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Introduction
Last week, we began our two-week study on deacons.
We looked back at to see that God gave deacons to the church to serve him and the church by meeting needs within the body.
They are to be godly men who enable the pastor to focus on his primary calling by helping minister to those in unique situations of need as well as helping communicate and care for all the members of the body.
The question, then, is what kind of man is God calling to serve as a deacon?
If a deacon is going to serve people when they are at their lowest, then he needs to be a man of highest character.
Thankfully, God has given us a clear set of qualifications these men are to have.
We find them in , so go ahead and turn over there.
While you are turning, I want to acknowledge that some of the qualifications God gives in this passage leave some room for interpretation.
As our leadership team prayed and studied both God’s Word and other resources, we prayerfully adopted what we believe to be the best interpretation at this time.
In fact, one of the resources we consulted heavily was a book by Alexander Strauch called The New Testament Deacon: The Churchs’ Ministers of Mercy.
I wanted to reference that particular book because I used it heavily in the preparation of this message.
Before we even begin to look at these qualifications, let me address a concern that may arise.
Keep in mind that God has given us these qualifications.
By definition, any time that you have qualifications given, there will be some who do not meet those qualifications.
Are we saying that, if someone doesn’t meet all the criteria, they can’t serve Jesus and his church?
Not at all!
This isn’t saying that a person isn’t saved or that they cannot serve the Lord in other ways; it simply means they cannot serve as a deacon.
Now, if there is a sin issue that needs to be dealt with, then you should deal with it and get right with the Lord, not because you want to be a deacon, but because it is the right thing to do.
Why these qualifications?
Think back to the roles a deacon fulfills.
He is to provide a godly example to the church, so he has to model a God-honoring lifestyle.
He is going to be involved in sensitive situations, so he must be trustworthy with information and resources.
Would you want a man with a reputation for greed ministering to your widowed mother?
How about a gossip and a slanderer who had access to information about who had financial needs in the church or who was having family trouble?
God entrusts these men with great responsibility, so he lays out great qualifications.
Let’s read together.
We can divide these qualifications into two main categories and then, in verse 13, we will make a general observation about the joy of being a deacon.
1) Personal Character
Our first concern with a deacon’s character is his personal moral character.
Paul gives us five different moral qualifications in this passage.
Where you can’t draw a hard and fast line, I am reminded a statement I once heard John Piper make.
He was being asked to make a judgement call about an area that wasn’t as specific as some would like, and he replied:
“The impossibility of drawing a line between night and day doesn't mean you can't know it's midnight.”
(John Piper) (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/piper-on-pastors-pay.
Accessed 20 September 2017)
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/piper-on-pastors-pay
A) Worthy of respect (8)
As we dive in, let’s recognize that these are not always as specific as you might want, but they paint a picture for us of a man’s general character.
They may not always be as specific as you might want, but they paint a picture for us of a man’s general character.
Where you can’t draw a hard and fast line, I am reminded a statement I once heard John Piper make.
He was being asked to make a judgement call about an area that wasn’t as specific as some would like, and he replied:
“The impossibility of drawing a line between night and day doesn't mean you can't know it's midnight.”
(John Piper) (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/piper-on-pastors-pay.
Accessed 20 September 2017)
This is true of the first qualification.
The emphasis here is connected to the apostle’s requirements of the first deacons, back in :
The men God is calling to serve must have a good reputation within the church family.
Although not everyone at church has to know them, those who do know them should be able to enthusiastically recommend them to serve the church in this way.
They should demonstrate a recent history of serving Christ and his church in such a way that they are an example of godly men to those around them.
They should demonstrate the presence and activity of God in their lives, and they should show that by making wise decisions and living in a wise manner.
That ties in closely to the next character trait given, which is that they must...
B) Not Hypocritical (8)
Because God is calling these men to serve the church in tough times, they have to be men of integrity.
Here, that integrity is pointed at the way they speak.
The word translated here as “hypocritical” is rendered in other translations as “double-tongued” or “insincere.”
The picture is of a person saying one thing to one person and another to someone else.
They must be men who stand by their word and who, as much as possible, stand by what they say they believe.
That would cover pretty much any form of manipulation, insincerity, or lying.
(Strauch, Ministers of Mercy, 97)
If a man is known for saying one thing and doing another, or if he is known for saying different things around different people, then God says that he is not fit to serve the church as a deacon.
Like Dr. Seuss’ character Horton the Elephant, he must say what he means and mean what he says.
The qualifications God gives here go beyond simply integrity in his words.
A deacon also has to show integrity in his actions, which is demonstrated by being...
C) Wise concerning the use of alcohol (8)
This phrase is one of the more challenging to interpret because of different cultural nuances throughout history.
The phrase literally translates as, “not given to much wine.”
Let’s try to work through this together.
I want to establish two things this morning:
First, no matter what I say this morning about alcohol, someone is going to be unhappy.
I am either going to be too harsh or too lenient, so I am going to be honest with where I am today and how I understand God’s Word.
Second, know that I do not drink.
In fact, I have never consumed an alcoholic beverage in my life.
Since I have made it this far, it is likely I may never consume one.
That doesn’t make me better than anyone, it simply means that my struggle against sin manifests itself in other ways.
With that said, let’s try to unpack quickly what the Bible says about alcohol.
The Bible is clear that drunkenness is a sin.
We see that in passages like , , and .
It also gives strong warnings to avoid the dangers of consuming alcohol, such as this passage:
Those who linger over wine;
those who go looking for mixed wine.
31 Don’t gaze at wine because it is red,
because it gleams in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
Yet, at the same time, although many would disagree, the Bible seems to stop short of a full prohibition of consuming alcohol.
Because of that, we take the biblical qualifaction for a deacon to be that he is wise concerning his use of alcohol.
For me, I would rather that we didn’t drink it at all.
Many of you can give story after story of families who have been ruined by alcohol, and to me, it doesn’t seem worth the risk, which is why I personally don’t.
However, if you are going to drink, I would ask you to prayerfully consider if it is a wise course of action.
If a man is known for always having a beer in his hand or for unwise use of alcohol, he is not qualified to serve the church.
Not only do his words and his actions have to be exemplary, he must also have exemplary motives, which is demonstrated by...
D) Not greedy (8)
A man who is going to serve as a deacon has to have financial integrity in how he gains and spends his money.
If he is greedy, he cannot serve the church in this role.
Why?
Because remember, one of the primary roles of a deacon is to help minister to people in their lowest moments.
He may be responsible for helping coordinate the church meeting a financial need that a family has.
If he is greedy, he can’t do that with integrity.
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