Ordered Ministries of the Church: Deacon

Series Introduction

Ordered ministries are those ministries (or offices) the early church saw as necessary to the life of the church to carry out its mission

They are gifts to the church

Assisting Two Needs

A problem in the growing church

Two language groups in the early church - all Jews

The Greek-speaking Jews sought justice for their widows in the daily distribution

People weren’t being cared for

There was grumbling

The apostles balanced the community and the mission

Apostles knew that this could eat up their time

Their primary job was prayer and preaching the Word of God

Find men of good character from within the community - specifically the language group

Acts & Timothy “Keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.”

The Heart of God

Deacons honor God’s concern for the poor & marginalized

The law & prophets show a consistent concern for the poor

We are to have that same concern; we are to reflect our God

While an internal ministry, its effects are on display publicly

Deacons are called to serve squarely within the community

Yet the effects are public - they take care of others, but do they take care of their own?

Deacons play an important role in the advancement of the Gospel

Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” - read the end of this story in Acts; the result is the expansion of the Gospel