WEBVTT 00:00:00.750 --> 00:00:03.029 I think somewhere along the way, we created a 00:00:03.029 --> 00:00:06.049 church job description no actual human being 00:00:06.049 --> 00:00:09.429 could survive. We called the position Pastor. 00:00:10.570 --> 00:00:13.570 Preach every Sunday, counsel marriages, visit 00:00:13.570 --> 00:00:17.390 hospitals, return every text, know what's happening 00:00:17.390 --> 00:00:19.429 in your youth ministry, understand the budget, 00:00:19.570 --> 00:00:23.350 resolve conflict, train volunteers, develop leaders, 00:00:23.530 --> 00:00:26.489 and while you're at it, the toilet in the men's 00:00:26.489 --> 00:00:29.070 bathroom won't stop running. Could you take a 00:00:29.070 --> 00:00:33.539 look at that? then somehow they're supposed to 00:00:33.539 --> 00:00:36.920 maintain deep, personal, shepherding -level relationships 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:40.679 with every single soul in the building. That 00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:44.299 isn't a job description. That's the origins for 00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:48.159 a story about a Christian superhero. And when 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:51.460 he finally burns out, we look at him with a straight 00:00:51.460 --> 00:00:55.039 face and ask, have you tried better time management? 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:59.799 Maybe scripture never... intended pastors to 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:03.520 do everything in the first place? Welcome to 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:04.980 an extra shot of Grace in the Grand, the part 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:06.379 of the podcast where the mic probably should 00:01:06.379 --> 00:01:07.680 have been turned off, but we kept talking anyways. 00:01:08.060 --> 00:01:10.200 This is the bonus space for deeper theology, 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:12.579 honest conversations, and a level of caffeinated 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:14.280 commentary I should probably apologize for in 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:17.560 advance. So, grab your coffee, take a breath, 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:21.560 and let's get into it. In the main cup, we stopped 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:25.180 in Acts 6 with a growing church and overlooked 00:01:25.180 --> 00:01:30.049 widows. The growth wasn't Condemned, the neglect 00:01:30.049 --> 00:01:34.010 wasn't excused. Now keep reading. The apostles 00:01:34.010 --> 00:01:37.290 tell the congregation to choose seven qualified 00:01:37.290 --> 00:01:41.109 men, men with good reputation, full of the spirit 00:01:41.109 --> 00:01:45.909 and wisdom, to be appointed over the responsibility. 00:01:47.510 --> 00:01:51.909 Then the apostles say they'll devote themselves 00:01:51.909 --> 00:01:55.930 to prayer and the ministry of the word. At first 00:01:55.930 --> 00:01:59.109 glance, If you read that with modern, cynical 00:01:59.109 --> 00:02:03.349 glasses, it can almost sound like, listen, we 00:02:03.349 --> 00:02:05.909 do the spiritual ministry, somebody else handled 00:02:05.909 --> 00:02:09.069 the lunch. But that's not what Luke is doing 00:02:09.069 --> 00:02:14.569 at all. Here's the extra shot nerd moment. Luke 00:02:14.569 --> 00:02:17.610 uses the exact same Greek word family throughout 00:02:17.610 --> 00:02:24.050 this entire passage. Diakonia. Service. Ministry. 00:02:24.210 --> 00:02:28.360 The daily distribution to widows. That's diakonia. 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:32.319 Serving tables comes right out of that same word 00:02:32.319 --> 00:02:35.439 family. And when the apostles talk about the 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:40.180 ministry of the word, diakonia. Luke uses holy 00:02:40.180 --> 00:02:43.840 ministry language for both. The care of vulnerable 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:46.800 widows is ministry. The preaching of the word 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.120 is ministry. The issue isn't that one matters 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:53.400 and the other doesn't. Both matter far too much 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:57.250 to be done poorly. And the exact same handful 00:02:57.250 --> 00:03:00.229 of people cannot personally carry every ministry 00:03:00.229 --> 00:03:03.930 without something eventually crashing. Look at 00:03:03.930 --> 00:03:07.289 the qualifications required for the seven. Good 00:03:07.289 --> 00:03:10.270 reputation, full of the spirit, full of wisdom. 00:03:10.629 --> 00:03:14.409 That's a heavy spiritual bar for something we 00:03:14.409 --> 00:03:18.430 moderns often reduce to help with the food distribution. 00:03:19.129 --> 00:03:22.909 Because practical care in Christ's church is 00:03:22.909 --> 00:03:26.610 deeply spiritual work. Handling needs requires 00:03:26.610 --> 00:03:30.030 trust. Handling resources requires integrity. 00:03:30.569 --> 00:03:34.030 And handling cultural tension inside a church 00:03:34.030 --> 00:03:40.610 family requires divine wisdom. Act 6 isn't important 00:03:40.610 --> 00:03:43.870 ministry being handed off to less important people. 00:03:44.150 --> 00:03:48.710 It's critical ministry being entrusted to qualified 00:03:48.710 --> 00:03:53.389 people. Now, we need to hold a careful line here. 00:03:54.599 --> 00:03:58.439 The twelve in Acts 6 are apostles. They're not 00:03:58.439 --> 00:04:01.360 simply a local group of elders, so we shouldn't 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:03.439 flatten this passage into a copy -and -paste 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:07.020 job description for a 21st century pastor. But 00:04:07.020 --> 00:04:10.479 the underlying principle is impossible to miss. 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:15.020 When vital ministries compete for limited human 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:18.519 attention, the answer cannot simply be to neglect 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:21.819 one. Responsibility can be faithfully shared 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:25.850 with qualified servants. And this is where modern 00:04:25.850 --> 00:04:29.189 churches get sideways. Someone needs a hospital 00:04:29.189 --> 00:04:32.610 visit. Pastor. Someone needs encouragement. Pastor. 00:04:33.089 --> 00:04:37.550 Someone hasn't been in church for a month. Pastor 00:04:37.550 --> 00:04:41.089 can call. A ministry needs organized. Pastor. 00:04:41.550 --> 00:04:44.129 Eventually the pastor becomes the church help 00:04:44.129 --> 00:04:48.769 desk. If nobody knows who handles it, open a 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:52.800 ticket and send it to the pastor. Acts 6 gives 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:55.839 us a totally different model. The widow's need 00:04:55.839 --> 00:04:59.800 was real. It involved vulnerable people, and 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:03.199 yet the apostles still don't conclude, therefore 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:06.759 we must personally take care of that task. They 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:09.560 made sure it was carried out faithfully by qualified 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:14.759 people. That isn't leaders caring less. It is 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:18.180 leaders recognizing that true faithfulness requires 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:21.970 distributing responsibility. And just as a quick 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:25.529 footnote, Acts 6 never actually calls these seven 00:05:25.529 --> 00:05:30.470 men deacons. The word family is related, and 00:05:30.470 --> 00:05:33.470 1 Timothy 3 later sets formal deacon qualifications, 00:05:33.910 --> 00:05:37.370 but Luke doesn't declare this a deacon ordination. 00:05:38.209 --> 00:05:40.949 Let's not force the text to say more than what 00:05:40.949 --> 00:05:44.949 it says. What it does clearly prove is that when 00:05:44.949 --> 00:05:47.910 qualified people receive meaningful responsibility, 00:05:48.410 --> 00:05:52.040 real needs get met. without every single task 00:05:52.040 --> 00:05:56.079 running through the same human beings. Then, 00:05:56.180 --> 00:06:00.019 Ephesians 4 takes us even deeper. Paul says, 00:06:00.339 --> 00:06:13.279 Watch the divine blueprint. Leaders equip. Saints 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:17.720 minister. The body grows. Over time, we quietly 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:21.199 flip that upside down. The saints attend, the 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:24.180 pastors minister, the congregation evaluates, 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:27.660 and if the show runs smoothly, we call the church 00:06:27.660 --> 00:06:31.720 healthy. That isn't Paul's picture. A single 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:34.339 pastor carrying all the ministry isn't a healthy 00:06:34.339 --> 00:06:38.220 church. It's a spiritual bottleneck. And that 00:06:38.220 --> 00:06:42.819 cuts both ways. Leaders must equip people. But 00:06:42.819 --> 00:06:45.699 members have to stop outsourcing Christianity. 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:49.720 If you are part of Christ's body, You have a 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:52.660 role to play. Maybe no microphone, no title, 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:57.439 no corner office, but a vital role. You notice 00:06:57.439 --> 00:07:00.459 someone hasn't been to church lately? Call them. 00:07:01.259 --> 00:07:04.639 Someone is grieving? Bring them a meal. Maybe 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:07.819 sit on their front porch. A young believer is 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:10.860 wrestling with a hard question. Open scripture 00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:14.639 together over lunch. Someone tells you they're 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:17.829 hurting and need prayer? Don't just say, hey, 00:07:17.870 --> 00:07:20.649 I'll put you on the pastor's prayer list. Pray 00:07:20.649 --> 00:07:25.110 with them, right there. Brother, sister, you 00:07:25.110 --> 00:07:28.589 have direct access to the throne of God too. 00:07:29.310 --> 00:07:31.610 That doesn't mean shepherds are unnecessary. 00:07:31.949 --> 00:07:36.269 Far from it. There are complex, heavy situations 00:07:36.269 --> 00:07:41.110 where elders must step in. Shared ministry doesn't 00:07:41.110 --> 00:07:44.290 erase biblical oversight. It simply means... 00:07:44.569 --> 00:07:47.850 Acts of Christian love don't all have to travel 00:07:47.850 --> 00:07:51.790 upward through one office. Connect this back 00:07:51.790 --> 00:07:56.649 to Cup 5. We asked, how can people actually stay 00:07:56.649 --> 00:08:01.230 known as a church grows? The answer can't simply 00:08:01.230 --> 00:08:05.110 be, hire more efficient pastors. Better calendars 00:08:05.110 --> 00:08:08.810 help. Church software helps. But an app cannot 00:08:08.810 --> 00:08:13.350 bear someone's grief. A spreadsheet. cannot encourage 00:08:13.350 --> 00:08:17.670 the faint -hearted. A database cannot sit in 00:08:17.670 --> 00:08:20.629 a living room and intercede for a family in crisis. 00:08:21.009 --> 00:08:25.050 The New Testament answer to growth is a functioning 00:08:25.050 --> 00:08:29.110 body. Shepherds shepherd, servants serve, saints 00:08:29.110 --> 00:08:32.169 minister, mature believers disciple younger believers. 00:08:32.470 --> 00:08:37.289 And as Ephesians 4 says, the body builds itself 00:08:37.289 --> 00:08:43.409 up in love as each part does its work. That means 00:08:43.409 --> 00:08:46.950 a growing church should produce far more than 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:49.789 higher attendance numbers. It should produce 00:08:49.789 --> 00:08:53.850 mature believers, trustworthy servants, and saints 00:08:53.850 --> 00:08:57.850 capable of caring for one another. The biblical 00:08:57.850 --> 00:09:02.029 answer to overloaded leaders isn't less care 00:09:02.029 --> 00:09:06.129 for the church. It's more of the body doing the 00:09:06.129 --> 00:09:11.289 ministry Christ gave his body to do. Acts 6 doesn't 00:09:11.289 --> 00:09:13.750 show apostles walking away from hurting widows. 00:09:14.230 --> 00:09:17.610 It shows the church organizing ministry so the 00:09:17.610 --> 00:09:20.690 widows are cared for, while the apostles remain 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:24.629 dedicated to prayer and the word. Nobody's ministry 00:09:24.629 --> 00:09:27.370 had to become insignificant for someone else's 00:09:27.370 --> 00:09:31.629 calling to remain clear. Delegation isn't a leader 00:09:31.629 --> 00:09:35.460 caring less. Sometimes, sharing responsibility 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:39.019 is the exact act of obedience that allows leaders 00:09:39.019 --> 00:09:43.840 to stay faithful. And members serving isn't helping 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:48.360 the pastor do his job. It's the church being 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:52.840 the church. The local body isn't a CEO surrounded 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:56.360 by middle management. It isn't a chaplain surrounded 00:09:56.360 --> 00:10:00.799 by customers. It isn't a stage surrounded by 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:04.970 spectators. It's a body. And bodies flourish 00:10:04.970 --> 00:10:09.549 when every member moves. Which raises our next 00:10:09.549 --> 00:10:12.870 question. If shepherds aren't supposed to carry 00:10:12.870 --> 00:10:16.210 every single relationship, and ministry isn't 00:10:16.210 --> 00:10:18.110 meant to flow through a handful of professionals, 00:10:18.470 --> 00:10:22.129 what are believers actually supposed to be to 00:10:22.129 --> 00:10:26.210 one another? Scripture calls us God's household. 00:10:26.710 --> 00:10:30.870 Family. You can outsource a professional service. 00:10:31.789 --> 00:10:35.210 You can't really outsource being a family. That's 00:10:35.210 --> 00:10:37.590 where we're going in the next cup. Thanks for 00:10:37.590 --> 00:10:39.169 sticking around for this extra shot of Grace 00:10:39.169 --> 00:10:41.929 on the Grind. If this challenged how you view 00:10:41.929 --> 00:10:44.610 your role in the church, share this episode with 00:10:44.610 --> 00:10:46.870 someone in your small group or ministry team. 00:10:47.350 --> 00:10:49.450 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and 00:10:49.450 --> 00:10:52.470 make sure you come back next time for the family 00:10:52.470 --> 00:10:55.850 you didn't choose. Until next time, keep your 00:10:55.850 --> 00:10:57.309 coffee strong and your faith stronger.