This week and next we will look at the office of Deacon. Starting next week, you, the body of Christ gathered here at Rosemont will nominated men from our congregation to fill the open slots we have on our deacon team. The Bible calls for two offices in the church, the office of Pastor and of deacon. The office of Pastor is sometimes referred to as overseer, elder, bishop, or shepherd. In fact the word "Pastor" is the Latin word for Shepherd.
The office of deacon in the church is an often misunderstood doctrine. Many assume that the deacons act as a board of directors directing the affairs of the church. Others assume the deacon is the pastor police, exercising authority over the Pastor and in many churches they do. (As pastor, I answer first to God, then to the you, the Congregation). The Deacons and Pastors are co-laborers in serving the people of God.
What does the Bible say about deacons? We will be exploring that this morning and next week. But, for starters, the word deacon comes from Greek, "diakonois," which translated literally means servant, and in general usage, it means just that, a servant. Are not we all called to be servants?
John 2:5 (NKJV) His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (diakonois -Servant)
John 12:2 (NKJV) There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. (diakoneo –to serve - the verb form of the word)
1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (diakoneo –to minister - the verb form of the word)
We are called to minister, or to serve one another. So this message is for everyone. Today we are looking at the those called to the office of servant of the church. Those that we call deacons.
Acts 6:1–7 (NKJV)
In my time flying in the military, I experienced new rules and regulations and/or new procedures every time there was an incident, or a mishap of some sort. New conditions force a change in the way we were doing things. It was the same in the early church. Things in the new church were changing daily. The growth of the new church was phenomenal!
Acts 2:41 (NKJV) Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Acts 4:4 (NKJV) However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
5,000 was just the number of men, it did not include the women or children so this number could have easily have been doubled or tripled. But when a church grows, there are problems. Who is going to do duty in the nursery, who is going to teach the children. Who is going to visit all the sick, and minister to those in need? In that early church, they had those problems and some cultural divisions to deal with as well.
Acts 6:1 (NKJV) Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
There was a lot of people that needed ministering. Plus there were cultural problems. There were problems between the Grecian and Native born Jewish Christians. No surprise here. Even outside the church community there were problems. These were not racial problems for the Jewish community stayed within their own bloodlines more than any other culture – this true even today.
However, The Native born Jews were “more pure,” more traditional. The foreign born Jews were more “liberal.” The native born held tightly to the ancient traditions. The foreign born had new ways and customs. The Native born had their traditional hymns and songs. The foreign born were more contemporary. There was friction between the traditional folk and the contemporary people.
Any of this sound familiar? There is an old saying, the more things seem to change, the more they are really the same. We have these same problems today.
And one group was not being cared for like the other.
Now here is the real problem: The Apostles were not preaching, they were not attending to the Word. They were putting out fires. You can image the squabbles that were happening. Unity in the church had to maintained and the apostles couldn’t keep the people and everyone happy all by themselves. Harmony in the fellowship is a critical thing. A church that is squabbling is not reaching their community for Jesus. They are focused inwardly on themselves. And the apostles were doing it all. what were they to do? So they called a church into a business meeting:
Acts 6:2 (NKJV) Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
They outlined the problem to the church. “Tables” in context has a meaning which included much more than just putting food on the table for people to eat. Serving tables did not mean they were waiters. Serving Tables was a term used to mean a place of administration, to manage the distribution of food and other supplies. It was also a term used to manage money, so in a since the table served as banks. Serving Tables meant to administer or manage a program or ministry. The Apostles could not manage everything, and still preach the gospel.
As a pastor, boy do I get that. I understand in real terms the reality of what they were saying. What if I had to manage all the things that goes on in the church. To be the treasurer and function as the finance committee. To be the Sunday school director and manage all the discipleship training, to be the one to set up and prepare for the Lord’s supper and fill the pool for baptism. If spent all that time doing all the administrative functions of the church, when would I prepare messages, when would I tend to the flock, council and guide our members. Not to speak of the time I council with non-church members. If I had to do everything, my sermons would never amount to much.
I need men who are capable of performing these administrative tasks, men who are unafraid to get their hands dirty. Remember the people were complaining, the apostles needed someone to help keep the harmony in the fellowship. That is one big charge I give to our deacons; Maintain the harmony of the fellowship. Put stop to arguing, squelch rumors, if there is a complaint, fix the problem.
So the apostles came up with a plan:
Acts 6:3–4 (NKJV) Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The church was called to pick out seven to serve. Notice carefully, the verse did not say the Apostles would do the picking and choosing. The passage said the church would choose these 7 men. That’s just what Rosemont does and will do. The church will nominate, and then elected these men. The ordained men of the church will examined these men to insure they were up to task, both in terms of maturity, wisdom, spirituality and they embraced Biblically solid Christian doctrines. Next week, we will get into the qualifications of the deacon found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, but some of these qualifications are listed here.
“Men of good reputation” These are men who are respected in the community and highly respected in the church.
“Full of the Holy Spirit” meaning they are in-tuned to things of God.
And, “full of wisdom” this means they have the knowledge of how to get things done and they do it.
If there were such men to handled administration of ministering to those within the church, then the apostles could do what they were called to do. they would be able to “continually” or full time devote themselves to prayer and the word.
I do not pray near as much as I should and preparing messages requires a great deal of study and preparation. Deacons serve so the pastor can do want God has called him to do, that is the ministry of the word.
Jesus so orders the church that we have our various responsibilities, so the work of ministry, the mission of the church is accomplished.
Acts 6:5 (NKJV) And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
The apostles’ plan went over well with the church. It made a lot of sense. So they choose these seven guys. We really don’t know much about most of these, but we do know about Steven and Philip. Look at what these deacons have done. Steven was faithful in his duties and we know he went on to preach the gospel. He was the first martyr of the church, having been put to death for standing up firm for the gospel. He knew the scriptures. Read Acts 7.
And Philip, who later became an evangelist. And Philip had 4 unmarried daughters who had the spiritual gift of prophecy - meaning they could preach and convey the very word of God to people. How would Philip fit in a Southern Baptist church today with daughters who preached? For that matter, look at:
Romans 16:1 (NKJV) I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,
Paul commended a woman named Phoebe, as a servant of the church. A title like phrase and the word for servant was translated from the Greek word "diakonon," the same word used for deacons. The HCSB and CSB adds a footnote to say this could be a technical term meaning deacon or deaconess. The NLT says “deacon in the church" and the RSV says "deaconess of the church."
How many women in our church minister as a servant of the church? The argument can easily be made that many of the women do more work in the church than most of the men. Considering there there are ministries that a man simply cannot do and only women can fulfil, maybe we ought to consider women deacons? Just a thought. I’ll save this for a later discussion.
My journey into the ministry began when I was first ordained a deacon at Bethel Baptist Church of Alamogordo NM in 1989. I was a captain in the Air Force and 34 years old. I first was an yokefellow (deacon in training) for a year prior. I was ordained into the Gospel ministry 16 years later.
But following the New Testament teaching, all members of the church should be servants. But we have men that have been set apart to specifically to serve the church, not rule over the church, not be a board of directors for the church, but to serve the church and the members of the church. A deacon is the servant of the Church.
Jesus rules over the church, through the indwelling of His Spirit in each member. Each member in unity with the Spirit rules through our congregational form of Church government.
But, the deacons do have authority over the various ministries and programs in which they have been entrusted, to effectively manage the "table" they have been called to serve.
Acts 6:6 (NKJV) whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
The church chooses the men to serve, then the church ordains them as deacons. Being ordained is not merely a nice title, It is not an merely an honor we bestow on an individual, it is a call to serve, it is an obligation for duty. It is not to not rule and direct the church, but to serve the church. And the results of a church, where all is in harmony, and needs are being met, is a church that can look out beyond itself.
Acts 6:7 (NKJV) Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
The word of God spread. Wow! The word of God was reaching out to the community around them, even to the point of many of the priests in the temple were now following the faith. This is amazing when considering the hierarchy of the temple priests were dead set against the church.
We live in a day and age where is seems the whole world is turning against the church and the things of Christ. But if we, as the body of Christ, are in harmony with one another, and all are doing what we are called to do; the pastor proclaiming the word, deacons ministering and serving the flock, church members loving and serving each other, there is no telling the number of people that will be reached for the Lord. Even the vilest opponents of the church will be won over.
Deacons are the formal servants of the church. Not the rulers, not the board of directors. But those who serve the needs of the church, to wait on the tables. They too cannot do it alone. The have much responsibilities, and they may call on other church members to assist them. If they call, help them. Jesus tell us the world will know we are his disciples:
John 13:35 (NKJV) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Are we loving one another. It requires Jesus to mold us into what He has called us to be, doing what he has called us to do.
