The Magnificent Seven, Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

0:00 I want to begin by congratulating the 16 of you on completing what was intentionally a physically and spiritually arduous journey to test, to prove, and to hone your readiness to serve as servants. And so, Stephanie, Lynette, Kevin, Judith, Alma, Carol, Donald, Nett, Steronica, Peggy, Kim, John, Sandrine, Justin, Chuck, and Jerry, congratulations on all that God has enabled you to do. And I am proud as pastor to be able to share in this final lesson of preparation, before we lay our hands on you, some final words for the journey.

1:02 And I want to read in your hearing a passage that you know well by now. If not, you wouldn't be sitting in the seats that you sit in. I want to use it as a reminder for the great gathering of deacons who are in this space, both from Alpha Street and from our guest churches. And as a word of inspiration and information for those who gather as family and friends to celebrate this moment. You know these words, but I'm asking you to hear them afresh today from the sixth chapter of the book of Acts. Acts chapter 6 in this moment can never be overestimated as it shares with the foundation upon which this ministry of deacon is built. Acts chapter 6 beginning in verse number 1, I'm going to ask those who are physically able to stand to reverence the reading of the word of God beginning in verse number 1 as I read out the New International Version of the word of God.

2:01 Listen for God's instructions to deacons. in those days when the number of disciples was increasing the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food 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. This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.

2:55 also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men 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. I want to hang out in that first verse. In those days when the number of disciples increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. I'm going to talk to the 16, but the rest of you can eavesdrop.

3:43 I want to talk to you all about the Magnificent Seven. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. The Magnificent Seven. Kim, you know, as all you who sit here do, that I've shared openly from this pulpit that I was raised in an old school Baptist church. We were the poster church for an old school Baptist church. I was raised at the Lillydale Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, and they should have taken the word progressive out of the title. everything about that church was old school we had all the markings of an old school baptist church we had the church fan that had martin luther king on the front and the funeral home on the back it was old school baptist church you've heard me talk about it on the wall to the left was the church covenant that we read every first sunday before we received the Lord's Supper. Having been led as we believe to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, we do now in the presence of angels and those gathered solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

5:04 We had reserved seats in the sanctuary. You didn't sit on the third pew on the left without fear of your life. That was reserved for the mother's board. Those are the ladies that had reached the grand age of 80 and wore them white dresses and pantyhose so thick you couldn't see through them. That's the mother's board. We had a mourner's bench. Some of y'all are too new school baptist. You don't know where the mourner's bench is. That's where they sit you when you're a sinner, and the mothers pray for you for your salvation. And a whole lot of folk I know got saved so they could get off that bench.

5:41 We sang hymns every Sunday, not one, not two, but three. Sister Joyce, we knew it was old school because we never skipped the third verse. If there were four verses, we sang all four because there was something in those hymns that we had to learn. And one of the markings of an old school Baptist church that allowed me to know we were old school were the deacons. Because you see, at an old school Baptist church, being a deacon meant something. they were the most feared and revered men who walked on the campus of that church i say men because it was old school baptists and they did not ordain women but praise god some things have changed And I got to let you know, as a child, I was afraid of deacons. They didn't just sit amongst the congregation.

6:39 They had seats at the altar that looked out over everything that was happening. And they would sit in them chairs, some sleep, some looking, but they sat there every Sunday. I was really afraid when I found out that they also doubled up as a security ministry because one day I found out that Deacon Doty Edward Nash was packing every Sunday he came to church. He had his gun on his hip. They wore dark suits every Sunday. They taught Sunday school. They served communion. They led devotions every Sunday. There was no praise and worship team. One of them read a scripture. One led a song. And one prayed for about 25, 30 minutes.

7:25 I was afraid of the deacons. I knew that they had some contentious meetings, and we grew up knowing that can't nobody fight the pastor like the good old deacons. And growing up as a child, I feared them. As an adult, sometimes I make fun of them. But the one thing I've never lost is respect for them. because being a deacon at a Baptist church, it means something.

7:57 As you begin that journey, I want you to know that my vision, my passion for the season God has called us together is for us to mold and model traditional Baptist church at its best. to lay aside some of the tomfoolery and things that left a bad taste in people's mouths and embrace what really makes us Baptists. Not to be anti-anything. I'm not anti-Presbyterian. I'm not anti-Episcopal. I'm not anti-Catholic. But I am proud to promote what it means to be Baptists. To be a church that is proud to practice baptism by immersion because that's what Jesus did. And a church that believes in the full authority of God's written and God's living word.

8:52 Want to be traditional Baptist at its best, a church that does not chase technology and has not yielded all of our worship over to praise teams with guitars singing songs they made up the night before. but whether one that embraces the hymns of the church oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be let thy goodness like a fetter bind my watering heart to me to have a choir process in in robes who take the choir loft and sing anthems and spirituals and gospel with a pipe organ and do it all to the glory of God a church that has abandoned some of the tomfoolery of saying that service starts at 11 and 1150 is still waiting on things to get started but starts on time and believes that we ain't got to be here all day to worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth that in one hour we can praise and think, that we can shout and be stretched, that every sermon doesn't end at Calvary, but every sermon ends with you looking in the mirror asking myself, am I what God called and created me to be?

10:17 A church that's not afraid to show people the money because transparency is at the core of what we do. A church that believes in the full equality of men and women to serve in every capacity and calling that God has for us in this place. A church that doesn't promote a dress code but believes that worship ain't casual. That if we can get dressed up for an interview for a job we don't have, and can get dressed up to go on a date with somebody we ain't even met yet, how much more should we adorn ourselves when we walk in sacred space on holy ground to worship the God that has made ways for us? And to be strong Baptist demands strong deacons. Who stand on the wall to protect and promote the inheritance of our yesterday.

11:23 To serve and to see what God has prepared for our tomorrow. And to give thanks to God for what God has entrusted to our today. and I pray that all of you, your families, and this church doesn't miss the magnitude of this moment. For in this moment, the 16 of you are stepping up to help fill the shoes of some deacons who are now stepping down to earn the rest they deserve after decades of service. Oliver Hutchinson, 38 years. Tom Howell 36 years Alton Wallace 31 years Eva Simmons 28 years Levi Pearson 21 years Robert Bogan 22 years Y'all got some big shoes to fill And we're not just asking you to step in their place We're adding you to the list of names Of men and women who've served this church family and made it what it is today.

12:35 Be clear. Alpha Street is not what it is because of who stands in the pulpit to preach. That's part of the equation, but it's not all. We're not who we are because of 9,000 plus members. That's part of the equation, but that's not all that we are. We're not here simply because we serve HBCUs greater than any black church in the United States of America. That's not it. we are here because long before we got here, God called some men and women who've been faithful and whose names ring with reverence in this space. Richard and Mary Ware,

13:18 Will Willis, Barbara Keller, Leo Brooks, Ellen Anderson, James Gladden, Francis and Helen Crawford, James Scott, Welton Quander, Grace Joseph, Betty Jones, Lucille Day, James Johnson, and many others who deserve to be named, but those names have a certain reverence that is greater than any season, any struggle, any pastor, and to God be the glory for those whom he's used. And we have the audacity to add your name to that list. And not just those names, but tonight your name is being added to another name of lists, a list of names. It's a much shorter list.

14:12 There are only seven on it. And they're the first deacons who came into existence in Acts chapter 6. You already know it, but let me give some background for those who don't. quote, Acts chapter 6, as recorded by the same author of the gospel of Luke, is the record of when, where, why, and how deacons became necessary in the work of the church. Why the church needed more than just preachers and pastors, but men and women who were called and ordained to serve within the body of Christ. It can't be overestimated. It's the original charter. It's the scope of work. It's the first MOU. It's the terms of employment. It's the job description of what it means to be a deacon. And in this short passage, and matter of fact, most of all, in the first verse, we find that these magnificent seven who were called to be deacons model for you what God needs in God's church, what Alfred Street needs in God's church, and what I hope you bring to this body of Christ.

15:24 Let me pour on you four critical components of deacon work that I hope you never stray from as you make Acts 6 your foundation for your new call. The very first thing we need from deacons in any body of Christ are those who care about relationships.

15:45 Those who care deeply about relationships. You know the setting. The church in Jerusalem is growing as Peter and then begin preaching. And as the church grows, they find out we have a problem. The problem is that the widows in the church are not being taken care of the way they should. And there are those in the church that knows that that's a major problem because out of their Jewish tradition, they know that there are three segments of society God cares deeply about. orphans,

16:21 strangers, and widows. And no matter what ministry you claim to have, if you are not caring for children and for strangers slash immigrants and orphans and widows, then your ministry is really hypocritical. they realize there's a problem and we got to deal with it now I want you to see the paradox of the problem the church is growing but they got a problem folk are joining but they got a problem the ministries are multiplying but there's a little problem or the choir can sing great songs but there's a little problem and the apostles recognize that we cannot have multiple ministries and sing and shout on Sunday and not care about the problem of the people God has called us to care about.

17:24 Hear me, soon-to-be deacons, eavesdrop Alfred Street. They realize that everything that grows doesn't give God glory. you can be growing and still displeasing to God. There's a difference between growing and swelling. growing is health swelling means there's an infection and the disciples are worried that maybe this ain't growth maybe this is swelling because we got all these accoutrements of ministry but there's a problem caring for the people so this is what they say we need we need some people who care about people we need some people who are not hoodwinked by the size and recognize that's the people we got to deal with we need some folk who are not blinded by budgets and amazed by sermons if there's a problem that needs to be addressed we need some people who realize people matter and that a church ain't a church because of its membership it's a church because of its relationship.

18:45 So I want to charge you before we lay hands on you that Alfred Street is not 9,000 members. It's 9,000 relationships. And those relationships require some hard work. You know what it takes to stay in fellowship with folk? I was joking just before I came in here. Council Member Director Ron and Deacon Bessie are celebrating their 50th anniversary today. Do you know how much work it takes to celebrate 50 years? Congratulations. That's hard work. You know how much besties had to put up with. Hard work for relationships. God's calling you to some hard work.

19:38 To pick up the phone when sending an email would have been easier. To going by the hospital when a card in the mail would have been sufficient. To see a member in the hallway whose head is down and know that you can't just walk by. But you have to pause and ask them, are you okay? Can I pray with you? Is there anything the church can do for you to get on the road and travel all the way down the tidewater to be in a funeral for a member's great-great-grandmama who don't even go to Alfred Street, but because we care about people? We need some leaders who remind this church that majority rules should never be how we operate. Because majority rules can silence 49% of your congregation. That membership matters.

20:36 You've got to be a caring person for relationship. Not only must you care about relationship, can I give you number two? Number two, you need to be committed to resolution. Chuck, Chuck, watch this. This will blow your mind. There's a problem. Verse one, the widows aren't being taken care of. And when the problem arises, it divides the church into two categories. When a problem arises, there are those who complained and there are those who were compelled to fix it. I want to say this again. When the problem arose, Carol, there were two groups of folk. Those who complained and those who were compelled to fix it. Okay, you ain't got me. Peggy, when a problem came, there were two groups of folk. Those who complained and those who felt compelled to fix it.

21:35 because in any church, when a problem arises, there are two groups of folk, those who will complain and those who are compelled to fix it. Can I drop something on you? I'm talking, anybody can complain.

21:57 Anybody can point a finger. Anybody can fuss and cuss about what they feel is not going on. complaining is not a gift of the Holy Spirit. Anybody can be upset and run their mouth. Only few are called to fix it. And your assignment today is to be committed to resolving problems that are inevitable in the body of Christ. as we lay our hands on you and set you forth to be a deacon, I want to remind you that you are a problem solver, not a problem starter. that you are called to make it better, not make it worse. I mean, when we send you into a ministry meeting, it ought to be better on the other side than it is before you went in.

23:00 Your job is to stop it, not spread it. I wanted to tell you a story that I have never shared publicly. I'm going to leave some names out to protect the innocent. I want to tell you about the ministry you're joining tonight. When the Lord called me to Alfred Street, and the vote had been taken, and I'm preparing to move my family here, there were some people who were disgruntled about me leaving Springfield, Massachusetts. And it got church ugly. And there were those who called a few members of Alfred Street back in 2007 and said, you know he has a child out of wedlock.

24:00 That they spread a rumor from Springfield to blow into Alfred Street that I had a child outside of my marriage. And I didn't know what to do about that. How do I fight that? I'm not even pastor of Alfred Street yet. How do I prove that's not true? The wind blew in here and someone caught hold of it. They began to speak it.

24:28 The search committee with deacons on and some other deacons knew it wasn't true, that had been vetted. And the diaconate sent members of the deacon board to that person to let them know that's not how we do things here. that we are not going to flame a rumor that's not true about our incoming pastor. And I knew right then, this is where God was calling me to be, to be around some mature leaders who realize that our call is not to spread it, it's to stop it. We don't pour gasoline on fires. We pray, bring water, and then discipline it out to church. that you are called to be committed to resolving problems.

25:26 And here's the crazy thing about the problem in verse 1. The problem was easily solvable. There were widows who were hungry. All somebody had to do was step up and feed them. But they had to wait for Peter to call a meeting, to cast some vision, to resolve a problem in a simple way, because they could have fixed it themselves rather than complaining, but they were waiting on one man and a council to make a decision to fix what they could have fixed themselves. Can I tell you what destroys churches? Leaders and members who are too dependent on one man or one woman to cast a vision to solve a problem that is easily solvable by those who are on the ground. It's real simple.

26:18 If it's broke, fix it. If they're hungry, feed them. If it's crooked, straighten it out. If they need volunteers, show up. If it ain't funded, give. If it needs to be cleaned, cleaned. If it needs to be picked up, pick it up. Whatever it is, do the work, because it doesn't demand. Churches are killed by lazy leaders. who need the pastor to cast vision for everything.

26:54 Resolve the problem. It's real simple. Do what needs to be done. Because you've got to care about relationships. You've got to be committed to resolutions. And watch number three. You've got to be calm and reassuring. Watch this, y'all. It's a problem. The widows aren't being fed. And so a group starts to complain to try to create the perception that this Christian thing ain't all it claims to be. A group saw a problem and tried to magnify it to make it seem like the church is in jeopardy. That this preaching of Peter ain't really doing what y'all think it's doing. Look at them. They're hypocrites. They've got problems. This thing is all crashing down because the enemy always wants to magnify little problems.

27:55 So in this moment, the church in Jerusalem found out they needed what AlphaTreat needs today and what every church needs. In times of problem, every church needs a calm down ministry. every church needs a it's gonna be all right ministry every church needs some we got this ministry what we are calling you to do are to be the ones who calm down the church when there's a small minority who wants to make it seem like the church is somehow in jeopardy someone who can go in and say, relax, cool down, we got this, go to prayer, we'll handle it, everything is going to be all right. I want you to know there's a difference between a question and a problem, and there's a difference between a problem and a challenge, and there's a difference between a challenge and a threat. And what the devil wants to do is cause a question or problem to look like a threat to the body of Christ to cause us to overreact and to deal with matters in severe ways that really can be dealt with in private conversation.

29:17 So your assignment is to be sent into the midst of panic and make certain the button ain't pushed. Your job is to walk into those who are fearful and wondering and let them know we've prayed about it. We got our hands on this. God is going to see us through this. Your assignment is to put the fire out and to let folk know God is still in control. No matter who is and who ain't in the pulpit, your job is bigger. And although you're being ordained under this pastor, some of you will serve long after I'm gone. Your commitment is not to Pastor Wesley. your commitment is to the well-being of this church.

30:10 So in times of crisis, you calm people down by two things. One, you let them know problems are to be expected. The presence of a problem is not cause to panic. The presence of a disagreement is not cause to start a rebellion in church. the presence of a problem does not mean we got to have a church meeting and vote somebody out problems are par for the course we're dealing with people you ain't never seen nothing perfect with people problems come along with people and number two to remind them that although there may be some problems we've dealt with this before you we celebrate 216 years of Baptist Church two weeks ago, and if Ecclesiastes 1 and 9 is right, that there's nothing new under the sun, then I come by to testify whatever we deal with in 2019, we've dealt with at some point before in this journey. We've been around 216 years. Do you know how many disgruntled members we've had to deal with? Do you know how many financial disagreements we've overcome? Do you know how many rumors we've had to lay down? Do you know how many different opinions we've had to navigate through? Do you know how many changes of leadership we've had to deal with? Do you know how many letters of resignation are stockpiled in every pastor's desk? This is par for the course.

31:42 And the God that carried us through starting in 1803 and brought us through to 2019 is the same God. Problems shouldn't make us panic. You know how I found this out? I found this out when I became a dad, and anyone here whose parents had to raise young ones, you'll say amen in about 35 seconds. Being a parent, Mark, it takes all the squeamishness out of you.

32:19 Nothing makes you squeamish. because if you've had to do what I've had to do and you've dealt with a child from the moment they came out of womb, anything that can come out of the human body has come out on you. Mucus, vomit, number one and number two.

32:42 And it happens so often that you just kind of get used to it. I remember by the time my second child was born, And my niece had come to stay with us for a little bit, and she was not a mother, and I was cleaning Cooper one day, and in the midst of cleaning him, he got messier. Amen. In the midst of cleaning him, he got messier. In the midst of cleaning. He baptized me in the name of the devil. And my niece was sitting there looking as I'm just dealing with it, and she's wondering, how in the world can you let him do that to you? How does that not make you throw up? how I deal. I said, because I've dealt with this so much, it just doesn't bother me anymore. I know that this is what comes along with the territory. I know how to handle it. I know how to get through it. I know how to clean it up. No matter what happens in church, we've dealt with this before, and you just got to get used to dealing with the mess and the rumor and the nasty and still do your job that God has called you to do.

33:44 This is just what we do. We deal with the mess so that others don't have to. You've got to care about relationships. You've got to be committed to resolutions. You have to be calm and reassuring. Let me get this last one. You have to have a character that is righteous. the disciples knew they needed some folk but they couldn't just take anybody because this ain't a volunteer ministry This isn't a, ooh, I want to be a deacon assignment. This isn't a whosoever will.

34:39 This ain't first come, first serve. You have to be chosen. that the Lord chooses you and the leadership affirms that calling, but you've got to be chosen. So they said, listen, we're looking for some specific character types, because everybody ain't fit to be a deacon. Some folk just want the privileges that come along. They want that first reserve seat on the pew. They want to be able to walk through with reverence. They want to serve communion. They want to tell folk, I'm deacon, this and that, and that ain't half of what you've been called to do. So that's what we need. We need people who are full of wisdom.

35:20 Wisdom, Dr. Gunn, is a result of life experience. We can't have no rookies with trouble in the diaconate. We can't have folk who ain't never had to pray themselves through nothing in the diaconate. We can't have folk that needed the Lord to make a way out of nowhere, and if God didn't show up, you was going to lose everything. We need some folk that have been through some things with God who know that God is able, who know that when you trust God, the Lord will make a way.

35:48 What qualified you was not some resume of perfection. Don't ever walk through the church as if you were perfect. That's not how you got in this seat. You got in this seat because you hit rock bottom and God built you up. You got in this seat because you got on your knees and the Lord opened the door. You got in this seat because all hell was breaking loose and God kept your life together and that same God is who you're called to pursue. So we need folk who are filled with wisdom, who've been through some things, and watch this, who are filled with faith. Centrine, because there's going to come a moment when we've looked at the budget, we've debated the issue, we've discussed every side, and then someone's got to stand up and say, but we've got to trust God. that if we can see our way through it, faith ain't involved. That God has a way of calling us to do the impossible and the unprecedented, and there have to be leaders in the church who say that if God calls us to it, God will make a way.

36:51 If God is in it, God will sustain it. If it's God's will, it shall come to pass. We need those who know how to walk by faith and not just by sight. I need you to do what finance committee doesn't do. I need you to do what HR doesn't do. I need you to do what governance doesn't do. They operate in their lanes. Your lane is to walk by faith. we need them wise full of faith and full of the spirit I'm about to make some folk upset but it's alright they said look around and find some folk who have evidence of the spirit we need some folk that we know got some holy ghost in them we need some folk who we know will give evidence that there's a love of Jesus in their heart. We need some folk who got some stuff on the inside that just keeps showing up on the outside. And Calvin, I had to wonder, how did they pick these seven? What did they see in them? I had to do some biblical research.

38:00 You need to know that this is before all the gifts of the Spirit start to manifest. So they wasn't just looking for talking in tongues. They wasn't just looking for miraculous healings. They were looking for something else. Well, where do you find evidence of the Spirit? Well, the only time I think they could give evidence of these seven having the Holy Spirit was when they were gathered together in worship because that's all we know they were doing at that time, that these seven must have been woes who came to worship and said, ooh, we, God is good, and I feel like praising. There had to be somebody who said, the Lord has been so good to me, I just got to wave a hand every now and then, that the Lord has made so many ways that I know it gets on your nerve, but I'm going to say thank you, Jesus, because he's been mighty good to me. and I came by to ask you to do me a personal favor don't let these white gloves don't let this badge don't let that seat on that front row change your worship even though you are deacon you've been saved by the grace of God and whenever you think about the goodness of God you ought to be the first one to lift up holy hands and bless his name because he's been that good Yeah!

39:09 Don't. Don't you come to church and go to sleep. He's been too good to you. Don't you sit on that pew and sit on your hands. He's been too good to you. Don't you walk with authority and then praise in silence. He's been too good to you.

39:34 Give evidence of the Spirit. Well, it's time, but I was a little concerned about these seven that were chosen, these magnificent seven, because... Jerry, there's seven who were chosen, and you probably only know two of their names. Stephen and Philip. And that's if you read the Bible. If you ain't read scripture, you ain't heard of none of them. You mean I've been chosen, I'm doing the dirty work, I'm making hospital visits, I'm putting and my name may not be known.

40:24 Yup. Yep. Your name may not be known. So your motivation cannot be recognition. I hope one of you makes it to chair of deacons, but all y'all ain't.

40:52 I hope one of you makes deacon emeritus, but all y'all ain't. But the motivation isn't the chair seat. It isn't emeritus status. It's a desire to hear two words. not spoken by me, not whispered in the church.

41:20 You can only hear it in time with God. Two words. Better than emeritus. Two words. Better than chair. Well done. Well done. May that be the motivation of your heart, to hear the Lord say, well done.