WWUTT 1052 More About Deacons?

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The role of the deacon is very, very important in the church. Though he is not called to be a preacher and a teacher, what the deacon does allows for the

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Word of God to increase in the church when we understand the text. This is

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When We Understand the Text, a daily study of God's Word that we may be filled with the knowledge of His will.

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For questions and comments send us an email to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

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Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. We continue our study of the book of Acts.

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In fact, we're going to come back to the same section we looked at yesterday, Acts chapter 6, verses 1 through 7, and here is what we read.

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Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the

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Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said,

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It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

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Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the

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Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

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And what they said pleased the whole gathering. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the

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Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.

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These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase.

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And the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

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So I come back to this same passage today because I want to take another perspective on this, still talking about the service of deacons in the church.

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We did the exposition of this particular section yesterday, but now we're going to go to a few other passages, including 1

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Timothy 3, where we have the qualifications for deacons listed. But first, let's give kind of a summary of what's going on here in Acts 6 verses 1 -7.

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So there are physical needs in the church. In fact, let's lay it out this way. There are physical needs in the church, and there are spiritual needs in the church.

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There are some people in the church that have ailments, or they are fatigued, or maybe there's a depression going on, or in the case that you have going on here, there are widows.

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There are those who have no one to care for them. They're upwards in age, and they can't even care for themselves. So those who are in the most dire need within the church, they're going to get the focus first, but then you might have some other folks within your congregation who have certain physical needs.

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You've got maybe hospital visits that need to be done, people who are sick in bed in the hospital, or maybe they are bedridden at home because they're fighting cancer or something to that degree.

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So the physical needs that need to be met in the church can be done by those who are deacons.

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Deacons are appointed to help to meet those physical needs. The elders in the church help to meet the spiritual needs.

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They are the ones who are appointed to oversee the preaching and the teaching, and that's what they apply themselves to.

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Now as a pastor, this is what I do most of the time, preaching and teaching. I teach, goodness, it's more than seven times a week.

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There are seven days in a week, I do more Bible lessons than just one lesson a day.

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I'm going to go through this with you, and it's not to boast, don't take this as a brag in any way, shape or form, but it's just to illustrate that a pastor or an elder's primary responsibility should be the teaching of God's word, and you'll see how

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I've applied myself to that just to set an example. I'm setting this forward to you as an example.

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So on Sunday, of course, I preach a sermon, and most of what I've been preparing during the week has been for that.

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The sermon that I'm going to preach on Sunday morning. There's other teaching that I do, but every single day

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I will do something that will gear toward that sermon that I'm going to preach to my congregation.

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That's kind of my primary purpose function in the job that I have, the tasks that I've been appointed by my church to do.

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On Monday, I have the podcast, so there's one lesson there. We also have elders meeting, so there's some

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Bible study that happens there as well. Now all of us elders do that together. It doesn't rest solely upon me, but nevertheless, we've got

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Bible study there, and that's for all of us that we might teach and encourage one another.

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One of the elders teaches a Bible study class. Another one of the elders has a small church group that he teaches on Sunday afternoon, and then

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I've got, of course, the sermon, so we'll talk about the sermon. So there's another sort of a teaching lesson that we'll have on Monday evening.

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On Tuesday, I teach at least two messages to high school students in the afternoon.

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We've got a program at our church called Bible Lunch Tuesday. So on Tuesday, since our church is right next to the high school, we'll invite high school kids over.

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They'll get a free lunch, and we give them the word of God. I don't always do this. Sometimes there's another minister from town that will lead the teaching, but it's at least twice a month, sometimes three times a month, that I'll do two messages on the same day to two different groups of high school students.

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Then in the evening, we've got men's group, so I'm teaching men's group, and of course, we have the podcast. That's four times in one day that I'll be teaching four messages.

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Then on Wednesday, I teach our high school class at our church, plus I've got the podcast. Then on Thursday, I teach

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Bible study in my home, plus I've got the podcast lesson. On Friday, Becky and I have the podcast that we do, and that's actually my day off.

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Friday is more a family day for me, and then Saturday, I don't have any teaching that I do there at all.

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Sunday, then of course, I've got the sermon. So you add all of that up, that's like a dozen lessons in a week, and that doesn't count the discipling

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I do with my wife and my kids, but that's a responsibility that every Christian man should have in his own home.

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But this is how I, as a pastor, have applied myself to the preaching and teaching. There are others in my church that have been appointed to the task of caring for the physical needs in the church.

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We do have widows that we care for, and also those who are sick or bedridden that somebody else can go and help and assist, or a mom whose husband is deployed.

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This is very common in our community since we're right next to Fort Riley. So a mom who will have a deployed husband needs to care for the kids.

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One of the kids is sick. Maybe mom just needs a break. She needs to go take a nap. So somebody will go and babysit the kids while she's able to rest, and there's people in the church who are able to do that task.

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So those of us who have applied ourselves to the preaching and teaching can make that our primary focus.

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So here we're talking about deacons who take care of those physical needs, and maybe the deacon himself doesn't do it, but he might be appointed to oversee assigning somebody else to take care of that task.

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And this is to allow those who have the charge over the teaching in the church to be able to apply themselves fully to that work.

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This is what the disciples say, or what the apostles say, rather, in verse 2. They say, it is not right that we should give up the preaching of the word of God to serve tables.

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Now, get that. It's not right that we should give this up. There are many churches that really expect of their pastors to do work that deacons are supposed to do.

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And it's not that pastors shouldn't go over to widows' homes or go pray with somebody in a hospital or something like that.

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I've done those things. I think pastors should do those things, but there must be those in the church that are able to handle that on a more immediate basis, or at least in such a way that it's not taking the pastor away from those tasks that he is most responsible for.

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The preaching and teaching of the word of God over the church. Now, notice something here.

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This is what the apostles have said to the full number of the disciples. Seven men are chosen to become the deacons to oversee this work that the

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Hellenist widows would receive the distribution as much as the Jewish widows do.

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And then it says in verse 7, and the word of God continued to increase. So because there were men who were assigned to help with the distribution of goods within the church of the charity that it might be given to those who needed it, because there were men who were appointed that task, it didn't take away from the apostles who were teaching the word of God.

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And therefore, the word of God continued to increase. It is important that the church look out for one another and even care for one another's physical needs that needs to be done.

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And we see what kind of demonstration and example that has been for the people who have been observing what's been going on in the church here in Jerusalem.

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They see that they love one another. They see that they're even giving up their own goods for the betterment of other people.

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That is such a testimony in the church to demonstrate that kind of love. We love one another because God first loved us.

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And if we know that we are loved by God, as John lays this out in 1 John 4, because we know we have been loved by God, therefore we should be demonstrating that same love with one another.

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And this is a great testament of the love of God that has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

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We must care for one another in this way. Paul said to the Galatians in Galatians chapter 6, as you have opportunity, show kindness to everyone, especially to those of the household of faith.

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So that's like where our focus is first or where our attention goes first is helping those people in the church.

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But then as we have opportunity, we also show charity and kindness to those who are outside the church.

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And this is a testament to the church. It is important for the church to do this, but we can have certain people that are assigned to that task and gifted in those things so that those who have the gift of teaching may be able to apply themselves more to the preaching and teaching that is to be going on in that church, that the word of God may increase.

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There are people who are not Christians who do all kinds of charity work, right?

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You probably know people who are even atheists who give of their time and money to benefit those who don't have much.

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But we as Christians especially should demonstrate this for others because it's exactly what our

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Lord Christ did for us. What's even more important than caring for one another's physical needs in this way is that the word of God is taught.

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So as we have opportunity to care for those who are not part of the church, we take the word of God with us, the gospel especially, so that they may hear the gospel of Christ, be convicted of their sin and turn from it.

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That they would repent and follow Jesus and so be saved. So the charity work that we might do for others is an open door for us to be able to share the gospel with them, that they may repent of their sin and find salvation in Jesus Christ.

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The word of God continues to increase and it does so within the church as well when those who are in the church are being cared for and those who have the gift of teaching are able to continue in their teaching.

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Now then let's shift gears a little bit. We'll turn over to 1 Timothy chapter 3 and we did this on a

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Friday. On the Friday edition of the broadcast, Becky and I went through these instructions together laying out the qualifications for deacons in the church.

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Verses 1 -7 we have the qualifications for elders and then 1

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Timothy 3, 8 -13 we have the qualifications for deacons. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

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Okay, let's pause for a minute. We'll go through each one of these individually. Deacons must be dignified.

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Remember what the first qualification was for an elder. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer in the church, he desires a noble task, therefore an overseer must be above reproach.

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There is no sin that you could bring against that man and say this man is guilty of this and therefore he is not qualified for this position of showing the maturity that a

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Christian, a mature Christian should have, one who is pursuing godliness. So likewise a deacon must in his godliness be a dignified individual.

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People could say of him that he is kind to others, he meets all these other qualifications here. He is surely a

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Christian, he can explain his Christian faith to someone else, he cares for the body of Christ, he cares for others, he's got a good reputation among people within the church and even without.

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Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double tongued, not that they say one thing and that they do something else.

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They must not be addicted to much wine, not drunkards. They must be sound in their mind, filled with the

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Holy Spirit rather than filled with drunkenness. They must not be greedy for dishonest gain.

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Now in the case of an elder, in the case of a teacher in the church, the way that being greedy for dishonest gain would affect him is he might change the message of the word of God to be more appealing to more people, that way he could benefit from it financially, people would pay him and he would get rich.

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In the case of a deacon, it's a little bit different. A deacon might ask for payment for his services.

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So hey, I'm going to serve you, I'm going to help to meet your needs, but you got to pay me for it. That would be greedy for dishonest gain.

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Rather, he must be willing to do his work without asking for anything in return. And likewise, all of us as Christians must be willing to put others needs ahead of our own and even be able to do something for somebody else, not expecting anything in return.

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Outdo one another in showing honor, the way that Paul puts it in Romans chapter 12, verse 9, a deacon must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

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So whereas an elder must know how to teach the mystery of the faith, a deacon must at the very least believe in the mystery of the faith and perhaps do the way that Peter explains in 1

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Peter 3, 15, a deacon must be able to give an answer for the hope that lies within him, but doing this with gentleness and respect.

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So they're a Christian, they're able to explain why they're a Christian. They're able to understand the word of God and give you the basics of it.

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Maybe they couldn't go into deep explanation. Maybe they don't know how to give exhortation or application in a way that the word of God would be meaningful to a person's life.

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They don't have that gift of teaching, but they nevertheless believe it and hold to it with a clear conscience, not in any kind of sin that would therefore unqualify them for the work and the task that they're appointed to do.

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Verse 10, let them also be tested first, then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.

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Now, this let them be tested first can apply in a lot of different ways. One of the ways that we do this in our church is that we have like a six month period of testing.

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So a person would be nominated for the position of deacon. The church accepts their nomination and then they go into a period of testing.

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So for six months, they're kind of under the microscope by the people in the church. What have we seen this person doing in the task that is set before them in this work that they're called to do as a deacon?

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So they're being tested. And then if they pass the test, we see that they are a diligent worker in the faith.

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They hold to the mystery of the faith. They are indeed dignified, not double -tongued. They're not gossips, but they speak the truth and do so in love.

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Then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Then verse 11, their wives must likewise be dignified, not slanderers, but sober minded, faithful in all things.

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Now, this is another place where we do not see qualifications for an elder's wife in first Timothy three, one through seven, but we see qualifications for a deacon's wife.

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And this is because we're talking about acts of service here. And so a wife may very well be involved with her husband in caring for physical needs for members of the church.

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Her husband might be the one that holds the title of deacon, but women can be every bit as much involved in this work, whereas in the position of an elder, a woman is not supposed to stand in the pulpit and teach.

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She is not having to meet those qualifications of an elder, but she must at the very least be is help me right, caring for his household so that the elder is able to apply himself to the preaching and teaching.

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That qualification isn't given there, but that's what we might expect of a pastor's wife or of an elder's wife.

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A deacon's wife must be as much a servant as he is and likewise must not be double tongued a slanderers, but they must be sober minded.

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They must be faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husband of one wife managing their children in their own households.

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Well, same qualification we saw for an elder, for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

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Now, there are many who want to say that a deacon can be a woman in a church and or that a woman in the church can be a deacon.

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This was what Becky and I were talking about this past Friday. This was the way we answered the question that was asked of us.

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But we do not see any examples in scripture of women deacons. Just come back here to Acts chapter six.

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Seven men have been chosen to care for the needs of the church. No women are listed.

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Seven what? Seven men are chosen as deacons. There are not any examples of women deacons in the scriptures.

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Now, there are certainly women disciples. There are women servants, but there's no one that we see who has that actual title of deacon.

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The one contention there, the one argument that gets raised whenever something like that gets said is

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Phoebe. So somebody might reference Phoebe in Romans chapter 16, verse one. I commend to you our sister

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Phoebe, a servant of the church at Syncria. And some will point to this particular passage in the

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Greek. The word for servant is deaconess, the female form of deacon.

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And so Phoebe, therefore, look, she's a deaconess. So you can have deaconesses in the church.

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Women who are in that office of deacon. But honestly, you're reading something into the text that the text simply doesn't say.

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The word deacon means servant. So of course, it's going to appear in other places to apply that word servant.

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It doesn't mean that Phoebe is being called to a particular office. It's simply giving her praise as a servant in the church.

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And women can most certainly serve in the church. There are women that are listed in the New Testament as being servants to the apostles.

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And the apostles are grateful for the service that those women have provided to the church.

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But as far as the offices are concerned, the office of elder or pastor or overseer, bishop, whatever you would apply to that particular office or the office of deacon, as the offices are concerned, these are offices that are to be held by men.

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Now, I'm a little more lenient on the interpretation of that regarding deacon, but most especially, the role of pastor is limited only for men and not for women.

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That doesn't mean that the role of a woman is any less important in the church. For as Paul lays this down in 1

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Corinthians 12, 21, the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again, the head to the feet.

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I have no need of you. On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.

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And on those parts of the body that we think less honorable, we bestow the greater honor and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which are more presentable parts do not require.

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But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there be no division in the body, but that all the members may have the same care for one another.

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If one member suffers, all suffer together. If one member is honored, all rejoice together.

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That's how we should understand our roles in the body of Christ. There are going to be some that in the eyes of men, we might say, well, they have a lesser role.

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Every role in the church is important and every accomplishment of every person in that role, in whatever respective role that they have been called to is for the benefit of the church.

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We benefit one another. We've all been gifted in different spiritual gifts that we might be a benefit to each other.

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And in this particular case, in the lesson that we are looking at today, the deacons are a benefit to the church so that even what they are doing and caring for the physical needs is so the word of God would increase and the church would be sanctified, growing in holiness and righteousness and faith.

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That's a beautiful thing. Let us conclude with prayer. Our heavenly father, we thank you for considering our need that Jesus Christ came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

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So through what Jesus did for us, setting us an example. So may we do for one another.

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It is a service to administer the word of God as much as it is also a service to care for those physical needs of those who need help.

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Let us be humble in our doings. Let us not think too proudly of ourselves or boast in our own work, but let all the work that we do point others to our

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Lord Jesus Christ who saves and raises us from death. We pray these things in Jesus name.

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Amen. Gabriel Hughes is the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas.