I am bringing you this message from our text in 1
Timothy 3:8-13 on the
character and nature of a “biblical deacon”, as we prayerfully remember our deacon Douglas Reissner who has been involved in a vehicle
accident on Friday afternoon.
At Eastside Baptist Church we have had a big ‘re-think’ on
the matter of the diaconate. It has taken us a few
years to think through and implement a more biblical view and use of
the office of a deacon. I would like to acknowledge the great help that
we have received in the form of
the very helpful book, “Minister
of Mercy -The New Testament Deacon ”, by Alexander Strauch[1].
Mr. Strauch laments
that the biblical office[2]
of the deacon has been
degraded. The noble office of the
biblical deacon has been reduced to that
of being a “church executive” (i.e.
member of a ruling church council), or “ a building and property manager”, or a
“church factotum” i.e.
a church official with diverse portfolios ranging from administration to just about anything else
you would care to think of. Strauch’s burden is to help deacons (Gr. diakonos – servant) to get “out
of the boardroom or the building maintenance
committee into the people serving mentality…” [3],
the office for which for which they were originally designed by God.
At Eastside we believe
that the ministry of our diaconate exists
to make the gospel that we preach
look good. This is our thinking : The
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, when faithfully proclaimed, makes strong demands. The gospel requires firstly that we
must admit that we are sinners. Secondly, the Gospel
requires that we must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
in order to be reconciled to the God whom we have offended by our sin. Thirdly , the
gospel requires that we must not only believe, but that we must actually come
to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin.
Now when people hear
this, they are generally offended. Nobody likes to be told
that he/ she is a sinner, and for this
reason they will also not see their problem , and so they will not look
to the solution who is Jesus. Many
never embark on the
Christian pilgrimage that leads them back to God, but away from God. The fact is that most people do not think deeply
about the meaning of their existence. They are focussed on simply
living the life. The gospel is a
trumpet call from God, n alarm ,
designed to awaken us to the reality of eternity. The wrath of God is coming, but,
like the day of Noah, no one is
listening ! But if in the
act of preaching the gospel we show personal care and attention to the real need of
those to whom we preach, then we may find that they will take
another look at Jesus again. That look will transform them for good and
forever. So the diaconate by the exercise of care and compassion helps unconverted
people to look to Jesus by listening to
our preaching of the gospel. But the
diaconate also creates an atmosphere of
love and compassion within the church, so that the church reflects more of
Christ’s love and compassion to the
world.
CONTEXT :
Paul writes this letter
to his young friend Timothy, pastor In Ephesus to
counteract the spiritual decline in the church (1:18),
fuelled by Satan and his
lieutenants. One of the most
important matters in maintaining a
healthy church is not only the matter of
maintaining sound doctrine, but also
establishing a sound leadership.
In this regard , the N.T
church has been given two offices to govern
the church : elders ( 3:1-7)
and deacons ( 3:8-13)
The relationship
between elders/pastors and deacons:
In order to understand the role of the N.T. deacon, we must
begin by understanding the pastor-shepherd's role in the church. In both places
in the Bible where the word 'deacon'
occurs, it is associated with the
shepherds of the church (Phil 1:1 ; 1
Tim 3: 8 - 13). The passage in Acts
6:1-7, although it does not actually mention the word pastor /elder
or deacon, gives us insight into
this two fold ministry
of the church.
It results from a
two-fold need:
(i) to enable the apostles, the first shepherds of the church, to
give their attention to their primary calling - the Word and prayer.
(ii) to provide a care system for the
many physical needs of the
church.
Ignoring the need of vulnerable people in the early church would have
led to some serious questions being asked about the gospel. The apostles, the early shepherds of the
church had their hands full. Their primary priority was to preach the Word, to point people to Jesus
and to constantly pray for
wisdom to lead the church of God. Caring for widows, orphans
and vulnerable people is important, but the
apostles knew that they must not allow to let this detract them from their primary calling. That would be disastrous. We all need food to
live. That is why we spend so much time and energy to provide food for
ourselves. But we also need the food of God's Word, for man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Deut. 8:3; Jn. 6:27). People cannot truly
live without God's Word. God's people cannot mature without the Word
of God. People are
vulnerable to Satan without God's Word. Therefore it would be wrong for the apostles to neglect the
preaching of God's Word.
Pastor – elders must keep this perspective in mind, for they can be
easily side tracked by the physical
needs of people, so that they forget to feed the flock. We cannot diminish the shepherd's time for prayer and
preparation. When the shepherds neglect the Word of God, they
sabotage the work of God. Sadly, many pastor-elders have become essentially manager- administrators,
whose symbols of ministry are the office rather
than the study, and the telephone, rather than the Bible. The shepherds
of the church must hand over the very
important ministry of mercy to the deacons! I
remind you that our elder and deacon
leaders are men who provide
an enabling environment in the church in which
they must lead a team of pastoral
men and women, and a team of diaconally
minded men and women.
The qualification of the
deacon (Acts 6 ; 1 Tim. 3:8 - 12)
1 Tim 3: 8 - 12
Paul insists that the deacon leader, like the elder/pastor, should be properly qualified and publicly
examined before he serves. They must be godly. The apostles required in Acts 6: 4 that
such men should be "full of
the spirit and wisdom”. A properly ordered church must have morally and spiritually qualified elders and deacons. We note that the deacon’s character qualifications
are similar to the elders. The deacon as a minister of mercy, gets involved in the lives of needy people. He
therefore must lead others in this ministry by example. Specific directions to this end are given:
1. men who
are dignified (ESV) – worthy of
respect (NIV) (v.8). A deacon must be respected by the
congregation. He takes his faith
seriously. He is full of wisdom and has
a good sense of judgment in both, spiritual and practical matters. He needs great wisdom and discernment to truly help. The problems of people with physical needs are most often basic, but they can be complex.
Many people come to the church for help,
and they often come in a deceitful
manner. That needs to be understood and dealt with appropriately and with great wisdom. The tendency is there to
oversimplify matters instead of going to the heart of a needy man’s
problem. The deacon is serious about
that.
2. not
double tongued (v.8) (ESV), sincere
(NIV) i.e. A deacon must demonstrate
integrity of speech. He cannot be a man who says one thing and then
another. Deceit in word or manner will
quickly alienate the deacon from those he is wishing to help. Too many
Christian leaders have proven that they cannot be trusted with their mouths!
3. Not addicted
to much wine. (v.8) A person in
a position of trust cannot have a drinking problem. There is a sad pattern in some great men in
the Bible who had fallen prey to alcohol: Noah (Gen. 9:18-27); Lot (Gen.19:30-38); Ammon (2 Sam. 13:28-29). All these men had
their testimonies spoiled through drunkenness, which is a sin. In our society riddled
with drunkenness it is wise for elders and deacons to be very careful in the use of drink.
4. not greedy for dishonest gain. (v.8)
The deacon must be a man of financial integrity. A deacon is dealing
with church money, sacrificially given by God’s people and for God’s
honour. So a deacon must be free from
any trace of dishonesty. But being “not greedy” means more than that. It also
means ‘not being in love with money
‘.So we must carefully examine a man’s financial integrity before he is chosen
to be a deacon.
5. hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
(v.9) The expression, “mystery of the faith “ is a term that refers to Christianity’s
distinctive truths. In the N.T. “mystery” means “a revealed
secret” - the revealed secrets of the Christian faith are made known to us
in the Bible. A deacon must know Jesus theologically
and experientially. He cannot be
orthodox in his profession of faith and live in
practical denial of those truths.
The NT does not allow us to separate life and doctrine.
6. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them
serve as deacons" (v.10). That means that there has to be a probation
time before a man can serve as a deacon. The congregation must have a chance to
assess the character and beliefs of the man. There must be evidence of his
ability.
7. V.11 Note too, that their wives qualify them!
8.
They must be the husband of one wife, managing
their children and their households well. (v.12) they must be “one wife husbands“. They
show deep commitments to their wives. He must also manage his own children and his own
household well. If he has children at
home, they must obey and submit to his leadership. There are no perfect parents and there are no
problem free children in this world. Even the best parents struggle with their
children at times. However, those who lead in the church must resolve and
manage their domestic problems in godly ways, guiding their children with
firmness through the many storms of life.
THE DEACON’S REWARD:
"Those who have
served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in
Christ Jesus"
(v.13). Our Lord highly esteems the deacon's work, for it is foundational to
the life and witness of the church. Although these words apply principally to
the deacons, their promise is surely true for anyone who serves the
church of our Lord Jesus Christ
well. Deacons (like elders) are
servants. They do not think first about themselves. They first work in the
Lord’s field, and then they think about their houses. And there’s a great
reward waiting for such. “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or
father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a
hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29).
Store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven where moth and rust
do not destroy and where thieves
do not break in and steal (Matt. 6:19-24), says
Jesus. This is an invitation to lose
your life in Christ’s service to make the gospel look good by serving others by
meeting physical needs, emotional needs and spiritual needs in our community. Some of the
practical aspects would involve hospital visitation, visiting the aged or the sick at home; ministering to the poor; looking
after the needs of our poorer churches etc.
Jesus says that by extending such practical help in His Name you will surely gain heaven’s reward. Amen !
[1]
Alexander Strauch : “Minister of Mercy
-The New Testament Deacon ”,published by Lewis and Roth. We have also been
greatly helped by Strauch’s book on
Biblical Eldership
[2]
The Bible recognises only 2 types
of church officers in the Bible : elder/shepherd/overseer (presbuteros
/ poimen/ episkopos) and deacon (diakonos).
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