Jesus is, at heart, a servant. Being with the Father throughout eternity, when the time came to empty Himself of His position, He left the splendor of heaven to take up a towel and wash feet. Jesus said of Himself in Mark 10:45: “even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Because humility is such a highly-prized virtue by God and because the essence of a deacon is humble service, then deacons epitomize the essence of divinity. Deacons are “the expression of God’s heart!” (Hodge, 32).
Among the few official “offices” there is in the church of the Lord, one of them truly reflects the nature of Jesus – that is the office of the deacon. In this passage from Mark 10:45, the words “to be served” and “to serve” are the same word as “deacon.”
Show your appreciation to the men who serve the congregation in the work of a deacon.
D – Diligent in their work
Acts 6:3 – “good reputation”
1 Timothy 3:8 – “dignity” – “worthy of respect or honor” (BAGD, 747) Earle (391), quoting Barclays says it means “majesty of divinity”, used to “express royalty and kingliness.” Deacons are “diligent” in their work because they see their work as serving God. As the apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:6, they do “the will of God from the heart.”
These men, then, have a sound mind and mature judgment.
E – Encouraging in their attitudes
Acts 6:5 – “found approval with the whole congregation”
1 Timothy 3:10 – “first be tested; if they are beyond reproach”
1 Timothy 3:13 – “those who have served well…a high standing” – “high standing” means an amount of dignity and influence in the church (see Earle, 392).
The deacons are positive, optimistic and encouraging.
A – Always ready to lend a hand
Acts 6:1 – “daily serving”
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Acts 6:4 – “to the ministry of the word”
C – Courageous in their stand for the truth
1 Timothy 3:9 – “holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience”
This makes them ideal for being Bible class teachers or to preach when the occasion arises Two of the men selected in Acts 6 also became evangelists – Philip & Stephen
O – Open to new ideas
Acts 6:1 – the reason “deacons” were established in the first place. Where there is a need, there is (or should be) a deacon.
Acts 6:3 – “full of wisdom”
N – Necessary
Acts 6:3 – “put in charge of this task”
Acts 6:4 – The apostles were then allowed to “devote” themselves to prayer and to the “ministry of the word”
Deacons are necessary to alleviate the work load and distribute the work load and organize the work under the guidance of the elders.
CONCLUSION:
What happens when you do things God’s way? Acts 6:7 – “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”
–Paul Holland
