The Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews… So the twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God.” – Acts 6:1-2
Proclaiming the word of God is the primary purpose of the church and Satan will do anything to distract God’s people from that purpose.
A few years ago I came across some small dark pellets in the area underneath our kitchen sink. With my brilliant mind I deduced that a mouse had been present in the kitchen! In the same way, whenever we see certain droppings in the church we must deduce that Satan is at work.
In this passage we learn that there were “droppings” of disunity, unhappiness, complaining and murmuring among the disciples in the early church. Why were these droppings there? Because Satan was at work. Satan is always opposing the church. Sometimes he brings opposition from without and sometimes from within. Here we see Satan working within the church by causing the people to murmur against each other.
Satan was trying to distract the apostles from their primary work of preaching the Word of God by calling their attention to the need for social service within the church, specifically in the area of food distribution. But the apostles would not be distracted from their calling. Why? They were called by Jesus himself to preach the gospel . Jesus told his disciples to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, not the things of the world. Why? Man’s soul is infinitely more important than his body. What does it profit if a man gains the whole world yet loses his soul? The only way a sinner can be saved is through the proclamation of the gospel. So, when they heard the disciples murmuring, the apostles established a certain organization to deal with food distribution in an equitable way and “this proposal pleased the whole group.”(Acts 6:5) There is a need for a certain amount (and the right kind) of organization in the church. “God is not a God of disorder but of peace. Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” (I Cor. 14:33,40)
Acts 6 speaks directly to the re-organization and re-appointment of deacons in the church so that its primary purpose is uninterrupted. Up to this point the apostles were just preaching the gospel and caring for the poor. But the growth of the early church created administrative problems. Satan tried to use these problems to destroy the church by inciting the disciples to murmur and complain against each other over - of all things - Christian service!
In this passage we learn that there were “droppings” of disunity, unhappiness, complaining and murmuring among the disciples in the early church. Why were these droppings there? Because Satan was at work. Satan is always opposing the church. Sometimes he brings opposition from without and sometimes from within. Here we see Satan working within the church by causing the people to murmur against each other.
Satan was trying to distract the apostles from their primary work of preaching the Word of God by calling their attention to the need for social service within the church, specifically in the area of food distribution. But the apostles would not be distracted from their calling. Why? They were called by Jesus himself to preach the gospel . Jesus told his disciples to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, not the things of the world. Why? Man’s soul is infinitely more important than his body. What does it profit if a man gains the whole world yet loses his soul? The only way a sinner can be saved is through the proclamation of the gospel. So, when they heard the disciples murmuring, the apostles established a certain organization to deal with food distribution in an equitable way and “this proposal pleased the whole group.”(Acts 6:5) There is a need for a certain amount (and the right kind) of organization in the church. “God is not a God of disorder but of peace. Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” (I Cor. 14:33,40)
Acts 6 speaks directly to the re-organization and re-appointment of deacons in the church so that its primary purpose is uninterrupted. Up to this point the apostles were just preaching the gospel and caring for the poor. But the growth of the early church created administrative problems. Satan tried to use these problems to destroy the church by inciting the disciples to murmur and complain against each other over - of all things - Christian service!
Today, we definitely live in a work-ethic society where people are measured and tend to measure themselves in terms of busyness and service. God has called each of us to Christian service (I Peter 4:10), but He calls us first of all to know Him. It’s out of that personal relationship that He then calls us to serve. We do not serve selfishly as an escape from loneliness, unhappiness, or some underlying, compulsive need – That kind of service is a “dropping” on the church body and it does not serve to proclaim the Gospel. Satan’s attacks and droppings are discouraging and disheartening. But they can also be an exciting challenge because we can only reach unity as a body and win victories when we’re fighting battles!
-Pastor Mark
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