SERMON: Acts 6:1-7

Reading:

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, 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.

 

The Congregation Chose Seven 

 

Beloved of the Lord……Who can count or measure the great gifts God has given to His Church?  Who could number His many blessings?  Our great and tender shepherd, Jesus Christ, by His own blood has redeemed us from all sin, death, and the power of the devil!  Though faith in His saving name, sinners are counted righteous!  This is written in Romans chapter four, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered!"  We know our sins are both forgiven and covered, because God through the Means of Grace has declared it so!  Jesus said, "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."

        All true believers thus hold and possess daily by faith the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.  The True Church then is the original possessor of the keys which open and close heaven.  God didn't give them directly to Peter nor the apostles, but God through Christ gave the keys to ALL believers.  We possess by divine right according to faith, all spiritual, divine, and heavenly gifts, rights, powers, and offices, that Christ has procured for His Church.  Every Christian then as a priest has the God-given right to preach and teach the Gospel, to administer the Sacraments, to forgive the sins of the penitent, and retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not repent.  "All things are yours" the Spirit says, and so it is.  Commenting on this verse C.F.W. Walther rightly declares, "From this [passage] we learn that all things that even Paul and Peter had, were only treasures from the jewel room of the believing Christians or the Church." Church and Ministry, Walther, pg. 50  

        Thus in today's lesson, the congregation did not need the apostle's permission to choose seven men.  As believers they had this right from God.  Even when the apostles later put their hands upon the chosen, such was only a public recognition in support of their choice.  In like manner each Christian congregation today, has the right to choose their own minister, as long as the man meets God's qualifications in First Timothy three and Titus one.  Since "all things are yours", congregations are also free to create according to need, various offices to aide or assist the ministry, such as President Elder, Deacon, Treasurer, Sunday School Teacher and the like.  When the office of pastor is filled however, all such offices are under his supervision and watch according to God's Word, yet the pastor himself is under the watch of the congregation.  The sheep judge their shepherd.  Let us rejoice then Christ alone is the Head of His Church, and knowing Him who loved us first, let us do all things to His glory, for "ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."

        As the "number of the disciples multiplied" in the early church, so did the number of poor, for it was a time of persecution.  Of the widows in need, there were two main groups, the Hebrews of native birth and the Greeks of foreign birth.  Both groups were Jewish converts, but it seems by oversight of the apostles, not all of the Greek widows were receiving the congregation's gifts according to their need.  It appears the Greek widows assumed the worst of the apostles and a rumor had begun as if the apostles favored one group over the other.

        Such rumors are yet common in congregations today.  Our flesh gets the best of us, and we often assume the worst about our Christian brother or sister.  To their shame it is also true pastors sometimes assume the worst of their members, rather than the best.  Sometimes members falsely assume the pastor cares for them less than other members.  Sometimes members need a visit, but the pastor does not call.  And often, it should be said, pastors do overlook matters and they fail their members just as these apostles.  This is shameful, but nevertheless we should put the best construction on everything.  If the Greek widows had done so, the bad rumor would not have been started.  Also the name of Christ would not have suffered.

        God protects the good reputation of our neighbor in the eighth commandment.  "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."  "We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything."  Just as we can rob our neighbor of their goods, we can rob our neighbor of their good reputation by gossip or slander.  And even when the rumor is true, that does not mean it is our business to let everybody know.  James 4:11 says, "Speak not evil one of another, brethren."  Likewise Zechariah writes, "Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor."  Who is not guilty of this sin?  Yet rather than using our tongue to speak evil of our neighbor our catechism says, "We should speak well of our neighbor; that is, we should praise his good qualities and deeds so far as it can be done in keeping with the truth"….. "We should put the best construction on everything; that is, we should cover up his faults and explain in his favor whatever can be so explained." (Luther's Catechism, CPH, 1968)  It is really the love of Christ which helps us to speak well of our neighbor rather than slander him.  When the devil accuses us of sin, though his words are true, Christ is both our Defender and Advocate against the devil.  First John two says, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous:  And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

        Now, once the problem regarding the widows was realized, the apostles handled the matter with wisdom.  They did not personally go to the Greek widows and thump them on the head with rebuke for starting a rumor, rather with Christian charity they amended the situation.  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.  In like manner the high calling of a pastor in a congregation, is to preach Christ.  The cross of Christ is our glory.  Pastors are to "feed the flock of God, over which the Holy Ghost has made him overseer."  If he is busy doing other jobs which others in the congregation are well qualified to do, he has less time to devote himself to the Word.  Notice then the resolve of the apostles, "We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word."

        Thus it is always Christian love, which causes us to share one another's burdens and such love comes from Christ.  Just as when a member in a congregation is hurting or grieving, sorrowful, or depressed, so the fellow believer who knows such is hurting and grieving with that person.  We "rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."  If we turn a cold heart to those in true need, shouldn't God turn a cold heart to us?  Yet Jesus did no such thing.  Rather He expresses with holy words, His undying grace and love for us through the cross.  He who is higher than the heavens, comes down to this lowly world of sinners, and He who is holy becomes one of us, even flesh and blood, except without sin.  Moreover "being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."  This is your Jesus dear believer, who has forgiven you all your sins.  He is in no wise a distant or unloving God, detached from the problems in your life, but He is close, very near, and His heart is knit to your own.  Even now His heart is yet filled with mercy ALONE, and grace ALONE for you, and that is not going to change.  Knowing this, all believers through Christ are connected to one another in a holy fellowship, holy bonds of love, the body of Christ.  When one member of this body is hurting, we are all hurting.  When one member rejoices, we all rejoice.  Pastors above all should teach this, and it should show in their pastoral care.  Yet we are all called to love and care for one another, as Christ loves and still cares for us.  There should be, "no divisions among you".  We should be "perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."  Therefore "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."

        This is what the congregation did in our lesson.  Because God had given them all spiritual gifts and rights, they chose seven men.  They followed the apostles' counsel, though they were free not to follow if they chose.  This was a matter of faith and Christian Liberty.  By the same token though the apostles had a direct call from Christ, they were not a higher class of men above the layman in a congregation.  All had the same calling.  Christ had called them all to faith, to live in His Kingdom of Grace.  "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."  Thus in this congregation, each believing Greek widow, each Greek or Hebrew child, each Hebrew apostle, was equally a child of God, and not one was above the other.  "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."  All were called to "show forth the praises of Him who called them out of darkness, into His marvelous light."  Again, "All things are yours;  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;   And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."  Since the True Church possesses and holds all spiritual gifts and rights, this congregation could have chosen eight or nine to serve the widows, or one or none.  The apostles could not bind them, yet by faith and love they accepted their counsel which was based on God's Word.  Hence "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" and "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

        Finally beloved of the Lord, YOU ARE the BELOVED OF THE LORD!.... therefore you are not under God's law, but under His grace every day.  Knowing Him who loved you first, having been given every good and perfect gift from above, use your liberty only to God's glory, the welfare of your neighbor.  Our Christian liberty then is a very precious thing.  We are not to abuse it and use it for evil, but we use our liberty to do good at every opportunity for our neighbor.  Therefore "Let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;  And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."  Amen