Jump Start # 1046
Acts 6:1 “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.”
Our passage today shows us one of the first problems that the early church faced. The problem was more cultural than it was about Christianity. The Hellenistic Jews were different than the native Hebrews. They had been “Hellenized.” They live outside of Judea, spoke Greek and had been influenced by the Greek culture. The native Hebrews remained around Judea, spoke Hebrew and resisted cultural changes. Now they were all Christians. The widows were being taken care of. However, the Hellenized Jews were being ignored. This upset some and they complained to the apostles.
Oh, life in the church! Great lessons come from this setting.
First, complaints will happen. You can’t ignore them, nor think that someday we will out grow complaints. Some are simple things such as, a light bulb is burned out in the ladies bathroom. Others get more serious, it’s too hot in here, or it’s too cold in here; or, the mics are too loud, or I can’t hear anything. Complaints. Sometimes the complaints become grave. Some complain about how the church’s money is being used. Some complain about the preacher and feel that it’s time for a change. Some complain about the direction the church is going and question the decision of the leaders.
Why do we complain? Where I live, folks always complain about the weather. The winter is too cold and long, the summer is too hot. It snows too much. It rains too much. It doesn’t rain enough. In Indiana, there are two absolutes about the weather: it always changes, and someone will always complain. I think the reason we complain is that we want things a certain way and when it’s not, we express our displeasure. We want a nice warm sunny day. Instead it’s cloudy and snowy. It ruins our mood, puts us in a foul spirit and we complain. We complain about service and food at restaurants. The prices are too high. The service is slow. The food isn’t right. Yet, restaurants are still packed every night. Maybe we are expecting things to be perfect and they won’t be, so we complain.
When you involve others, it’s nearly impossible to make everyone happy. This is what happens in church services. The temperature of the auditorium can never please everyone. Can’t happen. The selection of songs cannot please everyone. Even the sermon subject doesn’t please everyone.
Suggestions are not the same as complaints. Suggestions are ideas. Suggestions can be positive and helpful. Complaints run negative. Complaints tend to point fingers. It did in our passage. Someone was neglecting the Hellenistic Jews. Shame on them. Complaints can become ugly very quickly.
Second, complaints need to be looked into. To ignore a complaint can be insulting. It says, you don’t matter and we do not care about you. Some complaints are legitimate and some adjustments need to be made. Some are not. For instance, during a church service the thermostat cannot be constantly lowered and raised to please everyone. This is why in most church buildings and office buildings there is a plastic locked case around the thermostat that keeps folks from adjusting the temperature. Some complain not knowing that things have already been looked into and changes are coming. Some complaints are selfish and not considerate of others and nothing will be done. In our passage, the apostles looked into the matter.
Third, when necessary and helpful, changes need to be made. Our verse shows the solution to the neglected Hellenistic widows. Seven godly men were chosen by the church to take care of them. Their names reveal that they are a mixture of Hebrews and Hellenized. There is a balance and accountable among them. Nothing is said about this matter again in the New Testament. The problem was taken care of. The apostles felt that this was a matter that needed to be addressed. So, it was.
Fourth, the complaints were taken to the right sources. Those complaining didn’t air their grievances on Facebooks, the gossip line, nor did they threaten to leave if they did not get their way. There are proper channels, as well as proper attitudes and proper ways to express complaints. This may have been a simple mistake. We can get ourselves all worked up about things and assume and assign false motives when none of that is true.
Fifth, God expects us to be team players. The New Testament word is “subject to one another.” That is not just something wives are to their husbands, but all Christians are to each other. It’s the only way a church can operate and move forward. Not everyone will get their way. You may have done things differently. But to blow a gasket, and create more problems because things were not the way you wanted them, may reveal a much greater problem: YOU. It may illustrate that you are not a team player. That you go along as long as everyone does what you want. The moment that doesn’t happen, you threaten to leave. Wrong. Wrong spirit. Wrong attitude. Wrong decision.
We need a big dose of patience and understanding. We are not all the same. We are not all at the same place spiritually. We all have our own experiences, baggage and backgrounds. Put all of us together, and it could be a real mess. What works is Jesus. What works is the mindset that we want to be like Jesus. Patience, love, compassion and growth allows us to gel together. What kills most churches is selfishness. That’s the source of many complaints. That’s the stopper of most ideas.
This problem in Acts 6 was no longer a problem. They moved on and continued to grow as the Lord wanted them to. Some churches can’t do that. The problem cripples them. The problem consumes them. The problem destroys them. The problem was greater than they were.
Your spirit, attitude, faith and willingness to work with others is a huge part in whether or not the complaints get the best the church. It’s not just the leaders problems to be solved. These things involve all of us. Acts 6 worked because the brethren had the mind to make it work. Love was triumphant. Christ prevailed. That’s the secret.
Hope this helps,
Roger