Servants of the Church of Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Big Idea for the Series: In the book of Acts, we see God advancing his Kingdom by his Spirit through his Church.
FCF: In a world that values fame and self-importance, deacons follow the model of Christ, humbly serving alongside elders to meet the needs of the Church.
Series Title
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.
Prayer
Is Acts 6 about deacons?
Is Acts 6 about deacons?
The word “deacon” is not used, but the word “serve” is.
The word “deacon” is not used, but the word “serve” is.
In Greek, the word translated “deacon” is diakonos. It means “servant,” or “one who serves.” It’s a noun referring to the person.
And, the word in verse 2 which is translated “serve” is the verb form of that same word, diakoneo. Now, you don’t have to be a Greek scholar to see that diakonos and diakoneo are closely related forms of the same root word, just as the English noun “servant” is closely related to the verb “serve”.
A case for Acts 6 being the first deacons:
A case for Acts 6 being the first deacons:
The word used in verse 2 is related to the word for deacon.
Those chosen in Acts 6 had to meet qualifications which are consistent with an official church office.
Acts 6 presents these men as having a complimentary ministry to elders, which matches the descriptions of the two offices in I Timothy 3.
Acts 6 applies to deacons regardless.
Acts 6 applies to deacons regardless.
While some scholars argue that this passage isn’t about deacons, ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. My message does not depend upon this passage being about the institution of the office of deacons, even though I do think that’s what’s happening here.
The word “deacon” means servant. So, any passage that talks about Christian service is applicable and instructive to deacons.
The ministry of the men in Acts 6 clearly is meant to compliment the ministry of the apostles and elders, which is exactly what the ministry of deacons does.
So, from here on, I’m going to argue from a perspective that Acts 6 records the institution of the office of deacons, or at least what became the official office of deacons, and I’m not going to make any more reference to that.
Deacons and Elders are complimentary ministers ordained by God to serve his Church.
Deacons and Elders are complimentary ministers ordained by God to serve his Church.
Elders primarily minister through teaching and leading.
Elders primarily minister through teaching and leading.
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.
4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
So, even if we had no other Scriptures about the duty of elders, it would be very clear from this passage alone that the primary duty of an elder is preaching, teaching, and praying for the people. That is also clear in the one key difference between the qualifications of elders and deacons in I Timothy 3, which is that elders must be able to teach.
2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Elsewhere, elders (or overseers, or pastors as they are elsewhere called) are said to exercise oversight of the church.
1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
So, Peter uses all three terms here—elder, shepherd/pastor, and overseer—of the same people. And, the way that he describes their job is primarily in the language of leadership—guiding and protecting the flock like a shepherd, exercising oversight as a leader.
But, this leaves a fairly obvious problem, which the early church ran into very quickly. A church does more than just teach and preach. Certainly that’s the main thing a church has to do, but it’s not the full picture.
As we noted a few Sundays ago, one of the signs of a healthy church is that it’s being generous and caring for its members.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
The early church was doing life together, and as they did so, they inevitably encountered needs within their congregation. Not just spiritual needs, but physical needs.
And they remembered the words of Christ:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
And, as James points out, mere words do not demonstrate the love of Christ.
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
And so, as the early church grew, they recognized that the apostles and elders couldn’t do it all. They needed help. Enter deacons...
Deacons primarily minister through serving to meet the practical needs of the church.
Deacons primarily minister through serving to meet the practical needs of the church.
As the church grew and brought in more and more people from increasingly diverse backgrounds, inevitably, conflict arose. Like we have seen time and time again in Acts—when a church is following the Lord and on mission for his Kingdom, conflict is inevitable.
And so, we see a conflict between two subgroups of widows in the church:
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.
One scholar notes that Jews at this time already had an established practice of daily and weekly food distributions for needy people. So, it’s likely that as the church became more and more distinct from the synagogues and the temple, they adopted the practice and began to carry this out for their church members.
Widows in this day and age were especially needy. They couldn’t work, and if they had no family to take care of them, they could quite literally starve to death.
As the church grew in numbers, the Hellenist widows—which is a reference to Jews who spoke Greek and were from a possibly more Greek cultural background—felt like they were not being ministered to like the Hebrew Christian widows.
And there are several ways this story could have ended badly:
The apostles and elders could have dismissed the needy in their congregation, recognizing that they were called to preach, teach, and pray, and wrongly just neglected the widows. This would have inevitably led to a nasty, bitter church split.
The apostles could have sacrificed their teaching and preaching in order to devote more time to mercy ministries. Many pastors do take this approach—they fill their schedules with meetings and hospital visits and all kinds of administrative tasks so that they no longer have time to give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. Their congregations suffer for it because they’re being fed physically, but not spiritually. Churches like this die slowly of spiritual starvation.
But, praise God, that’s not what happened. The apostles and elders recognized two truths:
they were called primarily to prayer and the ministry of the word, and neglecting that would displease God, and
that practical ministry and meeting practical needs was absolutely essential to the ministry of the church
They realized that they needed partners in ministry. Just as Adam needed a ‘helpmate,’ so did the elders. They needed partners in ministry that were gifted differently than they were, called to a different role than they were, but called to advance the same gospel that they were.
So, the church—not the elders and apostles, but the “full number of the disciples”—chose men to help oversee this task, because they simply couldn’t do it all, but it needed to be done!
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.
They picked godly men to set over this
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.
And then they prayed and laid hands on them
6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
And what was the result of this?
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.
Instead of a church split or a slow death, the church continued to increase. People outside of the church saw how they solved their disagreements and kept their focus on the gospel and it was winsome.
Good deacons fan the flame of church growth. They help shoulder the load that pastors bear, tending to the needs of the flock in often unglamorous and unrecognized ways.
They serve tables. It’s not glamorous, they often go unrecognized and underappreciated, but without them the church would die.
I think of James Vest, who gets up here on Sunday mornings oftentimes before I do, printing bulletins, arranging the prayer list, distributing literature in the classrooms, running the sound system, running the livestream and the projection. He’s not paid, and chances are you don’t even think about how that bulletin gets done, he just serves. His wife Marla serves alongside him as the church clerk, as a kids Sunday School teacher, and all kinds of other ways.
Or John Hastings, who is always serving up food, usually out of his own pocket. He and Anne are always cooking up something, organizing potlucks and dinners, quite literally serving tables.
I think of TJ who is usually quietly sitting in the foyer running point on security, not because anyone told him “this is your job,” but because he loves this church and wants to protect his people. TJ has served in a number of committees over the years, helping with the finance committee and things like that to keep things moving at the church. His wife Brianna serves alongside him in Children’s church, taking attendance, and all kinds of other ways.
Josh and his wife Ashley help out in all kinds of ways at the church, helping teach in the youth on Wednesday nights, chaperoning trips, helping lead worship on Sunday mornings, prepping meals on Wednesday nights, and more.
Bro. Ken has been a deacon longer than I’ve been alive and has been serving for a long time. He’s our most senior deacon and his wisdom and experience has been invaluable.
Jacob serves as a teacher on Sunday mornings, and he and his wife, Alicia, serve in a number of ways in the church, preparing meals on Wednesday nights, and organizing meals for folks like they did for the Cole family yesterday at the memorial service.
And Blake, you’ve already started to fill your role as deacon. For years now, you’ve served the youth, served in worship, served the men of the church by organizing the men’s ministry, and given of your time in many, many ways.
Being a deacon isn’t going to bring you notoriety or fame. Good deacons have the same mindset of John the Baptist:
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
They’re not afraid to serve tables because they know that in God’s Kingdom, the one who serves is greater.
The model deacon is ultimately Jesus himself. The night of his crucifixion, he donned a servant’s attire and washed the feet of his disciples.
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Foot Washing
The Charge:
The Charge:
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
