Requirements and Qualifications for Deacons

Introduction

Scripture

Father God, we thank You for Who You are. A great Big God who sees each and every one of us here and cares deeply about us. We ask this day, as we are continuing in this time of worship to You, reading Your Word and hearing Your Word, that You refine us with it. Mold us, make us, shape us, rearrange us so that we can more like You, and more made into the image of Christ. Help us be a people who love You and love others so much, that we are moved into action by whatever it is You are going to show us about Yourself today and what that means in our lives. Help us do this, because all to often our selfish and sinless flesh war against our will to follow Yours. As we are doing this, and as we are coming into Your Word today, we ask that You take away any distraction that we may have, and make it go as far away as it possible can, because we want to see and we want to know You better. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.

8 Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. 11 Wives,,likewise, should be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. 12 Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. 13 For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Context

This week, we are turning our attention back to the 1st Letter of Paul to Timothy. In our sermon week before last, we read through and described the requirements and qualifications for Pastors/Elders/Overseer’s/Bishops (which ever your bible says, they are all the same thing). This week, we are looking at the 2nd and separate Biblical office of the deacon. Since Paul was having to write about this office to Timothy, it’s clear that there were both unqualified and bad deacons serving in the church at Ephesus along with the good and qualified, and this was damaging the entire congregation. So, Paul writes these requirements to help Timothy root out the wrong and bring in the right.

The word Deacon itself, translated from the original language, means servant. So, a deacon is a servant of the church in title and function. It’s very important to know this, both as a congregation and for those that serve as a deacon, for many reasons. For one thing, it shows us what the character of deacon is to be like, as Christ Himself came to be a servant and serve mankind. Importantly too, in the Baptist church’s context in the last 50 years or so, it serves as a reminder to us about the way that the local church is supposed to govern itself or decisions are to be made. As for some reason or another, every church has different reasons, Baptist churches in America have morphed the separate biblical office of Elders and Deacons together to where now in many church bodies deacons serve as a sort of elder or even a “check and balance” to the pastor/elders/overseers/bishops. This of course is scripturally wrong, and Baptist churches have in the last 15 years or so began to work to overcome this mistake.

Remember last year, when we went through Acts chapter 6, the text described 7 men that were chosen to serve in a new and different kind of ministry. This was because the early church leaders were being distracted from their important work of teaching and prayer along with the good works the church does. So, they were not able to perform their important role of teaching, equipping, and praying for the church. So, this new office was made, and with time we understand that it turned into the Deacon Ministry that we are reading about today.

That is not to say, that Deacon’s are not important and the church can function without them. They are very, they are extremely important They serve and do important acts of work and service so that Christ’s great name can spread both within and outside the church body. But, their role and purpose are different than the other biblical office. The Deacon’s serve selflessly for the church and the pastor/elder/overseer/bishops equip and lead the church as Christ is leading them. It is then our job as voting members within a Baptist church to be in constant fellowship with God, so that we can discern if our leadership is leading us in the direction of Christ or something entirely different.

Back to the issue of Deacons though, Good and Qualified deacons have a huge impact on the church body and it’s ability to do the work of Christ. To be a good and qualified deacon, you must meet what Paul describes here in today’s text and the other biblical texts regarding this important scriptural office, what I’m saying is that, Deacons have requirements and qualifications so that the church can do their good works well.

So, let’s jump in and From the text, I want you to see these requirements and qualifications for deacons,

so a Deacon is to:

Message

Hold and Know their faith. (8-9)

8 Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

Paul begins by describing several critical Character issues for deacons, that they should be someone worthy of respect, they cannot be hypocritic (people who say one thing but do another), they cannot be heavy on the alcohol, they cannot be greedy (but generous). Importantly though, Paul points out the importance of holding onto their faith. That is to say, they do not have the same requirements as the elders, but they are expected to be able to understand the basics without doubt, so that the fullness of Christ that was once a mystery to mankind and now has been revealed to us, is known by this person and motivates them in how think, act, and do, anything in their life.

There is a term that used to be said quite often, maybe it is still, but I haven’t heard it in a while. This term is called, “World View.” Meaning, it is the way you see the world around you. It is the metaphorical glasses you put on when you look at the world around you, and it informs how you make decisions or even simply, whether you see something as good or bad. It is the filter that you run everything through. Every person has one of these, whether we see it or admit it or not. For deacon’s, the world view, their lenses are to be through the knowledge and faith that Jesus Christ died for us and that if we turn to Him we will be forgiven of our sins and whole before God again.

Being able to hold onto and know that is critical and required for the Deacon. With that in the right order of operations in your world view, then it should be natural for the deacon to be a respectful person, a follow through person, a sober person, and a person who is not to caught up or consumed with money and the obtaining/pursuit of it. Not that every deacon will be perfect at these, but the deacon will have a certain proficiency that will receive further training and correction so that more maturity will come. If the deacon is not have that level of proficiency and does not grow in it, then, as Paul was pointing out about the bad deacon’s in Ephesus, they are not qualified deacons and are not to continue in that office of the church so that Christ and the church bodies name will not be slandered. Churches must be ready to do the good works that Christ has prepared them for, and an important part of this is the quality of the deacons. So, Deacons have requirements and qualifications so that the church can do their good works well. Importantly among them, is that deacons are to hold and know their faith.

Next, a deacon is to be: Tested in and persevere in their faith. (10-12)

10 They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. 11 Wives,, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. 12 Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households

Just like the elders, deacons are to be tested. No person legitimately can go straight from new convert or immature convert to deacon quickly or immediately. First, Deacon’s must be observed and tested to see if they are indeed ready for the important office. Then, if they pass their test, then they can serve.

Verse 11, then turns into one of the hardest verses to correctly interpret, and admittingly it was for me as well. It all comes to the very first word or few words, and different bible translations say something slightly different based off of one word. This word is γυναῖκας, which can logically be translated as either the word women or wives. In fact, the most literal translation of this single translation would go something like this: “Women/wives likewise honorable, not evil/devilish, controlled, trustworthy in all.” This small difference in how a person interprets this one word can have an effect, as it speaks to either the legitimacy or the illegitimacy of female deacons.

To be honest with you, I have studied this topic a lot in the past, and a lot in the last few weeks preparing for this sermon. During my studies, I have found that theologians that I did not expect to allow for female deacons were open to it, and even some that I expected to be for them, were against it. As I kept up my study, I found many commentators simply not taking a stance, but simply giving the legitimate arguments. I want to read you this quote from a very good commentary set, the Pillar New Testament Commentary, specifically the theologian Doriani, regarding this issue and the interpretation of it, they see (and honestly I saw this in other commentaries as well) 4 major thesable positions that, “(1) the women are “part of the general order of deacons,” (2) “they are female deacons or deaconesses who correspond somehow to the male deacons,” (3) they are “assistants to deacons” like the praiseworthy widows (1 Tim 5:9–10) and older women who train the younger (Titus 2:3–5), and (4) they are the deacons’ wives. He observes that “all four views agree that women should be involved in diaconal work.”[1] All four of these positions can fit within orthodox Christianity (meaning they can be and are within the realm of appropriate for Christian Churches), provided that a church understands and lives out that deacons are not the under shepherds/leaders, but are the servants of Christ’s church.

This is one of the reasons why many churches opt out of females being allowed to be formal deacon’s because they have the prescribed order of governance under the bible out of Wack. When you compare that with the knowledge that it appears that there is a named female deacon within the bible, Phobe, it creates in my view a strong case for legitimate female deacons. The next verse then, verse 12, then speaks the requirement of fidelity within the marriage for the deacon, and that the deacon manages their household and children well. This verse does not serve as a legitimate proof against the female deacons, and good commentators on the bible never will use it, because it was common in the time when writing about the family to speak to the men, but it was known that this requirement was for men AND women. What it is saying here, is that you are a 1 woman kind of man or 1 man kind of women and you do right for your family and raise them in your faith.

Whether you think women should be deacons or not, it is extremely clear from this passage, that those who serve as deacons were to be both tested in their faith, and they were to persevere in their faith. Just as being a good mother or father includes yes, the action of having a child, but also the continued work of child rearing and support for the child. Which of course means growing and maturing as a parent as your child grows and matures. So, deacons should be growing and maturing as general rule. Why? Because Deacons have requirements and qualifications so that the church can do their good works well. And some of these requirements include being tested in and persevering in your faith.

Also, a deacon will get: Good standing and boldness in their faith. (13)

13 For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

It’s very easy to misinterpret this verse if you don’t consider the context of the church that was originally receiving this message. Remember how this letter to both Timothy and the church at Ephesus. This church was at war with itself and divided because of bad leadership and in some people’s cases a straight up disregard for Christ, His commands, the scriptures, and Christ’s chosen leaders for the early church, The Apostles. So, in the church at Ephesus, the unqualified people in the offices of Elders and Deacon’s, were known for using and abusing their office for personal gain. In places in scripture, it is even insinuated that people that were tasked with giving charity from the church in the form of money, food helps, or even labor helps, were known for keeping the money or food for themselves and never getting around to the labor helps. This of course, is greed in the worst kind, as it steals directly from both the church and a needy person and is a behavior that is not becoming of a follower of Christ, especially someone who has been entrusted with the important servant roll of deacon.

Just think about it, lets say you hire someone to help you; maybe a cleaner in your house or a contractor to do a big job in your yard. You meet them and everything seems nice at first, but then you start to notice that expensive things in the house go missing or maybe your tools in your tool shed go missing. At first, you probably chalk it up to your own lack of organization or misplacing something. Then, as time goes on, more and more things come up missing. You then know what has happened. They are a thief that has stolen your stuff. Let me ask you, when you figure that out, no matter how much you liked that cleaner or contractor before, after you figure out they have been stealing from you, do you respect them any more? No, you do not. This person no longer has a good standing with you. This is the opposite of what a deacon is to be, a deacon is to be trustworthy in any situation.

Also, as the Deacon continues in the good acts and service of Christ and His church, he gains something else, something very precious. Deacons gain a boldness and assurance of their faith as Christ reveals Himself more and more to a person as they serve Him. This is a growth in relationship that will continue and with time, as the deacon grows in maturity, it is obvious to see that while you do these good works, they are opportunities to boldly share Jesus with others. Whether it be building a ramp on a wheel chair bound person’s porch, or serving meals to the needy, or serving the Lord’s Supper, or meeting with repairmen for the church building, the deacon’s maturity in Christ will lead to the sharing of Jesus Christ and the Gospel when and where it can be so that Jesus would be further glorified.

Remember the situation in Ephesus, how the deacons were stealing and only had themselves in mind with their important service office. It is important that for any church, no matter the time or place, that the church chooses qualified and selfless Deacons. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to come up with the qualifications. God the Holy Spirit has already done this for us through the Apostles hand. The qualifications and requirements are found right there in your bible. So, we have no room to argue with it. It’s important for any church to remember and know these qualifications, because one of the reasons the Holy Church exists is to do good works in the world so that Christ can be glorified in the world. Without the right people as Deacons, this can be made much more difficult. So we have to know and apply that Deacons have requirements and qualifications so that the church can do their good works well. As the qualified and selfless deacon goes on doing the good works for Christ, that deacon will get a good standing and boldness in faith, which is something to desire.

Conclusion

Beloved, though not all of us will be or are Deacons, it is so important for the long term sake and health of the church that we choose and appoint people to this selfless service roll who will serve well and glorify Christ in their service. Not doing so, as we see in Ephesus, can wound the entire church body and is ultimately an attack by Satan to wound the faith of the believers. So, you have to know and apply if you are choosing a deacon or you are becoming a deacons, that there are requirements and qualifications for the Deacon so that the church can do their good works well. Some of these important requirements and qualifications is that they: Hold and Know their faith, are tested and persevere in the faith, and if they are found able to serve; as they do they will gain a good standing and boldness in their faith. So church, remember these truths for the sake of your church bodies health and your own spiritual health as well.

With all of that being said, I would be remised if I didn’t share the Gospel (or the Good News) of Jesus Christ with you today, for the benefit of both believer and non-believer in the room. This begins all the way back at the beginning, God created everything, and he created all things good. He gave His most treasured creation (us, mankind) the ability of free will, the ability to choose Him or rebellion. Man was deceived by Satan and desired to be like God and sinned (or rebelled against God). This brought the curse of sin and death into the world and it remains with us to this day; which separates us from God. God though, loved His creation (mankind) so much that He worked through history to redeem all mankind that would turn to Him from sin so that we can experience a full and perfect relationship with Him again. This was through the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the pay for sins. Accepting this free gift from God, makes you new and forgiven. All you have to do accept this free gift by repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus and you will get to experience the good side of God’s justice forever. So, now that you know this, you can no longer plead ignorance. I invite and urge you to respond today non-believer and apply this to every part of your life believers in the audience today.

With that, Let’s conclude. Brothers and Sisters, I love you all. During our last song together, if you need prayer, or want to talk more about Jesus, or have something you want to talk about, I’ll be here, don’t be afraid to come on down. Let’s pray. Father God, we thank You for who You are and what You are doing to us here in this place. May whatever it is that You are doing in each of heart here, continue as we leave go out into the world this week. Change us, mold us, make us, re-arrange us, that we can be both better lovers of You and better showers of You. It’s in these things that I ask and in Jesus Christ’s Holy and precious name that I pray, Amen.

[1]Yarbrough, Robert W. The Letters to Timothy and Titus. Edited by D. A. Carson, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2018, p. 211.