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Introduction:
This church is in a truly exciting time.
We have all kinds of new things going on.
One of which is the appointment of new deacons.
The workload on the present deacons is too heavy.
That is a good thing.
Heavy workloads mean work is being done and growth is
coming. However, we
do not have to leave these men overloaded.
We can look through the congregation and find more men who
are qualified and willing to bear the burden, serving the church
as deacons. With that
in mind, during this lesson we are going to briefly do three
things. We will
examine the deacon’s duty.
We will review his qualifications.
Finally, while I cannot anticipate every possible question
about the qualification of deacons, we will answer three questions
I have seen brought up repeatedly in many churches. Discussion: I.
The deacon’s duty. A.
There is no passage that describes the deacons’ roles. Additionally, brethren do not universally agree regarding the
one passage which could possibly provide us with an example (Acts
6:1-6). Therefore,
in order to understand the deacon’s duty, we simply turn to the
word itself. The word
“deacon” comes from the Greek “diakonos” which
“primarily denotes a servant, whether as doing a servile work,
or as an attendant rendering free service” (Vine’s
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p. 274). B.
While all Christians are to be servants, deacons are
obviously men appointed to a particular role of service within the
congregation. Clearly, as bishops are overseers in the congregation, the
deacons work is done in submission to the elders (I Peter 5:2).
In fact, we may quite naturally view the deacons as
assistants to the elders. Elders,
who oversee a congregation, can certainly not do every bit of the
work needed to accomplish the work within the church. Naturally,
they will find assistants to help organize the work.
That is perhaps why deacons are always mentioned alongside
the elders (Philippians 1:1; I Timothy 3:8).
Do not misunderstand, deacons are not junior or associate
elders. Yet they are
clearly assistants to the elders and servants within the
congregation. As
such, their role is not very prestigious.
It is often behind the scenes and rarely receives the
thanks it deserves. Yet
their role is highly important for a well-functioning church. II.
The deacon’s qualifications (I Timothy 3:8-13). A.
Before reviewing the qualifications listed, we need
to recognize two facts. 1.
These
qualifications are listed in order to qualify not disqualify men.
Most people treat these qualifications as an examination
with which to intrude into every detail of a man’s life to find
out why he does not fit the mold.
These indicators were given to help us train and develop
men to become deacons, not as ammunition to blow godly men out of
the water. 2.
In
general, the qualifications are growth-oriented.
A qualified man will not have reached perfection in any
qualification but achieved a level of maturity which makes him
stand out. For
instance, the deacon does not have to be as reverent as he
possibly could be. That
would mean he no longer needed to grow. Who among us could say that?
Rather, we are looking for men who have attained a maturity
in reverence such that they stand out. B.
Paul listed nine indicators of men who could fill the
office of deacon. 1.
“Reverent”
– The deacon is one who is to be dignified.
He understands the seriousness and gravity of Christianity
and of his role and, therefore, works accordingly. 2.
“Not
double-tongued”
– No liars or hypocrites. The
deacon behaves and speaks the same way in front of the brethren
and in front of the world. 3.
“Not
given to much wine” –
The deacon controls his flesh, he is not controlled by it. 4.
“Not
greedy for money” –
The KJV says, “not greedy of filthy lucre.”
That is, deacons do not seek ill-gotten gains. 5.
“Holding
the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience” –
The deacon does not waiver in his faith, but holds fast to it,
without hidden agendas or underlying motives.
He maintains a pure conscience, doing what he believes is
right before God despite what anyone else says. 6.
“Being
found blameless” –
Blameless, here, does not mean sinless.
If it did, who could ever be a deacon?
Nor does it mean one who has never been blamed.
The sad fact is that Christians will always be the object
of blame (I Peter 2:12).
Rather, it means that the qualified man’s conduct is
honorable, so that even if people speak evil against him, his
conduct speaks for itself, putting his opponents to shame. 7.
“Husbands
of one wife” –
Deacons are clearly to be married men.
But the qualification goes further than that. Not only is he married to one woman, but that woman is good
enough for him. He
does not have a wandering eye, nor does he behave inappropriately
around women. He does
not seek female companionship and emotional support from other
women. He is married
and relies completely upon, is satisfied with and devoted to his
one wife. 8.
“Ruling
their children and their own houses well” – These men have already demonstrated good
leadership at home, having children and homes that are well-run. A man whose children are disobedient and disrespectful has
not proven himself to be a deacon.
A man who cannot manage the affairs of a home, should not
be entrusted with the work of the church. 9.
“Their
wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all
things.”
The man who is qualified to serve as a deacon has a good,
godly and reliable wife. III.
Common questions about appointing deacons. A.
Are deacons allowed to be given to a little wine?
(speaking of alcohol) 1.
Some argue that a man who only drinks a little could be a
deacon because he is only forbidden much wine.
While we do not have time to study why no Christian is
allowed to be a moderate drinker, note two points about this text
which demonstrate the argument is faulty. 2.
First, in the Bible, the term “wine” is used the same
way the modern term “cider” is used.
Sometimes it refers to alcohol and sometimes it does not.
Only our preconceived ideas claim the wine here refers to
alcohol. Paul could
certainly be saying that a deacon is simply one who is not
consumed with and governed by fleshly desires.
Rather, he is in control of his flesh.
At present, that is what I believe the text has in mind. 3.
Secondly, if the term does refer to alcohol, the statement
“not given to much wine” no more authorizes having a little
wine than the phrase “not greedy of filthy lucre” authorizes
being simply greedy for money. A deacon is not allowed a little alcoholic wine. B.
Must deacons have more than one child? 1.
Because the text uses the term children, some have become
convinced that a man can only be a deacon if he has more than one
child. Please,
consider the following observations. 2.
First, the text not only says that the deacons must rule
their “children” well, but also their “houses.”
To claim that a deacon must rule more than one child, would
mean that he would also have to run more than one house. 3.
Second, the Bible repeatedly uses the term “children”
when the possibility of only one child is allowed.
If we make this verse mean only more than one child, we
will have to deal with some interesting ramifications in other
passages. For
instance, we could not support widows unless they raised more than
one child (I Timothy 5:10).
An only child can be disobedient until siblings are born (Ephesians
6:1). A father
can provoke his only child to wrath, but once he has more than one
he must stop (Ephesians 6:4).
The Bible repeatedly uses the plural “children” to
include those who only have one.
Men with one child can be deacons. C.
Can a divorced/widowed and remarried man be a deacon? 1.
Some suggest that such a man cannot be a deacon, claiming
he has had two wives. 2.
This passage does not say a deacon can only have been
married once, but he can only be the husband of one wife.
How many wives does a widowed and remarried man have?
One. No matter
how we may view it emotionally, Romans 7:1-3 demonstrates
that a couple is no longer married once one of them dies.
By the same token, how many wives does a lawfully divorced
and remarried man have? One. If these men had two wives, not only could they not be
deacons they could not be members of the church.
Yes, these men can be deacons. Conclusion: I certainly hope this lesson has helped. I also hope that the real importance of what we are doing here profoundly impacts your life. Take seriously this task. Look among the men of the congregation. When you see one who is qualified, go speak with him first. If he is willing to serve, bring his name to the elders so they can consider him and bring his name before the congregation.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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