Church Business
But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Acts 6:4 NASB
Ministry – Two criteria. Just two. Prayer and “the ministry of the word.” The first should be obvious (although all that is involved in the word “prayer” might not be obvious to us[1]). The second requires some investigation. After all, most Christian leaders would consider whatever they do as “the ministry of the word.” We will see.
The Greek uses the key word diakonia. You will recognize it immediately as the root for our English “deacon.” Ah, but this is a problem. According to Acts, the apostles did not take on the task of preacher, evangelist, teacher or overseer. They took on the business of waiting on others. They took the lowly jobs, not the positions behind the pulpit or up on the stage. And they did their job according to the word. Now what does that mean?
Some translations gloss the text as “study of the word,” as though the apostles spent their time praying and pouring over the Tanakh (remember, there is no New Testament at this time). That’s as misleading as “ministry.” It would fit second century rabbinic yeshiva thinking, but diakonia is about action, not just cognition. Besides, we have many examples in the book of Acts where the apostles are out among the people doing what they were supposed to do. They are not cloistered away in some room studying the Talmud. But this does not give us exegetical justification for the kind of hierarchy we find today in most religious environments. In fact, if our leaders wish to emulate the apostles, they should be praying (a full time occupation) and serving, and I don’t mean serving from the position of status or power. I mean taking out the garbage, cleaning the toilets, sweeping up after the group meets, serving the tables at the meal and generally adopting the foot washing position of their Master. Perfunctory displays of “down on bended knee” make no difference at all if they are done to challenge others to perform. This must be serving from the heart, grateful to be called worthy of suffering for His name. In biblical terms, leaders are found in the basement, not the penthouse or the ivory tower. Today “ministry” of the word would normally be interpreted to mean “preaching,” but this simply cannot be the case. Today’s preachers are center stage, “lights, camera, action” displays of a priestly class never intended in the qehelah (the assembly of apostolic times). Architecture and hierarchy are both inherited from paganism.
What would happen in the assemblies we call our places of worship if the leadership acted like the apostles? What if they didn’t preach, didn’t stand up on the stage, didn’t pontificate. What if they served the people all week long, at the places of employment, in the schools, on the street—and left the business of running the community to the members of the community? What if they prayed and served, and nothing else? Could you handle that?
Topical Index: diakonia, ministry, serve, apostles, Acts 6:4
[1] For material on the dozens of words for prayer in Hebrew, see Spiritual Restoration, Vol. 3
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Now you are starting to sound liked a true hard-core heretic! Upside-down service!
I find that I can get into really skittish, sick and bitter people’s lives best if I serve them. Right now, I care take broken people. I find that people who don’t trust others as a rule will open up and eventually let you in if they know that you are going to be there tomorrow and next week because they know you need the job; in fact, with these typically terminally ill ones, they pretty much know I will be there until they die. So many trust barriers can come down if you meet people right where they are in their devastation, loneliness, physical challenges or shame – their worst moments; not their best ones. The bottom of their lives, and not the top. I am not being paid to preach: I am paid to follow orders and clean up messes. So many people are so bitter at God, themselves and others! There is just no way that I can see to get around that bitterness through the front door of so many people’s lives.
I think we are called to restore the lost dignity and value of the damned to their true position as a child of the King. How can people ever get beyond themselves if someone IN their lives does not show them the way?
We are not tasked with success. We are tasked with representation. A “SAVOR OF LIFE UNTO LIFE, OR OF DEATH UNTO DEATH”: a taste – a flavor – of the Kingdom. I know I am not there to ‘save souls’. That is the Holy Spirit’s business. I am there as a demo model. People can take me for a ride to see if they think it will work for them, and if they like it. And, I am there so that people who have been used and abused all their lives – people who have a real excuse to be bitter, will, if I do my job right, lose that ‘right’ to be bitter because someone got behind that barrier and showed them a real chance: a real way out, if they want it. No, I don’t preach Jesus. They couldn’t hear me, anyway. But they can see me. They can want what I AM. Or not. If not, I represent a savor of death unto death, and, in a real way, I carry the fruit of their rebellion before the throne, and He decides when enough is enough. There is no suffering in this world for suffering’s sake, and I know He does not tolerate rebellion beyond the saving point. Why let people continue to suffer and sin if they close their hearts to all chances? It hurts me. But, one time when I went and complained about my despair after I lost one client (by far the hardest one I ever had) who went out hard – defiant to the end – about the seemingly miserably low odds, He said to my heart, clear as day “Well, how do you think I feel?!” I wailed “How do YOU stand it?!” and shut up. I really do not know how He stands it. But I think I can see a little of how He expects me to. Get down. Get real. Get in the bottom of the trench and get somebody to let me carry them in the places where they have lost their dignity and purpose and sense of humanity. Then I won’t need to say anything.
I am no saint, y’all. Taking care of people is at the very bottom of my ‘natural’ aptitude! Every day is hard to get up to, but I know I am supposed to see something here. Something about me. Something about others. And something about Him. He got down in my ditch and carried me. I should not think it out of place if He asks me to meet those around me in their devastation. After all, the barriers that are in the lives of very lost people are there as litmus tests of sorts: they serve to weed out all those who do not carry the real life-giving formula: love that can get through all the blockades of hell. Oh, they can still choose “NO” on the other side; they can still choose their own willfulness instead of love, but, the way I see it, our job is to take away their excuses. For some people, that list is very long!
May YHVH give us all His heart of service. May all those around me look to me like myself, and may I learn how to act, through His grace, like their interests and salvation are my own (because they are!). Amen.
Amen!
Great word Skip. This is exactly one of the reasons I can barely tolerate American “Christianity”. The lead pastors are the stars, the talent. Even though it has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the attention span for a monologue is 20 minutes or less, preachers go on & on way past that time and if anything gets squeezed because the time is running long it is never the preacher it is always anything but that. One more thing about that, well two.
I greatly desire a rabbi, someone to model for me how to make disciples. Someone who is out in the trenches (like you Laurita) meeting a need, showing people the way and then being a rabbi to them. The Great Commission after all was to ‘…go and make disciples …” not build expensive buildings where we can attract bigger and bigger crowds to support more building projects. I am convinced that our nation is in the mess it is in today because the church’s focus was on getting people to close their eyes, raise their hands so we can count hands and can say, “Look how effective we are!” We have buildings full of ‘still borns’ that rarely grow to mature faith. If they do, it is usually in spite of the efforts of the church.
Where I work as a licensed plumber, we have 3 hours of training each week. Our boss recently said that the format would be changing soon because he recently discovered some research which indicates people change based on about 20% learning and 80% doing/accountability. I always find it interesting when secular people discover Truth where the church will not see it. Our churches give us 52, “Life Changing” messages each year. We come on Sunday, here a speech and are expected to “master it” in 6 days and return for another on Sunday – (rinse & repeat). Where are the preachers who roll up their sleeves and get down in someones “ditch” and serve them. Would that be a powerful sermon?
OK. Rant over. Laurita I so identify with your post. Being a plumber I recently had the idea that I could find people who might need some plumbing work but couldn’t afford it. I could use my skills and training to be a “miracle worker” in their lives and maybe earn the right to share truth with them. I am afraid to go public with this thought because I might not follow through or last very long, but it seems like a start.
I have also thought, like you, how our Father’s heart must be so broken. How does He stand it! His love and mercy are beyond my comprehension. His righteousness is pure, yet He witnesses every evil deed. He sees every rape, every murder, every hungry child. Those things are hard to know, but the Most Holy One of Israel has a front row seat to ALL OF IT. How does He not have a broken heart?
Love You All,
Bill
You and Laurita have shared some amazing insight. I was blessed to be able to serve both of my in-laws in very personal ways before they died. It was a very humbling experience and I complained to God about it a couple (at least!) of times. Each time I returned the next day to serve again because it was what I knew I needed to do and I found myself doing it willingly!
Service changes your heart. Serving others, even one whom you may not like very much just changes things.
My mom in law was on dialysis for the last 8 years of her life. ( she died at 81) I became her caretaker even though her husband was able and she had children close by. Her and I developed a wonderful relationship that grew stronger right up till the day she died. God manifested many miracles during that time with her. The result being I have NO regrets looking back. I miss her but have peace knowing she sleeps.
A small tidbit of wisdom I gained was this: do what your conscience can live with regardless of what others may think. This eliminates regrets that can eat away at a person for a lifetime.
I really did not like my father in law very much. He grossly injured his foot in his last year of life and I was the one to minister to him sometimes multiple times a day. He was still mobile but needed wound care and he needed help to navigate our wonderful medical system. I just stepped up to do this for him. I wondered to myself at times when the gumption to take care of a man I really didn’t even like manifested itself in me. I am still humbled by that notion. It was only the spirit of Y-H manifesting itself thru me that allowed this.
Service to others changes things.
I so agree that these spotlight, in the center stage on a podium so-called preachers need to re-evaluate what they are doing. I have very little patience with a modern church service. I have no need to walk into a church building other than to socialize with folks that are there. I do not enjoy the preaching any more at all.
The apostles paint a wonderful picture of humble service. The world would do well to emulate that with humble hearts willing to be led. What a different place it would be. I look forward to the coming world when things like this will be made right. No wonder there will be no more tears or suffering!
I’m pretty sure if leadership did this then there wouldn’t be 38,000 different Christian denominations. People would see what binds us is far more then what divides us and what divides us would be frankly silly in comparison to what really mattered. It would actually be incredible what could, ‘get done’. In essence though the church would be Hebrew concentrating what would need to be done rather then having theological and cognitive debates.
“If the leadership acted like apostles”….a novel and inspiring thought – and I’m sure there are some out there that actually practice this…the ones we will never hear about from the headlines. There has to be…surely there has to be. But for the 99.9% others….we will probably never see this Hebraic (godly) ‘mindset’….because, well, the mind is already set. So that leaves it up to each of us individuals to ‘minister’ to our brother/sister …. and that is all we can do.
@Pam, most of the rank and file desire a worldly style leader, albeit dressed up in holy garments.
When I was younger there were a lot of small dairy farms that milked 25 cows. The owner milked twice a day 365, fed the cattle, hauled out the manure, put up the hay and kept the facility clean to pass government inspection. Did I mention that he also worked an 8 hour shift in one of the local factories 5 days a week? He also attended church if possible. My thought on this was that I could pay attention to any preacher that ran a dairy like this and then spent 8 hours a day 5 days a week in service to the church and community and never missed a church service or a meeting at church even if they didn’t eat a meal. Too many ministers today work on a 9 to 5 schedule 4 days a week with a 2 hour lunch break plus one half day Sunday. I’m afraid their commitment is to self, and they see church as a business with them as the CEO.
Many ministers have a heavy counseling schedule, plus they are called upon to visit members in the hospital, get involved in crisis, etc. So, I would think most do not have a cushiony job. That would be working for the government. Got a lot of reading done then 🙂
chaya1957, you are right in many ways. As one who was in full-time ministry for 7 years, ministry can be very stressful and is in reality a 24/7 thing. People expect you to be available for the things you mentioned. There is also a lot of “behind the scenes” activity involved in getting ready for the Sunday “Show”.
On the other side of it, and this is my beef, we devote far too many resources to those already showing up. Most ministries are afraid of offending the big givers or the power people. Most want to make Sunday morning as attractive as possible so that people will continue to come. Church has become a business with a “please the consumer” focus. I say leave the 99 who ar already part of the program and go after the 1.
I would love to hear a pastor some Sunday stand up and announce,”From now on, the staff is going to let the elders take care of hospital calls, and shut-ins, etc while we leave 99% of the congregation behind to go out and bring the good news to those who hate church. And, we are going to devote the bulk of the church’s finances to reaching people who do not go to church!” Just my opinion.
Wouldn’t that be fulfilling what is required! But what it implies is that there is no Sunday show and that means most of the people will simply move to another theater where they can still be spectators like the Romans.
Yup, let them eat cake! Those in power know this and use it to mesmerize the multitudes.
Aren’t we just seeing the end product of systems that have been warping toward the indulgence of the yetzer ha-ra for centuries? I think the paganism that has infiltrated both – and I am going to say this – both Judaism and Christianity has been geared toward separating the nephesh for the purposes of indulging the yezter ha-ra, has it not? We are also fractured from each other as a consequence; a fracture that never should have happened, and now we are all so mired in ineffectiveness and self-indulgence I think it would take a bomb blast to shatter the frozen forms that are entrapping us and keeping us from the full embrace of the Truth that still lies in both these camps. I firmly believe both sides carry key pieces that must be put back together before we are restored to the full power that the early Body enjoyed. That is one of our problems; at least, the way I see it. Both sides have clearly been dabbling in spiritism and other forms of mysticism, as well as what other people have noted here, which are the various ways that we seek to emulate the forms and goals and practices of the secular world, as well as ways to escape the obedience of the flesh and excuse self indulgence: all of it excuses that keep people from realizing and practicing what the world needs most from those who claim the preeminent representation of the God of compassion and hesed.
I get very afraid sometimes that neither Christianity nor Judaism are what the world sees, much less turns to, when it is bewailing its misery and confusion. Why, I want to ask, if these are the premier representatives of love on this planet – those who claim to have been given the answers for what ails us – are they so unable to deliver? I am deliberately throwing both in the same pot because both were clearly intended to stay in that pot. I think both escaped and that may be one of our biggest problems, not to be put right until they can find a way to join hands again: not through ecumenism, but through the Torah, which never should have been left, and yes, sadly, I think that both sides have invented their own unique ways to avoid the full practice of that Guide. Separated, both sides can indulge diversions and perversions, if you will, that neither could be getting away with if they would simply get back together and put all the pieces back into the common kitty. The longest way round may be not only the shortest way home, but may well be the only way. There are just too, too many excuses that keep the Receivers of the Truth from the woes of the world, which the whole system was designed to meet and resolve, was it not?
There. There’s my beef at myself for the day, as I identify with both offending parties in this crime of avoiding the true purpose of love – at least on this hurting planet! Forget church order and whatnot: what about what church was intended FOR? And I am sitting back down. I am too personally guilty to say more.
This explanation sounds wonderful! In light of the context however, how do you explain Acts 6: 2&3, esp the phrase in vrs 2 “It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.” Maybe my mind is still under what was ground into me for 40 yrs of my life, but the way I read it (KJV – or is that not the best version for this passage?), it sounds like in vrs 2 that the apostles did NOT want to serve tables. But when you explain vrs 4, it sounds like that yes, they DID want to “serve tables”. Can you help clarify these vrs so that hopefully they will jive in mind? Thanks.
Priorities. Not everyone does every job. But expand your idea of service to mean “what God asks of me so that I might nourish the community.” Prayer and study is one way. Serving tables is another. Each person is expected to do what the HEAD of the whole community desires for that person so that all might be fed. If the apostles felt that they needed to devote themselves to prayer and other actions, others needed to devote themselves to serving tables. Remember that diakonia is about ALL kinds of serving, no matter what the task. But the tasks are equally important. It has nothing to do with what I WANT TO DO. It is about what God assigns to me.
Another much-needed message…and much-needed comments. And now a question. Am I missing something? Just two verses previous to this verse in Acts, the twelve apostles said, “It is NOT desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.” I do see their examples later on in Acts, examples of service and manual labor. So why does it sound here as though, indeed, some of the mundane tasks and works of service are not for them to do, but for others appointed for this business? Comments, anyone?
True, but what assignment from YHVH was given to them? Preaching? NO. Witnessing? NO. Leading the business of the “church”? NO. What were they asked to do? What were the results?
How does this relate to the situation where the first century leaders asked that persons be appointed to ensure fair distribution of food to widow so they could attend to their own ministry? Was this ministry, praying, seeking revelation, studying, teaching, overseeing…..what?
I find it particularly interesting that the word “ministry” is not used by any of the earliest leaders. They did not have a “ministry.” They had an intense desire to do what God wanted even if that meant no stage presence. Prayer and lowly acts of service are not “on display” actions.
Thanks Skip. How correct it is if “diakonia tou logos” is taken as teaching (a service to the community and doing the role He has assigned)? as this is the same word for ‘service’ used in Ephesians 4:12. While you have emphasized ‘service’ and ‘action’ of “diakonia” here in this TW, I could see it as a more cognitive or a sort of private religion under July 18, 2014 TW. Am I getting it correct?
I am not meaning to ignore your request but I am in Africa, internet is slow and I have to teach several times in the next few days. Give me a bit of time to respond. Unless ANYONE else wants to advance this line?
Here is my two cents after reading it in the Interlinear: The disciples did not say “We shouldn’t leave the word of God in order to serve tables”..or “and serve tables.” It is more likely that it would have been, “We shouldn’t leave the word of God, serving tables, ie serving the widows.” SO the issue would have been that they were departing from the word of God by not properly serving the widows. THEN they appointed 7 honest men to make sure this doesn’t happen, not so/in order that they (apostles) wouldn’t have to but because extra attention needed to be paid to the issues. THEN the apostles said, “But to prayer and continuing in the ministry of the word (feeding widows, we/the community will continue!)” As to say “We wont let this happen again!
What do you think?
I was told I had to be a CEO. It did not fit. 39 years later I got out.
I find now as a truck driver I contact more people and touch more lives. There are lots of people out here who want someone to hear and care. Person: highest value, greatest importance. Thank you Abraham Heschel.