This week I'm preparing to preach on the New Testament Deacon. The following are some exegetical notes on a passage in Acts 6 where Deacons are first prototyped:
6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 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 in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7)
I'm always learning new things about this passage each time I teach through it or preach on it. At first glance, it's a straightforward story; the story starts with a problem, then moves to a solution, then concludes with a resolution. In this straightforward story, we get a ton of detail about the earliest church conflicts and the earliest solutions to those conflicts.
Under examination, we see the story has some fascinating features.
There is a situation described (6:1a)
A problem then arises from the situation (6:1b)
The problem threatens the situation (6:1b)
A gathering is called to seek a solution (6:2a)
Some people are set apart as decidedly not a solution (6:2b)
Other people are delegated as a part of the solution (6:3a)
Qualifications for those solution people are included (6:3)
This proposed solution will not disrupt other groups' mission in serving the community (6:4)
Reception to the proposed solution was positive from the group experiencing the problem (6:5a)
The proposed solution is enacted via a selection of qualified nominees (6:5b)
Nominees were then presented to the group that proposed the solution (6:6a)
A confirmation of the nominees was then enacted establishing purpose and authority (6:6b)
The result of the resolution is recounted with massive success (6:7)
We learn a ton about the church's priorities and mission in this short passage [Acts 6:1-7]. We learn that the earliest New Testament church had both an obligation to prayer and ministry of the word, alongside serving tangible community needs. One thing was not "more spiritual" than the other. It was unacceptable to give up the ministry of prayer and the word (6:2b). It was also unacceptable for the distribution problem to persist without a solution (6:3). The way for the church to move forward was to allow the group charged with prayer and ministry of the word, to continue in their capacity and to dedicate other spirit-filled, wise men to serve as a solution.
Acts 6:1-7 provides the prototype for the ministry of deacons in the church. Without spirit-filled wise deacons, a church will undergo great distresses which presents the potential to fracture the church. If those who are dedicated to prayer and ministry of the word are tasked with the work of deacons, the church also suffers greatly. We can observe that these two roles in the church (ministry of prayer & word, and ministry of mercy) are both necessary.
At many points along the way in this story, there were opportunities for further division, dissension, and distraction. The 12 Apostles could have simply ignored the problem and let it fester. The 12 Apostles could have delegated a committee to look further into the problem all the while the problem continues to grow worse. The assembled group could have rejected and rebelled against the suggestion of the 12 Apostles. The 12 could have forsaken their work and added this additional ministry to their responsibilities. There could have been arguments about who was "full of the Spirit and wisdom". The 12 Apostles could have failed to properly recognize and ordain these chosen 7 thereby undermining their authority and ability in serving. Despite all these opportunities for failure, the church was protected by a God-honoring process. Through the process in Acts 6:1-7 the ministry of prayer and the word, nor the tangible needs of mercy were neglected.
The flow of problems and solutions is pretty clear in this passage. Problems arise and are presented to the decision-making group in the church (the ministers of prayer and word). The ministers of prayer and word then work towards a solution that does not jeopardize their own responsibilities. The solution was then confirmed and worked towards with the congregation's cooperation. The church was blessed as the problem was resolved, tangible needs were met, and the word of God spread.
