Acts 6:1-7 The First Deacons
Good morning! We very much enjoyed our vacation but I’m very glad to be back! Thank you to all who prayed for us while we traveled.
Today we are continuing our study in the Book of Acts with chapter six, verses 1-7, page 914 in the pew Bibles, but the reality is that we are going to spend most of our time in 1 Timothy 3.
In the early church, through the Scriptures, the Lord established two offices for the oversight and management of the family of God, the church, the office of Elder, and the office of Deacon.
The office of Deacon is what we will concern ourselves with today.
But before we get too far, let’s pray.
Just out of curiosity, how many of you here today are Deacons? This proves we need some clarification on this topic.
Matthew Henry said, “The practical love of truth is the most powerful preservative from error and delusion.”
That is exactly why we dig into these texts verse by verse and chapter by chapter. We want to adhere to God’s truth as revealed in His Word and not wander off into error by just doing what seems right in our own eyes.
Since it’s clear from our little poll earlier that there is some confusion about Deacons within our own family, I’m happy that we are dealing with it today so we can get a better handle on this important role within the family.
So let’s begin with where the Deacons got their start, in Acts 6:1-7, page 914 in the pew Bibles.
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists [that is, Greek speaking Jews who were not native to Israel but from the surrounding countries.] a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 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. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 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. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
These seven men were the first Deacons. Their job was to make sure that the daily distribution of food to the poor among the church was fair and that no one was overlooked. This role was necessary because the Apostles, the elders, needed to focus on preaching and praying and not worry about this task.
This was the prototype of the office of Deacon. And what these seven Deacons did is the prototype for all those who would be Deacons thereafter.
The word deacon, from the Greek word diakonos, means, “servant.” And that is exactly what the responsibility of the Deacons is, humble service.
This humble service is not limited to distributing food to poor widows as was the need when deacons were first established, but has expanded to many different tasks that have been assigned to people within the church so that the Elders can focus on the ministry of the Word and to prayer.
Where the Elders are responsible for the spiritual needs of the church the Deacons are responsible for caring for the physical needs of the church.
The Apostle Paul wrote about the two offices within the church family in 1 Timothy chapter three. I don’t think we can talk about the role of Deacons without examining that text. After Paul finishes his thoughts on the qualifications for Elders, he moves on to the qualifications for Deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. That’s on page 992.
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 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 asked earlier who here was a Deacon because there are many here that are serving as Deacons that many not even know it!
Here in our church family we don’t often refer to people as Deacons but rather as Ministry Leaders, those that lead the different ministries within our church family are considered Deacons. Worship ministry, finance ministry, children’s ministry, fellowship ministry, missions ministry, property ministry, those who lead each of these ministries are Deacons according to Scripture.
So now that we have a handle on who the Deacons are, where they came from and what their duties are, let’s consider their requirements and their blessing.
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
Just like the Elders, the first requirements of Deacons are character requirements.
They must be dignified, meaning that they must be honorable, worthy of respect, they understand the seriousness of life and faith and act accordingly.
They are not double-tongued, they are not hypocritical liars, they are people of integrity, who they say they are, is who they really are.
They are the same person Friday night as they are Sunday morning. This should be true of all of us.
They are not addicted to much wine. Just like the Elders, Deacons must not be, literally, intemperate wine guzzlers.
There is a lot of pressure in ministry, whether you know it or not, and drunkenness of any kind, from any kind of substance, legal, prescribed, or otherwise, is out of bounds as a coping mechanism. Not just for Elders and Deacons but for everybody.
Deacons are also not greedy for dishonest gain.
Some of the Deacons here are directly responsible for the collection of the offering every week and the proper disbursal of those funds. We don’t just gather all the money in a sack and carry it up to my house. Every penny is counted and accounted for and reported.
We often wish that there was more of that work to do but…
There is temptation that goes along with that work and many opportunities for dishonesty, there are far too many stories of embezzlement and corruption in the church carried out by people who lacked in this character quality.
9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
The must hold the mystery of THE faith with a clear conscience, they must understand the gospel is what he is saying, they must know the Word of God.
Warren Wiersbe said,
“A deacon who does not know the Word of God cannot manage the affairs of the church of God. A deacon who does not live the Word of God, but has a ‘defiled conscience,’ cannot manage the church of God. Simply because a church member is popular, successful in business, or generous in his giving does not mean he is qualified to serve as a deacon.”
Deacons must be doctrinally sound, people of spiritual depth, their lives must be consistent with their proclamation of faith.
I’ve seen it myself in the past, people that have been elected to the office of Deacon because of their business sense and savvy.
Praise God that it didn’t take long for the Deacon himself to recognize that he wasn’t fit for the role because of his own lack of spiritual depth and understanding.
JP Lange wrote, “Those who would successfully watch over others have a double need to know their own condition.”
That brings us to verse 10.
10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
I’ve found as a coach that how a player responds when given an assignment that they don’t necessarily want will determine whether or not they get a chance to do the thing they like. Everybody wants to play shortstop but if you have a lousy attitude and no hustle when you’re put in the outfield, chances are you won’t get to play infield.
The governing principle with service is: good work is rewarded with more work.
Maybe that sounds like a punishment to you, but that may just mean that you are not ready to be a Deacon!
Now we come to verse 11 where our dear friends the translators have left things less than clear…
11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
Two things to note, the first word in our English translation, “their,” does not appear in the Greek; second, the word translated wives, the word “gynaikas,” also means women.
John Walvoord wrote in the Bible Knowledge Commentary, “Who are the gynaikas Paul addressed? They are almost certainly not the women of the congregation generally. They were most likely either the wives of the Deacons or a group of female Deacons. A case can be made for either of these two options, with a slim advantage falling to the first. But being dogmatic about either view is unwarranted by the exegetical data.”
It is my understanding that the role of Deacon was not and is not limited to men. Paul mentioned the female Deacon Phoebe in Romans 16:1.
And at the risk of leaning too hard on logic alone, I have to ask, if Paul was concerned about the behavior of the wives of Deacons, wouldn’t he also be concerned about the behavior of the wives of the Elders? Because they are not mentioned at all.
So, with that understanding, the lady Deacons, like the male Deacons must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
These character requirements mirror those for the male Deacons.
12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.
And the male Deacons, as heads of their own households, must be “one-woman men,” that manage their own households and are good, godly dads and grand-dads.
Now, to be clear, this expression, “Husband of one wife,” is literally translated, “one-woman man,” this is most definitely a prohibition of polygamy, having more than one wife at a time, but it is not a prohibition of divorce and remarriage. As is the case with the Elders, each case must be handled prayerfully, individually, and carefully.
On the other side of the coin, this is not necessarily a requirement for a Deacon to be married and have children either, but they are to be models of chastity and faithfulness.
And finally we come to the blessing of the Deacon’s work.
13 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.
John Walvoord, again, summed this up beautifully.
Though the position of deacon seems by worldly standards to be menial and unattractive, to close followers of Jesus Christ it looks quite different. Those who fulfill their servant roles faithfully gain two things: first, an excellent standing before fellow Christians who understand and appreciate the beauty of humble, selfless, Christlike service; and second, great assurance (“confidence, boldness”) in their faith in Christ Jesus. Humble service, which lacks all the rewards the world deems important, becomes a true test of one’s motives. Here one discovers for himself whether or not his efforts are truly prompted by a Christlike spirit of selfless service. When a deacon has indeed “served well” his ministry builds confidence in the sincerity of his own faith in Christ and of his unhypocritical approach to God.
As Mr. Rogers’ mother reminded him when he was a child, “Look for the helpers.” “Look for the helpers.” And I would add, “pray for them!”
It’s a “help me help you,” kind of scenario!
Pray for those who are engaged in service to the Lord and His church, and get engaged yourself if you aren’t already. There are always needs to be met, and those in an official capacity may never see all those needs, but you might!
The truth is, not everybody may be called to serve as a Deacon but we should all aspire to the depth of character and strength of faith that is required of them.
Amen
