Deacon Ordination

Welcome and Explanation

Good morning, church family. Today is a special day in the life of our congregation. We have gathered to ordain Andy Lyon, whom we believe God has called and the church has affirmed to serve as a deacon here at Meadowbrook. This is not merely a position of honor—it is a sacred calling of servant leadership, modeled after our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Before we go any further we want to have some Scripture reading today to serve as a challenge and a reminder to Andy and Rachel. Andy and Rachel are one and they serve together in the body of Christ. As a way to honor Andy and his family, all of the Scriptures will be read from the Bible of Leonard Lyon (Andy’s dad).

The first Scripture Reading comes from the Book of Acts. Randy Maney, one of our other deacons will come and read Acts 6:1-7

Acts 6:1–7 – The calling of the first deacons (RANDALL)

The second Scripture Reading will be read by another deacon: David Reynolds and he will be reading from 1 Timothy 3:8-13 regarding the qualification of deacons

1 Timothy 3:8–13 – Qualifications of deacons (DAVID)

The final Scripture Reading will be read by the Chairman of our Deacon Board, Charlie Wilhelm, and he will remind us of our role to be servants. This passage is found in John 13:12-17...

John 13:12–17 – Jesus washing the disciples' feet (CHARLIE)

Andy, these passages remind us that deacons are called to be men of dignity, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, and committed to a life of humble service.

Charge to the Candidate

Pastor (to the candidate):

Andy would you and your wife come and stand before the congregation?

Andy, you have been chosen by this church and affirmed by its members to serve as a deacon. This calling is not something to be taken lightly. The word 'deacon' means 'servant,' and you are being set apart to serve the body of Christ—caring for the needs of the congregation, supporting the work of the pastor, and helping advance the mission of the church."

Do you now commit to serve Christ and His church faithfully, in humility, integrity, and love, as a deacon of this congregation, depending on the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit?

Candidate responds: “I do.”

Charge to the Church

Pastor (to the congregation): "Church family, you have called Andy Lyon to serve among you as a deacon. As he takes on this responsibility, you also have a responsibility—to support him, pray for him, encourage him, and follow him as he follows Christ."

Do you commit to support, pray for, and work alongside Andy Lyon as he serves this body as a deacon? Congregation responds: “We do.”

Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Ordination

(Invite current ordained deacons and pastors to come forward and lay hands on the candidate.)

After the laying on of hands, the pastor or a designated leader prays aloud:

Prayer: "Father, we thank You for calling Andy to this ministry of service. We ask that You fill him with Your Spirit, guide him with Your wisdom, and strengthen him with Your grace. May his life reflect the heart of Christ and point others to You. Use him mightily for Your glory and the good of this church. In Jesus’ name, amen."

Presentation of Bible

"At this time, we would like to present Andy with this Bible as a symbol of his ordination and calling."

Closing Words

Pastor: "Church family, we rejoice today as we welcome Andy Lyon into the ordained ministry of the church. Let us continue to encourage and support him in the days to come. To God be the glory!"

At the end of the service Andy and his family will be up front. We’d like everyone to come by and welcome him officially to this new area of service.

Join me please in the passage that Randall read earlier in Acts 6:1-7 and we want to take a closer look at this passage and discuss GROWING PAINS...

Acts 6:1–7 NKJV

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, “It is not desirable that we should 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; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

First, notice with me the need that arises in the early church...

The Need in the Church

The church was growing rapidly, more people were being added to the congregation, and when broken human beings come together, no matter how great they are, problems with inevitably arise. The problem in the church at the time regarded some of the widows who were being neglected (or overlooked) in the distribution of the supplies the church was using to minister to these precious ladies who had lost their husbands.

It seems that the early church had adopted a Jewish custom, where collections were made to support the needy, particularly widows.

Andrew Knowles sheds some light on this practice when he says this about how the synagogues handled such needs:

The Bible Guide The Choosing of the Seven Assistants (6:1–7)

The synagogues organize a weekly collection (called ‘the basket’) and a daily collection (called ‘the tray’). These collections provide ongoing support for widows and orphans (two meals a day) as well as immediate help in case of emergency

There was a very legitimate need among these widows, sadly however, some felt as if one group of widows were getting more attention than the other group. These two groups are divided between the “Hebrews” and the “Hellenists.” Hellenists were Greek speaking Jews and the Hebrews were Jews that spoke Aramaic. Even though both groups were Jews they were culturally different in a lot of ways and it seems feelings of prejudice had infiltrated the church.

This was a threat to the UNITY the church had experienced and was supposed to have.

The twelve were made aware of this problem, and they chose a BALANCED approach regarding how to deal with it:

They could have chosen to deal with it themselves, which would have taken away from another priority and focus

or

They could have chosen to do nothing, and allowed this problem to fester and grow which would lead to further division

Instead those chose to appoint seven spirit-filled men to research and address the problem so they could stay FOCUSED on keeping the main thing, the main thing...

The Focus of the Church

There were two things the twelve understood they needed to be focused on above all else. This must be my focus as a pastor...

Acts 6:2 “Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.”

Acts 6:4 “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.””

I have to admit to you there are many things that I have to battle that seek to distract me from these two things. If these are the two most important things I need to focus on as a pastor, you can be sure that the enemy is going to do all he can to keep me out of my prayer closet and out of God’s Word!

The first was

Prayer

Why did they make prayer such a priority in their individual and collective ministries? Couldn’t they pray and oversee the widows at the same time?

Tony Merida puts it this way:

Exalting Jesus in Acts We Should Protect Biblical Priorities, Make Wise Adjustments, and Share the Ministry—All in a Spirit of Love (Acts 6:2–6)

Prayer is at the heart of pastoral ministry. Everything begins and ends with prayer. Yet it’s the easiest thing to sacrifice. That’s why many want to multitask their prayer lives. But we need to remember that Jesus got alone on multiple occasions to spend focused time with the Father. And if anyone could multitask his prayer life, it was Jesus...The apostles followed the pattern of Jesus. They understood that ministry flows from one’s communion with God. They wouldn’t neglect that which gives life to ministry.

Merida goes on to quote Spurgeon who said:

Exalting Jesus in Acts We Should Protect Biblical Priorities, Make Wise Adjustments, and Share the Ministry—All in a Spirit of Love (Acts 6:2–6)

The minister who does not earnestly pray over his work must be a vain and conceited man. He acts as if he thought himself sufficient of himself, and therefore needed not to appeal to God.… He limps in his life like a lame man in Proverbs, whose legs are not equal, for his praying is shorter than his preaching.

Finally, Merida says:

Exalting Jesus in Acts We Should Protect Biblical Priorities, Make Wise Adjustments, and Share the Ministry—All in a Spirit of Love (Acts 6:2–6)

Personal prayerlessness, by contrast, indicates self-sufficiency. It’s a sign of pride. It’s a sign that we don’t believe God acts when we pray. It’s a sign we don’t love people as we ought. So let’s repent of such arrogance and stupidity, saturating our lives and ministries with times of intercession, thanksgiving, lament, petition, adoration, and confession. Let’s work to cultivate vibrant prayer lives like the apostles did.

Not only was their focus on prayer, but it was also on the

Preaching of the Word

It was a priority for the disciples to preach the Word! There is no church if the preaching of the Gospel ceases. Again I quote Merida

Exalting Jesus in Acts We Should Protect Biblical Priorities, Make Wise Adjustments, and Share the Ministry—All in a Spirit of Love (Acts 6:2–6)

These apostles weren’t arrogantly saying, “We’re too good and important to care for widows.” They were simply demonstrating a commitment to biblical priorities. The apostles weren’t sipping lattes while the seven delegates did all the work. Look back at 5:42. They were teaching and preaching every day, all day—in the marketplace, in the synagogues, in homes. They were on the front lines, weary from battle and scarred by persecution. The easier option would have been to give up preaching to take care of benevolence ministry, not to give more attention to speaking the Word.

The disciples understood that the church was going to truly grow through the preaching of the Word. There are many things a church should be involved in and should be doing, but PRAYER and PREACHING must remain the priority.

Acts 2:42 NKJV

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Acts 2:47 NKJV

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

It’s important not to assume that these widows weren’t important. As a matter of fact they were so important look again what decision is made:

Acts 6:3 NKJV

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;

The Priority of the People

The Twelve didn’t suggest just picking at random a group of seven guys that didn’t have something better to do. In actuality they were told to seek seven men of

Good Reputation

The idea of “good reputation” means that these men had to be WELL RESPECTED by others. These men were chosen out of the congregation and those that had been watching their life noticed something different about them. They were men of good character, they were men who stood out, they were men that others had noticed.

The second characteristic was that they were men who were

Full of the Holy Spirit

Again the idea of serving the needs of the church so the disciples could focus on the Word and Prayer, was not just a role that just anyone could fill. It had to be someone who was FULL OF THE HOLY SPIIRT. In other words these men were men that weren’t controlled by the widows, they weren’t controlled by the twelve, they weren’t controlled by the world, the flesh, or the devil, BUT THEY WERE UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND CONTROL OF GOD HIMSELF! How do we know whether or not someone is “FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.” Well it will show:

Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

They also had to be men

Full of Wisdom

Being full of wisdom and full of the Spirit go hand in hand. Behind this idea was the idea of being “full of the Spirit” and “spiritual maturity.” When decisions had to be made for caring for these widows and other needs that arose, wisdom and discernment were important. They needed guidance in order to be able to deal with difficult situations with the love of Christ.

What was the result when these men began serving in this way. Notice Acts 6:7

Acts 6:7 NKJV

Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

The Result in the Community

The result wasn’t just the fact that the widows were taken care of, but rather an explosion of further growth took place!

The Word of God Spread

This is proof that the disciples didn’t take the time they had on their hands to sip lattes by the seashore. They actually used this time wisely and found more ways to take the Word of God into the community. This MUST be and remain the PRIORITY of any church that believes the Gospel!

We still believe

Romans 10:17 NKJV

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If we want our communities, and families to have faith in Jesus, they need to be exposed to the Word of God and the God of the Word!

They don’t need to just see it on the written page. Now that is important, but keep in mind during this time people did not have access to the complete word of God, and most people didn’t even have access to portions of the Word of God.

They were getting the Word of God from those who PREACHED it, LIVED it, PROCLAIMED it, and SHARED it.

We can talk about all kinds of things we can do as a church to impact our community, BUT THERE IS NOTHING GREATER THAN BEING ABLE TO IMPACT OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE LIFE GIVING WORD OF THE LIVING GOD!

THERE IS NOTHING THAT SHOULD TAKE PRECEDENCE IN A CHURCH OVER THE SPREADING OF THE WORD OF GOD!

The Disciples Multiplied

This is the natural result of more seeds of God’s Word being planted. The community of believers increased.

BELLS AND WHISTLES MAY GROW A CROWD, BUT ONLY GOD’S WORD CAN MULTIPLY DISCIPLES!

Harmony was Restored

Go back and look at Acts 6:5

Acts 6:5 NKJV

And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,

The saying pleased the WHOLE MULTITUDE. This decision fostered unity and ensured that the widows would not be neglected.

What seemed to be a problem, ended up being a springboard for greater ministry!

Final Applications

Focus on Gospel-Centered Growth

Meadowbrook must always remain a place where the spread of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ remains top priority! We can NEVER compromise or belittle that!

Expect Growing Pains but See Them as Opportunities

The world in which the church exists is not perfect. The church is made up of imperfect people. We can expect problems will arise, but we can take the things that the enemy meant for harm and turn around and find a solution that glorifies God, meets the need, and magnifies the Word!

Foster unity and love!

Cultivate Leadership & Share the Ministry

No one person can do it all. You may remember when Moses’ father-in-law visited him and saw him trying to handle every problem that arose. He basically told Moses that he was trying to do too much, and in trying to do too much he would no longer be effective.

We need to learn to cultivate and delegate!