"Can I take Your Order"
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· 44 viewsDeacons in the church are held to the chracter standards as the Pastor
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Introduction: Biblical Study into how the word “diakovos” was used in the 1st Century
Introduction: Biblical Study into how the word “diakovos” was used in the 1st Century
Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain,
but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.
Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.
Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households.
For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long;
but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
-Review Previous Sermon “I need a few good men”
Διακόνους ὡσαύτως σεμνούς, μὴ διλόγους, μὴ οἴνῳ πολλῷ προσέχοντας, μὴ αἰσχροκερδεῖς, ἔχοντας τὸ μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει. καὶ οὗτοι δὲ δοκιμαζέσθωσαν πρῶτον, εἶτα διακονείτωσαν ἀνέγκλητοι ὄντες. Γυναῖκας ὡσαύτως σεμνάς, μὴ διαβόλους, νηφαλίους, πιστὰς ἐν πᾶσιν. διάκονοι ἔστωσαν μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρες, τέκνων καλῶς προϊστάμενοι καὶ τῶν ἰδίων οἴκων. οἱ γὰρ καλῶς διακονήσαντες βαθμὸν ἑαυτοῖς καλὸν περιποιοῦνται καὶ πολλὴν παρρησίαν ἐν πίστει τῇ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.
Ταῦτά σοι γράφω ἐλπίζων ἐλθεῖν πρὸς σὲ ἐν τάχει· ἐὰν δὲ βραδύνω, ἵνα εἰδῇς πῶς δεῖ ἐν οἴκῳ θεοῦ ἀναστρέφεσθαι, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος, στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας. καὶ ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον·
ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί,
ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι,
ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις,
ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν,
ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ,
ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ.
-----the congregation presented the new deacons to the Apostle.
1 Timothy 3:8-16
Sermon Text:
8 Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, 9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. 16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
-Definition of diakovos- “dia”-throughly “konis”-dust---One who throughly raises up dust by moving in a hurry, to minister. “One who runs errands” this word was often used of “waiters”
-Definition of diakovos- “dia”-throughly “konis”-dust---One who throughly raises up dust by moving in a hurry, to minister. “One who runs errands” this word was often used of “waiters”
-Definition of diakovos- “dia”-throughly “konis”-dust---One who throughly raises up dust by moving in a hurry, to minister. “One who runs errands” this word was often used of “waiters”
-Scripture text where “diakovos is used in a non-technical sense(not a title):
13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
yo-
Matthew
-You will notice in this Matthew text that the word “servants” is used but the Greek word underneath that is “diakovos” obviously these were individuals who served the King
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .
7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
b.
-This is Paul talking in this text; now noticed who he says “I was made a minister” that word underneath “minister” is the word diakovos.
7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,
-Paul in this text is talking about “Epaphras” and he describes him as a “faithful servant”; servant in this text is a translation of the greek word “diakovos”
-Grammatically speaking we would say that this is a non-technical usages of the word “diakovos”
-What you can see clearly is that the early use of this word was generally a way of describing the action of an individual by using a “Noun” we might say that this individual is not one who just does service, but is a “Servant”
-All of us in the room have performed acts of service at one time in our life. Running to the store for grandmother to get some milk, pulling out some change and putting it into the Santa Claus red pot on the outside of Target, maybe even feeding the homeless during Thanksgiving. But it is another thing to describe the very essense of a person as being a Servant. Not what they did, but who they are.
-In when Peter ask for help from the Body. The Word deacons was not mentioned, but it makes perfect sense the they were eventually named deacons. Remember the definition of the word “Deacon” one who runs errands, or one a serves tables. In 30ad during the early church these men were just describe as servants, but 20 years later around 50ad the term Deacon turned from a noun to a proper noun(a title).
Transition Statement
-That brings us to our text this morning to watch how Paul describes this office. Paul is these text is using the term Deacon in it’s technical sense. It has become a proper noun. It has become an official office of the local church.
The Deacon’s Characteristics
The Deacon’s Characteristics
8 Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, 9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households.
1 Timothy 3:
-(v.8) “Deacon’s Likewise” Paul in v.1-8 goes over the requirements of the Overseer, then he begins to talk about another Church official in the early church. We know this because of the preposition “likewise” Paul uses this preposition to let the reader know that he is talking about another position in the church, that has a different function within the church. In this text it is one of the few times that Deacons is used in a technical sense, which means Paul is using the term to describe a position or title, rather than as a function of what an individual does.
-(v.8) “must be” Paul uses this in v.2,4,7,8,11, & 12 I want to stress this will all seriousness. If God requires this, then it his responsibility to provide individuals who meet these criteria, which means we should never relax this standard out of desperation, and fear. You must remember that Paul wrote letters to address issues and concerns. When you see repetitive themes or phrases Paul is communicating something. He is most likely responding to churches in Ephesus that were ordaining individuals that were unfit for the office, so he sent this letter to give direction and clarity…(v.15) (Paul purpose for writing the book)
-(v.8) “men of dignity” -pertaining to appropriate, befitting behavior and implying dignity and respect—‘honorable, worthy of respect, of good character
pertaining to appropriate, befitting behavior and implying dignity and respect—‘honorable, worthy of respect, of good character
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 747.
-This phrase means that we should pick individual that have a deep amount of respect in the local body. I am not talking about respect just because they have gray hair, but respect that has been gain as a result of their character.
-(v.8) “not double-tongued” Esv, Nasb,&Nkjv dilogos-duo(twice) & lego(to speak) some synonyms(ambidextrous,double-dealing,double-faced,double-minded) meaning a deacon should not be two-faced, nor should he talk out the side of his neck. This is a person who either hides who they really are through silence, and false humility, or a person who project themselves larger than they really are, so they you don’t really see they are weak.
-(v.8) “or addicted to much wine” This is self-explanatory. This is the same as the requirement for the Overseer. He must be man that does not like to “hang out at the vine”
-(v.8) “fond of sordid gain” the nkjv has the best rendering of this phrase “Not greedy for money(dishonest gain). Meaning this individual must be one who is willing to partake of money and resources that were meant for other things. Now this poses an interesting question: why would this be a requirement for Deacons??? The reason is that the Apostle and Overseer delegated that responsibility of the finances to the Deacons. In the early church there were not any trustees, so the Deacons were charged with distributing the funds in the local congregations.
-Trustees are a requirement in the United States for us to be a 501c3. That is not to say that they are not valuable, but only that deacons handled the money in the early church.
-(v.9) “but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” One must ascertain what “mystery of the faith” mean. When the scripture uses that word it is talking about doctrines that were once obscure, but have since been made clear after the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of our Lord.... Example:
-
13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
-(v.9) “Holding to the mystery of the faith” notice the participle “holding” this carries the idea not of a one-time decision, but an ongoing trust in the word of God.
-(v.9) “with a clear conscience” this is an individual that has keep short accounts with. This is a person who has come to terms with the doctrines and themes of the word of God, and has come to the end of that time still convinced of its truth. This would mean that a person who is still struggling with the major doctrines of the Bible is not ready to serve as a Deacon.
(v.10) “these men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach” Paul says just because a person has meet the prerequisite it must still be a time of testing/observation to see if they hold up under the pressure of their new found position. Paul did not put a time on this requirement meaning each local church is responsible for determining how long this testing last for. What he is saying is that you should not just let a person be a deacon based on meeting the previous characteristics. I think Paul understood something very critical “Sometime Folks changed when they get a little authority and power” They could be the nicest, most commited individuals before they have the title, but when they get that title they changed into a monster.
Paul employs the same preposition as he did earlier when he went from the job descriptions of a Overseer, to a Deacon
-(v.11) “Women must likewise be dignified” guna-is the Greek word used here. This word is translated “Women” in the Nasb, Niv, Nrsv and it is translated “Wives” in Esv, Csb, NKJV, and KJV all of these are very reliable translation, so he have to do some interpretation to helps us determine if these are the wives of deacons serving as deacons, or is it women serving in the Role of Deacon. Lets take a look of how it is used in two scriptures
31 “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’;
-In this text it is clear that the word guna is used to describe the wife who has just been divorced by her husband. So the context is clear, and that is why they put wife instead of woman.
6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,
-In this text Paul is describing the false prophets who prey on vulnerable lonely women who don’t have the covering of a husband. In this text it is clear that guna should be translated women, because the context determines that these women are single.
-(v.11) So from the context of this verse what translation is correct the NASB which translate that word “women” or the NKJV “wives”????
-(v.11) I think that the key is in the preposition “likewise” you remember earlier when Paul employed this preposition to transition from his description of Pastor to Deacons. He is doing the same thing again to describe a transition to the same position, but a different gender with more specific quality traits.
-Some will say, but he could still be talking about the wives of Deacons.....But then that Person would have to answer this : Why would Paul give a job description for the wives of the deacons, but does not give one for the Overseer in the previous verses???
-Secondly if Paul put a job description for women in the text, then there must be an expectation of service/role in the local church. So essentially there should not be an argument against women deacons, because at the bear minimum Paul is saying that the wives of the deacons should serve as Deacons, which means that clearly it is appropriate for women to hold this office.
-There is another small clue in the text
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;
-Paul is introducing the Church of Rome to this sister who was actually charged with delivering this letter to the church of Rome. This tells us that this woman was of exemplary character, in that Paul gave her his letter to drop off to the church of Rome.
-Notice in the text it says “she is a Servant of the church which is at Cenchrea” diakovos is the word for Servant in this text. So we have to ask ourselves is Paul using this word in a technical or non-technical sense. I would argue that he is using it in a technical way
a. First because of the responsibility he placed on her(carrying his letter to the church of Rome)
b. Secondly because of the grammatical construction of the phrase. Instead of using the preposition “in the church” which implies just one of the servant saints in the church Paul uses “of the church” which carries the idea that Phoebe actually held an office at the church, which would have validated her to the church of Rome. This was probably very strategic by Paul, because during this time women would not have been entrusted with carrying a precious document like the whole book of Romans to the leaders of the Roman church. Notice the text “I commend to you our sister Phoebe” that word “commend means-to praise or to present as worthy of confidence......Paul was essentially saying that “Phoebe is that deal” she is legit. She is a deacon of the church you can trust her.
c. Third If one interprets the word guna as wives, then that would mean that the Husband would be disqualified from serving based on the behavior of his wife. If he meets the qualification, but he is married to a gossip, then he would be disqualified.
-(v. 11) “Women must be likewise be dignified” like the men they must be woman who walked into a room and have respect just based on who they are and how they behave. These are the woman who quietly serve, but become a source of wisdom for both women and men.
-(v.11) “Not malicious gossips” your bible has “slanderers” the word greek is-diabolos, which is one of the names of Satan-definition of Slanderer-One who falsely accuses and divides. Now remember when I started this series I said that these qualification would be the same at MBC for both Deacons, Deaconess, and Trustees. This means that a “gossip” should not hold any position of leadership at the local church.
-It is interesting that Paul put this in the description of the women, but not the man. Honestly I have learned in my life that men can sometimes gossip just like women. But you must remember these description come as result of problems that Paul was seeking to address.
13 At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.
-Paul is this text is talking about young widows seeking to get financial help and he says basically if you help them they will live off that help and they will get lazy and then go from house to house gossiping and stirring up trouble. This tells me especially since this verse is within the same book that our sermon is coming from, that the Church of Ephesus had problems with “slanderous women”
-(v.11) “but temperate” This means “self-controlled” this is a spirit-filled woman. Particularly related to her judgement and demeanor. She is not a hot-head, or temperamental women, she is not bi-polar. Very even and circumspect.
-(v.11) “faithful in all things” This quality describes a women who when she endeavors to do something she is committed and trustworthy. If she can’t give it her full attention she will turn it down, because when she commits she will give it her all.
-(v.12) “Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households” no need to spend a whole lot of time on this text. This is the same standard found in the description of the overseer.
a. He must be a “One woman man” not just legally, but practically.
b. His wife, and children should respect him.
Question: Why would Paul put the stipulations about being faithful to your spouse for only the Overseer & the Male Deacons? It is for the same reason that Paul did not put anything in the description of the Male deacons related to Gossip. Remember Paul is writing purposefully to address issues. So the fact that Paul had to mentioned this tells us that in the church of Ephesus have ordained some men as Overseer & Deacons who had problems with the Ladies.....Sidenote: Honestly during the 1st Century female adultery was rare, because the cost was so high.....Explain: In Pagan Rome.
Key Point
-You will notice that in (v.2) Paul says the Overseer “must be able to teach” but that Characteristics is absent from the Description of a Deacon. This tells us that Deacons should not be judged based on their ability to exegete the scriptures. They do not have to do devotion, they do not have to preach a sermon, they do not have to lead bible study. Now if they can do it that is a plus(Example Stephen) but it is not a requirement, so please stop using that a measuring tool for service.
Application
The Term Diakovos was a non-technical term used to describe a servant(waiter) “one who kicks up dust” or one who runs errands.
The Term Morphed into an actual title used to describe an office in the church
The requirements of service for the office of Deacon/Deaconess are non-negotiable.
Leadership in the local church should be determined by spirituality, not notoriety.
Quote
Tony Evans.
Leadership in the local church should be determined by spirituality, not notoriety.
Tony Evans.
Conclusion
-Explanation of the Negative Connotation of the terms: Deacon & Trustees
—Based on our Discussion of what Deacons exist for and the definition of what will do at MBC we will be renaming the office of Deacon----Servants
---Based on our Discussion of what Trustees exist for and the definition of what they will do at MBC we will be renaming our Trustee----Stewards
Open up the Doors of Church
The Lords Supper:
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.