DEACON CHARGE – 2026 Acts 6:1-7
FBCF – 1/11/26
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Hymn #434 in my 1956 Baptist Hymnal – “Serve the Lord w/ Gladness”: “Serve the Lord w/ gladness in our works & ways, Come before His presence w/ our songs of praise; Unto Him our Maker, we would pledge anew, Life’s supreme devotion to service true.”
There aren’t many things that bring more joy to a Christ-follower’s life than serving the Lord. And the way we serve the Lord is by serving others in His name & for His glory.
- We don’t serve begrudgingly, but w/ gladness & thankfulness to God for sending Jesus to save us.
- In a former church, had a deacon who was elected chairman one year b/c he said, “Well, I’ll do it if no one else will do it.” Probably the worst year we had w/ deacons in that church.
One of the foundational truths for us as Christ-followers is that we are ALL called to love God & love others, which means that we are called to serve God & serve others. We don’t just SAY we love others – we SHOW them that we love them by serving them.
- 1 John 3:18 – “Little children, let us not love w/ words & speech, but w/ actions & in truth.”
There’s a group of men – a growing group of men in this Church FAMILY who are deepening their love for Jesus & their love for His Church, & they’re stepping up to the plate to put that love in action. This group of men is the deacon body of FBCF. They’re serious about being the servants of this Church, & it’s our privilege to ordain – appoint & set apart – these 5 men today. Per our constitution, these men, whom you nominated, have gone through a thorough process of examination to get to this point today. That examination process includes:
- An initial meeting w/ me that included their wives where I clearly shared the biblical basis for deacon ministry. After that mtg, they prayed w/ their wives to determine if they felt led to continue to the next step. Those who did went to next step.
- Each of them individually met w/ the Deacon Confirmation Team – Pastor, Exec Pastor, Deacon chair, vice-chair, & outgoing deacons. That team then voted on each candidate as to whether to recommend them to the church for a vote of confirmation, which you did back in Oct.
- All 5 then met w/ an ordination council last Sunday afternoon for testimonies, questions, & encouragement. Council then voted unanimously to proceed to this ordination service.
Old hymn – “O Master let me walk w/ Thee, In lowly paths of service free.” Walking w/ Jesus means we are available to serve in whatever way He needs us to serve. A servant is to be immediately available to his master when he calls. Same is true for us in our relationship to Jesus as our Lord & Master. We joyfully respond to Him & gladly serve Him by serving others in whatever way we can. These men have responded to the call of Christ on their lives to be deacons & have said, “Yes.” So, today I give you these 4 encouragements as I charge you w/ this ministry:
WALK W/ JESUS – Acts 6:3 – “…full of the Spirit & wisdom…” – CEB says, “endowed by the Spirit w/ exceptional wisdom.” The only way that’s true of you is if you are consistently walking w/ Jesus. Every other deacon who has examined you over the last several wks has seen evidence that you ARE godly men who are consistently walking w/ Jesus. So let me just say – DON’T STOP!
- Stay in the Word – Ps. 119:33 – “Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; & I will keep it to the end.”
- Stay on your knees – Willam Carey: “Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of all personal godliness.”
WORK HARD – It was hard work to take care of the widows in the Acts 6 early Church. The Church was exploding w/ new Christians & was experiencing growing pains. Those 7 original deacons willingly stepped up to the plate & said, “Let’s go!”
Across the board, all 5 of you, when confirmation team asked about your understanding of what the Bible says about deacons said, “To serve.” And you’re exactly right – diakonos – “servant, waiter, bus boy.” You’ve already stepped up to the plate in serving the Lord & this body of believers – LG leaders, security team members, ministry team members, men’s ministry leaders, VBS workers, & guys who just step up when there’s a need. And now, you will serve as deacons. Col. 3:23 – “Whatever you do, put your whole heart & soul into it, as into work done for God, & not merely for men.” (Phillips) That includes here in the church, in your home w/ your wife & kids, in your secular job. Bring glory to God as you work hard.
WITNESS TO OTHERS – If you are going to follow the example of those first deacons in Acts 6, then you’ll have to follow the example of Stephen & Philip. We have biblical proof that those 2 certainly went on to be bold in their faith, sharing the Gospel powerfully, even to the point of martyrdom as we see w/ Stephen. Philip had an incredible encounter w/ the Ethiopian eunuch that should embolden all of you to look for opportunities to tell others about Jesus & lead them to trust in Him for their salvation, which you already doing, too. I believe that deacons should be some of the leading soul-winners in the Church.
“WELL DONE, GOOD & FAITHFUL SERVANT” – As you walk w/ Jesus – as you work hard – as you witness to others – one day you’ll heard these words, “Well done, good & faithful servant.” EVERY Christ-follower should live to hear those words, but most especially you & the other ordained men in this church. We don’t serve to get accolades from men – we serve to please & glorify our Savior. Let that alone be your goal. And if you do that, you will serve the Lord & this HIS Church well.
