Deacons

Next Sunday morning at Covenant of Grace we will be receiving deacon nominations in anticipation of calling and ordaining our first deacons. This post is in anticipation of that exciting event.

God is a God of order and purpose. This is not a remarkable statement; the evidence for this is clearly revealed in creation (Rom. 1:19, 20). His design and purpose is not limited to the act of creation; it permeates every facet of human life from government to family. As a part of God’s design He has provided order for His church. God’s design for the church, when obeyed, effectively provides for both the spiritual and physical nurture of the body. Today I want to look at the way in which God provides for the physical needs of His people through the office of deacon. Certainly we must all look for opportunities to care for one another but God has also established this particular office to ensure that the practical needs of the body of Christ are being met. Today I will look at the establishment of the office and I will consider the kind of men that are equipped and called to this glorious mission.

The office of deacon rose up out of practical necessity; the church was growing both in number and diversity. The gospel was spreading and people from every tribe, tongue and nation were being united together by faith. As all of this was occurring it became evident that someone needed to ensure that those who had physical needs were being cared for. The particular problem facing the church was that the native Hebrew widows were receiving provisions while the Hellenistic Jews (those who had adopted the Greek language and culture) were not (Acts 6:1). We are not told why this oversight occurred only that it did. We also know that caring for widows ought to be seen as highest priority within the church (1 Timothy 5; James 1:27). The apostles respond to this situation by affirming the responsibility of the church to care for these widows. But they also taught the congregation that they themselves needed to be about the business of preaching and prayer not serving tables (Acts 6:2, 4). The apostles then managed this situation by instituting the office of deacon (Acts 6:3). It is true that the term deacon is not used in this context but the word deacon, “diakonos,” means servant and service is clearly what is being discussed. What kind of man was qualified for and appointed to this duty? What kind of man should we look for today as we seek to appoint deacons?

Members of the body (Acts 6:3) – as the body of Christ, the church needs to care for one another. We should not expect someone else to care for the members of the body in need nor should we farm this responsibility out. It is the body that needs to care for the body.

Men of good reputation (Acts 6:3) – there are a number of ways this could be understood, but lets just consider a few. These are men who are respectable, upright and just. I also think this means that they have to have a good track record of caring for the needs of the body. They need to be men who are clearly interested in serving their fellow believers.

Full of the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3) – obviously this indicates that they need to be Christians. But is goes farther than that, they are not to be novices to the faith nor lacking understanding. They are men of spiritual maturity and discernment.

Men of knowledge and understanding (Acts 6:7-7:53) – one of the deacons highlighted in Acts is Stephen. Stephen demonstrated a tremendous knowledge of the word of God. In fact, Acts 7 is a wonderful Old Testament survey. While the primary responsibility of deacons is to look after the physical needs of the body they must also be men who are accustomed to the word of truth.

Men who are committed to Christ and His kingdom (7:54-60) – ultimately Stephen gave his life for the cause of Christ. Deacons are men who are committed to Christ and commitment to Christ is clearly seen in commitment to His church.

May God grant to His church men of godliness and integrity, willing to serve the needs of the body for the glory of Christ and the good of His kingdom.