Robert Hatfield

Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:2-4).

When we come to Acts 6, the work of the church is going relatively well. There has been tremendous growth as the gospel was spread. However, something was lacking. There were some widows who were not receiving their daily needs (probably food). The apostles summoned the multitude of the disciples and they discussed the issue. The apostles said that it would not be best for them to neglect the preaching of the word to serve tables. However, the widows were important and something needed to be done for them. So the apostles asked the multitude to find seven men from among themselves. They were to be men of good reputation, men who were students of the Old Testament, and they were to be wise. These men would be appointed over the work of the widows.

And so, the work of deacons was born. A deacon is a stationed supporter. He is appointed over a specific work (or several works) of the local congregation. He does the work in his area of responsibility as a means of supporting the whole work of the congregation. Therefore, he is a stationed supporter.

Let’s notice three points about these stationed supporters: their prerequisites, their purpose, and their power.

The Prerequisites

The qualifications of deacons are found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. They are to be married men, with children, who have a great reverence for God in their hearts and in their actions and words. They are to be blameless and faithful to the cause of Christ.

Their Purpose

What do deacons do? The word deacon literally means servant. It is used elsewhere in the New Testament to refer to any servant. Within the context of 1 Timothy 3, it is clearly referring to an individual who occupies a specific role in the church. So a deacon is a special servant. He is appointed by the overseers of the congregation to a specific work. It could be an area of benevolence like taking care of widows (as they did in Acts 6). It could also have to do with other areas of the work of the church, evangelism and edification.

Their Power

From where do deacons get their power? In Acts 6 those seven men received their instructions from the apostles. Today, deacons receive their instructions from the elders. The elders, of course, are operating under the guidelines of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Ultimately, everything we do comes from Christ, the Head of the church, who, of course, operates in accordance with the will of the Father.

Let’s wrap it up: For the past three days, we have noticed that the work of the church is a collaborative effort. It takes the steadfast servants – all of us as Christians. We must be actively working to accomplish God’s will in our lives. It takes the sound shepherds – men who are good students of the word and who are committed to it. And, yes, it takes stationed supporters – deacons who realize that their work is the work of the Lord and, thus, who are proactive in accomplishing that great work.

While these roles within the church are different in some ways, they are alike in other ways. No, not everyone can serve as an elder or as a deacon, but we can all tap into our common strength – God. We are “laborers together with God” (1 Cor. 3:9). May we never forget it.

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

The Bible teaches that the church is involved in God’s work, the greatest work on earth. We are, therefore, “laborers together with God” (1 Cor. 3:9, KJV). Yesterday, we observed that this work involves steadfast servants. That’s all of us. Everyone has something to do.

In addition to steadfast servants, the work of the Lord needs sound shepherds.

Shepherds, also called elders, bishops, overseers, and pastors in the New Testament, are vital to the work of the church. As we did yesterday, let’s notice their prerequisites, their purpose, and the source of their power.

The Prerequisites

The qualifications to be an elder are specifically given to us in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. While the purpose of this discussion is not to look at these passages in depth, it is worth noting that an elder is to be a married man (“husband of one wife”) who is an experienced Christian (“not a novice”). He is to be a righteous man who is able to lead his own family in spiritual ways because he will be leading the church. He is to love what is good, and he is to be prepared to answer any false teaching or criticisms that may come against the congregation.

The Purpose

Shepherds have an important purpose in the church. By the way, you never read in the New Testament of just one elder. There are always a plurality of elders in a local congregation.

The purpose of elders, or shepherds, is seen in a study of the words that are used in Scripture to identify them. I’ve already mentioned the terms overseer, bishop, shepherd, pastor, and elder. These terms are used to signify certain aspects of their work. The terms overseer and bishop come from the same Greek word. An overseer is one who is watching over the congregation to ensure its safety from outside threats as well as its overall health. Like overseer and bishop, the terms shepherd and pastor come from the same Greek word. Think about what a shepherd does in tending to a flock. He protects, he guides, he feeds those sheep. The pastors (who are not preachers, by the way – they are more than that) are doing those things for the congregation. They will give account for how well they have done these things. Finally, the word elder refers to one who is chronologically older. With age comes wisdom. The idea is that these men are spiritual mentors. We can look to them for spiritual advice and for a great example of a Christian.

Bishops have an important purpose in the work of the church.

Their Power

It’s clear that shepherds have a lot of power in the church. From where does that power come? The New Testament teaches that they are not to lord that power over the congregation. Instead, they serve with the congregation, leading them in the right direction. They serve under the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ (Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). So elders must be careful that they are relying on the power of God rather than upon themselves as they shepherd the flock which Jesus purchased with His own blood. This is a heavy responsibility.

Let’s wrap it up: Shepherds, pastors, bishops, overseers, elders – All terms that are used interchangeably to refer to the work of experienced Christian men who lead the local congregation in the ways of Jesus. They have an important job, don’t they? Let’s be sure that we make their job as easy as possible. Let’s count them worthy of double honor (1 Tim. 5:17). We need them.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Mat. 5:10-12).

This is the last of the beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-12. While the other beatitudes are one verse apiece, this final thought demands a little more elaboration – probably because it would be harder to bear.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted”?? The word “persecuted” means to put in rapid motion. The idea is that the disciples are caused to flee because of the intense threats and even murder of God’s people. Jesus goes on to say that God’s people would be insulted by their persecutors, and people would use their words with the intent of tearing them down by spreading lies about them.

So why do bad things happen to good people? You know, that’s really not the right question. The truth is, bad things happen to everyone. So the question is not “Will I suffer?”, the right question is “HOW will I suffer?”.

Peter makes this distinction very clear.

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter (1 Pet. 4:15-16).

Sometimes we bring suffering on ourselves, don’t we? We sin and we reap the consequences. Other times we suffer simply because suffering is a part of life as we know it. We live in a world that is dominated by sin, and everyone feels its effects. Peter shows us that even Christians suffer. In so doing, he also illustrates to us that there is a right way to suffer and a wrong way to suffer. How will I react to suffering?

Suffering as a Christian is glorifying to God. Peter says, “let him glorify God in this matter” (1 Pet. 4:16). Further, we read that love suffers long (1 Cor. 13:4), and that long suffering, or endurance in the face of trials, is a part of bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Oh, and don’t forget that Jesus said that those who suffer for the sake of righteousness are “blessed” and should “rejoice” (Mat. 5:10-12).

Let’s wrap it up: We are not the first people of God who have been persecuted throughout history. Jesus said, “for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mat. 5:12). Paul reminds us that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). So it comes down to this: I can hurt and reject God or I can hurt and glorify God. Which do you choose?

Yesterday, we noted some of the problems that caused the division in the church at Corinth. Ultimately, we learned that their problem was one of focus. Their focus was on the messenger more than the message, on immaturity more than increase, and on self more than service. We noted that their focus needed to be on Christ instead of on themselves.

Today, let’s look at the specifics of Paul’s solutions to these three issues.

1. They needed to put their faith in the power of God, not the wisdom of men.

The “preacher-itis” in Corinth would be fixed by a clear focus on the power of God’s word and the foolishness of man’s wisdom. This theme is clearly discussed in chapters one and two of 1 Corinthians. Later, Paul says, “Let no one boast in men” (1 Cor. 3:21). The message Paul preached was “not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12).

2. They needed to act their age.

This was the cure to their spiritual immaturity. They would accomplish maturation by doing three things. First, they needed to eat right. Paul says that they needed to get away from the milk and move toward a more adult diet (1 Cor. 3:1-2). Second, they needed to “man up.” Paul asked them, “Are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Cor. 3:3). It was time to act like men of God. Finally, they needed to put off the works of the flesh and put on the fruit of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 3:3, he says that they were involved in “envy, strife, and divisions,” all things that are found in Galatians 5:19-21 when Paul lists the works of the flesh. They needed to act their age.

3. They needed to learn their place as servants.

All Christians are servants. Too many of us are looking for what the church can do for us instead of what we can do for Christ. Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians that they were nothing without God. He said,

For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1 Cor. 4:7).

The realization that we are nothing without God is a great cure to self-centeredness and arrogance.

Let’s wrap it up: We will thrive as the church today when we are together, united in our common bond of Jesus Christ. We will do that by putting our faith in God and His Word (not in human wisdom), by spiritually growing as God expects, and by learning our roles as servants together and servants of God.

Let’s thrive as God’s people!

What can we do to help the church thrive? I’ve read lots of articles and blog posts in the recent past about how the Lord’s church is on the decline. I’ve talked with preachers and church leaders about the problems in congregations all across the country. As the new you, you have been added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47). You are a part of the church – you are the church!

So, again I ask, what can you do to help the church thrive? When we read 1 Corinthians in the New Testament, we see that the church in Corinth wasn’t thriving. They had lost sight of their common bond in Jesus, and therefore had lost their focus.

They focused on the messenger more than the message.

“Preacher-itis” is a terrible disease. In Corinth, some Christians were dividing under different preachers like Paul, Apollos, and Cephas (1 Cor. 1:12-17). Paul told them that they were actually trying to divide Christ! In chapter three, he said that such division is carnal (3:4).

They focused on immaturity more than increase.

In 1 Corinthians three, Paul said that he “could not speak to them as spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ” (3:1). They hadn’t grown as Christians. Notice that God expected them to grow. They didn’t have the option not to grow. Paul says, “where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (3:3).

They focused on self more than service.

The Corinthian Christians were “puffed up on behalf of one against the other” (1 Cor. 4:6). Arrogance is toxic to any relationship. If you want to tear apart the congregation of God’s people and ruin the influence of that congregation upon the community, then just start acting like you’re better than someone else. That’s all it takes.

Let’s wrap it up: The division in the Corinth church of Christ was a problem of focus. They focused on the messenger more than the message, on immaturity more than increase, and on self more than service.

Skewed focus will cause today’s church to be divided, too. Instead, focus on Jesus and on living life His way. In 1 Corinthians chapter one, Paul mentions Jesus in every verse of the first ten verses. Do you think the Holy Spirit is using Paul to impress something upon us as readers? I do. Set your focus on Christ. Realize that the church belongs to Him – not to you – and you will help the church not only survive, but thrive in our culture.