Acts 6:1-7
The Deacon
Pastor Allan Kircher SPBC
Sept 2, 2012
Intro: This is a very serious time in our church.
• This Month we bring on new deacons
• It is not to be taking lightly.
There is much confusion and misinformation about what role the Deacons have in the church and what they are to the church.
• I hope I can clear up this/looking/Bible says.
• If you’ve been paying attention/since I’ve been here
• I am not interested in/traditions/teaching of men.
The final authority/all matters/faith/practice/church must be the Word of God.
Therefore, we are not going to concern ourselves with what men have to say about the Deacon and his role in the church.
We are only going to concern ourselves with what the Bible says about those matters.
• Deacon/not used/in our English translation.
• Often assumed/first reference/office/come to know/deacon
•
This passage gives us/insight into why the early church felt the need to set aside a special group of men to be servants of the church.
I want to preach about The Reason for the Deacon today.
Let’s find out why we have Deacons and see if we still need them today.
I. v. 1 THE PROBLEMS THE CHURCH FACED
Verse one exposes a conflict that/brewing in the early church.
• They had/real problem/Holy Spirit doesn’t gloss it over.
• Never forget/2 or more/potential for trouble
• When trouble comes in the church
• it must be faced head-on and dealt with
• Not allowed to simmer and brew.
• Remember the Holy Spirit has a remedy for our problem
• if we are willing and able to hear His voice.
Let’s examine their problem.
A. The Problem Of Multiplication –
• the church began multiplying.
• 3,ooo/saved/Pentecost/5,ooo/shortly after.
• Add their wives, children, other family
• Growing by leaps and bounds
• Estimated/20-50,000 at this time.
As a church grows larger so does its potential for problems.
As a church grows larger so does its need for strong, godly leadership.
B. The Problem Of Complaining
• 2 classes of people/early church.
• Aramaic speaking Jews/native to Israel
• Greek speaking/Hellenistic Jews/various parts/world
• Hellenists were Jews/lived/Greek speaking countries.
They were loyal Jews, but/absorbed some/Greek culture
They were different from/native Jewish brothers and there was a little friction between them.
Bible tells us that they were “complaining”.
People were talking about others in a negative manner behind their backs.
That is always a problem!
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Satan had already attacked the young church in two ways.
• He tried persecution, Acts 4:1-31; 5:17-41;
• Tried introducing sin into the church, Acts 5:1-11.
• Both attacks failed and only caused the church to grow faster.
• Now, he tries a new tactic.
If he cannot defeat the church from without, he will attack it from within!
• If he can divide the people
• He will be able to cripple the church!
• The same is still true today!
you can rest assured that he will try to do it from within.
• He will do everything he can to divide us and cause us to attack one another.
• There is no place for anger, unforgiveness, division and trouble in the church!
That kind of thing is deadly to a congregation, Matt. 12:25.
What the church needs to thrive is unity, 1 Cor. 1:10
If there are divisive people in the church that refuse to walk in unity with the brethren, here is the Lord’s counsel regarding them, Rom. 16:17
C. The Problem Of Ministry
The early church was committed to meeting the needs of its members.
In those days the people sold/goods/pooled/resources to see that every member had what they needed Acts 2:44-45.
The more affluent people like Barnabas, sold houses and lands and gave the money to meet the needs of others, Acts 4:34-37.
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The Apostles/responsible for seeing/people/especially/widows,
• Had/food/essentials they needed to live.
• As the church grew
• task became too large/Apostles and some people were inevitably missed in the daily food allotments
Greek speaking widows were not getting their share of the daily food supply.
The Greek speaking element/church apparently felt like this oversight was deliberate and they spoke up about it.
The problem was this: there was too much to do and not enough hours to do it in.
As a result, some things were left undone and it caused problems in the church.
• The church still faces the problem of ministry.
• In our day/sole burden/ministry/church,
• In most cases/placed on pastor’s shoulders
• In small church it’s barely a possible task
• For church our size/it’s absolutely impossible
If everything is left up to the Pastor, some people are going to be neglected and they are going to be offended.
Problems will come and the church will suffer. I will say more about that in a minute.
II. v. 2 THE PRIORITIES THE CHURCH FACED
• This conflict arose/Apostles took responsibility.
• They had been trying to be everywhere and do everything.
• They found it to be an impossible task and they took action.
They reminded the people of the priorities of ministry.
We need to be reminded of those priorities in these days as well.
A. The Priority Of Preaching –
The Apostles said, “It does not make sense for us to put off the necessary preparation for the preaching ministry of the church and wait on tables.”
They recognized/truth/their primary responsibility was preparation for the ministry of the Word.
• This involved two elements: prayer and preaching, v. 4.
• If they spent all their time handing out groceries
• No time to pray and prepare for the preaching services.
They were spending their time doing a good thing when they should have been spending their time doing the best thing!
The Apostles were not above the routine ministry of the day;
• Simply a matter of priorities for them and/church.
• What was more important; passing out supplies or preparing to preach?
What was true then is still true today.
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Most people have no clue the time it takes to get ready to preach.
• Estimate that most sermons I preach require 30 to 36 hours of sermon preparation per week.
• Add to that the time that I must take to pray and most of my day is gone.
• It is essential that a preacher prepare his heart and his head if he is going to be an effective preacher.
You can shortcut the process if you wish.
• sermons from a book/download Internet;
• you can use same one’s 2 years ago.
• shortchanging yourself and the people of God.
•
• Some people think you get/sermons when you get the call.
• Or all you need is the gift of gab.
• Just get up there and run your mouth for a while and talk about the Bible; that’s all preaching is.
•
• But, if you want a word from God; then you had better guard
• your preacher’s preparation time.
Every great preacher is a man of pray and thorough preparation.
There is no substitute for either one, and nothing must be allowed to come between the preacher and his preparation time.
By the way, I think our deacons here do a great job at that.
If the preaching is to have power; if it is to change lives; if it is to glorify God, then the preacher must have the time he needs to prepare properly! For the preacher, preparation is the number one priority!
B. The Priority Of People
Sermons are important, but people are a priority too!
• Sermons must be prepared
• prayers must be prayed
• But people must be ministered to as well.
The early church faced this problem.
• They needed the Word of God
• And their people needed ministry.
• Both were legitimate needs and both were priorities
• but it was impossible for the Apostles to do it all by themselves.
• They had to enlist the help of others to get the job of ministry done.
• That’s where our deacons come in.
We have to come to the place where we understand that one man cannot possibly do it all!
• There are times when I must shut myself up with the Lord and the Bible and get a Word from Heaven for the people.
It comes down to a matter of priorities!
III. v. 3-5 THE PROPOSAL THE CHURCH FACED
• So, there is a problem.
• There are too many needs/not enough people/meet those needs.
• Apostles place/matter back in the hands of the church
•
• They issue a command for the church to choose from their number seven men who will be the servants of the people.
• Let’s dissect these verses and see what the office of a Deacon is all about.
A. They Faced A Commission – The church was told to choose from their own number “seven men…whom we may appoint over this business”.
The church had the responsibility for choosing the men who would be their servants in the church.
• The phrase “over this business” taken out of context
• misunderstood for years.
• The Deacons do not exist as church bosses.
• They are not over the “business” of the church.
• In fact, the Deacons have no more authority in the church than they are given by the church.
•
• Like the Pastor, the Deacon serves at the pleasure of the church.
• Deacons are servants, not rulers!
The “business” they were to be placed over was the “business” of “serving tables”, v. 2.
• The word refers to “one who attends to the needs of others.”
• The word literally means “to kick up dust.”
• It is the image of a servant working so hard and moving so fast that he leaves a cloud of dust in his wake.
• He is to be busy in his service
• kicking up dust and he meets the needs of the people of God.
Any man who sees the office of a Deacon as a position of power does not deserve the office.
Any man who refuses to serve and meet the needs of the church is not fit to be called a Deacon!
He is simply not worthy to hold that office.
The commission was for the church to choose from their number seven men who would be servants in the church.
That same commission falls to the members of this church every year.
You have the responsibility to choose from your number men who will be servants of this church.
B. They Faced A Challenge
While these men were servants, they were also to be special men.
The men they were to choose were to have three special characteristics.
They Were To Be Good Men – “of honest report”
• Refers to a man who has experienced something.
It speaks of men who by their testimony/lifestyle have earned the love and respect of the church.
• Who are saved and who live a Christian life.
• These are to be men that no one can point an accusing finger at
• Good men who are worthy of respect.
• They are to be men of personal integrity and unblemished character.
• They must be men who avoid evil and seek the well-being of others.
They Were To Be Godly Men
They are also to be “full of the Holy Ghost”.
• Meaning they are Spirit-filled/Spirit-controlled.
• The Deacons are to be men, who are in tune with God;
• Led by God/display godly ways in their lives, Gal. 5:22-23.
The church will forever regret electing men who are not full of the Holy Ghost to be Deacons.
A man who is not filled with the Spirit, but who is filled with his own ways will be a thorn in the side of the church for as long as he serves!
We need to be cautious about the men you select!
They Were To Be Gifted Men – They are also to be “full of…wisdom”.
• This means they/able to make sensible decisions.
• They are not to be influenced by personal opinions
• Family concerns, or emotion.
• They are to make their decisions based on what “thus saith the Lord”.
•
• They must be men who can move beyond their own boundaries to see the needs of others.
• When the Deacons meet, they must always seek what is best for the whole church!
• I believe this happens at Shell Point.
Those are some pretty stiff requirements!
But, these are the kind of men we must ask God to reveal to us when we choose.
The biblical model is for the church to choose the Deacons from among themselves.
However, this assumes that the church will do the right thing!
• This year is over, but pray next year/elections.
• Pray about the men you will vote for!
• Pray/God/give our church/men we need each year.
We need men who are good, godly and gifted.
We don’t necessarily need men who are good business men.
We don’t necessarily need men who have money.
We don’t necessarily need men who are a certain age.
We need men who know God; who know His voice; who have a heart to serve and who will be a blessing to the church.
We need men of God!
C. They Faced A Choice
The church got together and made their selections.
These men were presented to the Apostles for final approval.
By the way, I will not lay hands on a man who is not qualified to serve as a Deacon, regardless of the number of votes he receives!
• Earl McCown
The seven men they chose where appointed to the task.
The church prospered as a result of the ministry of the Deacons.
In fact, two of them, Stephen and Philip, became mighty evangelists in those days.
• Stephen was the first Christian martyr, Acts 7.
• Philip was used as a mighty preacher, Acts 8.
• Being a preacher and a Deacon are not mutually exclusive.
The early church chose the right men and they benefited from their choice.
If we choose the right men, we will benefit as well.
Conc: Do we still need the office of Deacon in this day?
• Yes, we still need Deacons!
• Beyond that we need the right kind of Deacons!
We need men who will take up the mantel of service in these days.
We need men who are good, godly, gifted men to meet the needs of the church. We need servants!
We do not need men who want power, prestige and position.
We do not need men who are just looking for a title and an office.
That is what we need.
What we get will ultimately be up to us.
In the end, we will get what we want and we will get what we deserve!
Today, I am calling this church to prayer.
It is not an understatement to say that the very future of this church rests in the choices you will make in the future.
The right choices will help us to continue to experience growth and blessing.
The wrong choices will hinder the things God wants to do in this place.
This is a very serious matter and we need to take it seriously.
I am calling Shell Point Baptist Church to an altar of prayer right now to seek God’s face as we seek His men.
