1 Timothy 3:8-13 - Church Leaders Part 2: Deacons
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Last week we discussed the office of pastor/elder in great detail. This week we come to the only other official church office listed in the Bible. As we go through today’s sermon, I want us to be sure to understand something very important.
Although the offices of elder and deacon are the only two Biblically-prescribed offices of the church, this does not mean that only these two offices do all of the work of the church.
It is imperative that you do not miss this important fact. Every one of us is a part of the body. Although these two offices are instituted to officially lead and serve the church, we all should be at work amongst the body of believers. Having elders and deacons does not let any of you off the hook in serving the church. We all have a part to play in furthering the kingdom of God as He works through His local body of believers.
So as we go through this Scripture for today, be sure to understand how we all should emulate the office of deacon.
Read Full Scripture:
Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.
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.
Prayer
The word deacon is actually a transliteration of its Greek counterpart.
The Greek word for deacon is diakonos (dee-ah-koh-nos) which means servant, minster, or deacon.
This word is mainly used throughout the Scriptures to refer to servants. It is actually found some 100 times in the New Testament! However, only here and in Philippians 1:1 does it refer to actual office of deacon.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
In this verse we see the importance of the elders/overseers working hand in hand with the deacons as church leaders. The two have different roles in the church but are both to lead and serve by example and godliness.
With this understanding of the office at hand, let’s jump into our first point for today:
I. The Deacon’s Ways (8-10)
I. The Deacon’s Ways (8-10)
Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
Working in the same rapid-fire way as last week’s text, Paul gives us some strong qualifications for deacons. These qualifications are very similar to elders. They all focus, not on the work of the deacon, but on the man himself.
He must first be...
1) Dignified
This word means worthy of respect and honorable. This is a man worthy of emulating. He should a man of integrity. One way he can show this integrity is through not being…
2) Not Double-Tongued
The opposite state of having integrity is being insincere. Deacons are charged to not be double-tongued - meaning they are not to say one thing to one person and a completely opposite thing to another person.
This is a strong word for all of us. We call people like this two-faced. We should be consistent in our character. Where we are and who we are with should not determine our integrity and how we act. We should act and live in a way that understands that God is always with us and sees everything.
What we say matters immensely. Our book study this week reminded us of the old quote - “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words shall never hurt me.” Anyone who has lived life for more than a few moments understands that this saying is a lie. Words can and do hurt people. And words can hurt those in the church. Listen to the wisdom of Proverbs:
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Those who speak flippantly and in harmful ways can hurt people. Yet, those who speak words of wisdom and grace bring healing. A deacon should speak words of healing. I have included an overview of the jobs of a deacon at the end of your handout for thoroughness, but we will touch on some of these as we move along.
Deacons must bring words of healing because they are called to serve those hurting in the church. They are to help with visitation, to help with those struggling financially, to help with widows, and to serve in various other ways. Because they are serving many in the body who are struggling and hurting, they must be men of kindness, compassion, and grace.
No one modeled perfect speech like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Everyone in the church would do well to model the kindness, compassion, and grace of Jesus.
3) Not Addicted to Much Wine
Again, we see a call against drunkenness and a charge for self-control. As I mentioned last week, we require our elders and deacons to abstain from alcohol altogether in order to be above reproach. Although the Scriptures provide some liberty in drinking alcohol, because of the many problems related to alcohol in our society, we want to be respectable and above reproach in this area.
4) The Deacon Must Not be Greedy for Dishonest Gain
This was also mentioned in the qualifications for an elder as well. We see the importance of this first-hand as we look at the prototypical first deacons ordained in Acts 6:1-4. Although they were not referred to as deacons in this very early passage, the example for deacons was launched at this time.
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the 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.”
These initial deacon prototypes were seven men who were to help with managing the finances of the church and serving the people as well as managing the practical duties that arose.
We see in Acts 6 that there were problems in the church with unequal distribution of funds. Some of the Jews of the dispersion who only spoke Greek - called the Hellenists - felt like they were being neglected. If you recall, the early church lived in community together every day. And so there were big issues coming up when it came to sustaining the growing community of believers.
Because these men would be in charge of the finances, they needed to be men who were not lovers of money and seekers of dishonest gain.
We are blessed at CrossPointe to have Jim Peterson who manages our finances with oversight and accountability of both Adam Hill as well as having a yearly audit by David Hannah - the financial manager at Good Shepherd - our sending church.
I bring him up because he, along with Kevin Tanner - is a deacon candidate. The qualifications for deacons are high because they must be trustworthy in their service to the church.
We have already seen two very vulnerable situations in the church that deacons serve to aid. One is finances/benevolence and the other has been helping those who are hurting and in need.
Moving to verse 9…
They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
5) Hold the Mystery of the Faith with a Clear Conscience (Understand and Live Out the Gospel)
Although deacons do not have the requirement of being able to teach, they must understand the mystery of the faith. The mystery of the faith is the Gospel. See Ephesians 6:19:
Ephesians 6:19 (ESV)
and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,
The Gospel is called a mystery because it was not completely understood in the Old Testament until it was fully revealed through Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection three days later. Now this mystery has been made fully known. The way of salvation is now clear.
Through Jesus Christ and Him alone, we can obtain salvation through repentance and faith in Christ’s work on the cross. He took our sins on the cross and has exchanged His righteousness for our sins for those who have placed their faith and trust in Him and repented of their sins. What a wonderful mystery that has been revealed!
Deacons must understand and be able to teach the Gospel to others. They also should be able to disciple new believers and teach some of the deeper doctrines of the faith as well. The absence of the qualification of being able to teach should not mean that deacons are not doctrinally astute.
We can all learn from this. Just because you aren’t an elder or a deacon does not mean that you don’t need to understand and be learning theology and studying God’s Word. We all should be ready and willing to share the Gospel with others and disciple new believers. There are no levels of Christianity. We are all called to be continually learning the Word and seeking Christ with our whole self.
Some people would refer to me as a bi-vocational pastor. There is no big problem with that terminology. However, the idea behind this term is that I have two jobs. I am a physician part of the time and a pastor the rest of the time. This idea stems from the prefix bi - which means two.
But I really like the idea of being a co-vocational pastor. The prefix co- means with or together. That means that I am still a pastor as I work in the ER and continue being one as I work in the church. My calling should saturate everything I do.
I urge you all to see yourselves as co-vocational believers. Your faith in Christ should saturate your home, your workplace, your school, your work in the church, and every single aspect of your life. I pray that you see that even though you might not be called to be a pastor or a deacon - that you have the same burden for the lost on you that is on church leaders. Matthew 28:16-20 is clear that we all have the call to evangelize and disciple!
1 Timothy 3:9 (ESV)
They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Next we see that these men should have a clear conscience. In other words, deacons should have appropriate theology that is backed up by godly behavior.
The conscience is a wonderful blessing from God. It has often been called the little courtroom in your head telling you whether something is right or wrong. However, we must understand that we cannot just stop with the conscience. There is a reason that we see the Gospel listed first here and then the conscience. We see this in 1 Timothy 1:5 as well:
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
A good conscience must stem from a sincere faith. The conscience is a blessing from God, however it is clear that the conscience may be seared. We will study this further in 1 Timothy 4:2:
through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
These deacons need to have their conscience made clear by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel in their lives.
We mentioned this next verse last week but let’s address it again…
And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
6) Deacons Must be Tested and Found Blameless
Deacons are called to be blameless just like elders. We see that deacons are to be tested - meaning they are to be vetted for a time in front of the congregation and church leadership.
We are in the process of vetting Jim Peterson and Kevin Tanner as deacons. These men have frankly been being vetted for over 3 years now since our church first started. They have proven to be men meeting these qualifications as far as I have seen. However, we want you as the congregation to continue vetting them as well as we prepare them for ordination.
Paul is not done with his qualifications yet though… Next we see…
Scripture References: Philippians 1:1, Proverbs 12:18, Acts 6:1-4, Ephesians 6:19, Matthew 28:16-20, 1 Timothy 1:5, 1 Timothy 4:2
II. The Deacon’s Wife (11-12)
II. The Deacon’s Wife (11-12)
Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
The ESV rightly handles this section of Scripture in context. It translates the beginning of verse 11 as their wives which goes with the context of the qualifications for deacons. We will see in the next verse that the qualifications for deacons are continued.
It is important to know that some theologians and pastors believe that this single verse refers to women deacons. This view would mean that verse 11 is an awkward interruption in Paul’s thought process. Understanding this as a reference to the deacon’s wife provides an uninterrupted thought process and just lists another qualification for the deacon. Many Greek scholars, including William Mounce, agree that the translation of wives is most consistent for the original Greek.
This makes sense because the deacon’s wife may, and frankly should, be involved in some of the serving and visitation that he does. It should be asserted here that an elder’s wife must still meet Biblical criteria in order for the elder to serve. This is included in the elder managing his household well as we saw last week in 1 Timothy 3:4-5. However, an elder’s wife can serve alongside her husband only in ways of service to the congregation and not in church leadership functions or in preaching. This is why the qualifications for a deacon’s wife are expressed here in a more detailed way. Because she can and should partner with him as he ministers to the church.
In light of this, a deacon’s wife must be vetted in this process as well. I feel confident that you will find Sandra Peterson and Kaylyn Tanner each worthy of being a deacon’s wife. They have servant hearts like their husbands and meet the criteria that we are about to discuss.
7) Deacons Wives Must Be Holy
Deacon’s Wives Must…
A) Be Dignified
We discussed this qualification in the first section regarding deacons. With that in mind, this very qualification makes it even more unlikely that this verse speaks of women deacons in general instead of deacon’s wives because if that was the case then this would be extremely repetitive as they would have been included in the original qualifications before this.
Borrowing from theologian Alexander Strauch’s thought process - It would be like saying that all church members must sign a membership covenant and come to a new members class to be members at CrossPointe. And right after that statement going on to say that women must sign a membership covenant and come to a membership class to be a member at CrossPointe. This would be extremely redundant and unnecessary! (See Alexander Strauch’s book - The New Testament Deacon)
Getting back to our qualification - being dignified means that deacon’s wives should be honorable and respectable. They should have integrity.
B) Not Be Slanderers
They should not be gossips or busy bodies. The church can sometimes be a terrible place for gossip. These women should be godly and should stamp out gossip when they hear it. They should be women of peace. They should build up and not tear others down (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
C) Be Sober-minded
We discussed this when we talked about the qualifications for elders. This does not only refer to not being a drunkard but it also refers to having self-control over her mind. She should express herself with balanced and controlled judgments in all situations. She should be level-headed.
D) Faithful in All Things
This is a wonderful catch-all qualification. Obviously she must first and foremost be faithful to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She must be a believer and love the Lord. But she also must be trustworthy and faithful to her husband. She needs to be reliable and consistent. And lastly, she must be faithful to the church. She must be dependable.
Moving to verse 12 we see the final deacon’s qualifications…
Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.
8) The Husband of One Wife and Must Manage His Household Well
Like elders, deacons each must be the husband of one wife and manage his children and household well. We went through this last week as we discussed elders so we will not belabor this point again. I would highly suggest you listening to last week’s message for details on these qualifications for church leaders.
This speaks of a deacon’s holiness and proper living as well as his ability to lead and serve his family well. If he cannot manage his home, how will he help manage the finances and other things in the church?
Finally we come to our last point…
Scripture References: 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 1 Thessalonians 5:11
III. The Deacon’s Will (13)
III. The Deacon’s Will (13)
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.
This verse shows the approval of God for those who serve the church through acts of service. Deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
First they gain a good standing for themselves. This is in the sight of God and the church. God honors those who humbly serve Him and the church should highly regard humble servants as well.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
Listen to those two verses. God exalts the humble. He is glorified by those who are humbled before Him. And in eternity, those who have humbled themselves before Him in faith will be exalted and given a glorified body and be given the privilege to live with Christ forever in heaven! How amazing is that promise?
We also see that the church should respect and honor those who serve as church leaders:
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
There is much labor in the church that is unseen by most. But God sees what is done behind the scenes. Oftentimes, the work that deacons do is especially not seen by the church.
Only those who are served see what the deacon does much of the time. Because of this, their reward is coming in heaven in a great way.
However, this is true for all those who serve in the church - especially in ways that aren't seen.
I think of those who bring snacks on Sunday mornings. Do we appreciate those snacks? Do we appreciate that service to our church? Do we appreciate the hours of effort that go into providing this wonderful hospitality? Or consider those who clean the church. Do we appreciate the hard work that they put in to keep this place clean and well stocked? Are we willing to serve in ways like that and get our hands dirty? Are each of us willing to do the hard work that no one else sees? Or consider those who give generously and sacrificially while it is largely unseen and unknown. Do we appreciate the generosity of the saints that provides us with all we have this morning? The beautiful space that we lease here, the comfortable chairs we get to sit in, the heat and air conditioning, the sound equipment, the paper for our handouts, and so many other things that we should be thankful for that God has blessed our fellowship with.
The Bible is clear that those who serve behind the scenes gain a good standing for themselves.
I do caution something here, however. Be sure to not hear that this is a works-based salvation. You don't earn a better standing with God on this side of eternity because of anything that you do or don’t do. Your ultimate standing before God is only right because of Christ’s work - not your own. However the Bible is clear that He will reward those who do work during their earthly lives for Him through the power of the Holy Spirit and for His glory alone. And He also is clear that the work done in secret is rewarded in an even greater way.
Consider Matthew 6:3-6:
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
God honors what is done behind the scenes. When you serve the Lord and others by giving generously without recognition, providing service behind the scenes, and prayers that are only heard by God - God is glorified and promises a future reward for you.
May each of us serve the Lord - not for our own glory and honor and praise - but for His alone.
Looking back at verse 13, Paul ends this section with…
1 Timothy 3:13 (ESV)
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.
What is this great confidence in the faith?
Those who serve the church in more hands-on ways are able to be eye-witnesses of what the Lord is doing in the lives of those in the Church. The more that we are involved in the lives of others, the more blessing we get to see as we watch the Lord work.
Faithful service emboldens those who serve the Lord. Those who serve well have a clear conscience and understand the Gospel in an even greater way because of the grace and mercy of Christ flowing through them to others.
Those who practice what they preach have confidence before Christ because they are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through them. The work that they do is not of themselves but is God working through them. This brings intimacy with God that far surpasses the pleasures of this world.
I pray that you long for more intimacy with God. You gain this by being in prayer for others, reading the Word, and serving others with the gifts that you have been given by the Lord. We all have something to bring to the body of believers.
When someone doesn’t do their part, the body is weakened. I can assure you that there are things that our church should be doing right now that we aren’t currently able to do because one or more of you all have not stepped up and went all in with serving at CrossPointe. I don’t say this to shame you or guilt you. I say this because I want you to live the abundant life Christ has called you to live. This abundant life comes through serving Christ and others - not from living for self.
Scripture References: James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, Matthew 6:3-6
Conclusion
As we prepare to close, I want you to take a moment to consider how you might follow the example of deacons and be servants to the body of Christ. I have included a job description of deacons for you to review so that you understand the job of the deacon. It is listed in your handout and I want you to review that later.
But as we close today’s message, I want each of you to consider your own service to the local church - namely here at CrossPointe.
I want you to consider how you might be being called to serve at CrossPointe.
Is there a ministry you feel led to start or one we are doing that you feel led to serve in?
Does God want you to go into the community around us and invite people to church and share the good news of the Gospel?
Do you need to be more sacrificial in your giving of finances and time and talents?
Do you need to serve on the worship team or serve in helping set up and tear down after the service?
Does the Lord want you to help with snacks or nursery or with cleaning the church?
Does God want you to mentor someone in the congregation? Maybe you need to reach out and invite someone to lunch or coffee?
There are countless other ways that you can serve the Lord and our church fellowship. Feel free to sit down with church leadership and discuss how you might serve.
My prayer for all of us is that we are all being a part of the local body of believers - every part working for the advancement of the Kingdom of God and for the service of the saints. May Christ be glorified through our fellowship!
The Job Description of a Deacon (Not Exhaustive)
Serving under the direction and guidance of the elders
Reaching out to assigned families and singles regularly and visiting shut-ins
Preparing and serving the Lord’s Supper alongside the elders
Aiding the elders in preparing for baptisms
Helping with cleaning/maintenance/projects at the Church
Aiding in administrative tasks as assigned by the elders
Management of mercy ministries such as benevolence funds
Be examples of selfless service to the flock