Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “We shouldn’t leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. Still, we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:1-4 NKJV

Hence the office of deacons came into the church. Like the elders, the deacons were to be men full of the Holy Spirit. They are not less than elders, but their duties are not the same. Yes, Steven preached in Acts 7, and Philip baptized in Acts 8. Every office in the church bears equal responsibility for sharing the gospel. But deacons and deaconesses are also given responsibilities of caring for the physical upkeep and maintenance of the church, and even caring for the physical needs of the members. This frees the elders from “waiting on tables” so they can be spreading the gospel.

That evening that the water pipe burst, the deacon told the elder that a real leader should never ask anyone to do a job he would not be willing to do himself. He then handed him a bucket, insinuating that he should get to work, show a little humility, and lead by example. There was only one problem. The elder had appointments with several candidates for the baptisms the next couple of nights. They were waiting for him right then, and they worked the next day before the baptism the following night.

It wasn’t that the elder thought he was important. It wasn’t even necessarily that he thought clearing people for baptism was more important than fixing a water break. Obviously the water break had to be fixed to have the baptisms! Both the deacon’s job and the elder’s job were equally important but not the same. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul discusses the various gifts and ministries in the church. He talks about how the foot and hand are both needed. However, while the foot is equal to the hand, the foot is still not the hand. While being equal, they are not the same. Each has its own distinct purpose.

Deacons are to be filled with the Holy Spirit and able to preach. And elders have gladly taken up the offering and locked up the church after a meeting, taken out the trash, so long as they can still accomplish their gospel responsibilities. 1 Corinthians 12 tells us one ministry is not superior to another, while Acts 6 tells us our offices are not the same.

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Matthew 18:15-17

This counsel rarely ever gets followed. How much better our world and church would be if people would follow this counsel from Jesus.

Here is what I have seen happen too often. Someone actually tries to follow this counsel, but at step 2, when he tries to get a brother to go along, the brother perceives it as gossip and does not want to meddle in the situation, even though this is exactly what Jesus says to do. Or, instead of being neutral, that person gets an earload from one side and goes into the meeting very biased.

Even more sadly, I have talked with church leaders who passed judgment on another member without ever hearing that person’s side of the story or going to them personally first. They clearly admitted they did not follow the counsel of Matthew 18 because they already had all the evidence without needing to follow Matthew 18.

What? You don’t need to follow Bible counsel because you already have the full scoop? Since when was following the Bible optional? Apparently, it happens all the time. To me, this is the saddest of the three situations, because the people who aren’t following Matthew 18 know they are not following it and don’t care. However, they still think they are fit to be church leaders while intentionally ignoring Bible counsel.

Before many churches can heal and move forward in proclaiming the gospel, they need to make sure they are following the gospel themselves. We need to make sure we follow Matthew 18 when a problem arises and go to our brother or sister one-on-one without anyone else knowing.

Most problems can be resolved at step one. If not, then step two means we should bring along another party who can hear both sides of the story at the same time and not get an earful from one side before even hearing the other. Talking to another person and stacking the deck in one’s favor is very easy for humans to do, but with God’s grace, we can avoid this temptation – especially if we are honestly wanting truth to win.

The third step is to take it to the church. At this point, the church should not be afraid to handle the matter. It is not gossip at this point; it is Bible counsel. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul tells the church that it will be judging angels and needs to judge its own issues.

When we reject Bible counsel, everyone loses. When we follow Bible counsel, there is redemption for all.

I know that, even after reading the letters multiple times, I gained a deeper understanding of them through a better grasp of what Paul and his converts were up against in Corinth. So take a little time this Sabbath afternoon to watch the video below.  

But are we any closer to accepting the message of the cross than the disciples were? To the disciples, it meant giving up all their worldly hopes of glory. It meant following in the footsteps of Jesus in self-denial and self-sacrifice, risking persecution and death. After the cross, they remembered that Jesus had said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23). His words had only seemed a puzzle to them then, and they soon forgot them. But they remembered now, and now they understood that He meant they must die – die to their selfish desires in order to live for Christ. 

As you watch the video below, keep in mind that Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

After watching that video, we can reflect and ask ourselves, when did we last “deny ourselves” anything for the sake of Christ? When did we last “take up our cross” /die to self?

Photograph by William Earnhardt

The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption,—the Son of God uplifted on the cross. This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers. –Ellen White, Gospel Workers, Page 315.

We are not saved by doctrine. We are saved by God’s love and grace. So why does Satan work to skew our understanding of doctrine when he knows we are not saved by doctrine? Because doctrines help us understand God’s love. Our understanding of His love determines whether we accept Him or reject Him. Satan wants to skew our understanding of doctrine in order to warp our understanding of God’s love and make us reject Him.

For example I have read a few testimonies from former atheists saying the reason they originally rejected God was because they could not imagine a God who would torture people throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Once they realized God isn’t going to torture people for all eternity they could accept God into their lives.

I read a book last fall, To Sleep with the Angels, by David Cowan and John Kuenster.1 It was about a Chicago Catholic school fire in 1958. The book explains several reasons that were avoidable that led to the deaths of 92 students and 3 teachers. The authors also address how the church tried to comfort the parents, but their “comfort” did not make any sense. Parents were told that God needed their children. “But we needed them,” the parents countered. Also, does that reasoning imply God doesn’t need the children who survived? Parents were told that God took their children to heaven because they were so good. “Does that mean the rest of us are bad and God rejected us?’ parents asked.

The punishment of the wicked and the state of the dead are just a couple of examples of how false doctrines warp our understanding of God’s love. This is why a few years ago I put together a set of Bible study guides called, In Light of the Cross Study Guides. They are available on my personal website. The lessons can be read online or downloaded and printed out in PDF format. Over the years, people have written and told me they have been used in church Bible study groups as well as New Believers Sabbath School classes. They have also been used as guides and supplements in baptismal classes. Recently a family from Tennessee wrote that they were enjoying the lessons during family worship.

I originally prepared these study guides using the King James Version, but have found using them along with the New Living Translation to be more successful in encouraging new believers to study their Bibles. During many years of giving Bible studies, I have met so many people who struggle with reading in general. Many times I have watched them struggle reading the KJV, realizing once they finally stumbled through a passage, that they did not even comprehend what they just read. For new believers, especially those who struggle with reading in general, the NLT is easier to read and understand. 

I pray these lessons may be a blessing to you and your friends as we study all Bible doctrine in the light of the cross.

Picture taken by William Earnhardt

I remember many years ago, when I was talking to a Bible Worker from a major US city. I asked him if he had ever been to the very famous baseball stadium in his city. He made a shocked expression and then said, “No! That is worldly.” What he failed to understand is that Jesus is not taking us out of the world. Jesus has not called us to be hermits, living alone in the mountains, telling people to come to us and we will share Jesus with them. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus sends us into all the world. He does not tell us to sit in church and wait for the world to come to us.  

Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an interest in their secular affairs.-Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Page 151. 

Being a Christian does not mean leaving all secular affairs behind. It means taking Jesus into your secular affairs. Jesus not only tolerated secular affairs, but He also took an interest in them. Jesus does not intend for us to sit alone in a monastery until He takes us to heaven to sit on a cloud playing a harp. He gave Adam secular responsibilities to care for the garden and animals. When we get to heaven, we will be building, gardening, and doing things that may be considered secular. Again, being a Christian does not mean giving up all secular activities. It means taking Jesus into those secular activities.

I do not condemn the simple exercise of playing ball; but this, even in its simplicity, may be overdone.-Ellen White, Counsels to the Church, Page 161, 

Sadly, many have maligned Ellen White’s writings to make it look like she condemned all secular activities, while this is clearly not the case. Yes, I have been in secular sporting events where I felt a demonic presence, like at a minor league baseball game right before a brawl broke out on the field. But I have also felt a demonic presence in a church board meeting when someone was sowing disension. The answer is not for me to ban myself from all ballparks and all board meetings. The answer is to take the spirit of Jesus with me wherever I go.  

They often hold themselves too much reserved, and exercise their authority in a cold, unsympathizing manner which cannot win the hearts of their children and pupils. If they would gather the children close to them, and show that they love them, and would manifest an interest in all their efforts and even in their sports, sometimes even being a child among children, they would make the children very happy and would gain their love and win their confidence. And the children would sooner respect and love the authority of their parents and teachers.-Ellen White, Counsels to the Church, Page 193. 

Did you catch that? She is encouraging parents and teachers to take an interest in their children’s sports, much like Jesus took an interest in people’s secular affairs. We cannot sit in our church and tell those in the city to come to us. They are distracted. We must go to where they are and lead them to Jesus. I have done this with my golf ministry. I have had theological discussions with friends as we wait to take our turn at the tee box that they would never have with me anywhere else. I have baptisms from those discussions, one being a very active deacon in the church for several years now. That baptism did not come from me inviting him to church. It came from me meeting him on the golf course. By the way, his son, who was very young when we first started golfing, now holds a very prominent position in the Adventist health care system.

If we are going to reach distracted people in the city, or anywhere else, we must meet them where they are distracted and lead them to Jesus. The answer is not to take them out of the world. Jesus did not take us out of the world. The answer is for us to bring Jesus into our secular affairs and to teach and model for others how they, too, can bring Jesus into their secular affairs.