Church Offices (Pastor & Deacon) Series

“WHY DO WE DO THAT?” – CHURCH OFFICES

1 Timothy 3:1-13

FBCF – 1/29/23

Jon Daniels

INTRO – I took this book out of the glove compartment in my pickup truck. It’s the owner’s manual for my 2014 Toyota Tacoma. Gives me everything I need to know to operate my vehicle safely & effectively – how to start it; how to drive it; what to do if I have problems with it. If I follow these guidelines, I should be able to drive my truck from one place to another, & my truck will fulfill the purpose for which it was made.

Along w/ being a book that contains history, poetry, narrative, prophecy & other genres, the Bible is also God’s owner’s manual for our lives. He’s the owner of our lives And it’s the owner’s manual for the Church, too, b/c He’s the Owner of the Church. If we follow the guidelines for our personal lives, we will be able to live & function the way a follower of Jesus should live & function. And if we follow the guidelines that the Owner of the Church has put in it for His Church, we will be able to function the way that He wants us to function. We will fulfill the purposes for which the Church exists – love God; love others; worship God; proclaim the Gospel; make disciples of all nations.

One thing that God’s Owner’s Manual for the Church tells us is that there are 2 offices in a NT Church: Elder/Pastor & Deacon. Last message in “Why Do We Do That?” series.

EXPLANATION – 1 Timothy 3:1-13

APPLICATION – Pastors & deacons working together bring glory to God & growth to His Church.

A WORD STUDY: 4 words that we need to define:

“Pastor”, “elder”, & “overseer” are used interchangeably in the NT to describe the same office.

- “pastor” – poimenas – shepherd –

o Ephesians 4:11 – “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds [pastors] and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

o Same word Jesus used in John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

- “elder” – presbyteros – can mean “old man” – Acts 2:17 – “…your old men shall dream dreams…”

o But in ministry of NT church, means “a leader” – Titus 1:5 – “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.”

o 1 Timothy 5:17 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

- “overseer” – episcope – office of church leader – sometimes call a bishop –

o 1 Timothy 3:1 – “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”

“Deacon” is the only word that describes the other office in a NT church.

- “deacon” – diakonos – a servant; one entrusted to serve the needs of believers – 1 Timothy 3:8

- Interesting that Jesus came to “serve” – diakoneo (Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve [diakoneo] & to give His life as a ransom of many.”) Romans 15:8 says that “Christ became a servant” – a deacon [diakonos].

- According to Jesus, if we want to be great, then we must be a “deacon” – Mark 10:43 – “…whoever would be great among you must be your servant [diakonos]…”

A WORK STUDY: Now that we’ve defined the words, let’s define the work:

- “pastor”, “elder”, “overseer” – Using the NT definitions of those words, we can readily see that pastors/elders/overseers have the joyful, serious responsibility of shepherding the members of the Church. What does a shepherd do for his flock of sheep?

o Leads them

o Feeds & cares for them

o Protects them predators & thieves

o Fights for them when attacks come

o Corrects them & gets them back on the path

o Sacrificing his life for them, if necessary

o Teaching them the way to go

- “deacon” – an office of joyful, serious servanthood.

o Support the work & the vision of the pastors

o Provide logistical & material support so that the pastors can focus on the Word of God & on prayer.

o Whereas the title of “overseer” makes it clear that the pastors have the responsibility for the general oversight of the spiritual wellbeing of the church body, the title “deacon” indicates a more service-oriented ministry.

o No clear functions delineated in NT for deacons, but based on pattern established in Acts 6, deacons are servants who do whatever is necessary to allow the pastors to accomplish their God-given calling of shepherding & teaching the Church. Lots of flexibility on what the specific duties of deacons can be. But w/ pastors & deacons working together, what a team! Mark Dever – “…the concern of the deacons are the practical details of church life: administration, maintenance, & the care of church members w/ physical needs.”