But we hope to give special attention this morning to the Book of Acts, Chapter 6. To the Book of Acts, Chapter 6, the first eight verses, and the office of deacon. We've read quite a bit about it from the form, and we've read quite a bit about it from the Belgic Confession. But the Word of God itself is the only inspired and inerrant account of these things, though we do believe the forms and the confessions to be faithful summaries of it. It is only the Word of God that is inspired and inerrant. And we'll consider, with the Lord's help, just three particular thoughts about the functioning of the office of deacon in relationship to the office of apostle, and we could say by extension, the office of elder, later on in the course of the history of God's word, and even in accordance with the functioning of it, in what some would call the office of believer. As our great reformer that has gone before us, Martin Luther, put it. The office of deacon. the office of deacon is eminently practical. And not only the office itself, because the office itself, as you read, was concerned about, in Acts chapter six, with waiting tables, dividing food, distribution to the poor, and making sure it was done properly, and making sure it was done fairly, without discrimination. Further, it's eminently practical, because it was given to help out the apostles. Maybe you read and were struck not only by the fact that these men were called and set apart so they could make sure this error in this problem that was occurring, the murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because the widows were neglected in the daily ministration. These men call for, as the spirit leads them, an election. so that these men that are selected may be installed, ordained, and put in place by the apostles. Verse three, wherefore brethren, look ye out among you even men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. Isn't it interesting? The people select, the people do not appoint. The people select, but the people do not appoint. Who is it that appoints? It's the apostles. We see this in perfect harmony in practice with Presbyterian and Reformed churches to this day. The congregation selects, the council, or we could say the session in the Presbyterian tradition appoints. It's beautiful to see the parallels there. But this is practical not only, we could see in the relation of the offices, but in the practical need for the deacons. Not only for the practical needs of the waiting on the tables and making sure the serving and distribution is fair, but so that way the preaching of the word and the spiritual needs and care for the people can be unhindered. As verse two says, that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Notice how the King James beautifully says, this is not reason, This does not make sense. It's eminently practical. Some of you may not think so. Some of you may not think so. You may not think this is practical. Maybe you think this is old-fashioned. Maybe you think this is contrary to natural law. Maybe you don't like the fact it's not the same as John Law or the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Well, if you feel that way, I'm sorry, you don't like it. Change your mind. The authority of King Jesus is greater than the authority of your understanding of natural law, or your understanding of the Constitution, or even the laws of John, John Jefferson. And this is how he will have his church be governed. As even a man as Reverend G.H. Kirsten from the 1800s said in his commentary on church order, we must always be on the lookout, to paraphrase, to make sure the church is treated and dealt with spiritually according to the word of God rather than according to the thinking and words and actions and philosophies of men. If you ever wondered if theology was practical, if you ever wondered if doctrine was practical, if you ever wondered if the work of the church was practical, or let me use another word, real, clearly is. Clearly is. The text and the institution of the office tells us. We could go to The epistles of Timothy and Titus and the qualifications for the office bearers and the functioning of those men in those offices is clearly explained. And that functioned throughout the New Testament and always has in the church since. Even just this morning. Notice how practical it was. The Lord took away a man to study for the ministry to preach the word. The Lord sent a man to go help out a church plant that became a congregation, and now we need another one. This is all practical. This is all real. And just so you know, despite what people will tell you about doctrine, despite what people will tell you about theology, it always is. It always is. If anyone ever tells you, oh, doctrine divides, or doctrine's not practical, or theology's just heady, or those things don't matter. If someone ever tells you that, ask them this question. Ask them this question. When was the last time you read Paul's epistles? Because maybe you've noticed as you read Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy, 1st Thessalonians, 2nd Thessalonians, and the other epistles of Paul. You know what Paul always does? Doctrine, teaching, and practice. Doctrine, teaching, and practice. They always go together. You notice that's how sermons are too? There's never a sermon preached that's faithful to God word that doesn't apply the doctrine or the teaching. Now you may not like the doctrine or the teaching, and you may not like the practice, but don't confuse not liking it with the fact it's being taught, or with the necessity of it, and the very real practical nature of it. That's why despite what some people would think about doctrine, Martin Luther said doctrine is heaven, because it's full of the Lord Jesus Christ, and full of following him and how we are to live. But notice at the very same time, this passage is not only practical, you might say, it's eminently spiritual. It's eminently spiritual and is driven, motivated, and you could even say, if you pardon the emphasis of language, explodes with a spiritual focus. It explodes with a spiritual focus. Verse one, and in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Well, maybe you think, well, what's so spiritual about that? That's practical. You just got done talking about how there was this need because things weren't being distributed properly in light of the tensions between the Greeks and the Hebrews. Well, how is that spiritual? Notice. in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied. People are coming to faith in Jesus Christ. People are repenting and believing in Jesus Christ. Not only from the Jews, who by the grace of God, as we'll see Paul will say, realize this mystery of salvation that would include the Gentiles comes to pass, and they come to faith in him. And those Gentiles, who were strangers and foreigners from the people of God in the Old Testament, they come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and now they're together as one body. before they were always separate. One group looked down on another like they were a bunch of dogs. And the other group looked at the others as these weirdo, inbred, close-minded people who were not educated. But now they're together. The Gospel brings people together like nothing else. It's amazing if you have faith in Jesus Christ and you love his word, you will find yourself with more in common than people who have an entirely different language skin color and background culture than you did, because now you both have transformed minds, transformed hearts, transformed lives, and you are motivated to serve Him together. You find yourselves both with a new master, you find yourselves both with a new life, and you find yourselves brought together as you follow Him. That's the power of the gospel. That's the power of God and the salvation that changes the lives and minds and hearts of people. That's the power in the book of Acts that said the world is turned upside down by these people as they preach the gospel and it was blessed. No, this is eminently spiritual. It's the fruit of the gospel at work. And that's evident indeed from the context. But Paul in Ephesians makes this clear as well. Paul in Ephesians makes this clear as well. He's not talking about an unfairness of distribution, but he's talking about the significance of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, we'll be reading part of chapter two and three from Ephesians. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter two. Ephesians chapter 2, beginning at verse 8. If we had the time congregation, I think I'd just read the whole epistle to you. But there isn't time for that. We'll start at chapter 2. Go home and read verse 1. And then go home and finish chapter 3 and chapter 4. But just for now, part of chapter 2 and 3. For ye, verse eight, for rather by grace are ye saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember that ye, being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands." Notice the two people groups. Those who call themselves the circumcision and those who call you the uncircumcision. Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision in the flesh made with hands, that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. Boy, some of us remember and we thought it was a big deal when the Berlin Wall fell down and East and West Germany came together. We thought that was a big deal when that wall came down. Maybe you remember it, I do. I don't remember the year it was, it was in the 80s and I was born in 78 and I remember it. But what about this wall? those walls of tradition, those walls of custom, those walls of doctrine, those walls even of scripture. Jesus comes through and those walls fall and collapse. As He fulfills all that went before. As any dividing between people is brought low. Circumcision on circumcision. Jew, Gentile. Chosen people, not chosen people. Now chosen in Him. Take the time to go to Galatians so the promise of Abraham is realized by the power of the Spirit. They're one. They're one. Circumcision is nothing now because the blood shed by Christ fulfills the picture of the blood shed by circumcision. So now there's no group saying, we are the circumcised, you are not the circumcised. Or another group saying, oh, we wish we could be circumcised, but we're not the circumcised. It ends up being as stupid as the star-bellied sneetches and Dr. Seuss. No, that might be strong language to some, but we must reckon with the reality of Christ and the text. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, were made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one. and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments continued in ordinances, for to make in himself of Twain, or of two, one new man, so making peace. and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. Notice both needed to be reconciled, Jew and Gentile. It's beautiful, you go read Romans chapter nine, it reminds you both Jew and Gentile needed to be adopted as well. That he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you which were far off and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one spirit unto the Father. Now therefore we are no more strangers and foreigners. of fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly formed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are built together for the habitation of God through the Spirit. one beautiful living temple built because of Christ by the power of the Spirit, built of, shall I extend the imagery, the bricks of people from every skin color, every language, and every background. No longer is there a pilgrimage to a physical temple limited to one people. Now, all people who our Lord sovereignly works in by the irresistible power of the gospel are one. For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispersion, the dispensation of the grace of God to you which is given me to you, how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in a few words, whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge and the mystery of Christ. which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. Turn back to Acts chapter six. Practical problem is an indication of the spiritual problem. The practical problem is an indication of the spiritual problem and the Holy Spirit through the office of deacon corrects it. Those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Well, there's this problem that must be dealt with. So they ask the congregation to choose these men and they will appoint them. And notice the focus again is spiritual because we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The great power of God in Christ by the spirit that brought about the church and brought the Jews and Gentiles together and all the practical problems that come with it. We, in light of what the deacons will now do, will continue our focus where it should be, the preaching of the gospel, prayers for God's people, so the kingdom of God expands. And we have more practical problems like this for the Lord to help with and address. Beautiful, it's beautiful. So spiritual, so real, so practical, all at the same time. So practical, all at the same time. And maybe just to tie together again the practical and spiritual nature of things, maybe you notice some of the names of the men put for deacon. Saying please the whole multitude, verse five of Acts six, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, Nicanor, and Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch, whom they set before the apostles. And when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them, Not a lot of Hebrew names there. Didn't need to secure the Jewish power. Didn't need to make sure they had their dominance. No, wall is broken down. All one because of Christ. We all serve together according to our different offices as the people of God saw. It's beautiful, practical, spiritual. Oh, by the way, Maybe you're a spiritual person, but you forget the practical. You're really wrong. You're really wrong. And maybe you're a practical person, but you're not spiritual. You're really wrong. You're really wrong. They go together. They go together. They always do. when I was at Reformed Bible College, now Kuyper College. And I'm told this happens on cycles every so many years at the college. You get some group of really theological engaged students. And you get some groups of very practically engaged students. And there's always this little tension. In my time there, it was the tension between the doctrinites and the fuzzies. The doctrinites and the fuzzies. And it's like there was civil war on campus, not physically, but you might say almost sociologically. And I was talking to, and of course you can imagine I am certainly lumped in with the doctrinaries, occasionally with the fuzzies, but let's just be honest, given the way the Lord made me, if you're gonna stereotype me, there I am. Talking to the different groups, talking to one of the professors who was trying to mediate the groups, And I just said, no, this whole situation is a mess and they're both wrong. Because his solution, along with the solution of some of the people is, Christianity's gotta be a balance, you know. And the fuzzies are just unbalanced because they don't have enough doctrine. And the doctrinites are not, they're kind of unbalanced because they don't have enough fuzzy. And I said, no, they're both wrong. And he kind of looked at me and said, tell me why. I said, because if you love the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to keep his commandments. If you have a certain theology and conviction, it has to be lived out. And if you are supposedly keeping the commandments, but you're not loving the Lord Jesus Christ, and you're not understanding who he is and what he's done, so why you must do this, something is broken and wrong. And if you say you love the Lord Jesus Christ, and you're all about theology and doctrine, but it never comes into practice, something's really wrong. This whole scale thing is just busted. It must be doctrine and practice. It must be love and it must be obedience. It's spiritual and practical. Wow. They always go together. And we always go wrong when we separate them. And that's why further we can see in the text, this is so harmonious. This is so harmonious. Doctrine and life, theology and practice always go together, always do, if things are right and healthy and truly a work of spirit. But notice how things work harmoniously in the church? There's a challenge, a difficult situation, where maybe people are about to say, oh no, what are we gonna do? Oh no! Things aren't going my way, things aren't going their way, what's gonna happen? This is different. Maybe it's more serious than that. Maybe it's, we've departed from the truth of God's word and we need to deal with this. That's the one we should really be concerned about. But though there is such a situation, the Lord provides through his word and spirit and gives the office of deacon. Isn't that glorious? There's a problem, there's a situation. We're tempted to be anxious. Things are unstable. What are we gonna do? Go to God and His word. And then as we embrace God and His word, problems get dealt with. Maybe you've noticed that in your own life as a Christian. The Lord shows you some sin in your life. Maybe a sin you didn't even know was there until the law and the spirit showed it to you. You thought it was dealt with or something new came in. And you're like, oh no, maybe I'm not a Christian because I'm doubting and how can I say I'm a Christian? I'm still sinning, especially because I see more sin now. Then go to the Lord. confess your sin, pray for his help and his power to guide you through this. Trust in the spirit of Christ. You ask your brothers and sisters for accountability, like your wife, your husband, your elders, your fellow brothers and sisters you're close with. And what happens by the grace of God? You grow and you have victory over the sin. It's an amazing thing. Maybe you've seen that in your families too, because I don't know if you know this. Maybe you don't think people know this, but this is a real thing. Families have problems. Families have problems. Husbands and wives have problems. Children and parents have problems. Families have problems. I don't know if you knew that. Why do we know all families have problems? Despite how nice we like to make sure everything seems when company comes over. How do we know? Because families are made up of sinners. Even redeemed sinners still struggle against the flesh. So if your family has problems, don't worry, we all know. Not because we've all been watching your business, but because the word of God says so and we all know our own hearts, don't we? So let's not pretend. Let's not pretend. But even in families, what happens when the family realizes there's a problem and the father as the head of the family says, wait a minute, there's something going wrong. We need to change our family and walk in God's ways more consistently. Our family needs to repent of this sin and our family needs to change how it's functioning. Maybe in small things. like organizing schedules, making a right priority of devotions, maybe in horrible big things that scare you and indicate giant changes in the way people may use their bodies, use their tongues, and think about situations and people in the family. All those changes, small or big, as we reorder our families according to God's word, we can grow and begin to function harmoniously as God's design. And that's true of the church too. Individuals, families, and the church here. Here is the church, but the same principles follow all the way through. And notice the harmonious functioning continues. The voice of the people is heard in the congregation. The voice of the people is heard. It is the authority given to the office bearers that carries out And this is all for the good and care of the church. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. In biblical churches, and I can tell you ours is biblical in this way, we love to hear from the people. We do. The problem is when we don't. When people won't tell us what they're thinking. when we won't tell us how they feel. And you may not believe so, but the council actually asks people what they think and asks people what they feel. There are people who will tell you all the time what they think and how they feel, so we don't ask them because they already tell us. They write us letters. They distribute things to the congregation. We talk about it amongst ourselves very freely at lunch. It's not that we don't want to know. It's not that the congregation must somehow Make sure the elders do their job or we're gonna get them because you owe us and you are here for our authority. That's not what we're like. Nor are we, no Presbyterian or Reformed church should be this way and the form highlights it. Nor are we dictators over the Lord's heritage. The elders don't sit at an elders meeting or in the consistory meeting and start pounding on people these troublemakers. We're not that way. I hope you know us well enough to know we're not that way. But I know the history of the United States and I know your own heart. Yeah, that's why we have the Word of God. That's why we have elders and ministers to check us. But it should function harmoniously, in love. just like brothers and sisters can go to one in Christ with cares they have. That's what Matthew chapter 18, that's what Galatians, many other portions of God's words talks about. That's why you can approach the council any time with an email, with a letter, and tell them what you're thinking. The council doesn't hide this from people. We like it. You know what one of the most blessed things I've found in the course of my ministry to be? Times when there's important decisions to be made by the male members and we don't have congregational meetings generally and ask for feedback when we don't do that. Sadly, this congregation doesn't do that. There are things about the way we have structured things in our leadership document that curbs congregational involvement rather than helping it. because it is seen as a challenge of authority. But to be able to go to the widows who don't have representation or to go to the single women who have made confession of faith and talk to them, what are you thinking about this? What's your opinion about this? Do you have any feedback that could help us? Because we are caring for them and they don't have any representation. It's a really neat thing. It's part of our duty. Functions harmoniously. One of the things that's often been a challenge to me is in Chilliwack, we could call congregational meetings to get feedback and just hear from the people. There was no agenda pushing. There was no fight for power. We could hear what they had to say. and they would trust their office bearers. I think we're getting there. We're growing there as a congregation. That's why we read the forms. That's why we read the Belgic Confession about office bearers, so we understand their work. The people understand their responsibilities. So we can all function together harmoniously according to the scripture and the church order. Scripture doesn't need to be fixed. If church order is broken, well, show us. But notice how harmoniously this all works. They choose people, they appoint the people. And notice verse five. The saying pleased the whole multitude, and they chose. And then what is the result? As you see the practical needs, as you see the spiritual focus that drove the practical situation, what's the result as it all harmoniously functions together? Even amidst all the ups and downs, all the fears about the future, what's gonna happen? Oh no, what am I gonna do? What are you gonna do? I gotta fix this. What ends up happening when you do things God's way in light of who Jesus is as you listen to the Spirit? The word of God increased. The word of God increased. And the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. And a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. You can work harmoniously without having extraordinary blessing in numbers. But boys, we've sought to do things harmoniously. What have we seen? What have we seen? One man pursuing a calling to the ministry to study. One man going to a church plant that now its own congregation. Now a provision of another man. Isn't that exciting? Some of you have been with this church from the beginning. You remember when we met in people's homes. I remember leading a worship service on someone's table with an upturned laundry basket. Then we went to Woodman of the World. I remember going there, preaching the word of God, even, I should say, bringing an edifying word, to use the more precise church orderly term. And when we had a service of 30 people, we thought, wow, this is amazing! Then, through Pastor DeRider, through Pastor Vanderswap, or I should say Pastor Lipsy, Pastor Vanderswap, went from Woodman of the World down to the square, now we're here? And it wasn't that long ago when I was here, when we were talking and people were afraid, if we start this church plant, the building's gonna feel empty. Look around you. Building feel empty? And we're not even all here. I mean, all of our own people and all of those of us who may be interested in worshiping here, let alone the 30 plus people some have counted that we may have lost down to Conway. The Lord's at work. We ought to be thankful for it. And the Lord works practically, spiritually, and harmoniously as we all follow him together. The problem is when we start to do things our own way, separate from Christ and separate from one another, rather than following Him. That's how the office of deacon functions, practically, spiritually and harmoniously with all the other offices, just like all the other aspects of God's plan, but only in so far as we acknowledge Him in the midst of it. Let's pray. Our Lord and our God, our great Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the encouragement, the strength, and the power that comes when we honor the Word of God as the Spirit illumines us. So, Lord, strengthen us, help us, lead us in the way of truth. And we pray again, Lord, for Brother Tyler. Be his encourager, be on his left and on his right. Remember his fellow deacon. We pray, Lord, for Luke, that thou would help and encourage him, and we pray for brotherly working together between the two of them as deacons, and all together on the consistory. We pray, Lord, for Glory as well, that thou would uphold her as she continues to uphold her husband, so he may continue to care for and labor in the church. Lord, how faithful thou art. Lord, how good thou art. As we see sin and problems in our lives and in the lives of our families and in the lives of our church, make it plain. And when we think something could be, painful, when we think something could be fearful, when we think there could be trouble. Help us to hold fast in faith to the Word of God, looking to the author and finisher of our faith, knowing he will care for his church, and all things will work together for the good of those who love thee and are called according to thy purpose. Heavenly Father, we pray it and we ask it in Jesus' name.