The Office of Deacon Pt 1 – 1 Timothy 3:8

Fourteenth lesson in a verse by verse exposition of 1 Timothy. This lesson defines the office of deacon and examines the personal qualifications of Vs. 8

This Chapter: Outlines the qualifications for the two church offices – Pastor and Deacon. The chapter ends with those great statements concerning the nature of the local church and the truth concerning Christ she is to uphold.

There are only two offices in the N.T. Church – Pastor & Deacon. Philippians 1:1 “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ. To all the saints in Christ Jesus which are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:”

The importance of having qualified, local church leadership: Everything rises and falls on leadership. Hosea 4:9 “like people like priest” Strong leadership = strong church. Weak leadership = weak church

Some similarities between qualifications. The office of pastor is the highest office with 16 qualifications listed compared with 8 qualifications for the deacon.

The Deacon’s Position (Vs. 8)

The title defined

1. The title reveals the central purpose and function of the office (as with the titles describing the pastoral office)
2. ‘deacon’ = “Diakonos…primarily denotes a servant, whether as doing servile work, or as an attendant rendering free service, without particular reference to its character. The word is probably connected with the verb ‘dioko,’ to hasten after, pursue (perhaps originally said of a runner).
3. The word ‘deacon’ is a compound word made up of ‘through’ and ‘dust’. Picture = one who moves quickly to perform his duties and makes a trail of dust in his haste.
4. This word is used in both a general and specific sense:
   1. General sense: E.g. Christ (Matthew 20:28); Paul (1:12) & Phebe (Rom 16:1). The root word appears about 100 times in the N.T. so is very broad in its usage.
   2. Specific sense: The local church office
5. Note: Deacons are nowhere referred to as rulers, overseers or leaders in the church in the Bible. “A church must never set up overseers over the overseer!” (D Cloud) The term ‘board’ is misleading in this respect. The word ‘board’ means, “An official group of persons who direct or supervise some activity: a board of directors.”(Dictionary.com)

The position explained (Acts 6:1-8)

1. Acts 6:1-8 doesn’t call these men deacons specifically but the root word is used twice
   1. ‘ministration’ Vs. 1
   2. ‘serve’ Vs. 2
2. H.L. Willmington: “The exact nature and duties of this office are nowhere set forth in any systematic way in the New Testament. It seems almost certain that the office was created to solve the organisational problem of the early church, due in part to its rapid growth. (Acts 6:1-8)
3. Gromacki: “The ‘deacons’ are those officers selected by the church to assist the bishop-pastor-elder. They should relieve the pastors of lesser responsibilities so that the pastors are able to devote more time and energy to prayer and to preaching (Acts 6:4).” Pg. 88
4. Observations from Acts 6:1-8
   1. Occasion: Vs. 1 – Contention between Hellenistic Jews and their more traditional counterparts.
   2. Appointment: Instigated and overseen by those in pastoral leadership. Selected by the congregation.
   3. Duties: NBC’s New Members Notes: If the seven men of Acts 6 were in fact deacons, then it would appear that the nature of the office was to assist the pastors by unburdening them of much of the domestic work, and so allow them to continue the ministry of the Word and prayer. Although there is no defined job description for a deacon, Acts 6:1-8 suggests the following duties:
      1. The administration of the common fund.
      2. The care of the widows, the poor and the sick.
      3. To promote the efficiency of the pastoral ministry.
      4. To promote harmony among the members of the church.

The Deacon’s Qualifications (Vs. 8-12)

Personal Qualifications (Vs. 8)

1. Grave = Same word used in 2:2 (honesty) and 3:4. Means serious, dignified and stately. Someone who is serious in mind and character. “A deacon must not be a silly, flippant person, one who makes light of serious matters.” (Macarthur) Speaks of someone possessing qualities worthy of respect.
2. Not double-tongued
   1. Literally means “divided words”. His speech should be characterised by consistency, honesty and integrity (Macarthur)
   2. Applications: He should not be a gossip. He should not say one thing to the pastor and another thing to the people. He should never slander the pastor. He should exemplify the spirit of loyalty outlined in our Workers Requirements.
3. Not given to wine
   1. “given to” = has the idea of being attached or addicted to
   2. ‘much’ = some strangely use this as justification for drinking and hence disregard other clear prohibitions in Scripture.
      1. “Today’s wine is by biblical definition strong drink, and hence is forbidden in the Bible…Therefore, Christians ought not to drink wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages for they are actually strong drink and are forbidden in Scripture. Even ancient pagans did not drink what some Christians drink today.” (Norman Geisler, Focus in Mission, Sept. 1986).
      2. “…to consume the amount of alcohol that is in two martinis (cocktails) today, by drinking wine containing three parts water to one part wine (the biblical ratio) a person would have to drink over twenty-two glasses” (Robert Stein, Focus in Mission, Sept. 1986).
      3. The motivation behind these types of arguments is to keep the door to a sinful habit open (using the exceptional circumstance as an excuse for the ordinary)
4. Not covetous
   1. Financially content
   2. Men who are generous
   3. Not using their office as a means for personal profit (Heibert). Deacons responsible for administration of church funds.
   4. Applications: Deacons should need to men who have integrity in the area of handling money. They need to have a right attitude to the pastor’s salary etc…

Conclusion

1. Pray for our Deacons!
2. Encourage a careful attitude in the election of men to these offices.

Sermon 14 of 27 in 1 Timothy Series

Sermon Audio Id: 71016552316