THE MINISTRY OF DEACONS IN THE EARLY CHURCH
(I Tim. 3:8-13)
OVERVIEW OF I TIMOTHY 1:1 to 3:13
1:1-2 – Overview of Christian Faith based on names for God and the blessings He bestows on His people.
1:3-4a False teaching in Ephesus and how humanistic philosophy effects us today.
1:4b-6 – The goal of the command is love. (Loving God, fellow Christians, the non-Christian world)
1:7-8 – The law is good if used properly. (The law’s deterrent, punitive and educative purposes)
1:8-11 – “Whatever else …” The Gospel Ethic. (Law-Philia University)
1:11 – Our Relationship with “The Blessed God.” (Causing God pain or joy)
1:12-16 Why Paul considered himself the worst of sinners.
1:12-16 Conversion of the apostle Paul.
1:12-16 Paul’s call to ministry.
1:17 Paul’s doxology of praise for his conversion.
1:18-20 How to avoid shipwrecking our faith.
2:1-3 The Christian is to pray for all men.
2:4,6 Comparison of Calvinism & Armenianism.
2:5-6 The man, Christ Jesus, the only mediator.
2:1-7 The vision, the message, the means.
2:8-15 Treatment of women in the ancient world, the early church and the Bible.
2:8-15 Three key hermeneutic principles to follow when studying the Bible.
2:8 Praying Men with Peaceful Hearts
2:9-10 A First-Century Christian Woman’s Dress and Deeds
2:11-12 Does Submission Demand Silence?
2:13-15 Paul’s Logic for Requiring Women to Be Silent in The Ephesian House Churches.
3:1 Why Aspiring to Church Leadership Can Be a Good Thing.
3:2 Spiritual Gifting Required of an Ephesian Elder – Teaching
3:2 Spiritual Gifting Required of an Ephesian Elder – Hospitality
3:4-5 Spiritual Gifting Required of an Ephesian Elder –Leadership
3:2-7 Ethical Demands of the NT and the Ethics Tests for Elders
3:2-7 Ethical Qualities Required of an Ephesian Elder
3:8-13 The Ever Present Danger of Ethical Disconnect in a Christian’s Life
3:8-13 The Ministry of Deacons in the Early Church
3:9 Keeping Hold of the Deep Truths of the Faith
REVIEW OF STUDIES IN I TIM. 3:8-13:
1. Deacons and all believers must hold the deep truths, that is “Mysteries of the Faith.” One of those revealed “mysteries” often passed over by the church in history is the winning of the Unreached People Groups of the world.
2. All Christians must hold to the high ethical standards of the NT yet it is quite easy for Christians in every generation to develop an “ethical disconnect” between what the Scripture teaches and what the moral/ethical climate of the culture finds acceptable.
3. The meaning and ministry of deacons in the early church should revolutionize our idea of leadership and the world’s idea of “religion.”
8Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 12A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
INTRODUCTION
“What Christians have found since (the time of Christ) but refuse to admit is that his (Christ’s) ideals really are not suited to an ongoing human society. They were designed for a civilization which was about to end by someone indifferent to political freedom, economic opportunity and social equality. Actually, since Christ’s time, one of the main problems confronting Western thinkers has been that of trying to adapt his teaching to a worldly system that works.” (The Story of Stupidity, James F Welles, Ph.D., Mount Pleasant Press, Copyright 1988, Pg. 60-61)
I. THE MEANING OF THE WORD “DEACON” SHOULD REVOLUTIONIZE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF
LEADERSHIP.
QUESTION: What does “deacon” mean in the original Greek?
A. Usage of word group for deacon in the New Testament
Diakoneo (Used of the office of a deacon) and Diakonos (Deacon). Probably from an obsolete “Diako” which means “to run errands,” a “go-for.” The servant or attendant of a master, the servant of a king. Other translations and other places in the NT use words like aid, helper, attendant, waiter, minister, servant. For example the workers that provided the wine for the wedding in Cana of Galilee were called waiters (diakonos) (John 2), as are civil authorities/servants in Romans 13. Diakoneo is used of Peter’s mother-in-law when she served a meal in her home. Diakonos is often translated in the NT as “minister” e.g. Tychicus is called “a faithful minister” (diakonos).
“…diakonos was the waiter at table, and diakonein means to engage in service of a social kind” (Stott, 100).
“Diakonos (deacon) and the related terms diakoneo (“to serve”), and diakonia (“service”) appear approximately 100 times in the New Testament. … The original meaning of the word group had to do with performing menial tasks such as waiting on tables. That definition gradually broadened until it came to include any kind of service in the church.” (John MacArthur, Pg. 124)
B. Implications of using the word “deacon” for an official position in the church.
When Paul organized the church and set people in leadership he avoided word groups that indicated “power” and “authority” and instead used a term used for gofors, aids, helpers.
Whoever serves (diakoneo) me must follow me; and where I am, my servant (diakonos) also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves (diakoneo) me (John 12:46).
42Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant (diakonos), 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave (doulos) of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served (diakoneo), but to serve (diakoneo), and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).
QUESTION: How does a ruler rule according to Jesus?
By “exercising authority” but here, for the Christian it must be exercising authority as a “servant” and not as a “master.”
QUESTION: According to Jesus, what are some key ingredients of Christian leadership?
Management often speaks about a “power office,” “power desk” and “power attire.”
Our Lord, who is Lord and Creator of the universe, did not come to “Lord it over us.” For even the Son of Man did not come to be served (diakoneo), but to serve (diakoneo), and to give his life as a ransom for many”
In the movie “Luther,” you see Luther falling spread-eagled flat on his face in front of the cardinal while the cardinal of the church sets on a chair certainly appearing as a throne. He was told to say only one word “recant.” If the cardinal was a true “diakonos” as was Christ he would have been setting beside Luther talking with him and counseling him.
Servant leadership is totally foreign to human nature and you don’t have to read very far in church history or spend much time analyzing the Christian scene in our world until you see how easy it is for Christians to wander away from this model of servanthood set forth in the New Testament.
II. THE MINISTRY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT DEACON REVOLUTIONIZED THE MEANING OF RELIGION.
A Ministry of deacon in the New Testament
At the initiation of the early church there was ministry to the poor. Acts 4:34-35 states: 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
In Acts 11:27-30 we see Paul and Barnabas going to Jerusalem to deliver money to the Christian poor suffering from famine: 27During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. 30This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
“The Christian Church inherited a magnificent organization of charitable help from the Jews. … The synagogue had a regular organization for helping such people [the poor]. … Each Friday in every community two official collectors went around the markets and called on each house, collecting donations for the poor in money and in goods. The material so collected was distributed to those in need by a committee of two, or more if necessary. The poor of the community were given enough food for fourteen meals, that is for two meals a day for the week; but no one could receive from this fund if he already possessed a week’s food in the house. This fund for the poor was called the Kuppah, or the Basket. In addition to this there was a daily collection of food from house to house for those who were actually in emergency need that day. This fund was called the Tamhui, or the Tray. The Christian Church inherited this charitable organization, and no doubt it was the task of the deacons to attend to it” (Barclay, pg. 85).
So the idea of choosing “the seven” in Acts 6 to help distribute food to the “Grecian widows” was not thinking outside the box.
Obviously the deacons would be handling money and thus the reason why it is why our text requires that both deacons and the wives of deacons be trustworthy.
Sharing of food / Caring for the poor immediately set the church apart from pagan society.
B. Testimony of the ancient world to the churches social ministry.
Rodney Stark writes in The Rise of Christianity that “Christian values of love and charity had, from the beginning, have been translated into norms of social service and community solidarity” … For something distinctive did come into the world with the development of Judeo-Christian thought: the linking of a highly social ethical code with religion. …. Alien to paganism was the notion that because God loves humanity, Christian cannot pleas God unless they love one another” (Page 74, 86).
Tertullian (one of the earliest Christian leaders wrote), “It is our care of the helpless, our practice of loving kindness that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents. ‘Only look,’ they say, ‘look how they love one another!’” (Apology 39, 1989 ed. As quoted in Stark pg 87).
The Emperor Julian launched a campaign to institute pagan charities in an effort to match Christians. Julian complained in a letter to the [pagan] high priest of Galatia in 362 that pagans needed to equal Christians, for recent Christian growth was caused by their “moral character, even if pretended,” and by their “benevolence toward strangers … The impious Galileans support not only their poor, but ours as well, everyone can see that our people lack aid from us” (Stark, 83-84).
C. Who should deacons / Christians care for?
First we must care for our own, that is members of our own family: If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (I Tim. 5:8).
Then he should care for the family of believers and others: Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Gal. 6:10).
When we help the world’s poor we exhibit the best traits and characteristics of New Testament Christianity.
SO WHAT?
1. We, as Christians should be addicted to ministry: I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and [that] they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) (I Cor. 16:15).
QUESTION: What could you do today, this week that would increase your impact as a “servant of others” in this world? What kind of service could you do?
2. We must be concerned about “serving well” as in I Tim. 8:13. Serving well includes not lording it over those we serve but modeling the servanthood of Jesus in our leadership.
3. The greatest reward any of can every receive will be from the lips of our Lord, if He says to us, “Well done thou good and faithful servant ….” (Mt. 25:21).
4. A prayer we could use: “Father, the matter of servanthood is so plain and simple to understand …. But often so difficult of incarnate. Help us to move beyond simple knowing to actually living out a servant’s life style in our daily lives.”