[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning, the 24th of February, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church. Look for the video of this and our other services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
During His walk on earth Jesus stressed loving one another, taking care of each other, making disciples and teaching them all that He said. His message slowly sank in for His disciples after His resurrection and ascension to heaven.
The Christian church began shortly thereafter, at Pentecost when God’s Holy Spirit came to the disciples. At first, more attention was given to spreading the Good News of Jesus and teaching others about Him. His words of caring for one another led the church leaders to see mainly to the needs of fellow believers. But what of the community where the church lived?
Listen and follow along as I read of a turning point in the life and mission of the early church, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in his Book of Acts, chapter 6, verses 1 through 8, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
The Christian church began shortly thereafter, at Pentecost when God’s Holy Spirit came to the disciples. At first, more attention was given to spreading the Good News of Jesus and teaching others about Him. His words of caring for one another led the church leaders to see mainly to the needs of fellow believers. But what of the community where the church lived?
Listen and follow along as I read of a turning point in the life and mission of the early church, as recorded by the Apostle Luke in his Book of Acts, chapter 6, verses 1 through 8, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 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. 3 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; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
--Acts 6:1-8 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, You ignited the church of Your Son Jesus when You sent Your Holy Spirit to live within and guide the disciples. Please reignite the fire within the church today. Help us, please Father, to follow the commands Jesus gave us. Help us to better serve Him and You. Speak to us this morning that we might hear Your message and better grasp Your will for our lives. This we pray in the blessed name of Your Son Jesus. Amen.
Pastor and evangelist F. B. Meyer once said: “Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention.”
Have you ever known someone who just kept waiting for that one big break, that one chance to strike it rich or become famous? My Dad, in the last few years while his mind was still good, he wanted nothing more than to win the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes because of all the good things he wanted to do for his family and others with the money. Dad worked all his life to support his family, but never struck it rich. Little did he know of all the riches he set aside for us, in all the little things he did.
That’s what Rev. Meyer is talking about. That once-in-a-lifetime big opportunity will never come for most of us. But what we do with all the little opportunities can bring greater rewards than we could ever imagine.
If you recall the events of Pentecost, you’ll remember that Luke tells us that the church added 3000 souls that first day. And the growth continued. Our scripture reading this morning takes place during this time of great growth, as the number of disciples was multiplying. I can only imagine there was a bit of confusion over things like who should do what, or even who was in charge of what. The basic needs of the believers was being seen to by the church as a whole, but some of the Greek-speaking Jews started to complain that their widows were not receiving any help.
The twelve disciples - with Matthias chosen to replace Judas - felt that their primary responsibility was to the spiritual well-being of the church. This, by the way, serves as our foundation for our Elders today. So the twelve told the rest of the leadership to choose seven godly, Spirit-filled men to see to the needs of the greater community. Their responsibility would be more to the physical needs of the church and of the local community. From this comes our Deacons.
So seven were chosen, including Stephen, who would become the church’s first martyr. As these seven went about the task given them, the word of God spread, and the church grew even more. And Stephen, full of faith and the mighty power of God’s Holy Spirit, did great wonders among the people.
Seeing to the needs of the community gave these early Deacons the chance to spread the Gospel, by words and by actions. They showed the love of Jesus, and the community responded. They put their faith into action and served others. As James would say, they showed their faith by their works.
We are a church that serves, that gives generously to our community of our time, our talents, our resources. And not only this church family called Pilgrim but other church families put their faith into action, too, serving their local communities. But are there times when we – the greater we, not just we here at Pilgrim – when we may have some other purpose in mind than just serving God, to glorify Him?
Jesus tells us that we must serve God and only God. After His baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be sorely tempted and tested by Satan. Listen as the Apostle Matthew describes one of those temptations, in chapter 4 of his Gospel account, verses 8 through 11…
We must not fall sway to anything the world might offer as reward for our service, but serve only God, as a form of worship. Again from Matthew’s Gospel account, chapter 6 verse 24, Jesus tells us in His Sermon on the Mount…
Whatever we give of ourselves to – our time, our resources, our labors – that, in effect, becomes our master. It dominates our life. Jesus says we can’t split this allegiance. We cannot serve both God and the world, or what the world offers. We need to make a choice, for if God is truly our Master, our service will be to Him, in worship of Him, to glorify Him.
For one last point about service, I want to look at a teaching moment right before the last time Jesus rode into Jerusalem, as He and His disciples were still on the road heading toward His destiny. And again let me turn to what Matthew recorded for us in his Gospel account, chapter 20 verses 25 through 28…
We all know of people who have some position of authority, whether explicit by law or implied by wealth, who “lord it over” everyone they can. They want you to know just how important they are. They expect things to be done for them. If they should happen to do something for someone else, it is for a photo-op, a chance to be seen as doing good.
Are they serving God, or themselves? Do they seek to look good to God, or to other people? Is this how Jesus did it, doing all those miracles and signs just so people would marvel at Him? No, Jesus came to serve, not to be served. And He gave the ultimate service in giving of His own life as a ransom for many, including you and me.
Family, we must continue to serve, to put our faith into action to benefit others. But we must make sure we’re doing it for the right reasons. Our ultimate goal must not be to get our name in the paper or see our face on TV. We shouldn’t be doing good just to gain the respect of the community, or to put more people in the pews. Our full intent, our only purpose, must be to serve God. And in doing so, all the rest will indeed come, if that is in His will.
The early church selflessly served, unconditionally loved, fully worshiped God, and kept alive the mission of Christ Jesus. The community noticed, and their numbers multiplied. This is how the early church made disciples, and it is one way we can make disciples.
Serve God, and good things will happen. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You’ve given each of us believers the mighty power of Your indwelling Holy Spirit. Thank You, Father, for such a wonderful gift! Please help us put this gift to work in service to You. Strengthen us and embolden us to carry out the work Jesus began. Please forgive us when we hesitate to do what we know we should do.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness for our disobedience…
Lord Jesus, You commissioned us to carry on Your work here on earth after You left to go back home to heaven. And You equipped us by Your examples and with God’s Holy Spirit so we could do so. You told us to love, and to care about others. Thank You, Jesus, for showing us the way. Forgive us when we fail to act fully on Your behalf. Forgive us when our faith lacks conviction. Forgive us when service is not entirely for God. Please give us the courage and the strength of faith to carry on Your work. Help us when our spirit is willing but our flesh weak.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, our Savior. Amen.
Pastor and evangelist F. B. Meyer once said: “Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention.”
Have you ever known someone who just kept waiting for that one big break, that one chance to strike it rich or become famous? My Dad, in the last few years while his mind was still good, he wanted nothing more than to win the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes because of all the good things he wanted to do for his family and others with the money. Dad worked all his life to support his family, but never struck it rich. Little did he know of all the riches he set aside for us, in all the little things he did.
That’s what Rev. Meyer is talking about. That once-in-a-lifetime big opportunity will never come for most of us. But what we do with all the little opportunities can bring greater rewards than we could ever imagine.
If you recall the events of Pentecost, you’ll remember that Luke tells us that the church added 3000 souls that first day. And the growth continued. Our scripture reading this morning takes place during this time of great growth, as the number of disciples was multiplying. I can only imagine there was a bit of confusion over things like who should do what, or even who was in charge of what. The basic needs of the believers was being seen to by the church as a whole, but some of the Greek-speaking Jews started to complain that their widows were not receiving any help.
The twelve disciples - with Matthias chosen to replace Judas - felt that their primary responsibility was to the spiritual well-being of the church. This, by the way, serves as our foundation for our Elders today. So the twelve told the rest of the leadership to choose seven godly, Spirit-filled men to see to the needs of the greater community. Their responsibility would be more to the physical needs of the church and of the local community. From this comes our Deacons.
So seven were chosen, including Stephen, who would become the church’s first martyr. As these seven went about the task given them, the word of God spread, and the church grew even more. And Stephen, full of faith and the mighty power of God’s Holy Spirit, did great wonders among the people.
Seeing to the needs of the community gave these early Deacons the chance to spread the Gospel, by words and by actions. They showed the love of Jesus, and the community responded. They put their faith into action and served others. As James would say, they showed their faith by their works.
We are a church that serves, that gives generously to our community of our time, our talents, our resources. And not only this church family called Pilgrim but other church families put their faith into action, too, serving their local communities. But are there times when we – the greater we, not just we here at Pilgrim – when we may have some other purpose in mind than just serving God, to glorify Him?
Jesus tells us that we must serve God and only God. After His baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be sorely tempted and tested by Satan. Listen as the Apostle Matthew describes one of those temptations, in chapter 4 of his Gospel account, verses 8 through 11…
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
--Matthew 4:8-11 (NKJV)
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches."
--Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)
For one last point about service, I want to look at a teaching moment right before the last time Jesus rode into Jerusalem, as He and His disciples were still on the road heading toward His destiny. And again let me turn to what Matthew recorded for us in his Gospel account, chapter 20 verses 25 through 28…
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
--Matthew 20:25-28 (NKJV)
We all know of people who have some position of authority, whether explicit by law or implied by wealth, who “lord it over” everyone they can. They want you to know just how important they are. They expect things to be done for them. If they should happen to do something for someone else, it is for a photo-op, a chance to be seen as doing good.
Are they serving God, or themselves? Do they seek to look good to God, or to other people? Is this how Jesus did it, doing all those miracles and signs just so people would marvel at Him? No, Jesus came to serve, not to be served. And He gave the ultimate service in giving of His own life as a ransom for many, including you and me.
Family, we must continue to serve, to put our faith into action to benefit others. But we must make sure we’re doing it for the right reasons. Our ultimate goal must not be to get our name in the paper or see our face on TV. We shouldn’t be doing good just to gain the respect of the community, or to put more people in the pews. Our full intent, our only purpose, must be to serve God. And in doing so, all the rest will indeed come, if that is in His will.
The early church selflessly served, unconditionally loved, fully worshiped God, and kept alive the mission of Christ Jesus. The community noticed, and their numbers multiplied. This is how the early church made disciples, and it is one way we can make disciples.
Serve God, and good things will happen. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You’ve given each of us believers the mighty power of Your indwelling Holy Spirit. Thank You, Father, for such a wonderful gift! Please help us put this gift to work in service to You. Strengthen us and embolden us to carry out the work Jesus began. Please forgive us when we hesitate to do what we know we should do.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our sin, seeking Your forgiveness for our disobedience…
Lord Jesus, You commissioned us to carry on Your work here on earth after You left to go back home to heaven. And You equipped us by Your examples and with God’s Holy Spirit so we could do so. You told us to love, and to care about others. Thank You, Jesus, for showing us the way. Forgive us when we fail to act fully on Your behalf. Forgive us when our faith lacks conviction. Forgive us when service is not entirely for God. Please give us the courage and the strength of faith to carry on Your work. Help us when our spirit is willing but our flesh weak.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, our Savior. Amen.
