WEBVTT 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.040 Coming in at number eight in Pastor Jim's top 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:09.919 ten hymns that he wrote these sermons to, come 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:14.359 ye thankful people, come. And it's in that last 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:17.399 verse that it talks about that we are safely 00:00:17.399 --> 00:00:22.039 to abide. And that's so important, I think, for 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:25.280 us to understand that our greatest hope in life 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:29.640 is that we are abiding in Christ. Let me just 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:32.509 put that there for a minute. And for some of 00:00:32.509 --> 00:00:35.630 you, there might be a tension growing because 00:00:35.630 --> 00:00:38.869 that might not be your perspective. Your perspective 00:00:38.869 --> 00:00:42.789 might not be that the thing that I long for most 00:00:42.789 --> 00:00:46.789 in life is to abide in Christ. Christ. You may 00:00:46.789 --> 00:00:49.789 have so many other things that you go, no, no, 00:00:49.789 --> 00:00:52.670 no, no. But on this earth, this is what I want 00:00:52.670 --> 00:00:58.149 most in my life. A loving spouse, a family, a 00:00:58.149 --> 00:01:01.649 home, a job. You can list. And all of those are 00:01:01.649 --> 00:01:04.170 blessings. We're going to try not to overdo it, 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:06.269 but it is about blessings this month. And that 00:01:06.269 --> 00:01:10.750 is all good stuff. But unless we are abiding 00:01:10.750 --> 00:01:15.719 in Christ, this one may offend. none of that 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:19.180 matters. And you go, wait a minute, time out, 00:01:19.180 --> 00:01:21.519 whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, time out. How can you 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:23.659 say that? Because if we think about it, that 00:01:23.659 --> 00:01:27.439 if I am a believer, if I believe in Christ and 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:31.959 he is the definition of my life, then that should 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:35.280 impact how I am a husband and a father and a 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.019 pastor, how I can be a baseball coach in the 00:01:38.019 --> 00:01:40.260 Munster Little League, how I can, and we can 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:43.760 put all of those blessings in that. Being a believer 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:47.680 should impact all of those things. When we abide 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:51.540 in Christ, we can do whatever Christ has called 00:01:51.540 --> 00:01:54.959 us to do. Apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:58.239 Jesus reminds them when he does, I am the vine 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:01.000 and you are the branches. It's all about being 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:03.640 attached to the vine. And for some of us today, 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:07.700 That attachment is strong. That you have a devout, 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:10.240 faithful relationship with Jesus. You're abiding 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:13.219 in Christ. Just like that last verse talks about, 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:16.460 that abiding in Christ is the most important 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:20.460 thing. That should be the perspective of life. 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:24.620 But as we're going to see, even now, six chapters 00:02:24.620 --> 00:02:26.939 in. Five in the start of the church, because 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:29.439 chapter one in the book of Acts kind of is a 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:32.039 preparatory time. Jesus ascends. He says, wait 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:34.599 for the Holy Spirit. But now we're five chapters 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:38.740 into the start of the church. And that hymn we 00:02:38.740 --> 00:02:42.800 sang isn't really about crops, right? I'm sorry 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:44.479 if that offends any farmers that we have, though 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:47.060 they are important. Substitute the word crops 00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:52.300 for our hearts. Thankfulness. Blessing. It's 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:55.840 a fruit of faith. When we realize that everything 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:59.000 we have comes from God's grace, then gratitude, 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:02.639 seeing those blessings, defining them as such, 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:07.180 naturally turns into service. If God has given 00:03:07.180 --> 00:03:11.879 me, I ought to forgive. I should also give. As 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:14.639 God has forgiven me, I ought to forgive. You 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:16.699 see how that works? You see how our blessings 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:20.460 turn into call of actions every day in our life? 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:23.580 And Acts 6, the early church, will again face 00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:27.419 a new challenge. We've seen them. But it's not 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:30.319 persecution from the outside today. It's tension 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:34.479 that grows inside. Welcome to Church Drama 101. 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:39.400 Growth brings problems. We've felt that here. 00:03:39.939 --> 00:03:44.759 Right? Growth can bring problems. But here, it's 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:47.310 different than what they're dealing with. Food 00:03:47.310 --> 00:03:50.349 isn't being distributed fairly in chapter 6, 00:03:50.469 --> 00:03:53.469 and some widows are being overlooked. Instead 00:03:53.469 --> 00:03:56.969 of ignoring the issue or fracturing a part, the 00:03:56.969 --> 00:04:00.629 apostles lead on two things, gratitude and wisdom. 00:04:00.969 --> 00:04:02.990 Gratitude that they have this opportunity to 00:04:02.990 --> 00:04:06.669 speak wisdom from Jesus. We get that from Matthew 00:04:06.669 --> 00:04:08.650 28, teaching them everything I have commanded 00:04:08.650 --> 00:04:12.250 you. This fits in that. They appoint deacons 00:04:12.250 --> 00:04:15.250 to serve so that the word of God can continue 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:17.970 to spread. So what this passage we're going to 00:04:17.970 --> 00:04:19.370 break down, we're going to go almost verse by 00:04:19.370 --> 00:04:23.750 verse, teaches us that a thankful church is a 00:04:23.750 --> 00:04:28.170 serving church. Gratitude isn't just a feeling, 00:04:28.189 --> 00:04:32.129 but it's a way of life. So let's dive into that 00:04:32.129 --> 00:04:34.569 tension. We're going to start with verse 1. Diving 00:04:34.569 --> 00:04:37.610 into the tension that growth brings. Growth brings 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:41.339 tension. How do I know? I've been pastoring a 00:04:41.339 --> 00:04:43.600 church that has been growing double digits year 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:46.879 after year, and it's tension. We have new ideas. 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:49.300 We have new people. For some of you, we're getting 00:04:49.300 --> 00:04:52.399 away from who we were back in the 1920s. And 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:55.220 all of these things, though the call has never 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:58.500 changed, the gospel has never changed, the way 00:04:58.500 --> 00:05:02.839 church is done can change. It can shift. It can 00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:06.759 change. In some ways, it can adapt. Ooh, pastor, 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:08.920 I don't know if the church has adapted. The church 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.000 adapts. We're actually going to just watch it 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:14.680 do it in chapter 6. We saw it twice in chapter 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:17.899 5. We saw it in chapter 4. The church does adapt. 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:21.300 It never compromises, but it adapts. Gratitude 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:23.759 and thankfulness is always in the beginning. 00:05:24.139 --> 00:05:28.290 So verse 1, growth brings tension. Now in these 00:05:28.290 --> 00:05:30.910 days when the disciples were increasing in number, 00:05:31.029 --> 00:05:34.370 a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the 00:05:34.370 --> 00:05:37.089 Hebrews because their widows were being neglected 00:05:37.089 --> 00:05:40.250 in the daily distribution. Just leave that up 00:05:40.250 --> 00:05:45.089 there, Micah. Part of the church's role was daily 00:05:45.089 --> 00:05:49.069 distribution of food. The early church was all 00:05:49.069 --> 00:05:52.490 about everybody, no matter their status, no matter 00:05:52.490 --> 00:05:56.029 their nationality, we're all one in Christ starting 00:05:56.029 --> 00:05:59.529 in the same level. You see, in those days, the 00:05:59.529 --> 00:06:02.250 numbers were increasing. Growth here, we can 00:06:02.250 --> 00:06:06.769 see, is a blessing. But it also brings complexity. 00:06:08.310 --> 00:06:12.339 Guys, look around. You guys know I'm not good 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:14.980 at numbers, but the elders are constantly looking 00:06:14.980 --> 00:06:18.180 at what our Sunday numbers are for church. That's 00:06:18.180 --> 00:06:20.639 part of what the elders do, not numbers for numbers' 00:06:20.819 --> 00:06:23.180 sake, right? And some of them have to count and 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:25.040 all that kind of stuff, and some have to take 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:27.259 their shoes off, and that's fine, but understand 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:31.410 that... numbers when we grow in the sanctuary, 00:06:31.829 --> 00:06:34.870 there is kind of a rule called the 80 % rule, 00:06:35.069 --> 00:06:38.290 right? The 80 % rule says that if you are constantly 00:06:38.290 --> 00:06:43.649 in over 80%, your church may look so full that 00:06:43.649 --> 00:06:46.810 new visitors or guests may choose not to find 00:06:46.810 --> 00:06:50.290 a seat and leave because they don't believe there's 00:06:50.290 --> 00:06:52.769 room. And if that is something that we continue 00:06:52.769 --> 00:06:55.029 to see, we're not there yet, right? But I am 00:06:55.029 --> 00:06:57.089 going to put yet because we're seeing our average 00:06:57.089 --> 00:07:01.459 grow. There's complexity to it. Where are we 00:07:01.459 --> 00:07:03.439 going to go? What are we going to do? All of 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:06.259 those questions can come to the surface and you 00:07:06.259 --> 00:07:08.519 have elders and deacons and staff that have to 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:10.459 deal with it every day so you guys don't have 00:07:10.459 --> 00:07:15.439 to. Growth brings complexity. The Hellenists, 00:07:15.540 --> 00:07:18.360 which is basically just Greek -speaking disciples, 00:07:18.779 --> 00:07:23.540 the widows felt neglected compared to the Hebraic 00:07:23.540 --> 00:07:27.949 or the Israelite widows. This isn't anything 00:07:27.949 --> 00:07:32.029 about prejudice, but this was a kind of a cultural 00:07:32.029 --> 00:07:36.569 oversight. What can we pull from that? Who started 00:07:36.569 --> 00:07:38.290 the church? It was the Israelites, right? It 00:07:38.290 --> 00:07:40.589 was the disciples of Jesus. They were Jews. Now 00:07:40.589 --> 00:07:44.410 you had some other groups coming. Right? This 00:07:44.410 --> 00:07:46.410 is all one in Christ. This is all part of the 00:07:46.410 --> 00:07:49.170 way. Christianity, the word, won't start for 00:07:49.170 --> 00:07:51.529 a couple hundred years. But this is the people 00:07:51.529 --> 00:07:53.949 of the way. All of a sudden, people that were 00:07:53.949 --> 00:07:56.990 kind of like them were getting the first fruits 00:07:56.990 --> 00:07:59.009 of things, the distribution, the food was running 00:07:59.009 --> 00:08:01.829 out, and those that were not like them were not 00:08:01.829 --> 00:08:05.569 getting fed. Gratitude doesn't ignore problems. 00:08:06.050 --> 00:08:11.170 It faces them with humility and love. This could 00:08:11.170 --> 00:08:14.079 have caused a lot of tension. One of the things 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:16.839 that I can't stand about the church in the United 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:19.720 States is the amount of schisms that we have. 00:08:20.019 --> 00:08:22.620 What is a schism? Does anyone want to tell me 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:26.019 what a schism is? It's a fun word to say, especially 00:08:26.019 --> 00:08:31.100 up here. Schism. What? Fracture, right? So if 00:08:31.100 --> 00:08:33.960 you break a bone, Rick, do we say, man, you schismed 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:36.840 your knee? No, you talk about a different kind 00:08:36.840 --> 00:08:42.379 of fracture. Go deeper. What do you mean? Thank 00:08:42.379 --> 00:08:44.580 you. You sent it over here. Right? Good job. 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:47.820 Division. Schisms. A division. A breaking. You 00:08:47.820 --> 00:08:50.840 have something going. It's schisms. It's a group 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:53.179 of people, not Rick's knee. Right? That just 00:08:53.179 --> 00:08:56.059 breaks. But understand that it's schisms, and 00:08:56.059 --> 00:09:00.000 it starts something new. Okay? One of the things 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:02.700 we do, and we'll do in the Connections class 00:09:02.700 --> 00:09:07.000 on the 11th, is we go back to the great schism. 00:09:07.580 --> 00:09:10.019 For a lunch and a conversation with Pastor Jim, 00:09:10.299 --> 00:09:14.059 catechism teachers can't answer, what is the 00:09:14.059 --> 00:09:19.519 great schism and when was it? I guarantee I'm 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:22.279 keeping that lunch for myself, aren't I? Does 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:24.600 anyone know what the great schism was? Micah 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:34.840 up top. Man, if you had a mic, I'd say drop it, 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:36.120 but you're up in the balcony. That would hurt 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:41.600 people down here. So 1054, Micah, that's a nice 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:43.860 lunch. We're going to do that one, right? We 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:46.740 will do that. It's the schism between the Catholic 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:50.059 Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. Many different 00:09:50.059 --> 00:09:54.299 reasons why they schism. And I hate to say it 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:57.399 this way, this was much bigger than just churches 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.220 that schism because of pews and chairs, right, 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:02.940 which do happen, unfortunately. But understand, 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:06.559 this was the great schism of 1054, and it birthed 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:11.000 the Catholic Church away from the Orthodox Church, 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:13.600 the Eastern Orthodox Church. So this is the great 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:15.299 schism for a variety of different reasons we're 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:17.779 not going to get into today. But understand that 00:10:17.779 --> 00:10:21.590 they start a new path for each. And what we do 00:10:21.590 --> 00:10:23.950 is we go then through the Protestant Reformation. 00:10:24.289 --> 00:10:26.929 We call it that, but there were schisms there. 00:10:27.190 --> 00:10:30.929 Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, all of those that were 00:10:30.929 --> 00:10:32.970 starting the Protestant Reformation, which was 00:10:32.970 --> 00:10:35.970 a breaking off, a schism off of the Catholic 00:10:35.970 --> 00:10:38.649 Church for a variety of reasons, mainly the five 00:10:38.649 --> 00:10:42.610 solas, right? How many people know the five solas, 00:10:42.610 --> 00:10:45.570 right? The five truths? Do I want to go through 00:10:45.570 --> 00:10:50.700 those together? Seminarian, five solas? Go. Grace 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:55.240 alone. Faith alone. Christ alone. Scripture alone. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:59.299 For the glory of God alone. You get extra credit 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:01.899 to a school I don't work at. But understand that 00:11:01.899 --> 00:11:04.899 they said we're going to unify on those five 00:11:04.899 --> 00:11:07.740 things against the Catholic Church. And in there 00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:10.259 we do end up finding our Reformed Church. We 00:11:10.259 --> 00:11:13.179 find our Christian Reformed Church. I could keep 00:11:13.179 --> 00:11:16.490 going, but I'm not going to. Schisms and division 00:11:16.490 --> 00:11:19.210 happen all the time with groups of people. Sometimes 00:11:19.210 --> 00:11:22.850 it is a good thing, and sometimes it's just church 00:11:22.850 --> 00:11:26.029 drama. So the apostles need to be wise in their 00:11:26.029 --> 00:11:31.009 response. The apostles respond in verses 2 through 00:11:31.009 --> 00:11:35.970 4. The apostles respond from this growing tension. 00:11:36.269 --> 00:11:42.070 So starting with verse 2. It's coming up. In 00:11:42.070 --> 00:11:45.820 3. Two, one. And the twelve summoned the full 00:11:45.820 --> 00:11:48.779 number of the disciples and said, It is not right 00:11:48.779 --> 00:11:51.259 that we should give up preaching the word of 00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:54.539 God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick 00:11:54.539 --> 00:11:58.360 out among you seven men of good repute, full 00:11:58.360 --> 00:12:01.299 of the spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:04.679 to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:08.919 prayer and the ministry of the word. So this 00:12:08.919 --> 00:12:11.320 is the apostles, what I'm calling the wise response. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:15.539 The apostles don't get in here. The apostles 00:12:15.539 --> 00:12:19.679 don't get what I wrote, defensive. I'm going 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:21.779 to put this in kind of elders, deacons conversation 00:12:21.779 --> 00:12:24.700 because we have elders and deacons here. That 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:27.360 there are times people can come and they can 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:30.179 either email, text, talk to an elder about things 00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:32.139 they don't like at church. Unfortunately, it 00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:35.419 happens a lot, almost weekly. And the thing that 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:38.460 an elder can't do is get super defensive right 00:12:38.460 --> 00:12:40.620 off the bat. That's not helpful. Just like it's 00:12:40.620 --> 00:12:42.179 not helpful in your marriage, just like it's 00:12:42.179 --> 00:12:43.960 not helpful if you're dating someone, just like 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:46.120 it's not helpful with your boss, or if you are 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:48.539 the boss with your workers. If people bring something 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:51.059 that is going on, an issue that they have, and 00:12:51.059 --> 00:12:53.679 we immediately get defensive, we shut down all 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:57.059 opportunities for reconciliation. But the apostles, 00:12:57.159 --> 00:13:00.019 the elders, they don't get defensive or dismissive, 00:13:00.019 --> 00:13:03.440 because we can get dismissive as well. They recognize 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:06.460 their calling, prayer and the ministry of the 00:13:06.460 --> 00:13:09.960 word, and they appoint others to meet the physical 00:13:09.960 --> 00:13:12.659 needs. Now, there are some of you that I'm sure 00:13:12.659 --> 00:13:15.080 are reading this going, they just passed the 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:19.259 buck. They should have been doing the work. Why 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:23.240 in the world could they not do both? It's one 00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:25.399 of the same reasons why I am the pastor of the 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:27.659 church, though I sit as an elder of the church. 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:30.980 Elders have different roles than I do. It's why 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:34.759 I'm not a deacon. Because there's only 40 hours 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:37.179 in a work week. Ministry is more like 55. But 00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:39.080 understand, I can't do everything just like the 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:41.080 expectation isn't for you to do everything. That 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:45.059 the church is given offices for people to oversee 00:13:45.059 --> 00:13:47.440 the serving of the church. The diaconate is no 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:51.120 different. You see, this is the origin of it. 00:13:51.559 --> 00:13:54.059 To make sure that people are treated fairly. 00:13:54.259 --> 00:13:56.419 To make sure that people are not overlooked. 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:59.700 To make sure that all people have a system of 00:13:59.700 --> 00:14:03.340 help that they can receive from the church. And 00:14:03.340 --> 00:14:06.460 we didn't even do this. We didn't even plan for 00:14:06.460 --> 00:14:08.980 the fact that we were giving to benevolence today 00:14:08.980 --> 00:14:11.080 as we went through that. I love my deacons, my 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:12.600 worship committee, and myself. We're not that 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:14.740 smart. to be able to put all of that together. 00:14:14.940 --> 00:14:17.100 But I think it's amazing. We gave our offering 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:19.120 today for the Benevolent Fund, which is exactly 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:21.659 what the deacons are going to be tasked to do 00:14:21.659 --> 00:14:25.399 in Acts chapter 6. You see, the Belgic Confession, 00:14:25.419 --> 00:14:28.700 article 30, tells us and uses a word, right, 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:32.700 that God ordains ministers, elders, and deacons 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:35.379 so that true religion may be preserved, the true 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:39.379 doctrine everywhere. Probe, why can't I say that 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:43.049 word? Propagated, thank you. And the poor and 00:14:43.049 --> 00:14:46.730 the distressed assisted. Right there, the offices 00:14:46.730 --> 00:14:51.269 of the church. Now, the call of the deacon, there's 00:14:51.269 --> 00:14:53.870 a little bit of a deacon in all of us in that. 00:14:53.950 --> 00:14:56.809 The deacons are there to make sure that we are 00:14:56.809 --> 00:15:00.370 good stewards of our time, our talents, and our 00:15:00.370 --> 00:15:04.690 treasures. Our deacons do a great job. Gratitude 00:15:04.690 --> 00:15:06.909 here, what we see in the growth and the tension 00:15:06.909 --> 00:15:09.769 that we need to have gratitude for, leads to 00:15:09.769 --> 00:15:16.029 order, not chaos. Order allows mission to flourish. 00:15:16.730 --> 00:15:19.169 Where we have order, where we have things working 00:15:19.169 --> 00:15:24.149 and going, that God can use that. Isn't it hard 00:15:24.149 --> 00:15:27.149 when you feel chaotic in life that things aren't 00:15:27.149 --> 00:15:28.870 going awry, God isn't using us for anything? 00:15:29.049 --> 00:15:30.789 Because one of the things God wants you to do 00:15:30.789 --> 00:15:35.730 is start. Focusing in on him. Pause for a minute. 00:15:36.009 --> 00:15:40.009 Focus on what is going on. So what are the qualifications 00:15:40.009 --> 00:15:42.750 of the seven? We put qualifications for elder 00:15:42.750 --> 00:15:45.710 and deacon at times in the CRC on these high, 00:15:46.009 --> 00:15:48.570 unreachable places. If that was the case, none 00:15:48.570 --> 00:15:51.289 of us would ever be called to them. But it's 00:15:51.289 --> 00:15:55.029 pretty simple, just like how they picked for 00:15:55.029 --> 00:15:57.789 Judas' seat. Someone who walked with Jesus, heard 00:15:57.789 --> 00:16:00.350 his message, saw him die, saw him raise, saw 00:16:00.350 --> 00:16:03.960 him ascend. That was it. It's not, oh, you went 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:05.679 to this seminar, you went to this training, you 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:08.700 did all these things. Let's see what the qualifications 00:16:08.700 --> 00:16:11.740 were. The qualifications. Therefore, brothers, 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:14.379 pick out from among you seven men of good repute, 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:18.120 full of spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:23.059 to this duty. Be of good repute. Have a good 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:27.299 reputation. When people think about these individuals, 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:30.360 oh, they're gossips. Oh, they're swindlers. Oh, 00:16:30.460 --> 00:16:33.110 they're liars. Oh, they're whatever. No, when 00:16:33.110 --> 00:16:34.629 you think of these people, they go, yeah, they're 00:16:34.629 --> 00:16:40.230 solid. That's basically it. Full of the Spirit 00:16:40.230 --> 00:16:44.230 and of wisdom. How do we do that in 2025? They 00:16:44.230 --> 00:16:48.629 lead their family in the church. That's it. It's 00:16:48.629 --> 00:16:52.129 not some deep theological thing because God doesn't 00:16:52.129 --> 00:16:56.090 call the prepared. He prepares the called. God's 00:16:56.090 --> 00:16:58.980 the one doing the work. The apostles seek men 00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:01.759 of good repute, full of spirit and wisdom. Service 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.240 is not a secondary work, but it's a spiritual 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:08.420 work. It's a work we all have. We are all called 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:11.519 to this work. You see, the thanksgiving we see, 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:15.119 the gratitude we see for the church being provided 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:17.960 for by the Holy Spirit, in this calling, those 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:21.819 who recognize grace and are eager to extend it. 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:27.950 It's a beautiful thing. Right? It's not we have 00:17:27.950 --> 00:17:29.670 to keep all of our money, we can't spend all 00:17:29.670 --> 00:17:32.289 of our money, we have to be tight. Being tight 00:17:32.289 --> 00:17:34.069 and being good stewards are two different things. 00:17:34.849 --> 00:17:37.109 But understand that the deacons have that specific 00:17:37.109 --> 00:17:39.789 role. And what do they do? They bless them. They 00:17:39.789 --> 00:17:42.829 lay their hands on them as part of the anointing. 00:17:42.829 --> 00:17:45.890 We do the same thing every summer after we cast 00:17:45.890 --> 00:17:48.630 lots. The laying on of hands we see in verse 00:17:48.630 --> 00:17:57.210 5 and 6. And what they said pleased the whole 00:17:57.210 --> 00:17:59.829 gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full 00:17:59.829 --> 00:18:01.990 of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, 00:18:02.170 --> 00:18:07.329 and Proteus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parameus, 00:18:07.329 --> 00:18:12.829 and Nicolaus, a prophylite. I can't speak today. 00:18:12.890 --> 00:18:15.549 Holy cow. Of Antioch. These they set before the 00:18:15.549 --> 00:18:18.069 apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands 00:18:18.069 --> 00:18:21.950 on them. They didn't go to seminary. They didn't 00:18:21.950 --> 00:18:25.460 go to deacon school. What did they do? They were 00:18:25.460 --> 00:18:27.859 men of good repute and they were recognized. 00:18:29.380 --> 00:18:32.059 Prayer marks the ministry with gratitude. We 00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:35.220 thank God for that. In this church, we thank 00:18:35.220 --> 00:18:37.319 God for that. Every time we cast lots and we 00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:40.680 pray and we lay our hands on them, we do that 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:43.819 as a commissioning, as an anointing, as an ordination 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:46.680 of the Spirit. Belgian Confession, Article 31. 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:50.660 Church leaders are chosen by a lawful election 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:55.460 of the church with prayer and good order. It's 00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:58.019 not just, oh, the duchiest last name gets it 00:18:58.019 --> 00:19:00.259 or they've been in the church the longest so 00:19:00.259 --> 00:19:03.819 they win. I guarantee you when I make those phone 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:06.240 calls to the elders and deacons, especially first 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:08.339 -time guys, and I've said this before, I'll say 00:19:08.339 --> 00:19:10.859 it again, and I let them know why I'm calling, 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:15.559 there's usually an elongated pause where I have 00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:18.200 to ask, Like, press a button if you're still 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:22.259 alive. I guarantee it's not because they're running 00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:25.380 around their house going, I won! I won! I won! 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:28.099 How many of you did that when I've called you 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:31.859 over the last seven years? Exactly. There's a 00:19:31.859 --> 00:19:35.980 weight there. It's a responsibility. But it's 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:38.900 a good one. Because a good God is leading the 00:19:38.900 --> 00:19:41.480 church in good order. So what is the result? 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:47.619 The result is verse 7. And the word of God continued 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:49.980 to increase, and the number of the disciples 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:52.900 multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great 00:19:52.900 --> 00:19:56.680 many of priests became obedient to the faith. 00:19:57.019 --> 00:20:01.160 The word of God continued to increase. Here's 00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:05.500 a rub. Here's... Right now, we have churches, 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:07.000 and I'm just going to talk about Class of Leanne. 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:09.059 I'm just going to talk about the CRC, right? 00:20:09.099 --> 00:20:10.400 Christian Reformed Church, our denomination. 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:13.240 We're in a class. It's a group of now 16 churches. 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:17.200 That we have some churches that have gotten to 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:19.740 a point where they can't call elders and deacons 00:20:19.740 --> 00:20:22.799 because they just don't have enough people or 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:26.480 those people are not able to serve anymore. And 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:28.359 that's why our denomination talks about sitting 00:20:28.359 --> 00:20:30.599 down and having conversations with those churches 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:33.599 going, maybe the season of being a church is 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:37.000 over. And you talk about a conversation that 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:40.759 rarely goes well, it's those ones. Maybe you're 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:42.240 sitting here today because you were a part of 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:45.200 those at one time in your church life. And over 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:46.819 the years, you found your way to Munster Church. 00:20:47.099 --> 00:20:50.079 Another reason why members of Munster Church, 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:53.960 we need to be thankful, grateful, humble, and 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:57.119 slightly terrified of what God is doing here. 00:20:57.940 --> 00:21:00.440 Because you want to know a mark of a church no 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:03.859 longer being a church? That there's no more people 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:08.480 that can serve. That's a tension. I can feel 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:11.099 it. Me just saying it to us right now. Because 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:14.059 the word of God continued to increase. The organization 00:21:14.059 --> 00:21:17.700 didn't stifle the spirit. It strengthened it. 00:21:17.819 --> 00:21:20.839 The spirit strengthened the work of this church 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:25.079 to go deeper and wider. Why? Because it was met 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:29.400 with gratitude and it turned a conflict into 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:32.859 a celebration. And everybody was distributed 00:21:32.859 --> 00:21:35.940 fairly. Now, we're going to see, are there other 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:38.480 conflicts that arise? Absolutely. But what is 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:41.480 the Lord doing? The Holy Spirit is crafting the 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:46.140 church to be done in good order. And we need 00:21:46.140 --> 00:21:48.500 to be thankful for that. Now, what does good 00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:51.039 order mean? It doesn't mean everything that the 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:53.160 church does you're going to like. It doesn't 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:55.259 mean you get your way with every decision that 00:21:55.259 --> 00:21:58.519 the church makes. It doesn't mean you get to 00:21:58.519 --> 00:22:00.619 put down some I've been here this many decades 00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:04.319 card that means anything in light of what a council 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:06.380 and congregation are voting or whatever to do. 00:22:07.019 --> 00:22:09.400 Because that's you making the church about you. 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:14.420 We've not seen that outside of Ananias and Sapphira 00:22:14.420 --> 00:22:16.960 a couple weeks ago, and we all know how that 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:23.259 ended. They died. If it's not a wake -up call 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:26.900 to all of us, That we need to come with a posture 00:22:26.900 --> 00:22:32.160 to church, not of egotistical -ism, if you will, 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:35.579 making it about us. Not with agenda. But how 00:22:35.579 --> 00:22:38.039 are we supposed to walk this out? It's supposed 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:40.859 to be walked out in gratitude. That gratitude 00:22:40.859 --> 00:22:46.700 grows when we serve. Thankful hearts find expression 00:22:46.700 --> 00:22:50.920 in humble hands. Let me say that again. Thankful 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:54.769 hearts find expression in humble hands. We serve 00:22:54.769 --> 00:22:58.349 not to be seen, but because God has served us 00:22:58.349 --> 00:23:03.309 in Christ. So if one of your blessings is gratitude, 00:23:03.549 --> 00:23:06.309 keep it up. Let that be the driving force of 00:23:06.309 --> 00:23:09.029 your life. And play it out for a minute. What 00:23:09.029 --> 00:23:12.150 if you lived a life of gratitude in every aspect 00:23:12.150 --> 00:23:15.329 of your life? That every morning you showed gratitude 00:23:15.329 --> 00:23:18.309 to your spouse because they are in your life. 00:23:18.450 --> 00:23:20.869 How would that drastically change your relationship? 00:23:21.470 --> 00:23:23.990 That you show gratitude for your children. If 00:23:23.990 --> 00:23:25.529 the Lord has blessed you with those, there's 00:23:25.529 --> 00:23:28.349 gratitude for that. Though they drive you crazy, 00:23:28.589 --> 00:23:31.549 there's gratitude for that. Coming to a church, 00:23:31.690 --> 00:23:34.170 do you have gratitude when you come to church? 00:23:34.430 --> 00:23:40.289 Are you sharing that gratitude? Second, that 00:23:40.289 --> 00:23:43.109 spiritual leadership includes practical care. 00:23:43.529 --> 00:23:46.329 The early church didn't separate prayer and service. 00:23:46.529 --> 00:23:51.029 They combined them. Both are. We'll never be 00:23:51.029 --> 00:23:53.869 a church that prays that the needs of people 00:23:53.869 --> 00:23:56.950 are met, yet not try to walk in that. Are we 00:23:56.950 --> 00:23:58.670 going to do it perfectly? No, because we're sinners 00:23:58.670 --> 00:24:00.630 and we're not capable of perfection. But what 00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:04.049 we are capable of is thankful expressions of 00:24:04.049 --> 00:24:09.210 service. Third, diversity is a gift to be stewarded. 00:24:10.049 --> 00:24:12.789 The tension between the Hellenists and the Hebrews 00:24:12.789 --> 00:24:17.809 became an opportunity for unity. Right? It's 00:24:17.809 --> 00:24:19.890 fun to say. It's probably not that fun to hear. 00:24:20.049 --> 00:24:26.069 But it's true. That the tension became an opportunity 00:24:26.069 --> 00:24:29.769 for unity. That's why as elders and deacons, 00:24:29.789 --> 00:24:31.569 when there's tension in the church, we can't 00:24:31.569 --> 00:24:34.150 get offended. We can't go on the defensive. We 00:24:34.150 --> 00:24:36.890 have to understand why. Because we are serving 00:24:36.890 --> 00:24:40.589 people. Gratitude sees differences as blessings, 00:24:40.730 --> 00:24:45.970 not threats. Let me say that as I start landing 00:24:45.970 --> 00:24:50.460 the plane. Gratitude sees differences as blessings, 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:55.859 not threats. Well, pastor, I really want to go 00:24:55.859 --> 00:24:58.480 to a church where we're all the same. We all 00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:00.160 look the same. We all sound the same. We all 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:05.519 do the same things. We smell the same. Nope. 00:25:05.940 --> 00:25:08.900 Then this isn't the church for you. Because here 00:25:08.900 --> 00:25:11.799 we want to celebrate that diversity. Because 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:15.460 all of our roads to Jesus aren't the same. They're 00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:19.099 not. Yet what is the same? That ground right 00:25:19.099 --> 00:25:21.660 before the cross. It's level, and that's where 00:25:21.660 --> 00:25:26.460 we all meet each other. The tension between these 00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:29.480 two groups were an opportunity for unity. That 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:33.259 tension can unify. When I sit down with a couple, 00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:35.140 whether premarital or marriage counseling, and 00:25:35.140 --> 00:25:37.279 again, I don't know everything. I did go to school 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:40.519 for it, so it helps. And I have a couple, especially 00:25:40.519 --> 00:25:42.660 a premarital couple. I may have used this before. 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:44.819 It was a couple years ago. I think I was actually, 00:25:44.900 --> 00:25:47.319 no, I was here. It was one of my first two weddings. 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:49.140 I'm not going to say that because people are 00:25:49.140 --> 00:25:51.420 going to look it up. But it was a couple, right, 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:53.740 that I was working with here. And I remember 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:56.119 I came in. I said, so it was maybe second or 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:58.259 third meeting. And I said, so when's the last 00:25:58.259 --> 00:26:01.460 time you guys fought? And they just kind of looked 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:03.660 at me and they're like, Pastor, we don't fight. 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:07.799 And I was like, well, you just lied to me. And 00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:10.079 they're like, what? I go, what do you mean? We 00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:14.039 don't fight. I go, no, you do. Tell me about 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:16.400 the last time you fought. And they like doubled 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:18.380 down. It was hilarious. They're like, we don't 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:20.619 fight. And so I was like, okay, trying to think 00:26:20.619 --> 00:26:22.779 on my feet. When's the last time you had a disagreement? 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:28.319 Told me 13 things in the last week. I said, that's 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:30.279 a fight. And they're like, well, we just don't, 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:31.619 we don't call them fights. We don't like to use 00:26:31.619 --> 00:26:33.279 that language. And that's fine. We just call 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:35.019 it disagreements. And they told me about one 00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:38.369 and they didn't talk for a day. I'm like, okay, 00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:41.029 I don't care what you call it, but this is how 00:26:41.029 --> 00:26:43.430 do you work through conflict in your relationship. 00:26:43.509 --> 00:26:47.970 They're like, oh, I guess it was a fight. We 00:26:47.970 --> 00:26:50.650 all do it. And I don't know about you, but when 00:26:50.650 --> 00:26:53.670 I have time, when I make Carrie mad, because 00:26:53.670 --> 00:26:55.509 that's more time than the other way around, you 00:26:55.509 --> 00:26:59.769 all agree, don't say amen, but understand, you 00:26:59.769 --> 00:27:01.569 grow closer to that person through that, right? 00:27:02.549 --> 00:27:04.910 When your guard is down or you're being vulnerable 00:27:04.910 --> 00:27:06.509 and talking about where you're hurt or where 00:27:06.509 --> 00:27:08.829 you're hurting and the other person is valuing 00:27:08.829 --> 00:27:11.130 that and meeting you in that place, doesn't that 00:27:11.130 --> 00:27:14.769 tie you closer together? And for some reason, 00:27:14.809 --> 00:27:16.589 for some of you this morning, and it might be 00:27:16.589 --> 00:27:19.130 the case, you go, okay, this really hurts because 00:27:19.130 --> 00:27:22.269 we actually go like this more. And I'm going 00:27:22.269 --> 00:27:24.190 to ask you to text me or email or call me today 00:27:24.190 --> 00:27:27.430 so we can set you up with potentially counseling 00:27:27.430 --> 00:27:30.029 from me or somebody else because that's not the 00:27:30.029 --> 00:27:33.890 way to do it. As believers, when we have disagreement 00:27:33.890 --> 00:27:36.049 and we just continue to go there, there are two 00:27:36.049 --> 00:27:38.450 things that are happening. We're not recognizing 00:27:38.450 --> 00:27:41.049 that we are offering part of the conflict and 00:27:41.049 --> 00:27:43.730 we're not forgiving. That doesn't mean you come 00:27:43.730 --> 00:27:46.890 right back like this. It takes time. But understand 00:27:46.890 --> 00:27:50.009 that with that division, with that tension, unity 00:27:50.009 --> 00:27:53.970 can be what happens at the end. We can grow closer 00:27:53.970 --> 00:27:58.549 because of that. Fourth, the delegation is discipleship. 00:28:09.490 --> 00:28:14.509 Let me say that again. Gratitude releases control 00:28:14.509 --> 00:28:18.529 because it trusts God's provision through his 00:28:18.529 --> 00:28:24.450 people. God is providing the needs of the church. 00:28:25.670 --> 00:28:27.630 Providing for the needs of the church through 00:28:27.630 --> 00:28:30.640 his people. people. In the Old Testament, how 00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:32.359 did God do that for the Israelites coming out 00:28:32.359 --> 00:28:35.420 of Egypt? Manna from heaven, quail. He provided 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:36.900 it. Here in the church, we're going to provide 00:28:36.900 --> 00:28:40.440 it one for another. And then last one, and the 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:44.900 plane has landed. Thankful churches grow stronger. 00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:49.140 If we can be a church that is truly thankful 00:28:49.140 --> 00:28:52.519 for what God is doing in our lives and the lives 00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:56.289 of the church. And yes, thankfulness means That 00:28:56.289 --> 00:28:59.250 has to grow higher than your problems and your 00:28:59.250 --> 00:29:02.029 issues that you have. Because if you're going 00:29:02.029 --> 00:29:04.069 to center on those, you're making it about you. 00:29:04.170 --> 00:29:06.049 This church has never been about you. It's never 00:29:06.049 --> 00:29:08.170 been about me. It's always been about Jesus, 00:29:08.210 --> 00:29:12.849 155 years. Some years more than others. But gratitude 00:29:12.849 --> 00:29:16.150 creates unity. Unity creates witness. And witness 00:29:16.150 --> 00:29:19.730 advances the gospel. Let me say that again. Gratitude 00:29:19.730 --> 00:29:23.809 creates unity. Unity creates witness. And witness 00:29:23.809 --> 00:29:29.710 advances. The gospel. That's why we're a church. 00:29:30.329 --> 00:29:33.910 Elders, deacons, committees, lighthouse teachers, 00:29:34.150 --> 00:29:37.349 everyone. It's about advancing the gospel of 00:29:37.349 --> 00:29:41.609 the church. And that takes unity through thanksgiving. 00:29:42.450 --> 00:29:46.170 Recognizing each other as blessings. Please stand 00:29:46.170 --> 00:29:49.750 if you are able. And as we do, we are going to 00:29:49.750 --> 00:29:57.259 close with that prayer together. Let us pray 00:29:57.259 --> 00:30:01.420 together. Gracious God, you have given us everything 00:30:01.420 --> 00:30:05.079 we need. Teach us to serve with grateful hearts 00:30:05.079 --> 00:30:08.799 and joyful hands. Thank you for calling leaders, 00:30:09.099 --> 00:30:12.900 elders, and deacons to build your church. Fill 00:30:12.900 --> 00:30:15.940 us with your spirit so that thankfulness would 00:30:15.940 --> 00:30:19.519 overflow into service. Let your word increase 00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:23.480 in us and through us. In Jesus' name, amen.