Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It Is To Men As They Are

















"Preach The Word"

Text: 1 Timothy 3: 8-13

Introduction:

Several years ago God led me to write a booklet on the "Role of a Deacon In The Local Church." There are thousands of copies of it out all around the United States–but, in spite of that I do not claim to be a "deacon expert" but I do know what the Bible says about the purpose of a deacon and the kind of man that he should be.

It has been my privilege through the years to work with many good, co-operative deacons and there have been a few obstinate and self-willed ones with which I had to deal.

A good deacon is a great blessing to a church and a bad deacon is a terrible hurt to a church and a pastor.

The Webster’s Concise Dictionary defines the office of a deacon as, "a subordinate church office." The word "subordinate" does not mean unimportant, but it does have the idea of being placed in or occupying a lower class, rank, or status. They are to serve under the leadership of the pastor. THE PASTOR IS NOT SUPERIOR TO THE DEACONS, BUT GOD HAS GIVEN THEM A SUBORDINATE OFFICE TO THAT OF A PASTOR. The pastor in the Bible is referred to as one who has oversight, one who has the rule, and one who leads the people of God (Heb.13:7,17,24).

How blighted and hindered is that church who has deacons who think they are bosses of the pastor. That concept is totally foreign to the teachings of the Word of God.

Deacons were called out to be "pastor’s helpers." We all know about the dispute in the early church over the helping of the Grecian and Hebrew widows. The Grecians were murmuring against the Hebrews, feeling that the Hebrew widows were getting better treatment than them. The pastors did not have time to get caught up in that controversy, for they had to pray and preach the Word of God. They told the church to seek our from among them seven men, of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, to take care of this growing dispute (Acts 6:3) The Bible does not say they were appointed over ALL the business of the church but over "this business"–that of the widow controversy. THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY THE DEACONS WERE OVER ALL THE BUSINESS OF THE CHURCH JUST "THIS BUSINESS." Their office was established to help the pastor.

Note:

If a deacon gets to the point he cannot "help" his pastor, and wants to fight against or undermine the pastor, it is his place to give up his position and let someone who will work with the man of God and for the welfare of the church, take his place.

The church can assignment money management responsibilites to the deacons, but they do not have that authority automatically from the Bible to oversee every expenditure of the money of the church.

Here are some general statements about the deacon:

I will explain "why" later.

The Bible does speak of Phoebe as a "servant" of the church. That is the same word from which the word "deacon" comes. Just because that term is used of her is no indication whatsoever that she served in the "office" of a deacon.

The woman’s position around men is not one of "dominance" but one of "submission", since the woman was deceived in the fall.

That is not discrimination, it is simply Bible truth. Paul did not allow women to even teach the men in the church.

Women in the early church normally taught the female converts and assisted in baptismal services.

Any church that is structured that way is not a truly New Testament church. Never forget the word "deacon" means "a servant." Deacons are not the "overseers" or "rulers" of the church.

If a church is without a pastor, normally the deacons have to step in and keep a semblance of organization for the church until a pastor is called. At that time they may have to provide some direction for the flock. They had better steer the church right when that time comes, or they will answer to God for mismanagement some time later.

There are qualifications in our text that both he and his wife must meet. If a man does not meet the qualifications laid down, his holding office would be detrimental to the church.

Those early deacons had to be men of the right caliber, because in the early church the people were bringing the price of what they sold their houses and lands for and were laying the funds at the apostle’s feet. Those deacons if they did not know their place and were not the right kind of men, would have had a great objection to that kind of thing.

Our day is much the opposite. People think the pastor ought to just preach and visit, and not have his hands on how the money is spent in any way. Listen, that kind of thinking is totally foreign to the teachings of the New Testament.

It simply pays to follow the pattern of the Bible as we structure and organize the church. We never go wrong by doing things the Bible way.

The church calls a deacon to serve, and the church can refuse to allow one to serve. The church calls the deacon, but God calls the pastor. As far as leadership roles, the deacon is not an equal to the pastor in the eyes of God. He serves under the pastor and under the church. That is the picture the Bible gives us. No trouble making deacon who is in a power struggle with the pastor should be allowed to serve in office. Whether he knows it or not, he is trying to make a "freak" out of the church. Anything with more than one head is considered a "freak."

Dr. W.A. Criswell, who was a past president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and pastored the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas for many years wrote this in his pastor’s manual:

"The idea of a "board" of deacons is strange and unknown to the New Testament. A deacon led church will always be a weak, pitiful congregation, floundering before every wind of secular change. God ordained the pastor (elder or bishop) to be the spiritual leader and ruler of the congregation. When he is that and capably that, the church grows in strength and will forever. Where he is not that, and where he becomes a hireling of the deacons, the church withers and dies. God in his infinite wisdom set the order and the constitution of His true church. Blessed and happy is the congregation that follows that order in the mind and purpose of heaven. It is far better to refer to the "fellowship" of deacons than to the "board of deacons." (Dr. W.A. Criswell)

It is the deacons responsibility to see to several things:

The church normally trusts the deacons to do so. If I were going to join a church, I would want to know what kind of care that church takes of the pastor. If they could and did not take adequate care of the man of God, I would not be interested in joining that church at all.

I do not see how some deacons sleep at night who attempt to keep God’s man from being taken care of materially and financially. If I knew there was a deacon like that in the church, I would want him replaced, if I were sitting out there on the pews. There must be a few around in churches who have no conscience and know little or nothing about business and finances. The church is the "biggest business" on the face of this earth.

There are some deacons who have a great deal, but many of those like that often fight the pastor getting what he should from the church. The Bible says they who preach the Gospel should "live of the Gospel." It is not wise to "muzzle" the ox that is treading out the grain.

Let me say to our deacons, this church is trusting you to take care of their pastor and make it as easy as possible for Him to be free to serve the Lord. I am not trying to feather my own hat, but simply to tell you the truth.

That business was assigned to them in Acts 6 by the men of God.

Deacons should seek to promote unity, but not at any price. If anything violates a principle or teaching found in the Word of God, then the deacon should stand for what is right, no matter who it might hurt.

He should not be led astray from being the kind of man he ought to be by someone in the church who has a great deal of influence or money, just to cater to that persons wants and desires for the church.

Note:

If the church loses a good giver because they became upset over something, God will send another tither to replace that person. Why should we panic when God is in charge?

Those requirements necessary for a deacon candidate are laid down by Paul here in 1 Timothy 3:8-12. They are as follows:

This means they are to be honest, having a strict regard for what is morally right. If they were to handle the collection and distribution of the money in the early New Testament for the widows, they were expected to be honest and trustworthy. They were to be of such a high caliber and sterling quality so that they could be counted on by the pastors and the churches. Deacons were to be men who could be looked upon with great respect from the people in the church.


B. Deacons Are Not To Be Double Tongued. (v.8).

This means that the deacons are not to say something to one person and give a different view of it to another person. He is not to be two faced in his dealings, but rather "forthright."

He is to be consistent in his talk. How could a deacon help the pastor if he says one thing to someone else and gives a different story to the pastor?

The deacon is not to make different representations to different people about the same matter. In other words, he is not to be like the chameleon which changes colors with its environment. He is not to say one thing and mean another but to be straight forward  Often, in an effort to try to please everyone in the church, the deacon can attempt to be everything to everybody. It is sad when a deacon adapts that mentality.

One famous U.S. journalist, Herbert Swope, wrote, "I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure--which is: Try to please everybody."

What the deacon should seek to recommend and stand behind is what is according to the Word and will of God. He has to be on guard and insure that he does not relinquish truth or forsake proper principles just to please one person or one group within the church. The will of God and the overall welfare of the local body are the most important things for him to consider.

A wine-bibber is not to be considered for a deacon. Anyone who consumes wine will have a marred testimony and would be a disgrace to the church. The Bible makes it clear that strong drink is to be avoided by Christians, especially servants of the church. Prov.20:1, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Prov.23:31, "Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright."

The last reference refers to the fermentation process. When the fruit of the vine moves itself aright, it has the capacity to make a person drunken. Alcohol, like a huge octopus, wraps its strong tentacles around a person’s life, so that one is eventually controlled by the drink.

Eph. 5:18 says, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."

The pastor and the church need Holy Ghost filled deacons instead of those who are controlled by alcohol. Stephen, who was a deacon mentioned in Acts, saw a beautiful sight while being stoned to death. Being filled with the Holy Ghost, Stephen looked up and saw, "the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father" (Acts 7:55). Stephen died a glorious martyr’s death as a Spirit filled deacon.

The phrase "not given to much wine" in no way suggests that it would be proper for a deacon to use small quantities of wine, but rather, it affirms that a man who would use wine should not be considered for a deaconship. The servants of the church should be "teetotalers" when it comes to alcoholic beverages. Abstinence should be the expectation of the church in regard to those who serve through the local fellowship.

He is not to be filled with selfish desire for dishonest gain and not one who wants to hoard up money. If the deacon candidate is that kind of person, then he will not sufficiently look after the needs of the church and the material obligations the church has to its pastor and missionaries.

The Bible says in 2 Cor. 9:7 that the Lord loves a "cheerful" giver. "Cheerful" is the Greek word "hilaros." It is from this word that we derive our English word "hilarious." The "cheerful giver" is one who has a readiness of mind to give. He does not have to be forced or prodded to tithe; it should be a joyful thing to do so and see the cause of Christ furthered by the giving of one’s resources to the local church. The deacon should be a tither.

Filthy lucre has the idea of getting gain by any means. The good deacon will not be in favor of getting money by just any method. When the church has hot dog sales and car washes to raise money for missions, it proclaims poverty and dishonors God. Dishonest gain could be withholding funds when God wants them to be spent. Some churches are holding dishonest gain because they will not sufficiently, through that local church, take care of God’s servant and the mission families. A good deacon will see the pastor as the first missionary for which the church is responsible; he will avoid having "stolen" money in the treasury. Stolen money is money which God prefers to be spent for something beneficial, but sits drawing interest in the bank, rather than being used for the glory of God.

This means the deacon is to hold firmly to the great doctrines of the Christian faith, which were partially concealed from men, but have now been revealed. He should have a clear conscience as he holds to the truth of the Bible.

A person who is unsettled in the vital doctrines of the Word of God should not be placed in the position of deacon. Vital doctrines speak of the virgin birth of Christ, the blood atonement of Christ for sinners, and other truths such as salvation by grace through faith.

Paul speaks of a pure conscience that should be possessed by the deacon servant. Conscience in us is our sense of right and wrong. That conscience will either commend us or condemn us. The deacon should keep his conscience clear.

Time must be given to test the character and ability of a man before he is asked to serve. After the church has taken ample time to observe the life of the deacon prospect, they could consider him for the office. He might be given some other job in the church, one with less responsibility, to test the feasibility of making that man a deacon. New converts or people, who have just recently joined the church, should not be considered for the position. It can do great harm to the ministry of a pastor and to the direction of a church if the wrong kind of man is entrusted with the responsibility of a deaconship.

A church should make sure if they consider appointing a man who was appointed as deacon in another church, that he was not a trouble maker where he previously served.

The church should be given at least a couple of years, in most cases, to examine a man’s life before appointing him.

The word "blameless" means to be "unaccused." People should not be able to lay charges against the deacon since his life is to be above reproach. If someone should make a charge of sinful or shady dealings in regard to the deacon, the report should be found false, if the deacon is doing what God expects.

This verse is often misinterpreted to fit the degenerate minds of a sinful society. Some say this statement means one at a time, not just one. As you look at the rest of the Word of God, God’s preference clearly is that marriage be a life-time commitment and proposition (Matt.19:6). The exception to this for a pastor or deacon would be if a man lost his mate by death, then he could remarry another Christian, providing she had either lost her only mate by death or were single ( 1 Cor. 7:39).

A deacon who had been married more than once could reflect a poor testimony and harm the reputation of a church, in light of what the Bible says about the strict qualifications for holding the office.

The two New Testament officers which have requirements stated are pastor and deacon. Concerning the rest of the offices, the pastor and church must decide whether or not to used those touched by divorce. God has already made clear guidelines for the deacons and the pastor, so in regard to those two offices. He has already made the decision for us.

There is a rule of Biblical interpretation which says, "When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense." The husband of one wife makes sense. It does not contradict any other Scripture, so we should seek no other sense than what it plainly says. It means "one"- that is unless the deacon’s wife were to die. If the deacons were to take care of the widows and serve the church, they were not to appear as "womanizers" but as "one woman men."

If the deacon candidate is to lead in the church, the local church should examine his leadership skills in his own home. He should set the course for his household, giving spiritual direction under God’s leadership. That direction should come from his family observing his lifestyle and listening to his words.

The wife of a deacon can increase her husband’s efficiency and effectiveness, or she can bring him and his office into disrepute. What does the Bible say about her? First Timothy 3:11 states her qualifications.

She is to be honest in all of her dealings. The word also indicates she is to be serious, able to stay calm and cool. She is not to be a hot-head or have a flaring, quickly blazing temper.

She is not to be given over to fault finding and criticism of others, spreading innuendoes and gossip in the church or outside the church. The Greek New Testament word for "slanderer" is the word "diabolos." She is not to act like the devil in being a constant accuser of others and especially her pastor. She can ruin her husband and cause a breach of confidence in him among the church members. The deacon’s wife must watch her behavior, especially in regard to her tongue.

Her husband may tell her too much at home and then she will go out and tell others about it- hurting the church, her husband and her pastor.

She is to be of sound mind and prudence. The prudent woman is one who exercises sound judgment. She is not to put her mouth in gear and her mind out. She is to be a person that manifests self control and does not always "speak her mind."

That means just what it says; she is to be faithful to her husband, to her family, to her church, to her Savior, and to her pastor. A deacon’s wife should make her way to the house of the Lord when the doors are open. That of course assumes that her health will be adequate to the point it would allow her to be in church.

If she doesn’t attend regularly, when she is able, it invites others to talk about her in a negative way, because she is a deacon’s wife. If she avoids coming to church, it will open her and her husband to hurtful criticism. She is to be faithful and trustworthy in all things.

First Timothy 3:13 tells us those who fulfill their responsibilities well as deacon husband and wife, gain a good standing for themselves and also gain much confidence, freedom, and boldness in the faith. That faith is founded upon and centered in Christ Jesus.

It is interesting to notice that the Bible does not give qualifications for the pastor’s wife.

I do not know exactly why those requirements are omitted, but we do realize that God knew the things that a pastor’s wife would encounter. The wife of the pastor lives in a "glass house," without God giving Scriptures that would cause people to look at her even with a more intense gaze.

Since she is so special in taking care of the servant of the Lord, God may have taken some of the pressure off her by not laying down qualifications for her life. That is mere speculation. No one knows exactly why God did not give requirements for the pastor’s wife but I have given you what I personally believe about the matter. At the same time, I am sure that God expects no less of the pastor’s wife than he does the deacon’s wife.

1. Makes sure a deacon and his wife meets the qualifications laid down in the Bible before he is voted in office.

2. Not tolerate a deacon that is self assertive or self willed, or one who will not help and be a good deacon to a pastor. Thank kind can and ought to be replaced.

3. Pray for the deacons that God would make them the kind of "helpers to the pastor and church" they ought to be.

1. Find Gods plan for leadership in the Bible and go with it.

2. Ask God for a right spirit of mind and heart.

3. Never continue serving if he is not behind the pulpit ministry of a church. How can a man be a good pastor’s helper if He is against the pastor and his ministry? It is impossible.

4. Pray for God to fill him with the Spirit. Spirit-filled deacons like Stephen are a blessing and help to a church and pastor. He will try to do what is right in all situations, rather than worrying about whether he will offend one person or not.

Sermon From Dr. Tom Walker

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