Servants for the Servants

You guys have heard me talk before about some of the things I’ve read in the pastors’ groups I follow on Facebook.

I get a lot of encouragement from these groups. It’s nice to see people struggling with the same things I struggle with. It’s nice to know the problems I face as a pastor are not unique to me. And once in a while, someone will post a solution that fits our context, and then what was a problem for me is no longer a problem.

But the truth is that I am frequently surprised at how different my situation is from that of some of the other pastors in those groups.

I am well-loved by this congregation. I am well-compensated for the work I do here. And the Lord rewards me by allowing me to see so many of you grow in your faith and in your walk with Him.

It is truly a blessing to be your pastor, and I often thank God for that blessing.

Sometimes, when I read the posts of other pastors who are being treated shamefully by their congregations, my heart just breaks for them. You wouldn’t believe some of the ugliness that has been directed toward some of the pastors in those groups.

But what’s even more common than outright ugliness is the unreal expectations that some congregations have of their pastors. And it’s when I read THOSE accounts that I most often shake my head in wonder.

There are pastors in church parsonages who have to be ready for unannounced, spot inspections of their homes by the church trustees.

There are pastors who are expected to be the church handyman, fixing everything that breaks around the building. There are pastors who are expected to cut the church’s grass every week.

There are pastors who get into trouble if their wives, who are not paid by the church, do not volunteer to lead church ministries.

Now, I’m wary of sharing this with you, because the cynical part of me worries that, having done so, I’ve given you ideas about how to change my work contract this year.

So let me tell you what I tell my wife: I’m not that guy. She didn’t marry the guy who is the handyman. She married the guy who can WRITE about the handyman.

If I’ve got to fix what breaks around here, then we’re all in trouble, because it’ll be worse when I’m done with it than when I started. And if I’m cutting the grass, then I’m not spending the time I need to spend in prayer and Bible study.

The reason I shared all this is to tell you all how thankful I am for folks in this church who handle these tasks.

Just this week, Alan Schubert and Dave Francis spent a couple of days fixing a major problem with the septic system. And guys, I’m SOO sorry for flushing the toilet while you were out there.

Don’t even get me started on how much time Alan spends dealing with alarm problems and HVAC problems and everything else. And now is an appropriate time to tell you that he could use some help. Ask him, and I’m sure he can find a way for you to pitch in.

But it’s not just the physical building that gets attention from folks in the church. Amy Harrell and Cynthia Harris do the things every week that keep the church finances in order. Tracy Francis puts together our budget and makes sure we’re in good shape throughout the year.

Cynthia and Annette and Connie Schubert work on children’s ministry and soon, we hope, youth ministry.

Miss Lynn and lots of other folks put together our church breakfasts and other meals, like the one we’ll share after Emery Nichols’ committal service later today.

Earl and Glenda Smith and Sue Nichols make sure the cemetery is taken care of. And Glenda and Mary Catherine Matthews handle the acknowledgements when we receive memorial donations.

When we have movie nights and other outreach events, the Missions and Evangelism team turns out to put up the inflatable screen and set up snacks for our guests.

Andy Harrell and Amy and Annette and Dave Francis get together to rehearse and provide the music for our services. And whenever we change locations, Andy is always ready to lug the equipment up and down the hall so we’ll be ready on Sunday.

Your deacons — Michael Harris, Dave Chipman, and Rich Kovalik — help me with planning and with keeping in touch with families, letting me know of people who need special prayers or visits.

Mike Constant changes our sign so folks driving by will see what’s going on here. And he and the other trustees and their helpers — Alan, and Dave, and Chip, and VJ, and Johnny — take care of more things than I could take the time to name around the building.

Diana and Boris San Andrés come out to make sure that our cleaning crew hasn’t missed something and that the bathrooms are spotless.

And I can guarantee you that I’ve left out some names in these lists. And if I left yours out, please do not be offended.

I’ve already told y’all that I’m not the smartest tool in the shed. A smart guy wouldn’t have named ANYONE. But I wanted to give you all a sense of the scope of what it takes to keep this church — both the building and the institution — running well.

I may be the preacher and primary teacher here, and because of that, you all wind up looking at me for a couple of hours a week.

But I literally could not do what I do here if it were not for all these other people — and more — doing all those things that I don’t have to do.

And I want you all to know how much I appreciate it — how thankful I am, especially when I read the stories shared by those other pastors who maybe aren’t loved as well as you love me. I am so very thankful for the servant hearts that I see each week in this place.

And as we near the end of our long series, “The Church — Revealed” — we’ll conclude it next week — we’re going to look back at the Book of Acts to see how the mother church in Jerusalem addressed the kinds of problems that churches throughout the centuries have faced.

That church didn’t have a building to manage. It didn’t have acres of grass to be cut. It didn’t have a cemetery to manage. And it surely didn’t have a septic system that would eventually fail.

But it did have people who needed help. And the Apostles understood early on that if they didn’t get help in helping the people of the church, they would be overwhelmed and unable to do the work that God had called them to do — to pray for the church and to study God’s word so they could proclaim His truth.

Turn with me to Acts, chapter 6, and let’s read together about the situation there.

As you’re finding the passage, let me remind you that this church had grown exponentially in the weeks following Pentecost. As Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Apostles and thousands of people had given their lives to Christ in response to their preaching.

This church was gathering on the steps of the temple and in one another’s homes for teaching and the Lord’s Supper and fellowship. And both the new Christians and the city around them were being blessed by this great revival.

Since this all took place in Jerusalem, most of the new Christians there were Jewish.

Many of them would have been from Jerusalem — what our text refers to as “the native Hebrews.” But many of them were Jews from other parts of the Roman Empire who had come to Jerusalem for the feast days and had remained there to be with their new brothers and sisters in Christ. Those recent arrivals are the “Hellenistic Jews” in today’s text.

But growth always brings challenges. And what we’ll see in this passage is that the challenges of the Acts 6 church were a direct result of the mixing of different cultures that took place as the new believers became one body in Christ.

Let’s pick up in verse 1.

Acts 6:1–7 NASB95

1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. 7 The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

So, there was a problem, and this is the first problem recorded in church history. And, as with so many problems, this one manifested itself as a conflict between people.

This church that was described back in chapter 2 as having “all things in common,” as sharing their possessions with one another as anyone might have need, as “taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart” was already experiencing conflict related to the very things that it was commended for just four chapters earlier.

The Hellenistic Jews — those who had come to Jerusalem from other parts of the Roman Empire — were upset because the native Hebrews — the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem — were overlooking the Hellenistic widows when it came to food distribution.

We don’t know whether the oversight was an intentional snub or simply a matter of those who were giving the food away not knowing the newcomers in their midst or their need.

What we do know is that there was a legitimate complaint and a legitimate need.

The Apostles could have intervened themselves to make sure the Hellenistic widows were served. But they understood that doing so would take them away from their primary duties — prayer and the ministry of God’s word.

And so, they called together the congregation — the Greek word here means “multitude.” They called together the whole church and had them choose seven men to put in charge of the task so the Apostles could continue to pray and preach and teach.

These seven men would be the church’s servants. The Greek word is diakoneo, and we get our word “deacon” from it. A deacon is a servant. In the Acts church, that meant — at least at first — serving tables, or distributing food.

But I think it’s reasonable to conclude that their service also would have extended to other needs that might arise in the church, too.

And note what Luke records as the qualifications for these servants. They were to have good reputations, and they were to be full of the Spirit and of wisdom.

The Apostle Paul mentions deacons in his first letter to Timothy, and there he fleshes out these qualifications.

1 Timothy 3:8–12 NASB95

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.

A couple of things reveal themselves to us in this passage. First, unlike elders in the church, neither Luke nor Paul suggests that deacons must be qualified to teach.

But there is certainly a teaching element to their service. After all, the selfless service of those first deacons in Acts, chapter 6, amounted to something of a teachable moment for that church.

And it seems, based on the continuing growth of that church, that the congregation re-learned the lesson of unity because of these servants’ actions.

But what we see in both Acts and 1 Timothy is that teaching does not appear to be the primary role of deacons in the church.

The other thing to notice in the passage from 1 Timothy is that the role of deacon is one that could be held by women in the church.

Look at verse 11.

1 Timothy 3:11 NASB95

11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

The word “likewise” here suggests that Paul considers women to be eligible for service as deacons if they meet the requirements he has already listed, along with those in verse 11.

And in his letter to the Roman church, Paul writes this:

Romans 16:1 NASB95

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;

That word, “servant” is diakonos, which is translated elsewhere as “deacon.”

In fact, it’s likely that Paul entrusted Phoebe with delivering this letter to the Roman Christians. And as the one who delivered the letter, it would not have been unusual for her to have been the one to read it to that church.

So, deacons are different from elders. Elders must be men, based on Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired letters to Titus and Timothy. But deacons can be men OR women.

Elders must be able to teach sound doctrine. But the ability to teach is not a necessary qualification for deacons.

Now, as I said a couple of weeks ago, when we studied biblical eldership, this is an unusual message, because it’s largely informational.

I want you to leave this morning with a solid understanding of the purpose of deacons in the church and an awareness of the qualifications for those we might consider calling to be deacons.

There is little in the way of exhortation to be taken from our focus passage in Acts, chapter 6. I have no strong application to make of the passage for you this morning.

But, allow me to take you to one more passage before we close. This is from the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John.

John 13:3–17 NASB95

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know 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, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Now, there’s a lot to unpack in this passage, and we don’t have time to get to it all today. What I want you to understand is that this isn’t about foot-washing.

What Jesus did for His disciples at the Last Supper that night was, indeed, to wash their feet. But the point He was making was that they should serve one another, that none of them should consider himself to be above the others.

Jesus, who was their master and teacher — indeed, the Son of God — lowered Himself to do the work that even a household slave at the time would not be called to do.

And if He could do such a menial and humble task, then they as His followers should similarly humble themselves to one another and serve one another in whatever way they could.

And the lesson was not just for them. It is also for us.

Jesus, the unique and eternal and beloved Son of God, lowered Himself to take on the flesh of humanity so that He could live among us and show us what perfect obedience to God looked like.

And during HIs ministry, He demonstrated a servant’s heart. He healed the sick, even the lepers who were outcast from that society. He raised the dead. He fed the multitudes.

His life was characterized by His service, but never more so than at the cross.

At the cross, Jesus served all of mankind. At the cross, the sinless Son of God offered Himself as a sacrifice in our place and on our behalf.

At the cross, He took upon Himself the sins of all mankind — yours and mine — along with the just punishment that we deserve for those sins.

He selflessly gave Himself so that we who deserve eternal punishment for our rebellion against God could instead have eternal life through faith in Him.

At the cross, the King of Heaven became the Suffering Servant, accepting death itself so that we might live.

But His story did not end at the cross, praise God. For He rose from the dead on the third day. And thus, He proved that He has the power to keep that promise of eternal life for those who put their faith in Him.

With such an example, how can any of us who call ourselves by His name consider ourselves anything BUT servants, whether we are deacons or not?

We who have been served so lovingly by the King of kings and Lord of lords should be people for whom serving others comes as naturally as breath in our lungs.

THIS is the application I have for you this week. Be like Jesus — not just in your holiness, not just in your morality. Be like Jesus in your humble service to mankind. Be like Jesus in your service to the church.

I praise God that there are so many humble servants in this church. And I pray that He will continue to grow all of us in this regard.

And I pray, too, that if you have never put your faith in this Suffering Servant, that today you will do so. He died for YOU.

He died so that you can LIVE — so that you can become the person you were always meant to be, so that you can have life the way it was always meant to be.

Will you humble yourself before this Suffering Servant today? Will you come to the cross where He poured out His life for you? If you hear Him calling you to Him today, come and talk to me during this next song or after the service, and let’s talk.