test sermon (2)

1 Timothy 3:10–11 ESV

10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.

It is widely known that the Jews of that day had carefully worked out systems to provide for the needy. Just before the Sabbath, men from the synagogue would make the rounds to collect donations of food and see that it got to the poor. This concern for the needy was carried over into the Christian church. To the deacons fell the responsibility of putting it into practice.

Mark 4:5 ESV

5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.

1 Timothy 3:9 ESV

9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

1 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

It is widely known that the Jews of that day had carefully worked out systems to provide for the needy. Just before the Sabbath, men from the synagogue would make the rounds to collect donations of food and see that it got to the poor. This concern for the needy was carried over into the Christian church. To the deacons fell the responsibility of putting it into practice.

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