"Faithful Deacons"
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Open with Prayer:
Read the Text:
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
One other text that I think we need to read that parallels with this one that is found in 1 Timothy chapter 3. Turn with me to Acts chapter 6.
1 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. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
A church without godly leaders is an endangered church. And a church that does not train leaders is an unfaithful church. God gives leaders to His churches for the maturity, unity, and soundness of each local congregation. Without godly, faithful, replication leadership, the church will suffer deeply.
If you are not currently serving as deacon or elder why not? What is holding you back? I want you to begin to pray and think about the importance of serving as an elder or deacon. The apostle Paul knew just how important such leadership was for every church was. In 1 Timothy he writes to his child in the faith young Timothy and gives several qualifications or guidelines on how to find good leaders. Timothy himself grew up under the spiritual instruction of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice. He also traveled, served, and learned alongside Paul. Paul’s charge here to Timothy was to find and entrust faithful men to serve in the church. This means that men will pour into men as iron sharpens iron, so to men in the church will begin to take time to help disciple other men so that the church can continue to thrive and help proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
I believe that as the Lord is helping us to grow in our faith that there comes a time that we just like Paul find a Timothy to pour into and train up new godly leaders such as deacons and elders.
So, here again, just like last week as we learned about elders, we now come to the biblical qualifications of deacons, and we ask what kind of character must these men possess, and how can we spot it???
With the Lord’s blessing, as we walk slowly through these verses tonight, we will think about what qualities to search for and what duties need to be fulfilled in Christian leadership. So, let us look now to God’s Word on what a deacon is to be.
Verse 8 = Paul now designates these men as deacons as over against overseers and this does not imply that they were not leaders as well. The deacons were too leaders, however they just had a different role than the elders. As we learned from Acts chapter 6 there came a time in the church where the leaders got so busy that the widows were being neglected and other church responsibilities. Eventually, there came a tremendous need to find some faithful men to help be the under-shepherds and take care of the widows and to serve tables so that the elders could continue to devote themselves to praying and teaching the word of God.
So, Paul tells us that a deacon is to be worthy of respect. That is what this word dignified meant. Deacons are to be men of dignity, men that are of noble character in their walk and talk. What Paul then does here is that he lays out negatively three characteristics of dignified. These characteristics are not to be found as part of a deacon’s life.
1. A deacon is not to be double-tongued. Paul has in mind here that a deacon must be sincere or that he is fully trustworthy. In other words, what he says, that he will do. What he says to one person, he will not turn around and do something completely opposite to another. He is the same person at church as he is at his job or with his family.
2. A deacon is not to be addicted too much wine. Paul now instructs Timothy and shows us that deacons are not to be addicted to much wine. Deacons are to lead lives that show that they are sober and self-controlled. It is interesting that it says that deacon’s are not to be addicted to much wine. Maybe the elders led the deacons to drink alot. Just kidding! The point here that Paul is showing us is that this office just like that of an elder should be about self-control and not let alcohol ruin our lives and our testimony.
3. A deacon is not to be greedy for dishonest gain. Finally, Paul addresses the fact that deacons should not be a people who take advantage of others for their own profit or benefit. Paul is probably alluding to the fact that some of the false teachers at the time were doing this very thing.
In the King James version it says that deacons are not to be greedy of filthy lucre. That statement has always made me chuckle a little bit. What it shows us is the ugliness of the disposition. The NIV”S version says pursuing dishonest gain which sounds a lot nicer.
The reason why Paul is laying this out here was the fact that it was very important for a deacon to avoid this type of behavior because the deacons had intimate access to the lives of many people within the church, and even more particularly those who were vulnerable and weak. They were to care for the practical needs of the church and this also involved benevolence. So, this platform would give deacons the potential to exploit others for their own gain.
Here are some questions that we must consider as we look for potential deacons:
-Does this person observe self-control when it comes to the use of alcohol? He is self-controlled in other areas of his life?
-How does this person view money and does he exhibit godly generosity to others including the church?
-Is the potential deacon honest in his own financial dealings?
-What is the potential deacon’s attitude towards wealth?
Verse 9 = We now come to verse 9. Paul now tells us that deacons are to hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. What in the world does this mean??? Well, just like any business or even server at a restaurant, deacons must know their product. Since deacons are to care for the practical needs of the body of Christ and even being asked to serve in a specific ministry within the church we may think of deacons as more doers of the word instead of thinkers, but this is not true. When Paul says here that deacons are to hold to the mystery of the faith, he means that deacons should have a firm grip on the gospel of Jesus Christ. This phrase mystery appears often in Paul’s writings.
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,
Holding to the mystery of the faith implies several things:
First, there is a cognitive requirement. Deacon’s must know what the Lord says from His Word the Bible. They must know facts concerning the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ as well as some of the doctrines of the faith. Deacons must understand the claims of the Bible and they must be able to explain the main points of the gospel. How else can deacons be the kinds of servants that point others to Jesus as they serve?
The second thing is some experience that is required. This does not mean that a deacon is perfect by any means, but that the deacon needs to have embrace Christ for himself. He must give witness to the fact that his faith and trust are in Christ alone for salvation. There has been a genuine repentance and faith in his life.
Finally, the deacon must hold these truths with a clear conscience. That is, his life and conscience must conform to the faith that he professes. He must live a life worthy of the Christian calling.
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Verse 10 = Serving in the local church not only bring joy from time to time, but it really tests the servant. Serving others tests the depths of our love, the length of our patience and the quality of our endurance. Yes, there are wonderful rewards especially when we see hearts and lives changed but that does not mean there may come difficult days. There are many times where deacons are called upon to a number of difficult situations that are the result of serious needs or even serious sin. So, we are looking for men who can go through the battles and will continue to endure. That is why there must be careful and thoughtful evaluation of a man’s life as we consider who serves as a deacon. The word blameless here does not mean that we are looking for a perfect sinless deacon, but it does mean that they are above reproach.
Verse 11 = Paul now turns the corner and addresses the women. The phrase “their wives” and specifically “their” is not in the original manuscripts. This can also mean women deacons or deaconesses. Both meanings are woman. The first women who served here as deacons in this context were the wives of deacons.
The reason that Paul did not call these women “deaconesses” is that in his day and age the word (diakonos) was still used for males and females alike. We see that Phoebe is identified as a diakonos of the church in Romans 16.
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae,
Later on in church history around AD 115 Pliny the Younger refers to 2 women called deaconesses in Bithynia under Trajan.
Since being a deacon does not involve teaching or ruling, women as well as men are eligible to serve in this capacity. Thus the requirements that Paul lays out here are similar to those for male deacons.
-A women should be dignified.
-A women should not be a slander.
-A women should be sober-minded.
-A women should be faithful in all things.
Verse 12 = The phrase here be the husband of one wife and manage their households well is the same phrase we see for elders. Again the wording here means “one woman man.” The word here is best rendered a faithful husband. Someone who is faithful to their wife. To be morally pure in thoughts, words, and actions. The main focus here that Paul has in mind is sexual purity and not marital status.
The other side of the coin here is that a deacon must manage their children and their own household well. An elder must be in charge over his family and see that his children obey him and respect him. The word “manage” here carries the sense of to rule or govern and more importantly to be concerned with and care for your family and Christ cares for his bride the church. Such a person will be known to give the kind of leadership at home that shows his children obey and respect him. The children will be see as children who have good behavior or eventually obedience to Christ and Christlike behavior. Because the deacon is able to manage his own household well he can then also manage God’s house well.
Verse 13 = Paul now closes his discussion here on church leadership and the qualifications for such leaders with an encouraging note. Those elders and deacons who have served well gain an excellent standing. In other words, these leaders can expect to be recognized in the church for their faithful service and their great assurance in the faith. These benefits are so much better than any kind of financial gain, because they are eternal rewards of faithful leaders in the church and are helping others to grow in their faith or sharing their faith with the lost.
Closing Questions:
Why are some men reserved or even afraid of serving as deacon or elder?
What is holding you back from serving?
What is a biblical argument against women serving as deacons?
Is there anyone you know in our church currently not serving in a leadership role who seems to fit these qualifications?
(Close in Prayer)