"Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, 9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.."
Good Morning my beloved,
Welcome to worship this Lord's Day!
We so glad that our brothers and sisters from around the world are here with us today.
We continue to pray for all of you, daily.
If
you have prayer requests or concerns, please write to our Prayer Wall and let us know. You
can share as much or as little as you are comfortable with.
In any type of political election, whether federal, state or local, voters are barraged by the claims of candidates who attempt to convince the electorate that not only they are the most qualified for the position, but that their opponent is not only unqualified, but essentially incompetent, incapable of doing the job well. We've all witnessed it, campaign rhetoric can be brutal. And, unfortunately, the winner isn’t always the most qualified person for the position, of which they are intended to fill.
I believe, however, this should be very different process in a fellowship of believers who are selecting
church leaders. Politicking, prideful boasting, power struggles, and popularity
contests have no place in the Body of Christ. As the qualifications for
overseer of the congregation, primarily involve character, rather than knowledge or skillful rhetoric. Personal
character and spiritual maturity must be the key criteria for the selection of
leaders, as well as those we studied in our previous lesson.
When God calls men to serve His church, He looks for those
whose hearts are right with Him. The important thing is not personality, demeanor, or even the ability, as God Himself equips those whom He has called. Therefore, spirituality is God’s concern is not talent, wealth,
power, or experience but moral character and spiritual virtue. The Apostles serve as an excellent example of this, twelve 'unlearned," men, trained by Christ Himself, for an incredible ministry, withstanding the test of time.
The requirements are more extensive for pastors, as we learned in verses 1-7, than for deacons
however, the similarities between them are great. Though these qualifications
in our passage today, are specific for determining who should serve as a deacon, however, I believe they also
serve as an excellent guideline for all Christians.
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for the Word we are about to receive. We are so grateful for those You have chosen to assemble with us today. I ask that You would touch each of their hearts, and pray that each one would be richly blessed by it. Thank You, for calling us into Your service. What an overwhelming joy it is to serve You. Lord, help us to realize the accountability that we all have placed upon us to serve You.
Lord, bless each of those who stand as exemplary examples to the body of what a responsible, spiritual servant needs to be like. Help us never to be tempted to say, that we have "arrived," or that we have obtained perfection in our service to You.
Father, we pray that all of those who care for Your flock, that they would desire the best for it, and to do it with respect, integrity and serve with dignity and honor, to the best of their God given ability.
We pray this in Jesus' precious name
Amen
Today's Message: Qualifying The Called
While you will not likely find a deacon’s name engraved on a monument, or on a church building, however, I want you to know it is not men who are giants in
the eyes of the world that we need serving as deacons today, but
the ordinary men who allow God to go the extra mile in and through them, being a
remarkable positive influence, not only on others in their homes, but also in their churches and communities,
so that anyone examining their lives, are able to see biblical change occurring not only in their lives, but in the lives they touch. That is how deacons are to lead; not by barking out orders or "running the
show," but modeling by example, by the way, which means that
they have gone that way first. Glory be to God!
Though deacons are not given the authority of pastors, they are
servant leaders in the church and therefore, must meet certain, though less
stringent, qualifications. The first God-given stipulation is that they
must be men of dignity. A deacon should be worthy of respect. His
Christian character must be exemplary, worthy of imitating. A deacon should take his
responsibilities seriously and serve, not just fill, the office.
Open with me your Bibles to the third chapter of First Timothy. In our ongoing study of this important, instructional epistle, we will be examining verses 8 through 13. I believe that God is going to bless each of us in His Word for us today.
I would like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read to you from our text, to set it in our minds.
I Timothy 3:8-13.
"Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
In writing to Timothy and the problematic congregation in Ephesus
around the year A.D. 63, Paul found it necessary to give detailed instructions
about deacons. Paul insists that deacons, like shepherds, or pastors, be properly qualified and publicly examined before they are permitted to serve. However, he did not want their position to be minimized, either by others or by themselves,
the Apostle Paul promises that deacons who serve well, will acquire an honorable and
influential standing in the local church.
In verse 13 of our text, Paul writes that "For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus." As a footnote, the Greek word "diakonous," translated as "deacon," in our English language, usually has the ordinary meaning of "servant."
Minister is translated from the same Greek word, "
diákonos," from which we get our word deacon, and it means an attendant, a waiter, a Christian teacher or
shepherd; a servant. So, how then does a deacon lead the church? By serving and
ministering. In
Matthew 20,
Mark 10, Jesus Himself said that He didn’t come "to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" And in
John 13, and throughout His earthly ministry, He demonstrated that the essence of
biblical deacon leadership, to minister, and to give your lives for the
good of others.
I believe that effective deacon leadership is essential in a church. People do not often follow your words, they do, however, watch your actions and observe your life. They
follow your lead in church business, in worship, in relationships within
the church and more. Your moral and spiritual character will, to a large
degree, be a mirror to the church, so it is absolutely essential that
your lives be transforming into Christ’s likeness. Beloved, as
church leaders, whether you like it or not, your lives are on trial.
It
is one thing to minister and serve in the body as a member, but when you
and I accepted roles of responsibility, we voluntarily placed ourselves
on the stand for all to examine, and I believe that it is absolutely essential that
what they see and what they hear measure up to and match the standards, which are contained in God’s
Word. It is essential because that’s how leaders lead, by example, by
ministering and modeling the life, we desire others to live.
Paul says in verse 8, "Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain,"
Here, Paul says he is not to be double tongued. In today's vernacular, we would say "Does not speak out of both sides of his mouth." A deacon speaks with integrity,
consistency, and grace. He does not tell tales from one person to
another. He is not a gossip. You can depend on what he says because he
is honest, and not hypocritical. A deacon does not spread speculation nor
does he misuse truth. Rather, he is called to put an end to discord by
protecting the mission and leadership of the church. He is to be
reliable, not two-faced, one who keeps his word. The extensive close personal relationships that deacons would have with the members of the Church might prove to be a temptation to such a fault.Like a
pastor, he is not to be addicted to much wine. Such an attitude often leads to over indulgence. the Jewish people drank a
weak wine, however, that was because of water contamination issues. Deacons were
to be cautioned against even the non-potent drink of their day. How much more
so, should we be, given the potent refined alcohol availability of today. The consistent testimony of the Bible is against the use of strong
drink. It is certainly best for a Christian not to drink wine or strong
drink at all. In fact it would be a mark of wisdom.
I, personally, adhere to an abstinence
policy, as not to cause a brother to stumble. Paul says they are not to be fond of sordid gain. The priorities of a deacon are
not to be centered on the accumulation of worldly wealth. Therefore, he must be marked by the priority of laying up treasures in heaven, as described in Matthew 6:19-24.
In his financial dealings, whether personal or business, he is not to be
one who uses unethical practices or questionable tactics to gain money. The idea here, is that he is not to be a person who has a dishonorable means of
making a living. His integrity is to extend to his financial dealings.
Verse 9, "but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience." A deacon cannot hold to the faith with a pure conscience and live in sexual
immorality, pilfer money, hate a brother, or mix falsehood with the
gospel. Scripture never allows Christians to separate personal life from doctrine. I believe that this is especially true for church leaders. However, I am painfully aware, that many Christians today, do not hold these same beliefs. Whenever we, as Christians, knowingly act in a way that is contrary to God’s Word and we do
not seek His forgiveness, through repentance, we defile our conscience. Each time we
violate our conscience, we weaken its convicting power, therefore, making both sin and
hypocrisy easier to commit. One who does not know and live the Word of God cannot properly manage the affairs of the church.
In verse 10, Paul indicates "These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach." This is not an option, a man cannot appoint himself. Therefore, they must first prove their quality and character, over a period of time, in the ordinary activities of
life and ministry. Before men are accepted as deacons they need to prove
themselves before the community and the church. These men are to be
evaluated, based both upon their life of as a servant and on their knowledge of the
Word. If proven irreproachable, free from accusation, then they are ready to
serve. Christ-like conduct, and blameless reputation is required from
all deacons.
Verses 11-12, "Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households." It is essential that wives who are working in close association with the diaconate, must be found both mentally and emotionally stable and in control. Any lack in self-restraint, and they will be easily snared by the devil or false teachers. Being saved isn’t enough, there are plenty of saved men who
wouldn’t make good deacons because they’re not living under the
daily direction and control of the Holy Spirit.
I would just like to add something here, I believe is extremely important. Men, you absolutely must be spending time alone with God every day in
prayer and in the reading of His Word. That is your time of personal
worship. I don’t care if you do it on the couch, on a boat dock at the lake, in the
woods, or in your car in the garage. You have got to make time for personal worship.
Secondly, you must lead your family in worship and in prayer, I believe this is critical. If you are
going to demonstrate effective leadership, your family cannot
worship without you. If you don’t lead them in worship, the enemy will! He must provide for his family, financially, emotionally, and
spiritually. His home must not be on the verge of collapse. By having an
orderly home, this means that his children must obey and submit to
his leadership in the home, by direction, not yelling and screaming.
Furthermore, his wife, cannot be a woman who neglects her family because of selfish ambitions, neglects God’s people, or is unfaithful. This cannot be tolerated. Nor can one who breaks commitments to please her own personal selfish whims.
In verse 13, the Apostle Paul writes, "For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus." In Paul's day, its likely people may have overlooked and underestimated the deacons. So Paul assures his
readers that deacons also do a good work. What a tremendous honor and privilege
it is to have an honorable standing in God’s house! I believe that Christ's church, is the single the most important institution on the earth, I can think of no higher honor than to serve Almighty God.
Jesus Christ expects all His disciples to follow Him. However, when He invites you to "drop
your nets and follow Him," it is up to you whether or not you will respond. He is not looking for modern day martyrs. He is not
impressed with those who would go around talking about what they do or how much they have given up to serve Him. He is looking for people who
enthusiastically respond to His call.
What might happen if each of us would began our day with enthusiasm and excitement about our roles as Christ's disciples. What might happen, if instead of just expecting great things from God, we attempted to do great things for God?
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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