The church has many positions that are filled with Godly men and Godly woman, but the Bible only teaches of two offices: 1) Bishop, Elder, Overseer, or Pastor, and 2) Deacon. Churches today are filled with men who may hold the TITLE of deacon, but their lives disqualify them from actually being a BIBLICAL deacon. This leads to confusion and disunity and leaves the local church in an unhealthy position.
God is the One who ordained the office of deacon and has given the church the responsibility to prayerfully and Scripturally select those men who would SERVE and use that office to bring honor to Him and the Body of Christ.
We need also to understand at the forefront that a deacon serves in the same way that ALL Christians are called on to serve. This message is for all of us to examine the issues of deacons as a spiritual "Check-Up" of our own individual lives. There is no double-standard! It's a standard set forth by God for leadership in the church to be an example for the church to follow.
We're going to see what the BIBLE teaches are the requirements for a true deacon; not what a denomination adheres to; not what a local church has in its By-Laws; but what God's Word says.
Notice how Paul begins this section in verse 8: "Likewise." It transitions from the previous section dealing with pastors. The two are very similar, because Paul is speaking of the man's character which is controlled, guided, and directed by the Holy Spirit of God. Their qualifications are basically the same; the only difference is that the Overseer is gifted by God in communicating His Word.
Now, a deacon is not to be a director nor a dictator of the church; he is to be a SERVANT from God to God's church. And God will hold that man responsible and accountable. It is an awesome privilege to be one of God's deacons! Just about anybody, it seems, can be a deacon in name only, but for the Lord's work, not just anybody will do!
Let's look at this passage. There are six characteristics that we can see in these verses.
#1 - A Biblical Deacon should have a FERVENT WILL. Verse 8a: "Likewise deacons must be reverent..." This man is honorable. The kind of man that God expects a New Testament church to select as a deacon ought to be a person who has a "consciousness" of being fervent. He's serious about doing the work of God. He's not foolish or silly about the things of God. That's not to say that he can't be humorous. But he knows that he's been called by God and chosen by God to complete the will of God in his life. He's FERVENT. He's sold-out to the Lord Jesus Christ. A deacon should USE the office, not just FILL the office. He's fervent to honor God; to advance the kingdom of God; and to strengthen the man of God (the Pastor). He has a FERVENT WILL.
#2 - He should have a FAITHFUL WALK. Notice the three negatives that Paul writes about: NOT doubled-tongued; NOT given to much wine; NOT greedy for money. That's a deacon's walk before the Lord...to be faithful. Look at the first negative: This is the only time that this phrase is mentioned in the New Testament...and it's to the deacon. It has a meaning of being deceptive; of being a person who can't really be trusted. A deacon doesn't say one thing to one member and something else to another member (even in his actions). One ought to be able to depend completely and confidentially on a Biblical Deacon. As a Pastor, I don't want a deacon that I can't trust. I will take that thought one step further: I WON'T use a deacon that I can't trust. A deacon should be honest and consistent. The church of God today needs men who will STAND UP for God's Word and STAND BEHIND God's man. Also, a Biblical Deacon is a STOPPER of gossip, certainly not a STARTER or a SPREADER of it! The second negative: He is not to be preoccupied with alcoholic beverage. MacArthur says it well, using the Bible: "The principle that a Christian should not do anything to cause a brother (or sister) to stumble is to also be applied to the use of alcohol. If a person by drinking alcoholic beverages cause others to fall into temptation, then in the interest of Christian love he ought to forego the temporary pleasure of drinking in the interest of heavenly treasures." The third negative: This is a serious warning against coveting. It will ruin any Christian's life, but it will most certainly destroy the ministry of a man of God. The two top things that shatter a man's testimony are fornication and finances. A Biblical Deacon is a man of integrity. He is totally motivated by love for his God and God's people, not by money or gain. His heart is not set on the trinkets of this world, but on the things of God. He keeps material things in a proper perspective. The love of money compromises honesty. A Biblical Deacon is also a tither. God does not call a thief to be a leader of His church that His Son died for. And I believe a true Godly deacon will (as God provides) go beyond the tither and will give the Lord an offering. A deacon's Faithful Walk will also free the Pastor - not free him FROM certain things, but free him TO DO certain things. The Faithful Walk of a deacon will promote church unity. It's tragic that so many times, "splits" in churches are "deacon-led."
#3 - FASTENED WAY - Verse 9: "...holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience." A Biblical Deacon must be a student of the Scriptures. There's too many deacons today that no very little of the Bible...and they don't want to know! 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show yourself approved unto (who?) God." We should let the Bible consume out lives! Yet it is a sad truth that many church leaders have no desire and no delight in getting into God's precious Word. Here's a question to all of us: "Can you go a month without the Word of God?; a week?; a day? As a side note, the "mystery" that Paul is referring to is the New Testament's revelation of Christ that was not revealed to the saints of the Old Testament. Hebrews 6:9 tells us that the "hope we have is as an anchor of the soul - sure and steadfast." The anchor of Christ HOLDS and the deacon must be Fastened to the Way of God.
#4 - He must have a FAULTLESS WORTH. I didn't say "sinless," but "faultless." Verse 10: "But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless." He is to be "tested." Here are some examples: Joseph was a slave and servant in Egypt for 13 years before God put him in the #2 position as ruler of the Land. Moses was a shepherd for 40 years before God sent him to lead an entire nation out of bondage. Joshua was a faithful, proven servant of God for many years before God allowed him to take the children of Israel into the Promised Land. David was tending his daddy's sheep when God, through Samuel, annointed him King of Israel. It weakens the testimony of a local church when a member who has not been tested is given church leadership. Have you ever heard something like this: "If we make "Brother So & So" a deacon, maybe he'll start coming to church more and get involved." That is stupid and unbiblical! It shows a church's ignorance of the Word of God and it reveals a spineless Pastor who allows that to happen. By-the-way, the Bible teaches that the Pastor is to be involved in the selection of leaders in the church; read the book of Titus. A man is to be approved BEFORE taking office, not to be proved IN office. Too much honor given to a new convert will have the tendancy to destroy that man. Warren Wiersbe made this statement: An untested Christian is an unprepared Christian. Enough said.
#5 - Let's look at the deacon's FAMILY WELFARE. Verses 11 & 12: "Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." A deacon's wife is contrasted here with the immature woman in 2 Timothy 3:6-7. A deacon's wife renders an important service for the cause of Christ. As a church, we must be careful not to ignore the special areas of any of the women's ministries. Now, obviously, if a man is to be a Biblical Deacon, his wife must be a Christian (it's not a requirement for him to be married). Verse eleven starts the same way as verse eight: she's a woman of respect! She's "not a slanderer." (The original wording translates "the devil"). She's not a gossip; she's not out sowing discord. She's not a griper nor a complainer. Philippians 2:4 tells us, "Do all things without murmuring and disputing that you may be blameless before God." Verse eleven says that a deacon's wife is "faithful in all things." She's faithful in how she acts; in how she talks; in how she DRESSES! She does not attempt to draw attention to herself through a lack of clothing, but she desires to give the attention to the Lord! It is my belief that people will think more of a man because of a Godly wife or less of him because of a carnal wife. Verse twelve says, "husbands of one wife." I'm going to say this and go on...that verse has nothing to do with divorce. In the original Greek language it says that he is a "one woman man." That actually translates that he is completely sold-out to the woman that he is married to. There are too many men who have been married to the same woman for 40 or 50 years and they are NOT "one women men!" Verse twelve speaks of their home as a Godly home where Jesus is exalted.
Lastly, #6 - A Biblical Deacon should have a FULFILLED WORK. Verse 13: "For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." Anything we do in obedience to God's Word is fulfilled work. A deacon ought to have a willingness to finish the work that God has called him to do. It's a serious matter to serve as a deacon in a Godly church. Every deacon MUST double his care to work before Christ in a way that will NOT bring any reproach upon the ministry of God's House. Ministry, if done right, will be hard work. Oswald Sanders stated, "A man who is unwilling to pay the price of fatigue in the ministry, will always be medicore." Wow, what a statement! I don't want to be a mediocre Pastor, I want to be a Biblical Pastor. I don't want this church to be mediocre, I want us to be a Biblical Church. And I want our deacons to rise above mediocrity and be Biblical Deacons.
