithfully, radiates to all (verse 13). 

Differences with elders (leaders of the local assembly)

Differences with leaders, and elders, who lead the assembly:

Elders have overall responsibility for the congregation while deacons are more service leaders. For the elders, there is the obligation to be able to teach the gospel (this is specific to the elders), which does not mean that a deacon would be unable to do so, but it is not an obligation and the deacon can be feminine which differs from the ancients.

Those responsible for leading

• the people of God,
• in the church

are always masculine in the Bible.

For the deacons, on the other hand, we have two examples that show that the deacon can be feminine.

The specific mention of the ladies in verse 11 (before verse 12 which speaks of the couple). It is therefore not a question of the wives of deacons. The verse that we are going to read in the Epistle to the Romans further clarifies this.

Romans 16: 1

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess of the Church of Cenchrea.

A genuine recommendation from Paul

Paul does not generally recommend things, or a person, that would not be in the mind of God.

Official service of the Church

And the mention “of the Church of Cenchrea” designates a ministry recognized and attached to the Church.

Heads of service

In the light of what the Bible shows us, we could define the activity of deacons in terms comparable to what we know in everyday life, by saying that deacons and deaconesses are responsible for service, in the world of work, you would say the Head of the Department.

It is not only someone who is helpful or who renders a specific service – that is the minimum for all believers – but more someone who administers or supervises a set of services.

The deacon administers an area of ​​congregational life where many brothers and sisters are involved, including, for example:

• Administrative Officer,
• financial officer,
• responsible for children’s activities,
• responsible for youth activities,
• responsible for social affairs,
• responsible for fraternal visits,
• real estate manager.

Example in Acts

In today’s text, the assistants supervised the distribution of the tables.

This could be for example

For the childcare manager: ensure the consistency of all childcare work (several monitors); for the person in charge of real estate, it is not a question of the person in charge of cleaning or green spaces but of the overall management of the building, an administrator.

Not a gas plant

The objective is not to make an ecclesial administration or an ecclesial organization chart!

Aim

But that the sectors and responsibilities are clearly established so that:

• the gospel be preached,
• the gospel be taught,
• the life of the Gospel is not hampered by aspects of inefficient organizations or inadequate distributions.