Complaining in Church - Acts 5-6

Acts 6:1 (ESV)

Seven Chosen to Serve

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

Satan does not want the Church (the Body of Christ) to flourish.  Jesus told the disciples that he would fight against them, but they would prevail:

Matthew 16:18 (ESV)

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The “gates of hell” may not prevail, but that does not mean they won’t try.   Up until now Satan had used persecution on the leadership (Acts 3 & 4) and corruption in the membership (Acts 5) to stop church growth. In the above verses we see he uses genuine needs and structural disorder, or lack of systems, to produce logistical complaining.  The word used in the text for “complaint” is used four times in the New Testament:

Vine:  gongusmos (γογγυσμός, 1112), “a murmuring, muttering” (akin to A, No. 1), is used (a) in the sense of secret debate among people, John 7:12 (as with the verb in v. 32); (b) of displeasure or complaining (more privately than in public), said of Grecian Jewish converts against Hebrews, Acts 6:1; in general admonitions, Phil. 2:14; 1 Pet. 4:9, RV, “murmuring” (KJV“grudging”).  

Notice how Peter and Paul warns against it:

1 Peter 4:9 (ESV)

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Philippians 2:14 (ESV)

Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

Think about how this played out during the world wide pandemic of 2020-2022.   People grumbled and complained to church leaders about how the church was open or closed, or masks or no masks.   The system was, at best, erratic.   Satan used the disease in an attempt to destroy the church.   It was people grumbling.  Not about their widows not being provided for, but their own personal needs. 

Think about the political structure how it has filtered into the Body of Christ and divided the church. It has caused people to grumble about priorities and about allegiance to a particular party, cause or symbol.    

Satan can often cause more trouble in the church over church-splits internally than he can ever do by outside persecution.   Grumbling and complaining and murmuring has done more damage to the church of Christ than men and women being burnt by fire for their beliefs.   When we grumble and murmur we quench the Spirit of God.  That will do more damage than government prevention of faith.