The Character Required for Service

INTRODUCTION:

Context:

Last week we looked the qualifications for pastors that Paul gave Timothy in his first letter to the young man. Timothy was trying to set things right in the church in Ephesus. As we have observed, the core of the problem were some false teachers peddling false teachings. We don’t know exactly what they were teaching, but we know that it was undermining the gospel itself. Timothy has been encouraged to stand up to these men, refuting their teaching by proclaiming the truth, correcting error with truth. He also needs to help the church set men in place who can continue leading the church properly for years to come. That is why the qualifications for the pastors, or overseers, as Paul called them in 1 Tim 3 were so important.

As we looked at those qualifications last week, I encouraged you to not only measure me by the items listed but also to measure yourselves by most of them too. The vast majority of the qualifications given for the elder are really the marks of a mature believer, a maturity that all of us should be striving for. Going through the list last week was maybe not the most riveting material to cover, but it was important; we need to know how God gages spiritual maturity.

Preview:

This evening, we are looking at a second list, the list of qualifications for deacons. As I expect we all realize, God has designated two offices for His church—the pastor and the deacon. He has also given us these lists so that we know what characteristics that men need to have in their lives to fill the office well, characteristics which will aid the church in maintaining its ministry focus on the gospel message of Christ.

This evening, I would suggest that it is just as important for us to go through this second list, the list for deacons, as it was for us to go through the list last week. For one thing, we should care about these verses simply because they are part of God’s revelation. That alone makes them important.

Second, we are all responsible for selecting the men who will fill the office of deacon in our church. And based on the way we are organized as a church; this is a responsibility that we have annually. This is an especially important reason when we consider that we share the responsibility before God to ensure that our church functions well, that our ministry is focused. This letter makes it clear that the men who serve in this position are vital to that task.

Third, I would suggest that it is important for all of us to look at these verses because they again hold out an example toward which we should all be striving. I would say that a core principle that we can extract from our passage this evening is that Mature Christian character enables mature Christian service. This is important. The purpose of the deacon in the NT was to serve; the position is one of service, specifically service to the church members. Well, according to Galatians 5:13 as well as 1 Peter 4:10 with many other places supporting the general idea, we all have an obligation to serve each other; Paul makes it a command in Gal 5:13 to “serve one another” and Peter commands us to “employ” our spiritual gifts “in serving one another.” We have a duty as believers to engage in Christian service. That means that we should all strive to emulate the characteristics of the deacon that allow for effective service.

Transition from introduction to body:

Mature Christian character enables mature Christian service. Let’s read the verses that Paul gave Timothy dealing with deacons, 1 Tim 3:8–13…<read>.

Mature Christian character enables mature Christian service.

My plan is to work through the details in these verses under three categories this evening. As I do so, I would challenge you do some self-examination. How do you measure up in your spiritual life? The first category that I want us to look at is…

BODY:

I. The character required for deacons

The character. It is interesting that the qualifications given for deacons are primarily character qualifications. Last year, the deacons, Pastor Aaron, and I spent a Saturday morning working our way through this list. I think it was very informative for us all. We tend to look for abilities. Is a man able to do the things that we think a deacon should do…which is probably a huge list that we would never all agree on but which would be things like manage the budget, make sure the building is clean and the grass is cut, fix broken things, advise the pastor, and so forth. Paul doesn’t give a list of abilities or functions, though, he gives Timothy character qualifications. It is not abilities that primarily determine our ability to serve one another; it is our character which enables us to serve the church by serving one another.

The first qualification that is listed in verse 8 is…

A. Dignified

Deacons are to be “men of dignity.” Leading off the list the way that this does, dignified is probably intended as a summary trait, the overarching umbrella that applies to the man.

The word means that a person is known as stately or honorable, someone who is worthy of respect. In Titus 2:2, dignified is a trait that is expected to exemplify an older man in contrast to the behavior of a young man.

Application

Now, I am quite sure that it does not mean that a dignified man never has any fun. A person may be dignified and still able to relax and have a good time. The main idea is appropriateness. A dignified person does not relax when it is time to be serious, he does not make jokes when it is time to be focused.

This seems to imply that serving one another is a serious business. It calls for dignified behavior. Talk about something that runs counterculture today. More than any time in history, our society is opposing dignified behavior. Rather than striving for dignified behavior, people are striving to remain childish as long as possible.

Illustration

Pastor Aaron and I were talking this week about the fact that it is quite remarkable that the primary video game market is targeted at millennials. Millennials were the first generation to have video games as children and remain the main purchasers of games…even though millennials are now in their 30s. Now, I am not trying to make a case against video games. What I am pointing to, though, is a cultural shift where the things of childhood for many have continued well into what should be adulthood. It is one thing to play video games for a brief period of relaxation at the appropriate times. It is quite another thing to spend hours upon hours playing anything when you should be striving for an increasingly dignified life—one spent serving others.

Are you becoming dignified?

B. Not Double-tongued

The second item is “not double-tongued.” The idea of the word that we have translated as “double-tongued” means to have hypocritical or insincere speech. It is the idea of telling one person one thing in one setting, but then telling another person a completely different thing in another setting.

Application

Mature Christian character requires that we have control over our tongue. Do you? Can people count on your words? Are they confident that whatever you tell them will be the same thing you tell others, especially if one of the two will not like the message? Or, are you known of telling people what they want to hear? That is double-tongued. And that is a character quality that a mature Christian is not to have, especially a deacon who is in a position to serve the church.

C. Not Addicted to Much Wine

The third qualifications listed is “not addicted to much wine.” Last week I talked about this as it came up under the requirements for the pastor. Wine, as I said then, was unavoidable as a beverage as it was used to purify water. But it was also dangerous as addiction essentially enslaves a person and hinders good judgment.

There is a slight difference here, though, in verse 8 when compared to what he said regarding the pastor in v. 3. He uses a different word for “addicted” than was used in verse 3 and adds the qualifier “much,” “not addicted to much wine.” The word that we have translated “addicted” means to pay attention to, or to devote oneself to. The idea that is being conveyed is that a man with the proper characteristics for a deacon will be a man who not pay attention to wine, it is an irrelevant part of his life.

Illustration

All you have to do is spend a little time online and you will discover that there is a large segment of American evangelical Christianity that is quite focused on the enjoyment of alcohol. There are Christians who speak as proudly and as well-informed about their microbrews as I can speak about roasting coffee. That kind of interest in alcohol flies directly against this characteristic that Paul gives of a spiritually mature person.

D. Not Fond of Sordid Gain

Moving on, “not fond of sordid gain. This is similar to the idea that we saw last week that the pastor is to be free from the love of money. A deacon is not to be focused on money. He should not be governed by greed. It is especially important that he is not so focused on money that he is willing to engage in questionable ethics in order to obtain more of it…that is the idea of “sordid gain”—gain achieved through unethical means.

Application

Again, I would encourage all of us to check ourselves. Are we truly free from sordid gain? If we are growing in Christian maturity this should be part of our character. There should not be any even slightly unethical decisions made with our taxes…even those that we know that we can get away with. We should not look for ways to take advantage of the mistakes of others to benefit ourselves financially. Money should not be a driver in our lives. I fear that for many of us the reason that we are not able to engage in Christian service the way that we should is because money looms too large in our world of concerns.

E. Holding to the Mystery of the Faith

In verse 9, the characteristic is “holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. The idea is that a mature believer is settled in his faith. He knows that God has revealed the mystery—the church program centered in the gospel work of Jesus Christ, as we talked about last Wednesday night—and he now lives with that as the center of his life. In fact, when he examines his own live, his conscience does not convict him…or her, of course…of areas in which he is regularly deviating from his understanding of Christian doctrine.

F. Tested

Verse 10 begins with the idea of “tested.” It is significant that this is a present tense imperative. That means that Paul is not saying that the church should sit a potential deacon down and grill him on his understanding of doctrine or even how he makes choices in his life. The present tense indicates that this is to be ongoing. It is not a formal test; it is ongoing observation. The congregation of the church is to have watched the man and observed mature spiritual character before he is asked to formally serve the church in a leadership position.

Application

Frankly, it comes up over and over in scripture that we are to be living our lives assuming that we are being watched by others. The constant testimony of our actions is to be pointing people to Christ. We should expect that through the observation of our lives people will see that we are striving toward Christian maturity. Ask yourself, is that what your life displays. You are being tested; it goes with carrying the name of Christ. Are you passing the test?

G. Beyond Reproach

As a man is tested, he is to be measured against the idea of “beyond reproach.” This isn’t the exact same word as we saw last week with the pastor, but it carries the same general meaning--that the man in blameless. It does not mean that he is perfect, but it does mean that he cannot be accused of regular wrongdoing. Any sinful failures are outliers to his normal behavior.

H. Husband of One Wife

Skipping verse 11 for the moment, verse 12 adds the idea of being “the husband of one wife.” This is the same requirement as was given for the pastor in verse 2 and obviously limits the office of deacon to men. Again, it means that a deacon—a mature believer-- must not have anything to do with a woman who is not his wife.

Now, I will just mention in passing, that the way this is worded leaves the question of a man’s previous marital history somewhat ambiguous. I do not see the requirement here as suggesting that the man must be married to be a deacon any more than I saw that as a requirement for the pastor. What it means is that he will not get involved with a woman who is not his wife. The example of several NT leaders suggest that singleness is in no way a limitation to Christian service. In fact, 1 Cor 7 suggests that when God grants the gift of singleness it can be a benefit to the church. We should recognize, though, that modern questions such as whether a man can be a deacon who has been divorced or a man who is remarried are not directly answered by this phrase. This phrase, “husband of one wife,” is ambiguous in regard to those questions.

I. Good Manager of Children

Moving on, next comes being a “good manager of their children.” This too is the same expectation as given to the pastor in verse 4. How a man handles his children provides insight as to how he will provide Christian guidance to immature believers in the church and interact with unbelievers outside the church.

J. Good Manager of Own Households

The last character qualification listed in verse 12, a “good manager of own household,” also serves as giving observable evidence to Christian character. The church can watch and see if the man is able to set things in order within his overall household. Does he lead his wife and family spiritually? How does he use his money? How does he spend his free time? Before a man should be expected to serve the church, there should be evidence that he is serving his family; that he has a heart of service.

Application

This is an important list to consider. Are we looking for the right characteristics when we select men to serve our church? Are we looking past the abilities that the world promotes in leaders to search out the character qualities that God says mark out mature Christian character? For the sake of our church, we must be concerned to do so. If we fail; if we select the wrong kinds of men to serve in official capacities, we can anticipate that our ministry will become unfocused; that the gospel will be undermined. As others have said, the church is not a business to be run efficiently, it is a hospital to make Christian disciples healthy. We need men who can serve that purpose.

This is also a list to review for self-assessment. Are you measuring up as a mature Christian? Are you positioning yourself for service to God by developing the character qualities that God prizes in His servants?

Transition:

Mature Christian character enables mature Christian service. We are all to be striving for mature Christian character.

The first category that we looked at, specifically for deacons as our passage deals with, was the character required for deacons. The second category that I want us to consider is the…

II. The support required for deacons

The support required. I am using the term support to refer to the items that we find in verse 11. This is the verse that some will point at to argue that both men and women are eligible to serve in the office of deacon. I do not agree that Paul is suggesting that women can serve in that position here in verse 11. Rather, I believe that Paul is talking about the qualities that the wife of a deacon should have if the deacon is married. The word that Paul used in verse 11 can rightly be translated as either “women” or “wives,” context must determine. Since, though, Paul specifically refers to the male deacon both before and after this verse, it seems very unlikely that he would insert requirements that were independent of those for the men in the middle of the requirements for men. Furthermore, there is no other place in the NT that clearly indicates that women are to hold official office in the church. God has limited those roles to men for His own reasons. As much as our current society may not want to accept that truth, it doesn’t change it.

So why would Paul add this verse in the middle of his requirements for the men who are to serve the church as deacons. The simple reason is that a man’s wife must have certain character qualities if she is to support her husband in service to the church. Once again, I would suggest that the qualities are simply those that mark spiritual maturity. It is hard for a spiritually mature man to serve the church if he has a spiritually immature wife.

Let’s look at the items listed in verse 11.

A. Dignified

The first item is “dignified.” This is the exact same term that led the list for the man in verse 8. If a man is to be able to serve the church he must be dignified and so must his wife. His service will be greatly hindered if he cannot involve his wife in certain aspects of service because she might behave in a manner which would bring embarrassment to him, the church, and ultimately the name of Christ through her lack of dignity.

B. Not Malicious Gossip

The next item is that she cannot be a “malicious gossip.” This is a new term that we haven’t seen in either the pastor or deacon list of qualifications. The idea behind the word is that of slandering, which is how the KJV and ESV versions, along with some other English translations reflect it. It points to attacking the reputation of someone else with words. This isn’t just passing along juicy tidbits, although that too should be avoided, but seeking to do damage with the things passed along. A man will not be able to serve others in the church effectively as a deacon if his wife is slandering people with her words; the damaged caused will be too great.

C. Temperate

Next comes “temperate.” This is the same word as reflected in verse 2 for the pastor. It comes from the word to be sober, free from the influence of alcohol. It came to mean having a spiritual soberness as well as physical soberness. A temperate woman will not be a malicious gossip.

D. Faithful in All Things

Lastly, faithful in all things. A final, broad, all-encompassing wrap-up. The idea is that the woman is simply trustworthy in all the duties that she has—duties as a wife, mother, and fellow-believer.

It is often observed, with some puzzlement frankly, that Paul gives this list for the character qualities of the wives of deacons, but fails to provide a similar list for the wives of pastors. In fact, that is one of the points frequently argued as to why this list cannot be reflecting the wives of deacons and must stand alone. I think, though, that there might be a better suggestion than to try to argue for women’s full-equality in church positions. I think the answer could quite likely lie in the differences in the functions that pastors and deacons preform. The pastor of the church is primarily responsible for leading the church administratively (that is the idea of being an overseer) and teaching the correct doctrine to the church. My wife could certainly hinder my ability to do those things, but she is somewhat removed from those functions.

A deacon’s role, by contrast, is one of serving the people of the church. We see the first deacons being selected, I’m convinced at least, in Acts 6, for the purpose of ensuring that the widows of the church are cared for properly. The functions that the deacons take on as serving the church are very personal and interactive. In our church, we see that play out through the deacons care ministry where our deacons seek to stay in touch with every family in our church so as to have the pulse of any needs that arise. A wife’s influence on her husband’s reputation and his time will be much more significant in this function than Grace’s influence is on the content of the sermon that I prepare.

So, wives…last week I spoke for a moment directly to fathers; this week I am talking for a moment directly to all of you wives…wives, are you displaying these characteristics in your lives. Are you seeking to grow and improve in each of these characteristics? Are you trying to support your husband so that his reputation is stronger within the church? Are you encouraging him to use some of his time for service to the church? I believe these are characteristics that you should be trying to build in your lives simply because you are striving for spiritual maturity. That means you will be pursuing them whether your husband is a deacon or not in the church.

And frankly, in a broad sense, men, we should be reflecting these characteristics as well. I suspect that if we do and we are married we will discover that our wives become freer to serve the church with their gifts as well.

Transition:

Mature Christian character enables mature Christian service. We have seen the support required for deacons as our second category this evening. One final category to briefly consider comes from verse 13,…

III. The motivation given for deacons

Paul specifically holds out a motive for why men should pursue the office of a deacon. He says that serving well as a deacon gains two things for a man—good things since they are held up as motivations here under inspiration, both of which are tied to what we have in Jesus Christ.

A. High Standing

The first is a “high standing.” This certainly points to having a positive reputation in the eyes of men, but even more significantly, in the eyes of God. Serving in a formal role in the church carries with it many burdens and pressures, but it also carries with it respect that is proper to seek. This is not ego-building. This is the confidence that comes from knowing that God and others are pleased with your service.

B. Great Confidence

Second, there is “great confidence,” “great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” Serving God generates a confidence in God. Serving God generates an increasing boldness for ongoing service to God. Serving God generates an assurance that your faith is true.

Application

Time and time again I have seen people begin to have doubts about their faith and doubts about the church and doubts about God when they spend time sitting and thinking about their doubts. I rarely see people doubt who are active serving. In fact, I have seen many people have their doubts removed by God’s grace as they begin serving God with their lives. God has designed us for service. A man who does that well in an official role will be blessed by God with great confidence in his faith.

And ladies, while you will not be serving as deacons, I know that the principle of serving God faithfully through the gifts and avenues He has given you will lead to confidence in your faith as well.

Transition from body to conclusion:

Mature Christian character enables mature Christian service. Verse 13 lists the motivation given to deacons. Developing the character that leads to the chance to serve as a deacon is worth the effort because of the motivation that God gives.

CONCLUSION

Mature Christian character enables mature Christian service. We have looked at the character required for deacons. The support required for deacons. And the motivation given for deacons.

Application

Throughout, I have challenged you to challenge yourself, are you developing mature Christian character? Some of you will serve as deacons in our church. All of you should desire to serve Christ in our church. Mature Christian character enables mature Christian service.