Title: Growing Pains of the Church
Contents
Growing up a child suffers from growing pains. Growing pains are pains to get bigger.
The early church was an ideal, good church. The group of believers became one heart and one accord. They are of one mind and one accord even in material matters, and sell each other to help. All apostles and saints hear the gospel of the resurrection of Jesus and receive grace. It is a church filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a church that can be placed anywhere.
The church is revitalized. Grow. But it seems that nothing is perfect on this earth. There is infighting within the church. My mind is split. resentment arises. Why is this happening?
Through today's text, I pray that you will all receive grace together on how this church solves this problem wisely.
1) the occurrence of a problem
There were two kinds of saints in the church. Hellenistic Jews (Diaspora: Jews returning from abroad) and Hebrew Jews (mainland) believe in Jesus. There were widows in the church. Poor women who have lost their husbands and live alone. At the church level, we give out food to the poor every day and give relief. However, the benefits of the relief are not evenly distributed. To the Hellenistic Jews, their widows kept getting excluded from the almsgiving. excluded from salvation. get neglected. You will receive a treat. Because the arms are bent inward, the Hebrew disciples only give them to widows on their side. The Hellenistic Jews who saw it resented the Hebrew Jews. If you give up a rope, you have to give it equally. Who gives, who subtracts why? Who's mouth and who's snout? I'm sorry.
2) How to do God's work
1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing.
3) Necessity of Role Sharing
'The twelve apostles called all the disciples and said to them,' (verse 2).
1. Nothing in prayer and the Word
1) Matthew 28:19-20 Teach them to obey everything they have been commanded
2) Feed the sheep in John 21:15-17
3) Ephesians 4:11-16 Spiritual growth, preparation for the Lord's Day
Their discernment is truly outstanding. I wanted to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus. We feel the need for workers to share the church's roles and set up 7 deacons.
2. Election of workers
The word salvation means diakonia. These words are “service, ministry, the office of a deacon, 'waiting at the table.' In a broader sense, it means 'to provide bodily plants'. Diaconia means daily relief, that is, daily feeding.
We elect 7 deacons for this task.
1) Acts 6:3 Qualifications of a deacon:
A person full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (a wise person guided by the Holy Spirit)
Those who receive praise (Church and World)
2) Ex 18:25-26)
From the midst of the people of Israel, the supreme commander took out all of them, and made them the commanders of the ranks, namely, the chieftains, the chieftains, the chieftains of the five officers, and the chieftainers.
(Exodus 18:26) And they took good care of themselves in their own time, but they gave Moses the difficult things, and gave themselves to the easy things.
3) Appointment ceremony
pray and lay hands
3. Result of Role Sharing
1) The word has become abundant.
'The word of God is becoming more and more prosperous.' When the seven deacons took on the almsgiving work, the apostles were able to focus on studying the Word and teaching with a light heart.
As a result, the early church became a church centered on the Word, a church that respects the Word of God and knows how to make it difficult. However, in the Bible, the 'Word' is God. The Word is Jesus Christ
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Therefore, a church centered on the Word and a church where the Word lives and works means the church that Jesus Christ rules. In this way, the Lord is present and glorified in the place where one is faithful to one's original duty, yields little by little, and harmonizes.
2) There was a revival of the church.
'The number of the disciples in Jerusalem is increasing greatly.' When the apostles wisely overcame internal conflicts in the church and were faithful to their mission of preaching the gospel, God was glorified and the amazing revival of the church occurred. If we work honestly and faithfully before God and people based on principles and principles, the revival of the church is in charge of God.
3) Many priests were converted.
'A great multitude of priests also obeyed this way.'
Priests are representatives of Jewish religion and social establishment. However, the fact that they converted to Christianity is an objective proof that Judaism centered on the law and sacrifices was abolished. It is, in a word, the result of devotion to the study of the words of the apostles that brought about such tremendous results. As the apostles studied the Bible, they discovered that the Old Testament law and the sacrificial system were fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
We were not saved by keeping the law, but we were saved through faith in Jesus, the fulfillment of the law. The law of the Ten Commandments, where the sacrificial law was abolished, is kept in the Holy Spirit because we have been saved.
The Old Covenant was changed to the New Covenant. So, a large number of priests (about 8,000 in the commentary) came to obey the way of Jesus, the perfecter of the new covenant.
<Conclusion>
Many tribulations follow the growth of the church. This kind of problem arises even when we try to live according to the word of God while spreading the love of the Lord. Wherever people live, there are always problems. Satan seeks these things. It staggers faith. We need wisdom to overcome these problems.
Growing up a child comes with growing pains. As the church grows, there are growing pains.
All these problems were solved wisely by the apostles. The Holy Spirit has given you grace.
We need to work hard for the church to grow more by setting up a team and dividing the roles.
All of this can be done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, there is no more resentment over the problem of relief. Now the walls of this wave and the lower wave are falling. Now I love my brothers even more.
Growing pains are painful and painful at times, but through this pain of childbirth, the Lord's Church grows even more. You and I will grow even more. Our Agape Church will be built up like this. We pray for such a growing church. (*)