The Word of God and Prayer Must be a Priority
Introduction
Acts 6:1-7 – “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 early church was encountering major problems and if they wavered on their priorities, we might not have witnessed the massive growth of those early days. We must maintain the priority of prayer and the Word of God. They are intertwined and cannot be separated or minimized.
Haddon Robinson points out that one old recipe for rabbit started out with this injunction: "First catch the rabbit." Says Robinson: "The writer knew how to put first things first. That's what we do when we establish priorities -- we put the things that should be in first place in their proper order.
Surprised to see an empty seat at the Super Bowl stadium, a diehard fan remarked about it to a woman sitting nearby. "It was my husband's," the woman explained, "But he died." "I'm very sorry," said the man. "Yet I'm really surprised that another relative, or friend, didn't jump at the chance to take the seat reserved for him." "Beats me," she said. "They all insisted on going to the funeral."
A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in two's for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight point buck.
"Where's Harry?"
"Harry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail."
"You left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?"
"A tough call," nodded the hunter, "but I figured no one is going to steal Harry."
The early church was growing at such a pace that their membership had outgrown their ministerial abilities. The church was facing growing problems and people were being neglected. If people are neglected that gives the devil and opportunity to ease in and stir up strife and contention. The early church had their priorities in the right order.
I – The Division
Acts 6:1 - 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.
A) The Number was Growing “They Were Now Mixed”
B) The Neglect was Glaring “They Were Now Murmuring”
In growing the church now experienced a mixed multitude in their membership. The Grecian believers were mad because the Jewish believers were being ministered to and they were being neglected. As we all know God does not make any difference between the Jew and the Gentile, but I am not so sure that the early church had fully adapted to this new concept.
II – The Declaration
In reading the bible we find that it is very clear concerning the welfare of widows and orphans.
A) The Ineptness of the Waiters
Acts 6:2 - 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.
B) The Integrity of the Workers
Acts 6:3 - 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.
C) The Importance of the Word and Prayer
Acts 6:4 - But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
D) The Inclusion of the Widows
Exodus 22:22-24- “Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.”
Deuteronomy 14:29- “And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which [are] within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.”
Deuteronomy 16:11- “And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that [is] within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that [are] among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.”
Deuteronomy 16:14- “And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that [are] within thy gates.”
Deuteronomy 24:17-22- “Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, [nor] of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge: But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing. When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean [it] afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.”
III – The Distinction
Milt Rood worked for years and years in Spokane as a car salesman. He was also very active with the Union Gospel Mission work with juvenile delinquents. Week by week he'd patiently teach the Word and pray with young boys in trouble. One week Milt went into the Hospital for exploratory surgery. The doctors found he was full of cancer. They sewed him up again and sent him home. He died within a week. After the funeral, Ron Kinley remarked, "It's interesting that at the funeral no one ever asked how many cars he had sold!"
A) Their Noted Problem
Acts 6:1-3 “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.”
The last thing one knows is what to put first.
B) Their New Plan
As the church began to grow and become more apt in their ministry, they gave specific guidelines on the concept of widows and widowhood, as follows:
1Timothy 5:3-5- “Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.”
1Timothy 5:16- “If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.”
The story is told of a prosperous, young investment banker who was driving a new BMW sedan on a mountain road during a snow storm. As he veered around one sharp turn, he lost control and began sliding off the road toward a steep cliff. At the last moment he unbuckled his seat belt, flung open his door, and leaped from the car, which then plummeted to the bottom of the ravine and burst into a ball of flames. Although he had escaped with his life, the man suffered a ghastly injury. Somehow his arm had been caught near the hinge of the door as he jumped and had been torn off at the shoulder. A passing trucker saw the accident in his rearview mirror, pulled his rig to a halt and ran back to see if he could help. When he arrived at the scene, he found the banker standing at the roadside, looking down at the BMW burning in the ravine below. Incredibly the banker was oblivious to his injury and moaned, “My BMW! My new BMW!” The trucker pointed at the banker’s shoulder and said, “You’ve got bigger problems than that car. We’ve got to find your arm. Maybe the surgeons can sew it back on!”` The banker looked where his arm had been, paused a moment, and groaned, “Oh no! My Rolex! My new Rolex!”
IV – The Decision
As the division began to affect the church the apostles got their hands around it quickly. We should realize that normally problems have to be addressed, they don’t just go away, and rather they usually get worse. In correcting the problem the disciples expose an even greater issue to the membership. The disciples were not dictators; they fully realized they needed help to meet the needs of the ministry.
Acts 6:5-6- “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.”
We cannot decide whether or not we will live or die; we can only decide what we will die for.
Bob Pierce.
A – The Magnified Problem
The real problem was that the apostles were being spread to thin and they were not spending enough time in prayer and the word of God. It was needful that the widows and orphans be ministered too, but it was more needful that the apostles spent time doing their spiritual work. The problem was going to give them an opportunity to recruit other leaders.
B – The Men Picked
The decision was for the membership to pick out specific men so that they could be appointed as deacons or servants of the church. If our churches understood the importance of a deacon’s ministry it would make our churches much more effective.
1 – Seven Men
2 – Honest Report
3 – Full of the Holy Ghost
4 – Filled with Wisdom
5 – Ordained by the Apostles
C) The Main Priority
Acts 6:7- “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 apostles appointed these men to do the ministerial serving of the church membership. If the church is to flourish like it should, there must be a distinct and decisive division in the roles of deacons and pastors. The apostles fully understood this necessity and set up a system that was successful and still applicable for us today.
The main priority of deacons is to serve the church and the main priority of pastors is to spend time in prayer and in the Word of God.
1 – The Word of God increased
2 – The Church grew mightily
3 – Many of the priests were saved
If we intertwine the Word of God and prayer there are specific blessings that will come our way. It is awesome to know that blessings follow the Word of God and prayer. If we allow the proper balance of these two in our lives, God will wonderfully bless us.
William Gurnall – “When people don’t mind what God speaks to them in his Word, then God don’t mind what his people speak to him in prayer.”
Conclusion
Many years ago Jimmy Johnson then head coach of the Dallas Cowboys divorced his wife of 26 years when he left coaching a college team to become head coach in the National Football League. He said he needed a wife while coaching on the college level for social functions and to show families that he would be looking out for their sons. In pro football, however, she was an unnecessary accouterment and a distraction to winning. He said winning football was his number one priority and his two sons second. How tragic!
In contrast to this, Tom Landry, former coach of the Dallas cowboys said, "The thrill of knowing Jesus is the greatest thing that ever happened to me ... I think God has put me in a very special place, and He expects me to use it to His glory in everything I do ... whether coaching football or talking to the press, I'm always a Christian ... Christ is first, family second and football third."
Jimmy Johnson failed to have his priorities in the right order; thankfully the early church understood the priority of prayer and the bible.
Fans of the American Wild West will find in a Deadwood, South Dakota museum this inscription left by a beleaguered prospector:
"I lost my gun. I lost my horse. I am out of food. The Indians are after me. But I've got all the gold I can carry!"
First Things First
It is rather comical when the primary things are made secondary. Victor Borge told about a couple going on vacation, standing in line waiting to check their bags at the airline counter.
The husband said to the wife, "I wish we had brought the piano."
The wife said, "Why? We've got sixteen bags already!"
The husband said, "Yes, I know-- but the tickets are on the piano!"