This
Sunday, January 12th, I continue our four-sermon series examining the Book of
Acts, as we study the essential characteristics of the first Church. I believe that these four characteristics should
also be integral to the life of the contemporary Church.
We began the series last week by
exploring how the early church formed a community of faith. Their community was defined by five aspects:
a. They
took care of one another, especially in times of crisis.
b. They
worshiped God and grew together in their faith and understanding of
discipleship.
c. They
shared friendship and fellowship with one another.
d. They
served those in need; worked for justice; and shared the Gospel.
e. They
were a community defined by joy.
As the story of the first church continues, we learn
that the church continued to grow numerically, larger and larger. However, a problem began to develop as the
church grew. This problem is described
in Acts 6:1, “Now during those days, when the
disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the
Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of
food.”
Biblical scholars Albert
C. Winn and William Barclay both observe that a daily distribution of food and
other necessities had become a common practice within the Jewish synagogues
in Jerusalem at the time. As Barclay explains:
In the Synagogue
there was a routine custom. There were
officials who were known as receivers of alms.
Two collectors went round the market and round the private houses every
Friday morning and made a collection partly in money and partly in goods for
the needy. Later in the day this was
distributed. Those who were temporarily
in need received enough to enable them to carry on; and those who were
permanently unable to support themselves received enough for fourteen meals,
that is enough for two meals a day for the ensuing week. The fund from which this distribution was
made was called the Kuppah or
basket. In addition to this there was a house-to-house
collection made daily for those in pressing need. This was called the Tamhul, or Tray.[i]
Scholars are uncertain about
the distinction between “Hellenists” versus “Hebrews.” There is consensus that both were groups of
Jews who had been attracted to Christianity through the Apostles’ preaching. It’s most likely that the distinction is
rooted in differences in language and perhaps culture. The “Hebrews” were most likely from Jerusalem
and their native language was Aramaic, the same language which Jesus
spoke. By contrast, the “Hellenists”
were most likely diaspora Jews who had returned to Jerusalem. That is, they were Jews, whose parents had
fled, or left, Jerusalem at some point for other countries—thus,
dispersing. Although they had grown up
in other cultures, these Jews had returned to live in Jerusalem. Most likely, the “Hellenists” also spoke
Greek, instead of Aramaic. So, there may
have been some language barriers between them, as well.[ii]
At any rate, these were serious charges made by the
Hellenists because they raised justice concerns. The well-being of “widows” and other
vulnerable persons—including, orphans, resident aliens, the destitute, and the
powerless—was at stake. Further, these
charges threatened the unity of the first church. When this matter is brought before the
Apostles, the recognized leaders of the first church, they address it in the
following manner:
And the twelve called together the whole community
of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of
God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among
yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom
we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves
to prayer and to serving the word.’ What they said pleased the whole
community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together
with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of
Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid
their hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread; the
number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the
priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:2-7)
When the
matter is brought before them, the Apostles identify two separate
problems. First, there is the concern to
care for all of the needy within the fledgling Christian community. Second, the Apostles recognize that they
cannot adequately manage the growing administrative challenges and
continue in the ministry of the Word, telling the story of Jesus and God’s
love. Here, it is important to remember
that the Apostles were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and
resurrection. Most of the growing church
were not eyewitnesses and so could not speak from the same experiences as the
Apostles.
To
address these twin concerns, the Apostles decide to delegate authority to others
who can administer the food distribution.
The wording which Luke, the author of Acts, uses here can be misleading
to the contemporary ear. He quotes the
Apostles as saying, “it is not right that we should …wait at tables.” In the modern context, this could be
interpreted as a condescending rejection of more menial tasks. Actually, the Apostles were sharing their
power and authority.
As the
Biblical scholar John Wall observes, the Apostles are “willing to share their
spiritual authority—which the redistribution of goods symbolizes… .Before this
crisis the Twelve acted only in collaboration with the Holy Spirit; now, the
community’s growth and ethnic diversity prompts the realization that their
performance standards have not been met.
Their mature recognition signals the redistribution of their authority to
others within the community.”[iii]
The
Apostles establish three criteria. These
new administrators should be (1) persons well regarded and trusted by the faith
community; (2) full of the Spirit; and (3) wise, meaning possessing some skills
at administration. When the seven are
selected, the Apostles “prayed and laid hands upon them,” thus conferring their
authority and power upon the seven elected administrators. The story continues by saying that “the word of God continued to spread; the number of the
disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem…”.
Note that credit for the continued growth of the church is given to “the
word of God” and not to the Apostles, personally.
At
this point, we can take a step back from this passage and examine the essential
characteristic of the first church, which it describes. This characteristic is that God calls each of
us to a special role within the life of the church. Of course, the roles and tasks have greatly diversified
since the time of Acts. Today, the
church needs persons equipped with many different skills and abilities to fill
many different roles. For example, the
typical church needs persons with IT skills, financial skills, social media
skills, marketing skills, pastoral care skills, skills at repairing expensive
and complicated machinery, as well as skills at teaching, preaching, and, yes,
waiting on tables.
If you live in the Lincoln,
Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to join us
at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, January 12, as we spend some
time reflecting on our own individual skills and talents and what roles God may
be calling us to fill in the contemporary church.
Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A”
Street. We have three worship services
on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.
The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the
services are held in our Sanctuary. “The
Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more
informal and interactive.
Come, join us. Everyone is welcome and accepted because God
loves us all.
[i] William
Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles in “The Daily Study Bible Series,”
edited by William Barclay (Philadelphia:
The Westminster Press, 1955) 50.
See also Albert C. Winn, The Acts of the Apostles in “The
Layman’s Bible Commentary,” edited by Balmer H. Kelly, vol. 20 (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1962), 55.
[ii]
See Barclay, Winn, and also John Wall, “Commentary on the Book of Acts” in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 10, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002),
CD-ROM Edition.
[iii] Wall.
No comments:
Post a Comment