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Introduction
What’s your role here? What’s your role as part of this church? As part of this community? What’s your job description? Now, I know, job descriptions can sometimes be dry and dull. Worse than that they can often be intimidating. But they are also absolutely essential. I learned that the hard way when I once took a job as an executive assistant. I assumed that as an executive assistant my job would consist of things like making phone calls, taking messages, writing the minutes at our business meetings and so forth. Well, I should have asked for a job description. Because it turned out that most of my time as an executive assistant was spent making Kool Aid. Now, I am the world’s greatest Kool Aid mixologist, that’s true, but it’s not something I thought I’d be doing for a living. I also had no idea that my job would require me to lie habitually, or to spend hours staking out people’s houses like a private I, or to regularly go shopping for another man’s underwear. These are things I would have liked to know beforehand. If only I had been given a job description I could have avoided a lot of problems.
That’s what job descriptions do. Job descriptions are created to solve existing problems and to prevent future problems. Which means that job descriptions are important even in Jesus’ Church. Because wherever there are multiple people working together there will be problems that need to be solved and problems that need to be prevented. This became obvious as Jesus’ church grew from 120 to 3,120 to thousands and thousands more. As they grew, a significant problem arose in their midst and this problem forced them to think through their roles and clearly define them. Turn with me to Acts 6:1-7. As we do so we’ll see how the early Church identified their roles and how you and I can do the same today to strengthen our witness to the world as we prepare to re-launch next Sunday.
Their Problem
As we studied the book of Acts together last year we saw that the community life of the early Church was uniquely strong. People who would not normally even share a conversation together were now not only sharing conversation, they were sharing their lives. They ate together, prayed together, spent their days together, studied the Scriptures together, shared their possessions with each other, and many of them even voluntarily sold their property so they could care for the community’s needs together. These people were united together in the truest sense of the word. So much so that the people around them took notice. Non-Christians were attracted to this uniquely Christian unity that they saw displayed in the early Church.
This is why reading verse 1 should make us pause. For the first five chapters of the book of Acts, Luke, the author, tells us only good things about the community life of the early Church. He tells us only about their great unity. He tells us only of the great sacrifices they’ve joyfully made for one another. And now, suddenly, in verse 1, this vibrant community life is threatened. Luke’s entire tone changes instantaneously. Now, instead of encouraging one another, the people of the Church are complaining against one another. Instead of sharing all things together to meet everyone’s needs, the needs of some are being met while the needs of one group of people are being overlooked. So we can’t read through this quickly like it’s just a casual disagreement. This is not a casual disagreement. This is not a debate over whether the toilet seat should be left up or down. This is something that threatens the visible unity of the Church. This is something that threatens the Church’s witness to the world. This is something terribly serious.
Like our church, the early Church was a multi-cultural Church. And it shouldn’t surprise us to see that the first terribly serious threat to community came because of that. The division came between the Hellenistic Jews (meaning the Jews who were raised in Greek culture) and the Hebraic Jews (meaning the Jews who were raised in Hebrew culture). The Hellenistic Jews complained against the Hebraic Jews because of the way the food was being distributed to the needy each day. The Hebrew widows received their share but the Greek widows were overlooked. That’s a serious problem, isn’t it? We’re not talking about the different music styles each culture prefers, we’re not talking about the different style of dress each culture prefers, we’re not talking about cultural differences in communication style. We’re talking about one cultural group being neglected in the daily necessities of life while the other cultural group is not. On the surface it appears that the dominant culture is receiving preferential treatment. If this is true then it is evil. And even if it’s not true the mere appearance of it is a recipe for disaster!
Their Solution
Now, we’re going to give the early Church the benefit of the doubt. And I hope that if you ever suspect preferential treatment at this church that you will also give your brothers and sisters here the benefit of the doubt. Your leaders want nothing more than to see the reconciling and unifying power of the gospel displayed in this community. And the same was true of the leaders in the early Church. Knowing that inequity cannot be tolerated in Jesus’ Church they take immediate action to solve the problem. Read their response in verses 2-4, “So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’”
They don’t deny that there’s a problem with the distribution. They don’t try to explain it away. They don’t try to convince the Hellenistic Jews that they’re imagining things. Instead, they acknowledge the truth of their complaint. And they expose the source of the problem. The source of the problem was not racism or cultural elitism or any sort of ism. It was the result of undefined roles. It simply had not been made clear whose responsibility it was to make sure everyone received their daily necessities. No one had been directly told, “This is your job.” All of this had to change. In order for the Church to remain visibly unified the apostles had to clarify their roles, and the roles of others.
So to protect the Church’s unity and the Church’s witness to the world the apostles start laying down some job descriptions. They begin with their own. “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God,” they explain. “We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word,” they say. What they’re doing here is defining their role. Their role is to be devoted to prayer and the ministry of God’s Word. That’s their job description. That’s how they have been called to serve the Church, through prayer and the ministry of God’s Word.
Now, depending on how you read this it might come off as kind of arrogant. “Oh, it would not be right for us to serve tables. We must devote ourselves to prayer and God’s Word. You should find someone else to do the other stuff.” You could read it like that but you’d be misreading it. They are not saying that they are too good to do the other things. They are not saying that the other things are less important things. They’re saying that God has given them a specific role to fill in the Church. He has specifically given them the tasks of prayer and the ministry of God’s Word. If they were to take time away from those two things in order to do another thing – even a good thing – they would be doing a very bad thing. On the surface it would seem like a great thing. We’d say, “Wow, aren’t these guys wonderful? They’ve sacrificed even more of their time to make sure all of the widows receive their food and necessities.” But while it might seem good on the surface it would really be quite bad. Because in order to give that to the church they’d have to take away from the church some of the prayer and some of the ministry of God’s Word that God had called them to supply. They’d also be taking away from the people their opportunity to fulfill their God-given roles. And the Church would be far weaker as a result.
I thank God that he filled his apostles with his Holy Spirit and gave them the wisdom to know their role and to protect it – not for their own good, but for the good of the Church. But they weren’t the only ones who needed a job description. There was another role that needed to be filled, too. And this role is no less important, this role is no less spiritual. Look at what the apostles did when they appointed other men to serve the tables. They didn’t say, “Hey, just grab any 7 guys and tell them to get to work.” They didn’t say, “It doesn’t matter who you get, I mean, anybody could do this job.” No. Look at what they said in verse 3, “Choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.” The distribution of food and necessities is no less spiritual than the preaching of God’s Word. Serving the church with your hands is no less spiritual than serving the church with your words, which is why God requires both groups of people to be filled with the Spirit and with wisdom. Verse 5 lists for us the 7 men who were selected to serve the Hellenistic widows. These men were ordinary men who were not ordinary men. They were filled with the Spirit. They were filled with wisdom. They had a reputation with the people. Though he was not a “preacher” in the traditional sense Stephen would preach one of the most beautiful sermons in all the Bible. And he would be stoned to death for it. Though Phillip was “just a guy who served in the church” he worked signs and wonders, he explained the Scriptures, and led others to faith in Jesus Christ. God takes the practical, hands-on, work of the church so seriously that he appoints men like this to the task. Their job description is not the same as the apostle’s job description. But it is just as important. It is just as spiritual.
In this way the church functions much like a football team. For a football team to win they need to have a committed quarterback and committed linemen. And even though the quarterback may get all of the attention from the outside, the coach knows, and the team knows, that the quarterback and the linemen are equally important. When the quarterback is meeting his job description he advances his line down the field toward their goal. But he can only do this when the linemen are meeting their job description by standing together and doing the dirty work so the quarterback can continue to lead the team toward their goal. This is how the team wins. When each member of the team knows his job description and does it the team functions well and the team moves toward its goal. But imagine what would happen if any one of the people on the team didn’t meet their job description? What if the center said he didn’t have the energy to hike the ball? Or what if two guys on the line decided they didn’t really have the time to do any blocking today? What if the quarterback decided he didn’t feel like handling the ball? If even one person on the team does not do what the coach put him there to do the team will not function properly. And when the team does not function properly it will not reach its goal.
This is what the apostles had to guard against. This is why they had to clarify everyone’s job description. So that the church could function and meet its goals. And this text reminds us to do the same thing. For the good of this church we should review our job descriptions. Remember, job descriptions exist to solve existing problems and to prevent future problems. They are essential for the healthy functioning of Jesus’ Church. We’ll start where the apostles started. We’ll start with the Church leaders. The apostles were the elders of the early Church in Jerusalem. Thankfully, the elders of this church don’t have to create a job description out of thin air because the Bible describes the role of an elder in multiple places.
So, what do you think is on that list? What has God put us here to do? What is our role in this church? How do we best serve you according to Scripture? Let me start by telling you what’s not on that list. Let me start by telling you what is not included in an elder’s job description. Weddings. Funerals. Counseling appointments. Set up and tear down. Birthday parties and barbeques. Friendship. Small groups. Reference letters. Administration. Graphic design. Event planning. Program management. Facility management. Distributing the church’s resources to the needy. Replying to emails. Listen, not one of these things is a bad thing. All of these are good things. Some of these are essential things. Most of these things are enjoyable things. But none of these things is part of an elder’s job description. According to the Bible, an elder’s job is to shepherd the flock.
Now our culture has totally robbed that word of its meaning. When we say our pastor is a good “shepherd” what we usually mean is that he’s very personable, and he has close relationships with the people of his congregation, and he’ll sit down with you and give you counsel about this or that decision in your life. Now that’s all fine and good but that’s not what the Bible means when it refers to elders as shepherds. My job as your shepherd is not to be a really nice guy who you can talk to about anything. According to the Bible, my job as your shepherd is to do the following:
- To keep watch over your life, knowing that one day I will stand before God to give an account for you. – Hebrews 13:17
- To discipline you when you go astray. – Titus 3:10
- To know the Scriptures and to teach them and preach them faithfully. – 1Timothy 3:2
- To protect you from false teachers both outside and inside of the church. – Acts 20:29
- To equip you to serve Jesus in the church and in the city. — Ephesians 4:11,12
- To lead you by living a life of faith that you can and should imitate. – Hebrews 13:7
- To pray for the church, to pray for you, to pray for the sick. – James 5:14
That’s my job description. That’s what God has put me here to do. And it is when I spend my time and energy doing these things that you are best served and that the city is best served as a result. That doesn’t mean that I can’t at times do the other things. That doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy the other things. That doesn’t mean that you can’t ask me for a reference, or ask me to do your wedding, or ask me to meet for counseling. It does mean that you will benefit much, much more from me studying, and praying, and preaching than you will from me being your friend, or me being your counselor, or me doing things around the church that you could do. Not because those things are less important but because those things are not a part of my role. They are not what God has put me here to do. God has given me, and every elder at this church, a specific job description and that job description exists for your good.
And the elders, like a quarterback, are able to best meet our job description when you are meeting your job description. God has given you a job description, also. You have a role in this church. And, remember, the role of the lineman is just as essential to the team as the quarterback. Neither one can function without the other. Your role is just as important, and just as spiritual as ours. This is why God appointed men like Stephen and Philip to the task. People filled with the Spirit and with wisdom. Because God takes your role very seriously. So just what is your role? What has God placed you here for? What does he expect of you as part of his community? As a member of Jesus’ Church, and as a member of this particular church, this is your job description:
- To love Jesus and worship him with your whole being.
- To love one another. – 1Peter 1:22
- To serve one another. – Galatians 5:13
- To use your gifts and abilities to meet the needs of the church and the city. – 1Peter 4:10-11
- To submit to the elders of the church. – Hebrews 13:17
- To preach the gospel to one another and to friends, neighbors, co-workers – to everyone. – Mark 16:15.
- To give of your financial resources to provide for the needy and for the mission of the church. – 2Corinthians 9:5-15
That’s your job description. That’s what God has put you here to do. And when you spend your time and energy doing these things our entire church community benefits from it, and the city at large benefits as a result. You should never feel like what you do here at the church is not spiritual, or not valuable. You should never feel that what you do here at the church really doesn’t have any consequences. Because it does. When you give your money to the church, when you give your time and energy to the church, you help Jesus’ church function better. You protect the visible expression of our unity. And you help to make our witness to the world more attractive. Let’s read what happened after these seven men accepted their job description in verses 6 and 7. “They presented them to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” Verse 1 opened with a serious problem. The unity and the witness of the Church were being threatened! And now, in verse 7, the problem’s been solved and the witness of the Church is spreading rapidly! And why? What made the difference between verse 1 and verse 7? What made the difference between the beefing church and the growing church? It’s simple. The people had their roles clarified. The people identified their job descriptions and did them. And the Church grew.
How Are We Doing?
The same is true of our church. Emmaus becomes more functional and more attractive when we, the pastors, and you, the members, each play the role God has given us. One of the many benefits of this re-launch is that every one of us now has the opportunity to re-examine the job description God has given us and reaffirm our commitment to it.
Over these past few months many of you have stepped up and said, “I want to take ownership of this church. I want to use my time, my talent, and my treasure to serve Jesus and to help this church move forward on its mission.” And you’ve done just that. If that describes you then that is wonderful. It is a sign of God’s grace alive and at work in you as he gives you the desire and the ability to do what he’s called you to do. Thank him for the evidence of his grace!
If that doesn’t describe you. If you haven’t yet stepped up to give you’re your time, and talent, and treasure to meet the job description God has given you, don’t despair. This very moment is a sign of God’s grace given to you. He is graciously, right now, giving you the opportunity to repent of your sin and become more like Jesus Christ this very night. Thank him for the evidence of his grace and respond appropriately!
And the appropriate response is the same for every one of us in this room. The appropriate response for every one of us is to give ourselves to Jesus who gave himself for us. Jesus gave himself for us precisely because we failed to meet our job description. Thankfully, though, Jesus did not fail to meet his. God the Father had given Jesus, the Son, this job description: set the oppressed free, give sight to the blind, proclaim good news to the poor, give life to the dead. And Jesus accomplished every task. And he did this by fulfilling your job description for you. You were supposed to live a life of worship to the true God, but you didn’t. So Jesus lived this life of worship for you. You were supposed to live a life of righteousness and obedience, but you didn’t. So Jesus lived this life of righteousness and obedience for you. Because you failed in these areas you were also supposed to die a death of judgment under the wrath of God. But you don’t have to. Because Jesus died your death and absorbed God’s wrath for you. Jesus fulfilled your job description for you. He did everything you were supposed to do but didn’t. And then Jesus rose from the dead showing that God the Father had accepted his perfect work in your place.
This is what motivates you to now meet your job description. This is what motivates you to play the role God has placed you here to play. You’re not motivated by guilt. You’re not motivated by selfish desires to be a good Christian. You’re not motivated by a desire to win the approval of other people. You’re motivated by Jesus. Because he gave himself for you you are now free to give yourself to him and his people. Because he gave away everything for you you are now free to give away anything to him and his people. And when we do this together the church functions better and becomes more attractive so that others might come to know and love this same Jesus.