1 Timothy for the life of..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Good evening everyone and welcome to our Wednesday Bible study. Let's open up our Bibles to 1 Timothy.

The first letter of the Apostle Paul to his disciple Timothy. And this evening we are going to continue with our study in chapter three. Our brother has already done a couple of studies addressing that which an elder is and who is an elder, what are the qualifications of an elder or the role of an elder as an office within the church. And this evening we're going to start with the second office that is recognized within the context of the Church, and that is the office of a deacon. The office of a deacon.

And that's what the Apostle addresses in verse 8 through verse 13 in this third chapter. And what we're going to do is something similar to what we've done. Our brother took two Bible studies to address the office of an elder, and we're going to be doing the same with the office of a deacon. And what we're going to be doing this evening is that we're going to be addressing from a general point of view what a deacon is of the office of a deacon. So then by the grace of God and we hope by the will of God, next time that we come together, we will address a little bit more in detail.

that which a deacon is and the relationship that he has with the church and the things that he does within the context of the church next week. And the reason why I'm trying to do this is because my goal with this one, with this Bible study this evening, is that you have a big picture of how these two offices and primarily the office of a deacon, how it's inserted into the big picture of the church and the operations of the church. So let's read carefully together a scripture. We are going to be reading the whole chapter three. We are going to be focusing our attention in the section that describes Deacon.

So let's read together, paying much attention to each one of the words with reverent hearts to the word of God. So chapter three of this first letter of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, it says, The saying is trustworthy. If any one aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one's wife, over-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not a violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well with all dignity, keeping his children submissive.

For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace, into snare of the devil. Deacons, likewise, must be dignified, nor double-tongued, nor addicted to much wine, nor 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 slanderous, 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. I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you, so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness.

He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. Amen. That's the word of God, brothers and sisters. And what we're going to be doing is actually that the text that we have that is addressing deacons, that is speaking of the requirements, the qualifications, the character of a deacon is going to be rather and a starting point. But as I said, I want with this Bible study tonight to take the topic of the deacon.

And I want to see what I want to show you, at least from a scripture, how the office of a deacon feeds into the operations of the church, the operations of the church, which is where the apostle Paul is actually addressing to Timothy. In verses 14 and 15, he has said he's saying to Timothy that he's writing these things, or at least that he has the hope to come to Timothy soon. But if he is not able to come to Timothy soon, now that he's writing these things, all the things that have been written before that statement is uttered, all of these things have been written so that you may know how a person or people ought to behave within the context of the church. That's what Paul is doing, and we said that also many times, that all of these things have been written so that they are the standard by which the church knows and understands what are the behaviors and the operations and the different activities that should take place within the context of the church, so that everything that has been said before that according that pertains to the office of a deacon are instructions that are given with the apostolic authority from Paul to Timothy to apply and to make sure that take place within the context of the church. This is the apostolic authority of Paul that comes not from him, but comes from the Holy Spirit that is inspiring everything that he writes and everything that he commands from his mouth and from his writings to the churches.

That becomes holy scripture for those churches that receive those truths. Now, brothers and sisters, something very important. He says that one may know how to behave within the context of the church. And he calls that church the Church of the living God and the household of God. And then he speaks of that church as being the buttress or the pillar or the ground or the foundation of truth.

Now, the reason why I'm saying this, beloved brothers and sisters, is because the office of an elder and the office of a deacon are necessarily attached to the ultimate purpose of growth of the church upon the foundation of truth that God has given through his work. The office of an elder and the office of a deacon are attached to that purpose. And we have to understand, beloved brethren, that the word of God is vital for the growth and for the building up of the church of God, for this spiritual building that we've addressed in first Peter, for this spiritual house, for the household of God, the word of God. It is foundational for that. So God is interested that the administration or the dispensation of his word to his bride, to his church, happens in biblical terms, in biblical ways, according to his ways, so that that church is going to grow and is going to be built up in the way that God has intended.

And the role of the elder and the role of the deacon are necessarily attached with that purpose. Truth is vital and truth. It is foundational for the building up of the church, the word of God. It is vital not only for the growth of the church, but in the whole process of the story of redemption in the extension of the kingdom and the building up of the kingdom of God, the word of God. It is foundational.

So. Beloved brethren, it has pleased God to appoint ordained means within the context of the church so that he will dispense or he will administer his word into the context of the church so that the church may grow. Those are elders and those are deacons. Their office, their role are means by which God makes sure that there's a biblical dispensation, a perfect dispensation, administration or protection of his word in the church so that the church may grow in conformity to Christ and may grow in perfection and in maturity. These are the elders.

And these are the deacons. Now, I want you to think about this, because the word of God is not only essential for the process of the building up of the church once we have been saved by grace through faith, but the word of God is the means by which saints who are not yet in the church or sinners who are not yet in the church get to make it into the body of Christ. The Bible says that it is by grace through faith that we are inserted or baptized into the body of the person of Jesus Christ. And that is by the preaching of the word that a person that is lost, that understands the power of the gospel or the gospel of Christ. It's applied to the heart of that person.

And then that person is inserted into the church. So the word of God. Beloved brethren, the word of God, the book, the truths that we have in this book, the words that come from the mouth and the heart of God are foundational for the extension and the building up of the kingdom of Christ. If God has appointed means for the preaching of the word to the lost, Because the Bible says that no one will be able to call upon the name of the Lord if they have not believed. And they would not believe if they have not listened or heard the proclamation of the gospel.

And they are not going to hear the proclamation of the gospel if there is not a preacher. If there is not a preacher who has been sent. So God has ordained means by which he dispenses his word that accomplishes the purpose of adding lost sinners into the church. In a similar way, in a similar way, not equivalent to that, but in a similar way, God has appointed within the context of the church people or means or men that will be the means or the instruments by which the growth of the church established upon the words of God is going to be administered or dispensed and protected. Just as a preacher is the means by which the Word of God is preached unto the lost, then elders and deacons are going to be the means by which the Word of God is preserved, and it is the foundation upon which the Church grows.

This is very important. Now, elders and deacons are going to do it in different ways. Elders are the means by which the Word of God is preached and taught and dispensed into the life of the church. But deacons, the role of the deacon, is going to be a role that is going to allow that the Word of God within the context of the church accomplishes the purpose. that produces this spiritual growth.

Now, brothers and sisters, there are so many difficult views or misunderstanding when it comes to the different roles and offices within the context of the church that sometimes when I was thinking and preparing these things, many questions came to my mind that I thought that it was relevant and important for me to address in this type of Bible studies just because of the many misapplication of these roles that we see in contemporary Christianity. So there is something very important that I have to say before we move even into these two roles, and specifically the role of the deacons. And that is, brothers and sisters, that once a person has, by grace through faith, been saved, and by the Spirit of Christ inserted into the body of Christ, according to 1 Corinthians 12, all saints are the same. All saints are the same. There is no Jew, there is no Greek, there is no female, there is no male, there is no master, there is no slave.

All are one in Jesus Christ according to the glorious promise that was given to Abraham and of which Christ was made heir. That's Galatians 3 and 4. All saints are the same. There's no distinction in value. There's no someone more important.

There's no someone less important than the other. All the members of the body of Christ have been purchased by the blood of the Savior, and therefore they are all the same. Now, what we are speaking here or the things that we are discussing here are not things that are related to the value of Christians or the hierarchy that they may have within the church. But these are things that pertain to the role that saints have within the context of the church. This has to be very clear in your mind.

Now, these two elders and deacons, these are offices. These are roles of saints, and I want you to see it also from a scripture. I want you to see how the apostles or the spirit by the apostles are going to take all the saints at equal, and they are going to point to these two offices as things that happen as part of the role and not something that is attached to hierarchy or levels of importance within the church. This is what the apostle does in Philippians chapter one. See it with your eyes in Philippians chapter one.

the Apostle, and actually Timothy, when they are sending this letter to the Philippians, in a very single statement, he is going to speak of the equality of the saints, but the distinction in roles, with a very simple statement. He is, in verse one of chapter one, he says, Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ, Jesus. Now, this is directed to who? to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi or Philippi to all the saints. So that is that all those people who are at this city and in this church, they are all saints.

But then he says with the overseers and deacons. And as our brother explained to us, this overseer is just a word that is used also for pastors, for shepherds, for elders. And if you see The apostle uses words to describe what these saints within the church actually do. He uses verbs or nouns that attach to verbs. He says that these bishops or pastors or elders, they are overseers.

This is what they do. And this is what our brother explained to us. They are in charge of teaching, of ministering privately and publicly the word of God and then protecting the church by the teaching and the exercising of God's authority through the preaching of the word within the context of the church because they are qualified and called by God. But it's also this is the role of overseeing the activities of the church. But then the apostle also adds this word here that it is deacon.

and this deacon may not make much sense in our language but it's also a verb that is attached to a noun that is made a noun and that speaks simply of servants of a person that serves or that ministers within the context of the church so everyone in the church is a saint They have been positionally sanctified by the sprinkling blood of Jesus Christ. They have been set apart as his people. They have been sanctified. And as Paul says in first Corinthians chapter one, they are the saints. They are sanctified already and they are being sanctified.

They are walking towards conformity to Jesus Christ. They are all the same. But within the body, there's members and members have different roles. Now, brothers and sisters, it's very simple to say that. But a church, in a sense, is a human organization.

In a sense, the church is a human organization. And human organizations always work based on standards and hierarchies of power and authority. And if we do not understand the equality of the saints within the context of the church, it's very easy that we may fall into hierarchies of importance. and passive roles within the context of the church. Sadly, this is what happens.

There is a pastor, or there's pastors, and there's deacons who run a church, and then there is a passive audience of many people who simply follow these people sometimes in a blind way. And I'm sorry that I'm using these words, but this is sometimes what happens. We have to have clarity that everyone within the context of the church has been purchased by the same power and therefore is being conformed to the image of the same person, Jesus Christ. And therefore, the church and what happens in the church becomes the responsibility. And it should be the thriving force and passion of the heart of every believer, independently of the role that that person has within the context of the church.

So now Paul here is writing to this church at Philippi of Philippi is he's writing this and he's calling them or a group of men within the context of the church as overseers and others as deacons. And what he pertains to this study is that there is deacons, but brothers, there's something very interesting, because when he's writing this, when Paul is writing this and when he's calling these people overseers and when he's calling these people deacons, this is like 30 years after the Lord Jesus Christ has been ascended. like a long time after the Lord has been ascended. Now, what I said to you, I don't know, I don't remember now if I said it, but I should say it probably, is that these two roles or offices are appointed by God, as our brother mentioned that in the Bible studies, they are appointed by God, they are called by God, And if they are called by God, they are a very important, necessary part and role and activity of the new covenant manifestation of the church or the new covenant church or people of God. That means that deacons and overseers is not a concept that was developed over time because of the necessities or because of the needs of the church, but rather it was something that God gave to his church so that the church may grow up into immaturity.

This is what it says in Ephesians. So this was an intrinsic, a vital part of the life of the church. But here we have Paul calling these two offices overseers and deacons probably 30 years after the Lord had been ascended. And the reason why I'm saying this is because the concept or the prototype of elders and deacons was something that was organically and providentially given to the life of the church in the New Testament or in the New Covenant. from the beginning of the church, from the beginning of this new covenant community after the Lord had been ascended and after the disciples had been sent to preach the gospel with mighty wonders with the apostles so that people will be added.

And this is actually the passage that I want us to use to understand the big picture of what deacons are, so that then by when we come next week, we might be able just to go into the important details of this office. This is found in Acts chapter six. So let's go to Acts chapter six and let's see what the Bible says there about now, brothers. You know, we're going back a few pages in our Bibles. But then if we put that in time, we're going actually backwards years.

So that way, in time, we're going back years, years from Philippians to Acts chapter 6. We're going back like almost like 30 years in time. So what I said to you is that that which Paul defines as overseers and deacons, that in his letters even to Timothy and to the different churches titles or even to the Philippians, it's something that God had already established. For the church, why? Because I try to give you the big picture of this is that the Word of God is vital for the growth and the building up of the Church of God, of the Church of Christ.

The Word of God is vital for it. When the when the Holy Spirit fell upon the Saints on Acts chapter two and Pentecost, what they did is was that they opened their mouths and they proclaim the glories of God, which are contained in scripture and prophecies were fulfilled. The word of God is vital for the growth and the expansion of the Church of God and therefore the offices that are attached to the proper administration of the words of God within the context of the church. are attached, are inherent, I don't even know if that's the word that you use, but are attached substantially to the administration of these words. So what we have here in Acts chapter 6 It is the providential working of God is the providential working of God in bringing these two offices.

Now, the apostles are going to work here as a type or as a shadow of the elders of the church. Once the understanding of what an elder is, is developed by the apostles, then the apostles are going to be the prototype of what what they do and who they are. That's why, for instance, in the passage that we studied last week in 1 Peter chapter 5, Peter, who is an apostle, references or points to himself as an elder, as those elders who were at these churches in Pontus, in Galatia, and all of these cities. It's because the role of the given of the word that is given to the apostle is a prototype of the elders of this other office that is then going to be made more clear through the doctrine and understanding of the apostles. Remember that the apostles grew in understanding of the doctrine.

They did not know everything that needed to be known for the church after Pentecost. We've mentioned that in a different Bible study. But what we have here then, these apostles, and what is going to happen here is the appointment of the deacons. They are not going to be named or called deacons here, but this is going to be the prototype in the big picture of what then Paul is going to describe of what we have read in 1 Timothy chapter Three very important and I don't know if this is this fills your heart with amazement and how God does things But he does with my heart that in the way that God always works his things within the context of the church with clear instructions or through his providential power and those who he is appointed as the prophets or apostles he works the purposes that he has for his church and until he gives the full revelation of that which is written in the words of God. This is what we're witnessing here.

Now, let's just read the story of what was happening in the early church of Christ, the early church, our brothers and sisters in the early stages. Now, it says in chapter 6 in verse 1, it says, 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 this period and of wisdom whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. This they said before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them." This is what happened there. Now, brothers, we have an early church. We have an early church that is now increasing in number in disciples, says the text here.

And then, at least from here, we can see that there are two types of disciples that are mentioned, the Hellenists, which are those Jews that had some Greek influence, that they were Greek converts, and then also we have the Hebrews. And there's going to rise a complaint, and that is that the widows were not receiving the daily distribution. There was an issue that happened there. and then the Apostles are going to find a solution for this matter that happened within the context of the Church. Now, seven men are going to be appointed and then what I'm going to say here is that these seven men that are appointed are actually the prototype of the deacons that then the Apostle is going to give us specific requirements and characteristics.

So in this passage of the Scripture here we're gonna have everything that it is given in detail, but Paul in First Timothy and in other places of scripture, everything that is needed for the church to know the big picture of what a deacon is, is going to be given here. Now, brothers and sisters, as I said to you, the word deacon simply means service servant. So we're dealing here with servants. And the thing that I try to put on the table so that you will see the line of what I'm trying to do is that both elders and these servants do things so that the word of God will be ministered into the church and the church may grow in conformity to Christ and the things that are in Christ. So I want us to see here three things that correspond to pertain to deacons from this passage.

The first one is that I want us to see how they are appointed as deacons, the appointment of deacons. They are being appointed by the apostles. As I said, they are prototypes of the elders. Second thing that I want us to see once we understand the appointment of these deacons, I want us to see the qualifications. of deacons, so that then we will focus on something very important, which is the role and the things that the deacons do within the context of the church.

So let's just think and let's just meditate and see the text there. And let's meditate upon the appointing of these deacons under the circumstances that we have before us. The first thing that I want you to notice which is very interesting and this is essential and many times brothers and sisters this is just skipped or jumped or ignored is that the appointing of a deacon is the organic and natural result of the providential workings of God within the context of the Church. So I'm saying that the appointing of a deacon is the natural organic, when I say natural and organic, that means that it's governed and controlled by the providential power of God. So it is not something that is produced by men's ideas or by men's preferences, but rather that the workings of God within the context of the Church take the Church to a point in which it's clearly needed, that deacons are needed, and because God is the one that has worked those circumstances in the life of the Church, then he's also going to provide the people that needs to address the needs within the context of the church.

So the text starts saying to us that in those days, it says now in these days, when the disciples were increasing in numbers. God was working in his providence and through his power in the church in such a way that the proclamation of the gospel and the mighty wonders and signs that the apostles were performing were adding many people to the context of the church. The Lord was working in that church and this and his workings. His divine workings are going now to produce or are going to be the reason why some sinful circumstances or some situations, let's say better, are going to happening within the context of the church. Now, the increasing in disciples, which means that the church was doing things according to the will of God, are going to produce a situation within the context of that church.

And that is the accusation of the complaint better that we have. It says a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. Brothers. The numeric growth of a church, even when Holy Scripture says that it is disciples, that means that these are people that were saved by the power of God and inserted into the church, even when that happens by the power of the Spirit, the amount of people within the context of the church is going to bring and brings difficult situations. The interaction of people and the abundance and the many people brings situation and in this case it was a complaint.

Now what I'm saying is that the appointing of a deacon happens always as every other thing happens within the context of the church by the providential workings of God within the context of the church. That was the problem that they had. But only not only that, the appointing of beacons does not only happen through or by the providential power of God or workings of God within the church, but it also happens, brothers and sisters, by the acknowledgement and the authority or the appointment of those men who have been entrusted to preach the Word and in this case, these are the apostles, a prototype of the elders that our brother explained to us So are the elders in their understanding or the apostles in the understanding the ones that appoint these men? Here we have in the story that once these people or these seven men have been selected, they are going to lay hands upon them and they're going to pray and they are the ones that appoint them. But brothers, it is not only that this happens through the organic workings of God in the church and through the ministry of the apostles as the prototypes of the elders.

But pay attention to what happens here. because the twelve apostles, they had all the authority and they had all the wisdom and they had all the understanding to simply select these men and say these men are the ones that are going to be the ones entrusted of the task that is needed. But rather, what the apostles are going to do, what the apostles did, is they are going to get the church to recognize and to select that man the apostle or luke is going to write it here in this particular way he says verse three therefore brothers these are the apostles speaking of this situation he says therefore brothers pick out from among you. So he or they are saying, you guys pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of dispute and of wisdom whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

And what they said, pleased, what the Apostles said, pleased to the whole gathering, and they, the people, they chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and all of these men, these seven men. Now, this, they said before the Apostles, the one that had chosen those men, they placed them before the Apostles, and then the Apostles are going to are going to pray over them and they're going to lay hands upon them and they are going to be appointed as the deacons of the church. Now, brothers, you see that the responsibility of the administration of the words of God within the context of the church and for that matter, every single operation of the church It is responsibility of all the members of the church. The apostles could have just by themselves just selected the men that they thought. They had more wisdom.

They were more filled with the Spirit. They had everything that they were saying and they were teaching and they were writing was infallible. They had this wisdom just to simply go and point. But they get the people that many of them probably were just recent converts, and then they are going to take these people to acknowledge and to identify. The appointing of a deacon happens from God, working providentially within the context of the Church.

The need of deacons, a genuine need of deacons, Then through the elders, in this case the apostles as a prototype of the role of the elder, acknowledging and coming with their teachings, explaining and taking the church to make the final decision that the church as a whole is the one that recognizes this man so that this man can be appointed with the authority of God. through the elders, by the recognition and the identification of the Church. This is the authority that the Church has given as the body of Jesus Christ. But it's not only the appointment that I want you to see, brothers, it's also the qualifications. What are the qualifications then of deacons?

If this passage is a prototype of what deacons and elders will be, then here we can see a very important aspect of the characteristic of a deacon, because the apostles are going to say in verse three, Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men. Seven men, the apostles could have said, you can choose three men and four women. But he said, you choose seven men. And this is what Paul is going to then explain and say in first Timothy three, that these are men, the service. They are not ministering the word in the same way that the apostles were ministering the word.

But they were not only men. They were also, as it says here, They were of good reputation. That's why people acknowledged them. And they said, these are the men that we're bringing for this task, for this duty. But they were full of the spirit and of wisdom.

They were men that were full of the spirit and of wisdom of a good reputation before other people. If you continue reading then the Book of Acts, you will see that Stephen, one of them, is going to give perhaps one of the best discourses on Old Testament truths that are bringing it into the New Covenant, an extensive discourse and speech that shows us how these men was indeed filled with the spirit and with wisdom that is derived from the word of God. These are the qualifications, generally speaking, of a deacon, a person that is a man, first of all, that is of good reputation within the context of the church. These good reputation qualifiers will be given once, you know, doctrine has been developed and once once the apostle is given clear instructions like in the passage that we have in first timothy this good reputation is going to be given some qualifiers but full of the spirit and of wisdom they were walking brothers in the spirit And because they were walking in the spirit, as Paul says, when a person is filled with the spirit is when the word of God dwells within that person richly. So then he can exhort the church to speak one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

The words of God, it is within the heart of that person. So godly wisdom can be administered through that person. These are these men. appointed by the providential workings of God through the authority of the apostles or elders by the recognition of the people, men full of the spirit and of wisdom that had good reputation among the church. But now brothers, what is the role and the things that they are supposed to do?

And this is perhaps the portion that I want you to pay more attention to. Because here we have a situation in the church that there is something that is happening. And then the apostles are going to appoint these seven men to take care, to look after the situation that was happening, which is the daily provision of these widows. What is then the role of a deacon? And how is the role of a deacon connected with the administration of the truth of the Word of God to or within the context of the church.

Brothers, it's actually very clear and very simple from what we have there. The administration of the Word of God within the context of the church is done primarily, as our brother explained, through the elders, and in this case, the pastors that we have here, the apostles. So it is in the best of the interest of the church as a whole that those who are in charge of preaching and teaching the Word of God might be exempt, might not be involved into tasks and into things that are going to prevent them from devoting themselves to the Word of God and to prayer, which are the graces that God has given these people to give the word of God and the truth and the doctrine to the church. So then deacons are going to work in such a way that they are going to perform activities that are necessarily for the operation of the church so that those who administer the word of God and prayer may devote themselves to that. But brothers, what was the issue that they were having here is that the issue was that widows were not receiving their daily provision or the distribution was not being given to them and this was the complaint when you trace the topic of the looking after widows from or by the church, you can see that even in the first book of Timothy, the Paul writes to Timothy, that we are going to find exhortations from Paul to Timothy to look after the widows.

This is very important because deacons are supposed to take care of those operations or activities on the context of the church that are necessary for the church to operate. that are necessary. And the reason why I'm saying this is because in contemporary way of seeing deacons and elders and the operations of the church is that sometimes churches end up performing activities and programs and plans that are not necessary for the biblical operations of the church. and then what they do is simply that they find among their members or among their attendees who is the best capable person to look after this program, this operation, this activity and they will give that person the Deacon office or they will pray over that person. And then it will assign, first of all, a person that might not be qualified for the role who has not been appointed by God.

And second of all, performing a task and an operation that is not needed for the biblical operation of the church as a whole. The church should not do beyond of what is written. And when in doing the things that are written in scripture, different things arise, different activities arise, then the Lord provides the men that can look after those things that are important for the mission, if you want, or for the vision, or for the workings or the operations of the church. Brothers, this is very important because it is the Lord that ultimately establishes elders and deacons and is the Lord that knows the needs of a people of these people. And he will provide the elders to give the word that those people need.

And when time comes, they will provide also the deacons that are necessary for the operations of the church. There is no. Worst thing, that appoint a man who has not been called by God to either office, an office of an elder or an office of a deacon. As my brother said to me once, make sure that your calling is a calling of God and not a calling of men. because when the calling is a calling of men and the appointing is an appointing of or by men then the organization that is being built up is in human principles it is in human powers and in human intentions now there's another very important thing beloved brethren here that the word deacon means servant.

And the characteristic of a servant is a characteristic of every single person within the context of the church. Everyone is a servant. The Lord Jesus Christ was done and he washed the feet of the disciples. And then he explained the relationship between master or the teacher and the learner. And he gave an example and he called people to wash each other's feet, to be servants to one another.

The Word of God calls us to serve one another. As Christians, we are to reflect the image of Christ and to serve one another and to serve the church now, brothers. everyone, if everyone is a servant, then how are deacons different to the characteristic of servitude? Servitude is a word? Of servitude that Christians have within the context of the Church.

How are deacons different then than just the service that we are to give to the Church? Now, I think that the context of the passage and implicit information in the passage is going to help us to decide and just to come up with a clear understanding of that now. First of all, that the Decon is an office. Remember, we said that we have only two offices within the context of the church. We are all the same.

We are all the same. But God, with the purpose of that his church may grow through the administration of the word of God. He has appointed elders and deacons as special offices. And we know that because the word of God differentiates between all saints and elders and deacons. So this is an special office on a special role that has been appointed by God.

And in the appointing of that service, we can deduce, at least from this passage of Scripture, very important things. First of all, at least from the context we know that the church was in the hundreds or thousands. There were many, many people within the context of this church in Acts chapter 6. So it seems that the apostles were the ones that were, it doesn't seem, I think it's very clear, that they were the ones that were in charge of this duty of doing the daily distribution, at least to these people and to the widows. And then the apostles used, Luke is going to use the serving of the tables, a statement that speaks of the apostles performing a particular task.

Now, the solution that they find is that they're going to pass this task on to deacons. But brothers, it was impossible, first of all, for 12 apostles to serve thousands of people. And it was impossible for the 12 apostles to actually minister all the needs of these thousands of people. So then when they choose 7 men, if they are coming from 12 to 7, they are assuming that these 7 men are going to be able to perform the task that thousands of people needed and that it was necessary for the workings and the operations of the church. So, that means that when these deacons were appointed to perform this task did not mean that all the church was going to be in a passive way just simply being served by the deacons, but rather that the deacons were going to be the ones in charge of making these things that are vital for the operations of the church happen.

And this can be seen in the Greek and also in some other translations. I usually don't like using that, but some other translations will put it, I think, in a better way because it says, Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom whom we will appoint, and this one says, to this duty. And that is clear. From the context, we can derive the things that I'm just going to say. But some other translations will say a point over this business.

What point over this task? That means that deacons were in charge to be on top of this task, making sure that the task as a whole was going to happen. Why? Because within the context of the church, Everyone is a servant. The responsibility of making this necessary operation of the church to happen and to take place was now passed from the 12 apostles to these deacons.

So they deacons with the wisdom and with the spirit that they had in them, they will make sure that these things will take place. But we will see this in a little bit more detail when we come together. But the most important thing, brothers and sisters, check verse seven. Look how Luke is going to. Conclude the outcome of this, because, brothers, I said to you that the office of an elder and the office of a deacon, the elder in preaching and in teaching the word, devoting as the as the apostle says here, devoting to the word of God and devoting to prayer, this is fundamental for the growth of the church, because They are the ones that are teaching the Word of God to the church.

But then the service of the deacons, it is so that they can be released to do these things that they're supposed to do by dealing and taking care of operations of the church that are necessary for the building up of the church as a whole. There are operations that arise from people coming together that are mandatory to perform, that are needed for the life of the Church. Both things, both offices contribute to the coming of the Word into the Church and the fulfillment of what God intends to accomplish with His Church. That's why in verse 7 he says, and the Word of God continue to increase. After these deacons had been appointed to perform the things that they had to perform, the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient.

to the faith. Why? Because their service was not simply just to move tables or to do this or to give a provision, but what actually they were serving, it was the proper administration of the Word of God. So they had a collective understanding of the need of having the Word of God preached within the context of the Church with freedom and without restrictions. So that means that when they were serving tables, if they were, or when they were helping people to serve tables, when they were making sure that the widows will receive the things that they were supposed to receive, they were not doing that ultimately.

But they were making sure that the church will operate in such a way that all my brothers and sisters may receive the words of God. So then when the church grows, the kingdom of Christ grows. We have to see service always in that way, brothers and sisters, because this is the office given to these seven men. But in heart, we are all servants of the church, which is the pillar and the foundation of the truth. And through her, through the church, the word of God is not only minister for the building up, but also for the extension and the building up of the church as a whole.

Amen.