“Marilyn” is a 45 year old lady that is dying of congestive heart failure. She and her husband live in a mobile home, and her bed takes up about ¼ of their living room. “Marilyn” weighs over 500 pounds and cannot move herself. She has not left her bed or home for many months. She knows that she does not have long to live.

            On one wall of her living room is a picture of herself with angel wings added. She said that her husband will use that picture at her memorial service. She is planning on being cremated. 

            When her new pastor was called to visit her she had a multitude of concerns. Finally he said, “Which problem should we start with?” Her main concern was that if she died that day she would not know where she would go.

            The real problem was church problems when she was a little girl…

 

            If you have ever been involved in a church problem, or a problem at work or a family row you probably can identify with the story in Acts 6. Fortunately the leadership of the church did not take the complaints as a personal affront, but simply met the problem head on and dealt with it as the Holy Spirit led them.

 

A recent article stated, “The problem is that we listen to ourselves rather than talk to ourselves.” (Since I didn’t think I would ever use the idea I failed to note the source… for this, my apologies.)

 

            The author also stated that the problem in listening to ourselves is that we are not responsible for all of the thoughts that come our way…

 

“You cannot teach a child to take care of himself unless you will let him take care of himself. He will make mistakes, and out of these mistakes will come his wisdom.” ~H.W. Beecher

 

John Quincy Adams held more important offices than anyone else in the history of the U.S. He served with distinction as president, senator, congressman, and minister to major European powers. He also participated in various capacities in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and events leading to the Civil War.

Yet, at age 70, with much of that behind him, he wrote, "My whole life has been a succession of disappointments. I can scarcely recollect a single instance of success in anything that I ever undertook."  Charles Sell, Unfinished Business, Multnomah, 1989, p. 233.

Before we look at the scripture let’s think about the word “perfect.”

ADJECTIVE:

1. Lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind.
2. Being without defect or blemish: a perfect specimen.
3. Thoroughly skilled or talented in a certain field or area; proficient.
4. Completely suited for a particular purpose or situation: She was the perfect actress for the part.
5. Complete; thorough; utter: a perfect fool.
6. Pure; undiluted; unmixed: perfect red.
7. Excellent and delightful in all respects: a perfect day.

Biblically speaking, “Perfect” refers to “mature” or “complete.” Only God is capable of “absolute perfection.” If that is what you desire, you will experience a lot of disappointment!

If you want a perfect marriage, perfect children, a perfect job, a perfect church or a perfect pastor there are two things you need to be really talented at… forgiving and forgetting!

My wife and I have 4 wonderful children. Add in their spouses and one “spouse to be.” And we have 8 wonderful children. Plus! We have 6 perfect grandchildren. Oh, I understand that you might watch them and come to another conclusion… but to us they are perfect!

         Like all of us, they still have things to learn, mistakes to make, but they are growing into wonderful people.

There is a reason our family is so wonderful. We call it teamwork! As infants they were dedicated to the Lord. They were brought them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and in churches that had a family focus.

We worked diligently to be unified in our love and discipline toward them… A special added benefit was the loving assistance from Roberta’s parents who baby sat them when they were young… and always counseled them, especially when they were teenagers. They were also wise enough to never divulge the kids’ confidences.

Finally, all four of us were unified in our approach to discipline.

Were we perfect? Not a chance! Occasionally we all dropped the ball, but through God’s grace, our kids turned out as well as they have!  (They used to tell us where we didn’t do so well, but they finally quit rubbing it in!)

         These same principles apply to the church! That is what Acts 6 is all about. They started fussing and complaining; rather than trying to smooth things over, the apostles went to the Lord in prayer and followed God’s formula for success.

Apparently no one said, “Well! We’ve never done it that way before!”

When the problem of feeding the widows surfaced, the church sought for leaders that were filled with the Holy Spirit. Since the text does not describe an outward appearance we must assume that they looked at their lives.

The distinguishing characteristics of a Spirit-filled person include God’s leadership, plus an obvious submission to God. Included would be wisdom and rational behavior.

Another mark of a Spirit-filled person is humility, so these men were willing to serve tables and administer programs so the apostles could preach and pray. (Serving tables and administering programs is easier than serious prayer!)

In reality, every member of the church should be Spirit-filled.

No one can do everything. The twelve apostles could not meet all of the needs of the growing church. They needed help just as Moses did when his father-in-law gave him advice (Exodus 18:13-24).

         Moses was instructed to choose leaders; so were the apostles. The laity today, like these seven, must lead the church in ministry to the community's needy and in reaching those outside the church.

What is a deacon? Today we call them deacons and trustees. Neither word is in the text. Rather, it uses the verb "to wait on'' (Greek diakonein) comes from the same root as the noun (Greek diakonos) translated into English as "deacon."

The selection of the seven grew out of the needs of the apostles in ministering to the congregation.

         The seven were called to do practical service. The chosen men’s lives showed evidence of the Holy Spirit in their daily walk.

Deacons of today should see their responsibilities as serving with the pastor in ministering to the needs of the church congregation and the community.

Prayer was one of the two great responsibilities of the leaders.

At first blush it looks like the deacons would do the work of serving and the apostles would do the praying.

Actually, that is not true. No one went on vacation – the twelve helped establish churches, went about healing people and doing other good works. The apostle Paul wrote most of the New Testament and supported his ministry by making tents whenever he had a chance.

Church leaders can minister effectively only when they pray consistently.

            In a sense, all of us are church leaders. Our leaders are chosen after each of us spends time in prayer, seeking God’s will.

As a church leader you are expected to pray for God’s wisdom and leadership in all you do.

Spreading the Gospel requires all of us.

Utilizing the grace and power of God, we can spread the gospel. Recently I invited a lady to our church that lives in this area. She told me that some of my people had invited her, but she could not come because her family is Catholic.

So, I know you are working… Thanks!

Stephen was one of the first deacons – and an early martyr for the cause of Christ.

He did the work he was called to do, but did not stop there. Acts 6:8 states that Stephen was a man full of god’s grace and power, and he did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.  That did not make him a hero!

The members of the synagogue set out to condemn Stephen but found his defense so strong they were put on the defensive. The Spirit protected Stephen by leading him to refute his opponents. Only false testimony led to his conviction. At Stephen's defense was Saul of Tarsus (Acts 8:1), who eventually was convicted by Jesus and became a proclaimer of what he had first received (1 Corinthians 15:3), from the preaching of people such as Stephen.  Many church leaders were credited with doing exceptional deeds.

Stephen's ministry was short-lived, but he performed both "wonders'' and "signs.'' God's instruments in performing miracles are not limited to any one leadership position in the church. God is free to use any person He chooses to be His miraculous instrument. (Matthew Henry)

How would you respond? Stephen responded by forgiving his enemies. Many early Christians were willing to die for their faith. May God help us if we ever come to that spot in the road!

If you have ever been involved in a church fight – or a family feud, you know that these can be a real mess! I’ve been there and it ain’t fun!

This morning we prayed over a prayer afghan for a 45-year-old lady whose family was hurt by church people. Thankfully, she has made peace with God; hopefully counseling will help her be reconciled with her family.

         Perhaps you have hurts this morning. Please know that Love Finds a Way!

How? First, make sure you are reconciled to God,

Then forgive yourself. 

Remember, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  That includes all of us.

Then remember that Christians still sin now and then. We don’t have to, but it seems to work out that way!

1 John 1:5-10 tells us that Christians still struggle with sin.        

Once we have reconciled ourselves with God and forgiven ourselves, we are prepared to forgive those that have hurt us! 

Is all of this easy? Not a chance! Even dead fish can make progress down stream. It takes vim, vinegar and vitality to go upstream – and against our human nature. But you can do it!

In his book, Lee: The Last Years, Charles Bracelen Flood reports that after the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire. She looked to Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her loss.

After a brief silence, Lee said, "Cut it down, my dear madam, and forget it." It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain, lest bitterness take root and poison the rest of our life. Michael Williams