The WINDOW
Bible Teaching Ministry of
CEDAR LODGE BAPTIST CHURCH
Thomasville, NC
A fellowship of faith, family and friendships
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August 8, 2004
A sermon preached on the occasion of the Deacon ordination of Mr. Bob Hagins
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My purpose is to give a charge to our dear brother, Bob Hagins as we set him apart for the office and ministry of Deacon. A second purpose is to charge all of us, as a church body, to assist Bob in handling that office well. Any leader is made a better leader when followers support and encourage.
This sermon, then, is about the office of deacon. The qualifications are well known, and often misunderstood, and seldom used in context. It’s been pointed out to me that, according to 1 Timothy 3, a deacon should be sober. The oracle who pointed this out to me tied this to the fact that the preacher wasn’t supposed to drink at all, and the deacon shouldn’t drink too much. I supposed he meant that the deacons were to be less drunk than the members, but more than the pastor. The same passage says the wife of the deacon shouldn’t be a slanderer (diablos, or devil in Greek). On this I give no comment (I was a deacon before I became a pastor, and my wife is here!)
The first group of deacons was chosen without benefit of the teachings of Paul in his letter to Timothy. Luke records in the Book of the Acts (6:3) that the chief criteria for selection of the men for serving was their honest reputation for being filled with the Spirit of God and well-known for acting in wisdom. If we are wise, those qualities are the ones we will seek when we elect deacons.
There is but one reason the office of deacon exists; to assist in the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This text (Acts 6-8) demonstrates how men who are filled with the Spirit of God and wisdom spread the Gospel.
I want to introduce you to three of those ways....
FIRST
MEN WHO ARE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND WISDOM ARE USED OF GOD TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL BY THEIR SERVICE.
The problem which first underscored the need for deacons was that in the early church, one of the daily ministries was caring for the needs of the widows. Some of the widows felt neglected, and friction called for mediation of the problems. The apostles recognized that ongoing strife would hinder the spread of the Gospel. So deacons were chosen to serve the needs of the people while the preachers preached.
There were two good results;
1. It handled the division that was beginning:
5And the saying pleased the whole multitude¡KActs 6:5a (KJV)
2. The Gospel prospered (cf v.7).
7And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. Acts 6:7 (KJV)
And we can draw the lesson that common sense, or wisdom, combined with an open heart for God’s Spirit to touch a man will be a boost to any church.
SECOND
MEN WHO ARE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND WISDOM ARE USED OF GOD TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL BY THEIR SACRIFICE.
I have never known a deacon who served well who did not understand and live by the principle of sacrificial service. Note that the first man chosen was Stephen and he literally became a sacrifice. He served well, and it put him in a place where others watched his every move. Elizabeth and I were discussing the need for several hundred dollars to pay a bill. One of our children (only about 3 or 4 at the time) overheard us. This little one came to me later, with hand out-stretched. In that little paw was 11 cents. "You can use my money, Daddy¡¨ The spirit of sacrificially willing to give it all far outweighed the gift.
Deacon Stephen was a leader in his church, and the Jews didn’t like it. They first tried to debate him, and when they couldn’t, they hired false witnesses against him. There is nothing new under the sun. Serve sacrificially and the Lord and his children will love you while the world will find a way to eat your lunch.
Note the testimony of Stephen in Acts 7; to summarize, Stephen says to his Jewish accusers:
„« "Look at history. God called Abraham, said ’Get out’, and he sacrificed the security of homeland and family, and followed the Lord by faith.
„« He called Joseph, unjustly sold into slavery by his own brothers. Joseph sacrificed the pride of revenge on those brothers when he found himself in the driver’s seat to repay, and a nation was preserved.
„« God called Moses, who sacrificed, gave up the greatest kingdom on earth in Egypt, to lead a band of slaves, misfits and unruly wanderers to a land he’d never seen."
There’s a principle here: The degree of sacrifice is directly equivalent to the weight of the fruit it will bear. Applied to the office of deacon - As you allow yourself to be moved by God to serve as a living sacrifice, He will give you great fruit for the sake of His kingdom.
It happened in Stephen’s life. He was willing to stand, unashamed and tell the gospel story. It was simple - God had given the Jews privilege of being His people. In turn they were supposed to call all the nations of the earth to turn to God. God had given the prophets to remind them of their job.
What happened? They killed the prophets. God finally sent His own, His only Son to call them into obedience, and they killed Him. Stephen told the story. What happened? They got mad at the preacher:
54When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man¡¦s feet, whose name was Saul.
59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:54-60 (KJV)
What was it that made Stephen different? He kept his eyes on Jesus, not on people.
Eventually Stephen paid the ultimate price for his faith. They stoned him to death, and he asked the Lord to forgive them....Wonder where he got that sacrificial idea? Could it be the picture he kept in his mind of a hill called Golgotha?
What was the weight of the fruit God gave for this sacrificial ministry? The greatest persecution ever in the church:
1... And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.4Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
Acts 8:1b-4 (KJV)
The Word of God was being preached everywhere the scattered sheep went; all because of the sacrificial service of one loyal layman deacon.
What is interesting about this circumstance though, is that Saul (who later became the apostle Paul, a great servant of the Lord) was probably witness to the debate and Stephen’s wonderful demonstration of loyalty to the Lord. Stephen served sacrificially, and it became seed in the mind of an observing Saul that later saw fruit on the Road to Damascas where Paul finally gave in to the Lord.
Service, Sacrifice, and then.....
THIRDLY
MEN FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD AND WISDOM ARE USED OF GOD TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL BY THEIR SWORD.
Assistant Chairman of Deacons, Philip takes up the standard in chapter 8. The standard is the Word of God; the Sword of the Spirit. Philip went to Samaria...a place filled with pagan gods, and strange beliefs.
In a superstitious world, only the Word of God can bring genuine hope to men. Notice that the preaching of God’s unadulterated Word was what brought the unclean spirits out of people and brought great joy to lost people.
7For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice,
came out of many that were possessed with them:
and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8And there was great joy in that city.
Acts 8:7-8 (KJV)
I wouldn’t want to see a man serve as deacon who didn’t hold the Bible as the authentic and authoritative Word of God, and have his life back up that claim! A young man got saved, and he expressed concern to his pastor that the fellows down at work would make fun of him for his spiritual commitment. The pastor advised: "You just go ahead & try not to worry; we’ll pray for you." The next Sunday the young man came back. The pastor asked: "How did it go?" "Fine" said the young man, "Nobody suspected I’m a Christian.". A message of joy shouldn’t be hidden.
Finally, note the experience of a pagan who travels 1200 miles from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to find God. What he finds at the temple is rituals, sacrifice animals to buy, and a sign-up sheet to cut the grass. He is handed a bulletin that tells about the budget and temple taxes. On the way out one of the ladies asks him if his wife will come to WMU next week.
On his way home he’s more confused than before. He’d been to church & didn’t understand a thing. But....here comes deacon Philip. It’s Tuesday evening, and visitation means FOLLOW-UP!
Becoming a Christian is personal. It demands personal attention. And so deacon Philip, listening to the call of the Spirit begins to share from the Sword of that Spirit, the Word of God about Jesus.
Personal evangelism...one on one...Deacon to lost person. C.H.Spurgeon once preached a sermon on the duty of the layman to be a personal witness for Christ. A member of the congregation followed him to his study and asked if he might join in on the witnessing. Spurgeon asked him what his occupation was. Locomotive engineer was the reply. Is your fireman saved? "No" Is the conductor? "No, but what does that have to do with it?" "My dear fellow", said Spurgeon, "that is your piece of the work!".
Spurgeon knew what he was talking about. In Colchester, England many years before, a young man was shiftless, and involved with the wrong company. His pathway seemed cut out for crime. On a cold, snowy night he was on his way to meet his partners in crime....He ducked into a church to get out of the weather. It was so bad out the preacher never showed that night. But a layman spoke, and his sincere, earnest appeal to know Christ got hold of a young Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that eventually produced great fruit.
There are many today, perhaps many right here in this building, who can testify that their direction may have been an eternity in hell except for the word of encouragement by some lay person ¡V a deacon, a Sunday school teacher ¡V to come to Jesus.
Bob Hagins, I charge you to be a man of service, and a man of sacrifice. You will do that best if you are a man of the Sword.
And a Word of Charge to the Church
As a body of believers we have chosen this man as one who stands out among us in service, sacrifice and the Word of God. It is an honor you bestow upon this man and his family.
I wish to give you a brief word as to how to keep that honor in good repair. By your vote and by your attendance here tonight you are proclaiming not only God¡¦s Word to be true and accurate that we are to do this thing in setting apart Bob Hagins; you are also proclaiming His fitness, and your willingness to be pleased. The charge that comes with this decision is a reminder that it is sinful to select leaders to lead if you do not intend, in the Spirit of Christ, to follow.
How to follow¡KHow to Treat your Deacons
Treat Bob Hagins (and your other leaders) as Filled¡K
3Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report,full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom...
Acts 6:3 (KJV)
Bob has been called into this ministry. God wanted him there, and so when the need became apparent, God put it in your mind to observe all the characteristics of a man filled with God¡¦s Spirit and wisdom.
Remember, and act accordingly, that he is not only your choice, he is God¡¦s man.
Treat Bob Hagins (and your other leaders) as Friend¡K
8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
Acts 6:8 (KJV)
Stephen was among people! He was one of them, a co-laborer in Christ. He may be God¡¦s man, but he is also your neighbor and brother. He has responded to the call to be a servant. Even the word ¡§deacon¡¨ has its origin in the word ¡§dust¡¨. Remember, and act accordingly, that he is not only a servant, he is your friend.
Treat Bob Hagins (and your other leaders) as Forgiven¡K
Fallible men make mistakes. When Stephen was doing his job of spreading the gospel he stirred up a hornet¡¦s nest of opposition. There may have been those among the brethren who criticized his approach as a leader, but who could complain about his love for the Lord. Bob, like all of us, is a forgiven, blood-bought child of God. Remember, and act accordingly, that when he doesn¡¦t do everything perfectly, he¡¦s not the enemy!
Let the church say, Amen!
