SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL DUTIES DIVIDED

Acts 6:1-4 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. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 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. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

"Those days" cannot be precisely identified. Just how long this was after the church of Christ was born on the Day of Pentecost following the ascension of our Savior, is not known. And to speculate would be fruitless. This we know - the gospel message of eternal salvation through Christ was first preached on this Jewish feast day. It resulted in three thousand souls hearing the word of God, believing it, obeying it, and being baptized into the body of Christ for the remission of their sins. Our Lord then added them to the church (See Acts 2:41 & 47). In addition to this, Acts 4:4 tells us that the church of Christ experienced rapid growth and, without including the many women that obeyed God's call to salvation, there were about five thousand men that had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. And it seems with each recorded sermon preached by the apostles to the multitudes of Jews, it is noted that others obeyed God's call, accepted His gospel of salvation, were baptized, and added to His church. Indeed, Christ's church grew. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women (Acts 5:14 NKJV). There is no doubt that in those days ...the number of the disciples was multiplied. The church, the first body of Christ established in Jerusalem, had grown so much, and so rapidly, that it numbered in the thousands, and included both men and women that had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The need for benevolence was evident when the church was first formed. It was needed because many had come from distant countries bringing only provisions enough to last through the Jewish days of celebration. Now with the Holy Spirit-inspired New Testament gospel of salvation offered to them through the newly established kingdom of Christ, they remained in Jerusalem and had need of further sustenance. To satisfy this need, members of Christ's body sold many of their possessions, brought the proceeds to the apostles, and distribution was made unto all having need (See Acts 4:34-37). And without family support, widows especially needed care. In this process, a problem became evident. Within the church of Christ there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

Although opinions differ, most bible scholars agree that the Grecians refer, not to people having Gentile heritage, but to Jews that had moved to, or were born in foreign countries, and spoke either Greek or other languages of the countries in which they lived. In this instance, the Grecians - the foreign Jews within the body of Christ, contended that their widows were not given equal consideration by the Hebrews - the Christian Jews that lived within Palestine. It is evident that unbiased equality was not being exercised in filling the needs of all Christian widows, and the church of Christ had become contentiously divided along the lines of nationality.

The inspired solution to this problem was the separation of duties and responsibilities by the men making up the church of Chris in Jerusalem. It is evident, by this scriptural example, that filling the temporal needs of the members of the church of Christ can, and in most cases, should be separated from the responsibility of providing for their spiritual needs. Up to this point in the history of the church, the twelve apostles had been responsible, not only evangelistically preaching God's New Testament gospel of salvation to the Jewish nation, but for both filling the spiritual instruction of church members, as well as attending to and supervising their physical needs. Being guided by the Holy Spirit of God, the apostles could have, without any doubt, been able to accomplish both of these missions successfully. But God's wisdom prevailed. In His all-knowing rule, He knew that the apostles, due to the rapid growth of the body of Christ, could not physically continue to teach, lead, govern, and provide for the physical and spiritual well-being of the church of Christ forever. With its growth in number, and with the need to spread the word of God throughout the world, additional bodies of Christ would be necessary. To remedy this problem within the church of Christ, it was necessary at this time to establish God's permanent form of church leadership by the twelve inspired apostles of Christ.

The time had come to separate the spiritual and temporal duties of the church of Christ. The need for, what was later to be referred to as the office of church deacons, was recognized and instituted by the apostles, as recorded here in the lesson text. In order to provide for the daily ministration of all Christians within the body of Christ without any partiality, the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit of God, gave the congregation these instructions. It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 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. It is worthy of note that the apostles described the qualifications of men worthy of filling the position of deacon, but did not select them. Here, by example, God's will was recognized and firmly established. No individual, preacher, elder, or any humanly devised "ecclesiastical" body is to assume the responsibility of selecting men to fill the position of church deacon. They were, first of all, to be qualified men, and secondly, they were to be chosen by the members of the individual body of Christ to whom they were to serve. The reason is also here given: in order that we (the apostles) will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Verses 5-7 following the lesson text tell us that the establishment of this church doctrine was pleasing to the whole multitude of Christians that were members of the first church of Christ that was founded in Jerusalem. From the men of this congregation of God's people that were qualified, they chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas to serve as the first deacons of the body of Christ, and they were approved and ordained to fill this need by the twelve apostles of Christ. With the separation of responsibilities and duties authorized by God and administered by the apostles of Christ, the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Although not part of the lesson text, we know that as the church of Christ grew, numerous congregations of God's children were established and planted in various cities, provinces, and countries throughout the world. Therefore, in the absence of apostles to oversee the spiritual needs of each church of Christ, it was necessary for the office of church elders to be established to carry on the oversight of each congregation of God's people (Acts 14:23). Acts 15:1-6 tells us that, even though the apostles were still preaching and teaching the word of God in the church in Jerusalem that, soon after the incident noted in the lesson text, elders were appointed and ordained to oversee the church of Christ in Jerusalem. The appointment of elders necessary to fill God's plan of church administration was also true within the body of Christ planted in Ephesus. The apostle Paul gave these instructions to the elders of this congregation when he said, take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

Thus, we have established God's plan for the government of His church, the church of Christ. It is to be under the total oversight of qualified elders. And under the supervision and direction of these elders, selected by the members of each body of Christ, the temporal duties are to be carried out by qualified deacons that are also selected by each individual congregation of God's people. Within God's word, we find no other offices of individuals or bodies of men given authority by God to administer His will within each and every church of Christ, both then and forever thereafter.