The term deacon comes from the Greek word diákonos meaning
servant or minister, one who executes the commands of another, esp. of a
master, attendant, the servant of a king, one who, by virtue of the office
assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and
distributes the money collected for their use, a waiter, one who serves food
and drink.
The role or office of deacon was developed in the early
church primarily to minister to the physical needs
of the members of the body of Christ. In Acts 6:1-6 we see the initial stage of
development.
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the
church began to grow so fast that some believers, particularly widows, were
being neglected in the daily distribution of food and alms. Also, as the church
expanded, logistical challenges arose at meetings simply because of the size of
the fellowship. The apostles, who had their hands full caring for the spiritual
needs of the church, decided to appoint seven leaders who could tend to the
physical and administrative needs within the body.
Acts 6:2–4, NLT,…So the Twelve called a meeting of all the
believers. They said, "We apostles should spend our time teaching the word
of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are
well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this
responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the
word." …..
Verse 5 (KJV) ….And the saying pleased the whole multitude:
and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip,
and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of
(a convert from) Antioch:
Verse 6 (KJV) …Whom they set before the apostles: and when
they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
Two of the seven deacons appointed here in Acts were Stephen, who later became the first
Christian martyr, and Philip the
Evangelist.
Stephen performed
great wonders and miracles among the people of Jerusalem. Jews of the outer
provinces began to argue with him, but they could not win against his
spirit-filled wisdom. So in secret, they convinced false witnesses to lie,
accusing Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God. In ancient Judaism,
blasphemy was a crime punishable by death. The accusers brought Stephen before
the Sanhedrin, the great council, where the false witnesses said they heard
Stephen say Jesus would destroy the Temple. Stephen launched into a powerful
defense, detailing the history of the Jews from Abraham through the prophets.
He concluded that the Sanhedrin had murdered the prophesied Messiah, Jesus of
Nazareth. The crowd became furious at him, but Stephen looked up to heaven:
"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the
Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56, NIV)
At that, the mob dragged Stephen out of the city and began
to stone him. They laid their coats in front of a young man named Saul of
Tarsus. As he was dying, Stephen prayed to God to receive his spirit, and
further asked God not to hold the sin against his killers. Stephen "fell
asleep," or died. Other believers buried Stephen and mourned his death.
Philip the
Apostle was one of the earliest followers of Jesus Christ. Some scholars
speculate that Philip was first a disciple of John the Baptist, because he
lived in the region where John preached. Like Peter and Peter's brother Andrew,
Philip was a Galilean, from the village of Bethsaida. It's probable they knew
one another and were friends. Jesus issued a personal call to Philip: "Follow
me." (John 1:43, NIV). Leaving his old life behind, Philip answered the
call. Philip learned the truth about the kingdom of God at the feet of Jesus,
then preached the gospel after Jesus' resurrection and ascension. Philip
fervently sought the Messiah and recognized that Jesus was the promised Savior,
even though he did not fully understand until after Jesus' resurrection.
Now these are two tuff acts to follow, but they demonstrated
the first acts of deaconship.
The first reference to an official position of deacon in the
local congregation is found in Philippians 1:1, where the Apostle Paul says,
"I am writing to all of God's holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ
Jesus, including the elders and deacons." (NLT) While the New Testament
never specifically defines the responsibilities or duties of this office, Paul
explains the qualities of a deacon in 1
Timothy 3:8-13.
1 Timothy 3: 8 Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging
in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They
must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must first be tested; and
then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11In
the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect,
not malicious talkers but temperate and
trustworthy in everything. 12 A deacon must be the husband of
but one wife and must manage his children and his household
well. 13 Those who have served well gain an
excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
Vs. 8…not indulging in much wine….. 1 Timothy 5: 23 Stop drinking only water,
and use a little wine because of your stomach and your
frequent illnesses. This passage of scripture is not to celebrate that
believers can go out and just drink. This gives understanding to being
"disciplined”, in other words, “only drink wine to assist with illnesses
we encounter”. Titus 1: 7 Since
an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he
must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to
drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Verse 8 of Timothy also
speaks of “dishonest gain”. This can be looked at as saying, “not being a
crooked individual”, or “not beating people out of their money”, etc. This word
dishonest, is an adjective meaning not honest; disposed to lie, cheat, or steal;
not worthy of trust or belief.
Vs. 9….must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith…..
Here’s where I have to stop for a minute, keeping hold of the deep truths of
the faith. What are the “deep truths of the faith”? First let’s define the word
“faith”. Faith - belief that is not based on
proof; confidence or trust in a person (as in their ability), thing, deity, in
the doctrines or teachings of a religion, or view. In other words, faith
is belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may
be no tangible proof; complete trust in or devotion to. So a deacon is to keep
hold of the deep truths of the belief with strong conviction, having complete
trust in and devotion to “what”? Truth, faith has some significance to how a
deacon is to have a “clear conscience” of truth.
Faith is possibly the single-most important element of the
Christian life. Hebrews 11:6 states, "And without faith it is impossible
to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and
that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." The Bible gives this
description of faith in Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is being sure of what we
hope for and certain of what we do not see." Scripture explains that the
source of faith is God: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works,
so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Faith exist in having a deep
confession within oneself that El Shaddai, God, Elohim, The Creator of all that
Exist is real. Now before we go any
further, I don’t want to confuse anyone by the names I just spoke:
El Shaddai is conventionally translated as God Almighty is
one of the Judaic names of God.
Elohim is simply a name for God in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Now, the more I begin to look at this position of a deacon and
various positions of leadership in the church, one something stands out,
qualities of Jesus Christ. No matter what position of leadership one holds in
the church, Jesus Christ is the foundation of the example. In today’s society
people will write books on how to be a deacon. Individuals will stand a say they
are the example of a deacon but nobody can do it like Jesus. To hold the title
of deacon is to perform a portion of the services that God Himself performed in
the human existence. What better way to hold the example of than being
Christ-like in our duties. All these positions of leadership in the church hold
reference to the complete body of Christ. Being a pastor, deacon, elder,
evangelist; all has to be done individual in the body of the church
organization but Christ did all this in is Existence as The First Church. One
man can’t be like Christ because we come in this world knowing nothing,
innocent to all that exist. Christ came into a world that he, himself created,
so he knew from birth why the sun revolves around the earth. Christ knew from
birth how the birds are able to fly. Christ knew from birth how each part of
our bodies operate and function. Christ came into the earth knowing how and why
we sin. We only know from exiting our mother’s womb that something bright is in
my face and something just hit me. Then we see some people looking at us making
a bunch of noise that I don’t understand. Our lives begin in innocence and we
have to look to the One and Only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to gain insight
on how to live this life effectively. We are all in this state and that’s why
God assembles us all together, in one body, to complete the mission he has
established for all of us, here on earth. The deacons of the church work under
the direction of the pastor, who is led by Christ. John 6:51 I am the living
bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The biblical requirements of deacons are similar to that of
elders, but there is a clear distinction in office. Elders are spiritual
leaders or shepherds of the church. They serve as pastors and teachers and also
provide general oversight on financial, organizational, and spiritual
matters. The practical ministry of deacons in the church is vital, freeing elders to focus on prayer,
studying God's Word, and pastoral care. Nowadays, as in the early church, the
role of a deacon may encompass a variety of services and differs from
denomination to denomination. In general, however, deacons function as
servants, ministering to the body in practical ways. They may assist as ushers,
tend to benevolence, or count tithes and offerings. No matter how they serve,
Scripture makes it clear that ministering as a deacon is a rewarding and
honorable calling in the church:
Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and
great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. (NIV). Most people believe that
as a leader, they do not have to follow. This is where they are wrong, the
greatest of all leaders are great followers. The Greatest of all leadership,
Jesus, followed the teaching and instructions of God our Creator. Matthew
16:15-19 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him,
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to
you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this
rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven.” Romans 15:7-12 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed
you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the
circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given
to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his
mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and
sing to your name.” And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his
people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples
extol him.
To be in leadership in the Body of Christ is to first follow
the Instructions of God. Ephesians 4:11-13 And he gave the apostles, the prophets,
the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work
of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Following God’s Word of Instruction in leadership allows the
congregation inspiration to abide in God. 2 Corinthians 3:2-18…You yourselves
are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read
by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but
on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ
toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming
from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be
ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the
letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Romans 15:4-5 For whatever was written
in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and
through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of
endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another,
in accord with Christ Jesus,
