Men of Dignity and High Standing
Intro:
- The title of my lesson this morning is, “Men of Dignity and High Standing.”
- When you hear a title like this, who do you think I will be talking about?
o The title certainly fits the office of Presidents and what we expect from them.
o I could be talking about Ambassadors to important nations.
o The title could certainly apply to CEO’s of large companies or doctors or judges.
- But I will mention none of these positions in my lesson this morning.
*No, when I speak about men of dignity and high standing, I’m repeating the words that the Bible uses in describing the role of deacons in the Lord’s church.
I. Who are the deacons?
- In order to be a fully developed congregation according to the New Testament there needs to be several leadership roles in place.
o Evangelists/elders/teachers/deacons
o According to Eph. 4:11; I Tim. 3:1-14
- Our congregation has evangelists and teachers but no elders or deacons.
- This series of lessons is to prepare us to select deacons.
- First of all let’s understand what the Bible says a deacon is.
1. A deacon is a servant
o The word deacon comes from a Greek word which literally means a waiter or server of tables.
o The word came to refer simply to a person who “waited upon” another – a personal servant.
o In the church context the word came to refer to individuals who rendered service (in every aspect) to the church.
*In Acts 6 for example, their task was to distribute food to widows.
2. A deacon is qualified
o Everyone in the church serves in one way or another but not everyone can serve as a deacon.
o The reason for this is that a person who becomes a deacon does so because they fulfill certain qualifications for this role laid out by the Bible.
o There are two places in the Scriptures that specifically mention the qualifications of deacons.
A. Acts 6:1-3 (READ)
§ Note the first four qualifications for these servants (deacons) laid out by Peter in these 3 verses.
1) They must be men.
-I know that there is a lot of debate over the issue of whether or not a woman can serve as a deacon, but look at what the word says and does here. If there was ever an inspired opportunity to establish women in the role of deacons this was it.
-Peter could have said select 3 men and 4 women; 1 man and 6 women – but he didn’t.
-He could have told them to select all women since the task was normally done by women among themselves and there was no cultural prohibition stopping them from being assigned this talk – but he didn’t.
-He specifically said, “7 men” when he could have said many other things but didn’t.
*The Holy Spirit at this crucial time, knowing the future and rise in the position of women in society, still inspired Peter to say that the deaconate should be filled with men.
2) Men of good reputation (not just any male)
-This means what it says, no need to translate.
-This means that when a man’s name is mentioned in church, in his home, in business circles or the community – the feedback is good.
*If they think badly of you outside the church, your work will suffer inside the church.
3) Men full of the spirit and wisdom
-For Peter these are one and the same.
-A man full of the Spirit is a man full of the wisdom of God’s word.
-You see this in the fact that he is knowledgeable of God’s word and has learned through experience how to put this word into practice in everyday life. This is what wisdom is – the ability to put God’s word into practice.
*Many times we forget that the Bible stresses the fact that deacons have to be holy and faithful men in order to be qualified, not just men who are good with tools.
4) Men who can manage
-The biggest mistake we make in church organization is that we get the elders to manage the tasks (instead of shepherding the sheep) and get the deacons to do the tasks (instead of training and managing others to do the task).
-The result of this system is the following:
-You get the preacher shepherding the flock instead of proclaiming the gospel.
-You get the elders managing the tasks instead of caring for souls.
-You get the deacons doing the tasks (instead of managing and training others).
-You get the saints as spectators doing nothing but coming to church services and watching and commenting on how everyone else is doing their jobs.
-This is why 90% of the work in the church is done by 30% of the people and many are bored and many become discouraged. The Apostles understood this idea and this is why they, as leaders, did not want to be drawn into the situation where all they did was manage tasks.
*When a congregation appoints deacons who can and will manage, then everyone will be involved, everyone will be doing what the Bible says they should be doing and the church becomes more effective.
B. I Tim. 3:8-13 (DON’T READ YET)
§ As the church grew in the first century there also grew the need to provide more information concerning church organization.
§ In I Tim. 3:8-13 Paul lists some other qualifications that those who would serve as deacons needed to have. (READ)
1) They are men
-Note that Paul, long after Peter’s instructions in Acts, repeats the same basic premise that deacons are to be men. He adds more information concerning their character, but they still must be men.
2) They are virtuous
-Peter says “full of Spirit and Wisdom”
-Paul defines this in the practical virtues of
§ Dignity (poise, self control)
§ Honesty (not hypocrites)
§ Sobriety (not addicted)
§ Trustworthy (not greedy or a swindler, or money hungry). People who have a problem with money try to steal it or “control” it too much. Not good for a deacon.
§ Faithful (what they believe and what they do is in sync – no bad conscience)
-Note that the emphasis is on their character and not if they can get lumber at wholesale.
3) They are proven
-These are men that are recognized by the congregation as faithful and competent long before they are appointed.
4) They are successful
-Once again the emphasis is on success in family, not business.
-Deacons are successfully married to only one woman and show their ability at managing by managing their own homes.
§ Some men are great at doing tasks but can’t manage their homes – they shouldn’t become deacons.
§ Note that it is at this point that Paul makes a parenthetical statement about the character of deacons’ wives: more info next week. Briefly: Poised/dignified/not out of control emotionally; discreet (not gossip); sober (not addicted); faithful (same as husband).
§ Still can serve and grow but not as deacons.
*So when looking for a deacon what kind of man are we looking for? Basically we are looking for: a faithful and mature Christian who has managed his home well and who is willing to manage the affairs of the church as well.
II. How deacons are selected
- Although everyone in the church is supposed to serve in one way or another, only the deacons are assigned to serve in a specific way.
- How they are selected is also provided in the brief story found in Acts 6.
- There is a process that was followed to appoint these special servants.
1. The need was defined – vs. 1-2
- The Apostles were informed that certain widows were not receiving their portion of food benevolence regularly distributed each day.
- This must have been a large ministry because 7 men were needed to organize and carry it out.
*Nevertheless, the first step was to identify the need, the task at hand.
2. The qualifications established – vs. 3
- The Apostles reminded the church that the ministry given to them by Christ was that of teaching and preaching and prayer – not managing or carrying out service ministries.
*They defined the task and set forth the qualifications required for those who would take on the task.
3. The candidates are chosen – vs. 5
- Note that the Apostles put into the hands of the church the task of choosing those men who fulfilled the qualifications.
*The church followed the Apostles instructions and brought 7 men forward.
4. The candidates are appointed – vs. 6
- Once the church put forth candidates, the Apostles who served as leaders/elders for the church in Jerusalem appointed them through the laying on of hands and prayer.
- In those days the laying on of hands by the Apostles conferred not only a blessing or approval but also miraculous powers (some of these men went out to do miracles later on, Stephen and Philip).
*We still lay hands today but only to convey approval and blessing.
**There is nothing else in the Bible to suggest that these qualifications and this process for choosing deacons has changed in any way – or should be changed. That is why we in this congregation will try to follow this Biblical pattern in choosing deacons for ourselves.
III. Deacons at Ville-Emard
- Our procedure will be as follows.
1. Establish needs
- We have many ministry areas where deacons will be required to serve.
- The ministers are determining these and will review them with the candidates you nominate.
o IE – ministry areas such as Education, Worship, Fellowship and service all have specific work where no deacon has been assigned.
2. Review qualifications
- I am preaching three lessons on this subject so you can be familiar with the qualifications necessary to serve in this position.
o Next week we’ll look at the qualifications of the wives of both elders and deacons. They have to be factored into the process as well.
o Last lesson will look more closely at the work and our selection process.
3. Nomination
- You should all have the nomination forms.
- Please use these as a kind of worksheet as you think about nominating someone for this role.
o Mark off only what you know to be true. The ministers will follow through in all areas.
- We want the best candidates and need you to be honest in your evaluation.
4. The ministers will confirm
- Hand in your cards to the ministers.
- They will review all nominations and interview the husband and wife of those who, in their estimate, fulfill to the highest degree the Biblical standards set forth.
- Don’t hand in the cards until you’ve heard next week’s lesson.
*The ministers will announce and appoint our new deacons once the process is completed.
Summary / Invitation
- Today’s lesson contained a lot of the nuts and bolts type information that the church needs in order to make a wise decision concerning important leadership positions in our congregation.
- But we don’t want to neglect the fact that while we’re carrying out this task, there may be some of you who need ministry in some form or another.
o If you have a need to confess Christ and receive forgiveness in baptism.
o Or, if you need the prayers of the church in order to be restored or strengthened.
o Or, if this is the day you wish to place membership with the V-E congregation...
*Please come forward now or send a prayer card up to the front as we stand and sing a song of encouragement.