We have two texts to read before we look at the text in more detail. The first is found in 1 Timothy 3, you can turn there. 1 Timothy 3, I'll read the section pertaining to deacons. Because we had a lengthy study in elders, I won't repeat jot for tittle everything that is overlapping in the qualifications for deacons, but that is the emphasis tonight. We're gonna look at the need for what deacons do, and then I'm gonna encourage you to let me know who you think in our church should function in that capacity.
So I want to read 1 Timothy 3, verses 8-13, and then we'll turn over to Acts 6 and spend the bulk of our time in verses 1-7. So beginning in chapter 3 at verse 8, Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. for those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. Now turn over to the book of Acts, Acts chapter six. Acts chapter 6, I'll read verses 1 to 7. The word deacon is absent.
We don't see in Acts 6 verses 1 to 7 the apostles telling the church in Jerusalem, we want deacons, we want men that will serve in this particular capacity. But most commentators, most theologians see at least the diaconate in seed form here. though not called deacons, this is the persons or these are the people that would become deacons in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So beginning in verse one, now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the 12 summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business, but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch. whom they set before the apostles. And when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith." Amen.
Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the written word of the living and true God. We thank you that it is sufficient for all matters of faith and practice, and we know that that word governs church life. And God, we pray to you that you would give us wisdom and understanding concerning the qualifications for elders and now for deacons, and help us to look out among us and to find men that fill these qualifications, men that we can see utilized in the Church of the Lord Jesus, serving according to their gifting.
We ask God in heaven that you would bless us with the presence of the Holy Spirit now. We ask that you would bless us again with the forgiveness of sins. And we pray that we would think your thoughts after you, and we ask in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Introduction
Well, before we look at any particular text or set this in its larger context, we ought to consider the word deacon. Deacon simply means minister or something like servant, and it's not consolidated to ecclesiastical or churchly use. In Romans chapter 13, the Apostle Paul says that the civil government is God's deacon, God's minister, the avenger of God's wrath in history. So in the civil realm, a minister is to be a servant.
I think we have forgotten that a long time ago. We think of minister today, and they're almost royal. We are their subjects. But that's not the way it's supposed to be.
As the word would indicate, they're supposed to serve. they're supposed to minister. So in the civil sphere, that is the function. In the churchly or ecclesiastical sphere, that is the function as well. As we read through the list of qualifications in 1 Timothy chapter 3, there's no emphasis on the deacon as having to teach or preach the Word of God.
He doesn't have to possess that gifting. However, he does have to hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. He has to have a sure doctrinal footing. But the primary emphasis in terms of the diaconate is service or ministry in terms of ministering to the people of God.
I think John Gill gives the most succinct statement concerning the function of the deacons. The deacons are to serve the table of the Lord, meaning not only put the elements on the table, but everything connected to the actual functioning of God's house. They are to serve the table of the poor. They are ministers of mercy, and we see that expressed in Acts chapter 6.
And then thirdly, they're to serve the table of the minister or the pastor. That doesn't mean they come over and cook and serve food, but it means that they serve in such a way that the pastor or the man preaching the word is set apart, as we see in this passage, to devote himself to prayer and to the ministry of God's Word. So that's what the deacons do in the context of the church.
The Problem in the Church
Now let's look at Acts chapter 6. Now Christ promises to build His church in Matthew chapter 16. He said, I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Now, when he promises that, he doesn't make another promise saying, and you'll never have any problems.
It'll be smooth sailing all the way. Every time you gather, it will only be joyful and happy and wonderful. No, there's always going to be difficulties. There's always going to be challenges.
Up to this point in the book of Acts, the church is persecuted in chapters 4 and 5. As well, there is internal corruption in the church in Acts chapter 5, verses 1 to 11. So you've got external persecution upon the people of God, and then you have internal corruption. Much like Israel, the church has a two-fold enemy.
It's not only those from without, but at times it's those from within. Now Acts chapter six shows us another strategy of the devil to distract the church, and it's that, distraction. This isn't persecution, this isn't corruption, but rather it is distraction. And if this is not corrected, then the apostles are not able to continue in devoting themselves to the word and the doctrine.
John Gill says, so that, as it appears from the instance of Ananias and Sapphira, that this first and pure gospel church was not free from hypocrites. It is also manifest that though they were at first so united and harmonious in their affections and judgments, yet they were not always clear of feuds, animosities, and contentions. Satan bestirred himself and got footing among them, as he commonly does where the gospel is preached, and there is an increase of it." In other words, if the church is doing what she's supposed to do, she can't expect, yes, the blessing of God, but yes, the assault of the devil. there are challenges to overcome in church life. So I wanna look first at the problem in the church in verses one and two, second, the proposal to the church in verses three and four, and then finally, the provision for the church in verses five to seven.
The Time of the Problem
But notice the problem, the time of it. Verse one, now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, I want to say this as carefully and as gingerly and as kindly as I possibly can. But more people typically add up to more problems. Parents, you've known that after having one child, and then you throw another into the mix.
And then on top of that, you throw a third, and then perhaps a fourth, and some go up into 10, and double digits in such a way that it's a miracle that these ladies have hair, that they've not pulled it all out. So while God's blessing is evident and manifest in the church, persons bring with them their own idiosyncrasies, persons bring with them their own remaining sin, and as often is the case in the context of the church, we can bump into one another, we can have some issues, we can have some challenges. I don't suggest that we try to negate this reality, that we say, oh no, that'll never happen because we're all so wonderful. No, understand that it's most likely going to happen, but the Bible gives a mechanism on how to deal with it.
It tells us that if your brother sins against you, go to him. If he hears you, then you've won your brother. It also tells us that if you are presenting your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has a problem with you, go first, be reconciled to him, and then render your gift. So my point is there will be issues.
There will be challenges. There will be a bumping of heads among us from one time to another. That's inevitable. But the Christian response is to deal with it according to the word of the living God.
Too many Christians are cowards. Too many Christians just avoid anybody that would ever stand in their way. No, we deal with people lovingly, and we exhibit the courage that Christ calls us to, and we try and deal faithfully one with another. So the time that this occurs is when the number of disciples was multiplying.
The church was growing. Praise be to God.
The Specific Complaint
Now notice the specific issue in verse one. It says, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. The Hebrews were Jews from Judea. They were sort of native persons and native speakers of the language.
The Hellenists were Jews from outside of Judah. So they were Greek-speaking Jews. So you had Hellenists and then you had the Hebrews. And so in this particular instance, the problem is because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
It seems that the apostles were governing the situation in such a way that these widows were being fed. These widows were being cared for. These widows were being tended to. But the Hellenists had the idea that they were being slighted, that the Hebrew widows were getting more.
The Hebrew widows were enjoying bounty, while the Hellenists were being shorted as far as they were concerned. Now this underscores a blessed reality and consistency between the two testaments. God has always had a heart for the widow and for the orphan. In the book of Exodus, we see mandate, we see command, we see expression given by God to the nation to tend to their widows, to tend to the orphans.
James defines true and undefiled religion in the sight of God and the Father in this way, to visit widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. So the apostles are being consistent with what God had called them to, not only in this new covenant setting, but in the old covenant as well. So there was a neglect. Now, J.A.
Alexander says, neglected, literally overlooked, not necessarily implying ill will or contempt, but merely such neglect as might arise from their being less known than the natives. The jealousy of the races may have prompted the complaint without affording the occasion for it. As well, it underscores there wasn't a common refrigerator. There was still the possession of private goods in the early church.
We see a benevolence on their part in chapter 2 and in chapter 4 to sell property, to lay the money at the feet of the apostles so that they could distribute it among the people. Some have concluded Christian socialism. That is a wrong conclusion. There was no coercion on the part of the civil state and there was no coercion on the part of the apostles.
It was a free will move on the part of the people of God. Now here again, this was a distribution of food. It wasn't the case that there was one common fridge and everybody had access at any time to it. That's the practical problem in the church.
The Spiritual Dimension
But notice in the second place, the spiritual problem in verse two. Then the 12 summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. So they call the church, they summon the church. They don't act unilaterally.
They don't act without accountability. They act in a wise and responsible manner. And they lay out this particular issue before the people of God. So what did the apostles assume? that the people of God are bright enough bulbs in the chandelier to be able to figure out certain situations like these.
We don't always need somebody above us making decisions for us. We're very capable, as blood-bought children of the living and true God, filled with the Holy Spirit to make decisions that affect the entirety of the church. It's a wonderful and a beautiful thing. It's not strict democracy.
It is rather elder or apostle-led at this particular point, but they work in conjunction with the congregation. And then notice, it is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables. They don't say it's wrong. to serve tables. They don't say it's beneath us to serve tables.
They don't say it's something that we're too holy and pure to engage with. That's not their attitude at all. Rather, the apostles rightly see what we call now the division of labor. If the apostles are trying to serve tables and trying to prepare sermons, they're not going to do either one well.
If they do appoint a class of men to serve the tables, then that will free them up to devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. What's one of the take-home messages from this particular passage? No one man Not even a small group of men can do everything. The church is a multifaceted organism.
There are a lot of things going on. There are a lot of moving parts. And therefore, having biblically qualified men installed as deacons and as elders help us to orchestrate the calling that God has given. So the work of serving tables is not beneath them.
John Stott comments, there is no hint whatever that the apostles regarded social work as inferior to pastoral work or beneath their dignity. It was entirely a question of calling. Please get that. The apostles aren't the right reverend doctor, sir, that have people giving them accolades.
That's not their emphasis. Their emphasis is, we're here to preach the Word of God. The specific work committed to the apostles is given there. It is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables.
Now when we move on, the apostolic ministry dies with the apostles. There's no present, apostolic ministry. Who gets this baton passed to them? Well, we've studied 1 Timothy 3, verses one to seven.
We see that it's the elders who are given the task of preaching and teaching the word. Remember 1 Timothy 3, two, he must be able, He must be apt to teach. Remember the emphasis throughout 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus is on sound doctrine. It's on the function of the eldership to preach that word, to teach that word, and to lead the congregation or govern the congregation as servants of Christ, as servants of the people by the word of God.
So the apostles identify the problem practically The Hellenists are not happy with the daily distribution of bread. But the spiritual element of this issue is that it's not desirable for us to serve tables because then we'd have to leave the Word of God.
The Proposal to the Church
Now notice in the second place the proposal to the church in verses 3 and 4. The solution for the practical problem. These men are smart, these men are wise, these men prescribe a particular remedy that will fix the problem.
Qualifications for the Seven
Notice in verse 3, Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. The fact that there are seven called for does not give that as a mandate to all subsequent churches. In other words, if it was part and parcel of a diaconate to have seven, we'd expect that in 1 Timothy 3, verses 8 to 13. Most likely, and this is just a supposition, I think I picked it up from Sam Waldron some years ago, probably seven for each day of the week set apart one man for the distribution of the bread on those particular days.
If you were deacon whoever, you got Monday. If you were deacon whoever, you got Tuesday. That's as good a supposition as any that I can see. But the diaconate is need-driven.
If there is a need for deacons, and I suggest we have a need for deacons, we should find qualified men and install them into that office of Christian ministry. If there is not a need, then you don't have to just put somebody in for no reason. It is a need-driven sort of a situation. Now,
The Function of the Appointed Men
notice he gives or they give qualifications in this particular passage. And we'll end tonight by looking again at 1 Timothy 3. But notice, therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation. They need to be well-spoken of, they need to be approved.
Sort of like when Paul starts off with elders, he says, they must be blameless men. They must have a good record. They must be irreproachable. They mustn't be non-sinners because that would never be the case.
They're not called to be perfect. but there need to be men of good reputation. Notice they go on to say, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Now the necessity of the Holy Spirit indicates or underscores the spirituality of the task.
They're not just to be good managers, they're to be good managers governed by the Spirit of the Living God. See, the Spirit of the Living God works with means as well. He can take a moron and cause him to do good things, but for the most part, the Spirit uses a guy who has a modicum of wisdom. who has a commitment to the written word of the living God. And so it's not just a task in terms of managerial, it's not just logistics, it's not just making sure that the Hellenists get as much food as do the Hebrews.
He must be filled with the Spirit. But then notice the necessity of wisdom highlights the care that must be applied to the task. When you're dealing in a situation like this, you want wise men. It's easy for us to read through this and not think that it's that big of a deal.
You've got one group of widows that are unhappy. Brethren, that's a tough mountain to climb. That is a tough obstacle to try and deal with. When men are dealing with finances, when they're dealing with food, when they're dealing with logistics, when they're dealing with organization, when they're dealing with the sorts of things that these men are gonna deal with, you want men to have wisdom, don't you?
It's pretty obvious and it should be pretty self-evident that the Holy Spirit and wisdom are requisite gifts for those involved in service to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now notice the function. It says, therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. This doesn't necessarily mean that Philip, or Stephen rather, was the man, or Stephen and Philip were men, or the rest of these particular deacons were men that were doing everything.
No, they were men as well that would delegate to others. You see that delegation of judicial authority in Exodus chapter 18. It's a wonderful principle. Remember that Moses is wearing himself out by adjudicating all of the issues and the challenges of Israel.
And Jethro, his converted father-in-law, comes to him and says, basically, you're going to kill yourself. There's no one man that can do all that you're doing. You need to appoint other men such that they can take some of the not as important stuff and then Moses, you can function as the Supreme Court in Israel. It made good sense.
It was good application of wisdom. So Moses imbibes that and he puts it into place. So the apostles will establish the deacons over this particular work. The apostles would appoint them over this business, which further evidences and demonstrates that this business is important.
This business is crucial. This business demands to have men govern it in such a way as to bring it about effectively. They don't say, well, you know, because these Hellenists are complaining, we're going to just end it. This is why we can't have good things.
You need to stop. That's not how they handle it. As well, they don't engage in, you know, ethnic counseling. Oh, you know, you need to be more woke.
You Hellenists, you need to be a bit more sympathetic to the Hebrews and the Hebrew. That's not the problem. The problem is it was a matter of logistics. It was a matter of distribution.
It was a matter of putting food on the table. The apostles implement the division of labor for the glory of God. So that would solve the practical problem and thus, it would alleviate the spiritual problem.
Apostolic Devotion to Word and Prayer
Notice in verse four, but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. We will busy ourselves with, we will be busily engaged in, we will be devoted to the preaching of God's word and praying for the people. Now brethren, it's at times like these that some say, well, you know, that's not as important, the preaching and the praying. It's more about putting food on the table.
Everybody wants to approach church life as an either-or. No, we should see it as a both-and. practical acts of charity, and as well an emphasis upon a sound gospel ministry. It shouldn't be the case that we have one or the other. We should aim by the grace of God to have a both and robust situation of practical concern and doctrinal devotion.
And so the apostles function. Notice, underscored here, we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. These are apostles. These are the men that if anybody ever should have gotten a nice parking spot and should have been addressed with right reverend sir, it would have been them.
But they don't want that. They don't want notoriety. They don't want celebrity. They don't want to be out in the public eye.
They don't want to be shucking and jiving and doing all that. They want to devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. They want to devote themselves to the extension of Christ's kingdom. They want to devote themselves to that which God called them for.
That is biblical, that is good, that is absolutely admirable in this instance. Poole says the two great employees of a minister of Jesus Christ, to pray unto God for the people and to speak unto the people from the Lord. John Gill says these two, prayer and preaching, are the principal employment of a gospel ministry, and are what he ought to be concerned in, not only now and then, but what he should be given or give himself up unto wholly, that his profiting might appear, and what he should be continually exercised and employed in. Great emphasis by John Gill.
It's a great emphasis that we see in the proven masters in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone to a man saw the emphasis in terms of biblical eldership and biblical diaconate. Why? For the advancement of the cause of Jesus Christ.
I'm going to give you a bit of a foreshadowing. What happens after they appoint the deacons? Then the word of the Lord spread. What do we conclude from that?
That a biblically ordered church functioning according to the mind of Christ, with elders and deacons, is a ripe place for the conversion of sinners. In other words, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And if there is a class of men separated unto the preaching of that Word, and there is a class of men, get this, to protect those men, that evidences to us the heart of God in the saving of sinners, and it also evidences to us the kinds of churches that the Lord God blesses. Now certainly he can bless churches where there isn't elders and deacons, that's not the issue.
But there is a close connection between the appointment of these deacons and then the spread of the word of the Lord.
The Provision for the Church
So look at, finally, the provision for the church in verses 5 to 7.
The Choice and Appointment of the Men
Notice the choice of the men. The saying pleased the whole multitude. Why wouldn't it? Right?
You've got the mind of Christ, your blood bought, you have the Holy Spirit. The apostles come, they say, we've got a practical problem. The Hellenists are upset at the Hebrews. This is going to keep us from ministering to them in a way that is beneficial for them, but in a way that is beneficial for the entirety of the church, because we're going to be kept back from the word and from prayer.
So find good men, men of good reputation, men who have the Holy Spirit, men who have wisdom. set them apart, we can appoint them over this business, and then we can do what we're supposed to do, vis-a-vis devote ourselves to preaching and to prayer. So, of course, the people of God said yes. Notice, they chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and the Holy Spirit, and Philip. Those are the two men that we read of further.
Stephen, Pharis, large in chapter 7, and then Philip in chapter 8. there's this man Procurus, Decanter, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas. Some in the early church thought this Nicholas was the hatcher of the vile heresy associated with the Nicolaitans in the book of Revelation. I don't know about that, but that's what at least Irenaeus and a couple of others thought. But anyways, they pick these particular men and then they appoint the men.
Notice in verse 6, It says, whom they set before the apostles, and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. So the same sort of thing that we see with reference to elders. In Acts chapter 14, Paul will go back through the cities and churches he established in the first missionary journey. He will then have the church by common suffrage, select men for the eldership.
They pray and they fast and they appoint those men to the eldership by the laying on of hands. You see the same emphasis here. Our confession says, the way appointed by Christ for the calling of any person fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit unto the office of bishop or elder in a church is that he be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the church itself and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer with imposition of hands of the eldership of the church if there be any before constituted therein. and of a deacon, that he be chosen by the like suffrage, and set apart by prayer, and the like imposition of hands." So there is an order involved in this. There are qualifications given for this, which is obviously suggestive that it's an abiding office in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ until he comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead.
It is a simple process, but a most effective process. And again, it underscores the heart of God in terms of the salvation of sinners. Not only does he set apart a class of men to preach the gospel to those sinners, he sets apart a class of men to protect those men so that they can preach the gospel to sinners. It always amazes me when hyper-Calvinists think that God really doesn't want to save people.
Everything in the Bible is designed to tell us that God wants to save people. Every jot and tittle converges on that blessed reality. Jesus said, I've come to seek and to save that which was lost. We turn to the book of Revelation.
There's a great multitude that no man can number from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. But again, I think this is a powerful argument for the goodness and the large heartedness of God most high towards sinners. He wants you saved in such a way that He's ordained a class of men to preach the gospel to you. And He's ordained a class of men to protect those men so they can preach the gospel to you.
And then
Progress Reports in Acts
notice the progress of the church. Go up to chapter 9. There's several progress reports that you find in the book of Acts. It's Luke telling us the effect of the word as it is being proclaimed.
Acts 9.31. Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied." That's a progress report. Turn over to chapter 12 at verse 24.
A most intriguing one, because the chapter starts off with James being beheaded and then Peter being thrown in prison. And then the chapter ends with a progress report. Verse 24, but the word of God grew and multiplied. John Stott says the chapter, chapter 12, opens with James dead, Peter in prison, and Herod triumphing.
It closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the word of God triumphing. Such is the power of God to overthrow hostile human plans and to establish his own in their place. Tyrants may be permitted for a time to boast and bluster, oppressing the church and hindering the gospel, but they will not last. In the end, their empire will be broken and their pride abased.
That's a great way to describe Acts chapter 12. That hits the nail on the proverbial head. Look at Acts 16. Acts 16, Paul comes into the region of Derbe and Lystra.
He hears of Timothy. He wants him to accompany him on the second missionary journey. And then notice what we see in verse five. So the churches were strengthened in the faith. and increased in number daily.
Turn over to Acts chapter 19. These are great things. These progress reports, again, in the midst of persecution, in the midst of increasing hostility, not only from the unbelieving Jews, but increasingly from the Roman civil state, nevertheless, God is carrying out his purpose and plan. Notice in Ephesus at Acts 19.20.
So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. And then there's a progress report at the end of the book of Acts. It ends with such. Acts 28, 30.
Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. So you see the apostle ends up in prison at the end of the book of Acts. We might conclude without the progress report, oh no, everything is lost. But no, Luke tells us this was another opportunity for the apostle to preach and teach the word of God.
And it's there that he writes Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. So back to Acts chapter six, notice at verse seven, then that connects us to the preceding context. So what we have is that they sat before the apostles, those seven men, according to verse six, when the apostles had prayed, the apostles laid hands on them. Then the Word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
So the practical problem was dealt with, which freed up the servants of the Word, or the ministers of the Word, with reference to the spiritual problem. Now that the practical was taken care of, so was the spiritual. They preach the word, they're devoted to the word and prayer, and thus God blesses it, the word of God spreads, and the number of the disciples multiplies greatly. And this comment that a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Listen to John Gill. And that the priests and a large number of them should do this is very marvelous, since they were the most inveterate enemies of the gospel and persecutors of the saints. But what is it that efficacious grace cannot do? It can certainly conquer the inveterate enemies of the church.
It will do so in Acts chapter 9 with the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. So you free up the man of God to give himself to prayer and to the ministry of the Word of God, and what happens? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. It's not rocket science, brethren.
It's not splitting the atom. It is simply functioning in accordance with God's Holy Word in terms of the way He regulates the church and her conduct.
Application
Now, in conclusion, we ought to reckon with, first of all, the problems facing the Church. It's not just the external threat, but there is an internal threat. The case of Ananias and Sapphira underscore corruption. The case of the various heretics named in the New Testament underscore corruption.
This one, again, it's not corruption, it's not heresy, but it is distraction. It is something that can jeopardize the smooth operation of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So by God's grace, we seek to tend to those things so that we can keep the ship moving. Secondly, the government of the church.
The abiding offices in the church are elders and deacons. There are no more apostles. With the death of the final apostle, the apostolic ministry was no more. It was foundational.
It was specific, it was given for a time, but it is no longer in perpetuity. The remaining offices are those addressed by Paul in 1 Timothy 3, 1-7, Elders 8-13, Deacons. The division of labor in the church is crucial. Again, whenever you look at these terms used, Philippians 1.1, it speaks of elders, plural, and deacons.
Why elders, plural? Because no one man can do everything that is requisite in church life. The division of labor is crucial. And then the presence, however, not however, but I should always remind us, the presence of church officers doesn't mean complete inactivity on the part of church members.
Now, early on, well, not early on, but a couple of years in my... Life as a Christian, I was a deacon in the church in Palmdale. And I'll never forget a time when I was vacuuming the floor, and I was near a brother, and this brother just lifted his feet so I could vacuum under his feet. And I thought, it would be nice for you to get up and move.
I got struggles, brethren. I'm not an absolute holy man. I'm not a perfect man. But there was almost this attitude that, oh, this guy will do it.
That's not the way we're supposed to view deacons and elders. It's not the case. Sometimes, this is probably going to make you think I'm really weird, but I'll see a piece of trash in the parking lot and I leave it there. And I wonder, is it going to be the deacons that pick it up or is there somebody else that will pick it up?
We ought not to think, oh, well, we've got beacons. They can pick up the trash. We've got an elder that works here all week. He can pick up all the excrement.
And I do. I'll do that because I don't think you should leave that laying around. But the bottom line is the presence of officers in the church does not equal inactivity on the part of the members of the church. Just because we have a functioning diaconate and a functioning eldership doesn't mean you get to sit in the pew and grow moss.
It is absolutely unacceptable if your thought process is, well, there are deacons to go plunge the toilet. Go plunge the toilet, serve the deacon. He will probably enjoy that blessing in his life. So I always feel constrained to make that observation.
Deacon Qualifications in 1 Timothy 3
Now go to 1 Timothy 3, just a couple of quick thoughts and then we close. 1 Timothy 3, as I said, we spent much time in the qualifications for elders. You can see the overlap involved in terms of the deacons. Verse 8 describes his personal conduct. Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money.
Again, obvious, evident, as plain as the nose on your face. It is the deacons that function in terms of the church finances. You don't want a man who's greedy for money holding the money bag. Judas was an obvious problem in the apostolate.
And then notice you've got his doctrinal conviction. Again, just because he's not apt to teach or isn't required to be apt to teach doesn't mean he needs to be a novice theologically. It doesn't mean he doesn't need to know the Bible and good theology. Verse 9, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
He's holding it because he understands it. He's appropriated it by faith and it is that by which he lives. Notice in the third place is proven faithfulness, verse 10. But let these also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.
And then notice his domestic situation. Again, corresponding much with what we have in the description of the eldership. So verses 11 and 12 underscore his domestic situation with this particular difference. Notice in verse 11, likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
I didn't have time to check the other translations, or I just didn't even think to, but there are those who perhaps translate this differently. There is some degree of disagreement on this particular section. Some suggest this isn't deacon's wives, but rather it is deaconesses, women deacons or women who function in the diaconate. Or perhaps they were a class of women, perhaps older women, that would serve in this particular capacity.
I think this is the proper translation. I think that this is the proper way to view it. I think that what Paul is saying is that with reference to the deacons, their wives have qualification. Why doesn't he say that the elder's wife has qualification?
Because Paul's supposition is clear and it's simple. Paul does not assume that the elder's wife will help him elder. His task is to preach and teach the word of God and to govern the church. Two things prohibited of women in 1 Timothy chapter two.
So the apostle doesn't give qualifications for the elder's wife. That doesn't mean she can be a wino and lay around all day and watch soap operas and steal candy bars and be a rat. No, it doesn't mean that at all. But I think the supposition is clear with the deacons.
The deacon's wives will help the deacons in their deaconing. So while the deacon is tasked with the service of the table of the Lord, the table of the poor, and the table of the minister, a deacon's wife is very valuable and very helpful in that threefold pursuit. For instance, if there is a woman that is abused, or there's some sort of a situation that requires the soft touch of a woman, it ought to be the deacon's wife, perhaps, instead of the deacon. So the apostle gives illustration, or gives rather qualification, for deacon's wives.
And again, very evident, very obvious, very patent. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. So that's his domestic faithfulness relative to his wife, but then he shares the similar qualification as the elder with reference to his children. Verse 12, let deacons be the husbands of one wife, he's got to be proven in terms of sexual fidelity, ruling their children and their own houses well. and that it ends with a wonderful commendation to those men who serve and function in the capacity of the diaconate in a good way.
Notice in verse 13, for those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. It is a wonderful work that the Lord God has given in the context of the local church. It warms my heart when we gather together for prayer meeting and brothers pray for the deacons. As we saw intimately or wonderfully over the last year, we saw the work of the deacons in ways that they weren't necessarily ready for, but they stepped up to the plate, they swung the bat and they hit home runs.
And I bless God for those brothers. I bless God for their work. And I bless God for the privilege of working alongside of them. So brethren, pray for them.
Pray with reference to men in our church. If you have somebody in mind, please send me an email. Please send me a text. An email is better because then I can print it out and put it in a folder.
I like doing that. But if you want to, please communicate in light of the qualifications for elders and for deacons what man or men in the context of our church you see fits the bill. And by God's grace, we will hopefully install a man or men for his glory, for the progress of the kingdom of Christ on earth. Because it was when they were installed that the word of the Lord spread. and a great many came to the faith, including the inveterate enemies of the gospel, those priests who had shaken their fist at the glorious Christ and now were submitting on bended knee, confessing him as Lord and Savior.
Closing Prayer
Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for its clarity in these church matters. And we thank you for the men who serve in our church in this manner.
We give praise to you, Lord God, for their faithfulness, and we pray that you would continue to bless them and watch over them. As well, God, we pray to you as the Lord of the harvest to raise up elders, to raise up deacons, not just in our church. We know that Mike has needs. We see for Vernon, we pray for Ryan and that whole situation there, that there would be not just him one day, but a plurality.
We pray for the situation in Dryden. We thank you for the plurality of men in terms of eldership in the church in Honduras. And we know that this is indeed the mind of Christ. So God help us and grant us grace and give us this kind provision.
And we ask in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation.