It is always an exciting time when a church ordains new
Deacons. It signals that the church is growing and
wants to expand her influence and effectiveness in the
work of the Kingdom of God. Of course, Deacons can
be a blessing, or they can be a curse depending upon
how they see themselves and how they carry out the
duties of their office. I know, however, that you, as a
church, have examined these men and have found
them to be qualified to serve as Deacons in this church.
Therefore, I am confident that these men will be a
blessing to this congregation and that they will enhance
the ministries of this church in a magnificent way. That
having been said, let us turn our attention to the word of
God this evening for some insight into who and what the
Baptist Deacon is supposed to be.
Acts 6:1-7
THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE BAPTIST DEACON
Intro: The early days of the church were exciting times.
After all, 3,000 were saved at one meeting and then
another 5,000 were added to the church a short time
later. This vast influx of converts proved the validity of
their message and it proved that the power of God was
moving in the church. Certainly, to see that many souls
saved must have been a tremendous blessing.
However, all was not well within the rapidly growing
church in Jerusalem. Whenever there is growth in a
church, there will inevitably be some growing pains as
well. It seems that some of the Grecian widows were
being neglected in the daily distribution of food. The
Grecians were Jews who were not from Israel, but had
returned there to worship and had been converted.
Apparently, the charge was made that the Apostles
were showing favoritism to the Hebrews. As a result,
there arose a murmuring among the people. The
conflict had the potential to cause great harm to the
young church.
Of course, God had a plan! He moved the apostles
to assemble the congregation and instructed them to
choose, from their number, seven men who would take
care of the business of ministering to the physical need
of the church. This, of course, removed the burden of
that ministry from the shoulders of the Apostles and
freed them up to devote themselves to the ministry of
prayer and of the Word of God. More will be said about
them in a moment.
What we can see in this passage is that the office of
Deacon was created to fulfill certain needs in the
church. Needs, which still exist today! This passage
also indicates that in fulfilling their role as Deacons, the
men selected to serve in that capacity will be part of
several special relationships. It is that aspect of the
work of the Deacon that I want to zero in on this
evening. I would like for us to take a few minutes and
explore The Relationships Of The Baptist Deacon.
When we understand the relationships the Deacon with
which the Deacon finds himself involved, we are able to
gain a clearer insight into just what a Deacon is and
what he is supposed to be doing. After all, there is
some confusion in many Baptist churches this evening
concerning the work of the Baptist Deacon. Let's see if
we can gain a better understanding of who these
valuable servants of the church are, and just what they
are supposed to do by examining The Relationships
Of The Baptist Deacon.
I. V. 3 HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAVIOR
A. This verse indicates that the church was to
select their Deacons from out of their own
number. The idea is that these men were to be
saved men who were walking in fellowship with
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Deacon must first
and foremost be a man who is saved and living
for Jesus.
B. I am sure you have examined these men as to
their Christian experience and their character. I
am sure you have seen the fruit of their
conversion in their lives. Certainly, the church
wants none other than saved men to be
ordained as Deacon. Other churches have
made the mistake of ordaining men who have
never been converted and they have regretted
their decision. Why? Because a lost man
cannot understand spiritual things. As a result,
they hinder more than they help. Let the
Deacons be converted men!
C. Verse 3 tells us that are to be men of "honest
report". That is, they are to be men in whom is
seen the evidence of their relationship to the
Savior. Paul elaborates on this in 1 Timothy
3:8-13 (Read!). In these verses, Paul spells out
the characteristics and virtues that are to mark
the life of one who is selected to serve in the
office of the Deacon.
A careful reading of Paul's words makes it
crystal clear that the Deacon can be none other
than a saved man. Therefore, men if you do not
know the Lord, let it be known now, before you
hinder the work of this church!
D. Men, I charge you this evening that you cultivate
your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spend ample time with him in prayer and in the
reading and study of His Word. Let Him grow
you into mighty, spiritual giants for His glory and
for the good of this church!
I. His Relationship With The Savior
II. V. 3 HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SPIRIT
A. The Deacons are always to be men "full of the
Holy Ghost and wisdom." Simply stated,
Deacons are not to be men filled with
themselves, with their own selfish ambitions, with
worldliness, with sin, etc. They are to be men
that are "full" of the Spirit of God. The word
"full" is an interesting word. It means,
"thoroughly permeated with; full, complete;
lacking nothing, perfect."
Deacons are to be men that living examples
of Eph. 5:18 where Paul says, "And be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit." The idea is that men who
are chosen to serve as Deacons are to be men
that are controlled by the Spirit of God.
B. Of course, it stands to reason that a man who is
filled with the Spirit will exhibit the fruit of the
Spirit, Gal. 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law." When the Spirit
of God is in control of a life, that life will be a
blessing to all who behold it in action.
C. For a Deacon, the Holy Spirit and His leadership
are indispensable! The word "wisdom" does not
necessarily mean that Deacons must be highly
intelligent, that might be helpful, but it is not
absolutely necessary. It does mean, however,
that Deacon must be a man who has spiritual
knowledge. The kind of knowledge that only
comes by communion with the Spirit of God,
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth: for he shall
not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall
hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew
you things to come.", John 16:13.
D. Be Spirit-filled and Spirit-lead men and you will
be a blessing to this church! Get out of God's
will and walk in your own spirit and you will be a
stumbling block to this church!
E. I charge you to examine your lives this evening.
See where you stand in relationship to the work
of the Spirit of God in your life. When you got
saved, you got all of Him there was to get, 1 Cor.
12:13; Rom. 8:9. I wonder how much of your
life does He have tonight? If you want to be
good Deacons, then be men willed with the Holy
Ghost!
I. His Relationship with The Savior
II. His Relationship With The Spirit
III. V. 3-4 HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SHEPHERD
A. By Shepherd, I am referring to the Pastor of the
church. You will notice in our text that the
primary reason the Deacons were chosen was
because the Apostles, or the shepherds, simply
could not do everything by themselves. There
were some very important ministries being
neglected. Therefore, the Deacons were
selected to carry out some of the duties within
the congregation, which freed the Shepherds to
devote their time to that which God had called
them. Primarily, the Deacons were chosen so
that the Shepherds would have more time to
devote to prayer and to the study of the Word of
God.
In this context, the Deacons in the early
church were a valuable asset to the men God
had called to lead the church. As such, the
Deacons and the Shepherds worked closely
together, each ministry enhancing the other. As
a result, the church prospered and all the needs
of the ministry were met.
B. Sadly, many Deacons in our day have forgotten
what their function is within the church. Far too
many see themselves as men appointed to "run"
the church or to keep the Pastor in line. Too
many Deacons see themselves in the role of
"church boss". However, while this is true in
many churches, it is not a scriptural method of
doing things.
C. There is just one Head of the church. It isn't the
Pastor and it isn't the Deacons. The Head of the
church is the Lord Jesus Christ, Eph. 5:23.
However, the primary leadership role within the
life of the church has been assigned to, and
vested in, the office of the Pastor, Heb. 13:7, 17.
In these verses, we are reminded that the
Pastor, not the Deacons will stand before the
Lord one day to give an account for the church.
While the Pastor, like everyone else, will have
much in his personal life to account for, one of
his duties that day will be to relate the conduct of
those over whom he was given the rule.
Whether you like it or not, whether you agree
with it or not, whether you submit to it or not, the
fact still stands: there is much authority placed in
the pastoral office. Deacons, on the other hand,
have been assigned a less authoritative role in
the church.
C. You see, the idea of a "Board of Deacons" is
foreign to the Bible. The Deacons have no
authority to run the church or to police the
Pastor. They have been given the role of
servants in the assembly, v. 2-3. The Deacons
were chosen to "wait tables." They were
chosen to carry out the nuts and bolts of the
ministry within the church thereby freeing the
Pastor to spend his time in spiritual pursuits.
The word "deacon" comes from a root word
which means "to kick up dust." The image is of
one so actively involved in his services to others
that he kicks up the dust as he moves from one
task to another. While we in the modern church
have given some authority to our Deacons and
placed them over many of the financial decisions
and business decisions the church makes, their
primary duty is to serve the people so the Pastor
can be free to give himself to the greater spiritual
ministry of the congregation.
D. Therefore, you men that are being ordained this
evening have the potential to be the best friends
this Pastor has ever had in his ministry. You
have the potential to lift from his shoulders some
of the burdens he hears from day to day.
I charge you, therefore, before this
congregation and before the Lord God that you
fulfill the scriptural mandate assigned to the
deacons and that you be a friend to the man of
God. Check on him from time to time. Be sure
that his needs are met. Ask him if there is
anything you can do to help him in the ministry.
Look at the tires on his car. Be involved in his
life as a friend and as a fellow-servant in this
ministry.
Fellows, neither you nor this Pastor are here
by accident, but by the providence of God. God
has placed you here as servants that you might
work together to carry out His kingdom work in
this community. You are not enemies! You are
not on opposite sides of the issues! You are
brothers in Christ, who want the best for the
church. You are servants together who want to
see God honored in this place. What you do with
your relationship with this man will determine, to
a large degree, just how the Lord blesses this
church in the days ahead. Cultivate your
relationship with the Shepherd of the flock of
God!
I. His Relationship with The Savior
II. His Relationship With The Spirit
III. His Relationship With The Shepherd
IV. V. 2-5 HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAINTS
A. These verses teach us the truth that the
Deacons are to be servants of the Lord first and
then servants of the people. As I have already
mentioned, you are not being set aside to be
little bosses around here. You are being set
aside this evening to serve this church with
humility. Your duty is to see that the needs of
this congregation are met.
B. In the early church, the call was clear. The
Deacons were chosen to be sure that all the
widows were properly cared for as each day's
distribution of food was given out. They were
chosen to ensure that every saints needs were
met.
C. Fellows, the needs have not changed this
evening. The Deacons should still see
themselves as servants of the people. Now, the
question that comes to mind is: How can this
ministry be carried out? The answer is simple!
Just keep your eyes and ears open and the Lord
will show you enough ministry within the church
to keep you busy for a lifetime!
You see, the Lord is more interested in
helping His people than you are! After all, they
are His people! If you will be sensitive to His
leadership, He will show you how to meet their
needs! (Ill. John 5:19-20, "Then answered
Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself,
but what he seeth the Father do: for what
things soever he doeth, these also doeth the
Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son,
and sheweth him all things that himself
doeth: and he will shew him greater works
than these, that ye may marvel.") God will
show you just like He did with Jesus!
D. Fellows, the bottom line is this: every duty in the
church shouldn't rest upon the Pastor's
shoulders! When there are sick people, get out
and visit them! When there are needs in
people's lives, get out and meet them. When
there are situations that arise in the church,
handle them under the Pastor's supervision.
Remember, you function here is two-fold. First,
you are to guard your Pastor's time. You are to
lighten his load so that when Sunday, Sunday
night and Wednesday night comes around, he
has a word from God. And, so that every other
day of the week, he has the time to pray for you
and your family, to seek God's will for the
direction of the church, to fight the spiritual
battles for you. Be this Pastor's best friend!
Second, you are to be over the business of
serving the people of this church with a servant's
heart. Not looking for personal gain or influence
in the church. But, merely serving others as the
needs arise. (Ill. By the way, those Deacons who
do it right, will be honored by those they serve, 1
Tim. 3:13! That is not the motive, but it is a
fringe benefit!) With that in mind, I charge you to
be servants!
I. His Relationship with The Savior
II. His Relationship With The Spirit
III. His Relationship With The Shepherd
IV. His Relationship With The Saints
V. 6-7 HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SANCTUARY
A. Did you notice what happened in the early
church when the spiritual leaders were free to
seek the Lord, and when the needs of the people
were met? The result was that the membership
of the church was "multiplied".
The Lord didn't just use addition, but He used
multiplication! The church and her ministries
flourished because of the combined ministries of
the Apostles and the Deacons.
B. Fellows, let's face it this evening. You have a
good Pastor. He loves you and he preaches the
Word of God faithfully. The good Lord willing, he
will serve alongside you for many years to come.
However, none of us knows the future. There
may be a time when he is gone and you are still
here.
Therefore. I charge you this evening to
remember that the ministry of this church is
bigger than your Pastor. It is bigger than you as
a Deacon. The ministry of this church is even
bigger than the people that make it up. The
ministry of this church is a direct reflection upon
the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and upon
the character of Almighty God.
With that in mind, I beg you to carry out your
duties with and eye to His glory, 1 Cor. 10:31. I
challenge you to conduct yourself as a man of
God. I challenge you to carry yourself with
gravity and soberness. I counsel you to be a
good reflection on Jesus and upon the name of
this great church. Be God's men and He will
bless His church as a result of your ministry
here!
C. I charge you this evening to walk with Jesus,
lead by His Spirit, to be a friend of the man of
God and a servant to the people. If these things
are done, you will have proven yourself a friend
to the body of Christ, which is His church. When
that happens, rest assured that God will bless
greatly and that there will be a great reward
awaiting you on the other side!
Conc: What else can we say? There are good
Deacons who understand their office and execute it
well. There are bad Deacons who think they are God's
gift to their church and hinder much more than they
help. I close with this question to you men: What kind
of Deacons will you be? I hope to hear the report that
you love Jesus Christ, and live by His Spirit, that you lift
the burdens of the shepherd and the saints of God and
that you are playing a great part in God laying the
richest of His blessing upon this church.
God bless you as become Baptist Deacons this
evening. It is an office of great service and much work.
However, it affords you the opportunity to be a greater
blessing in the Kingdom of God than you have ever
been. It offers you the opportunity to serve this church
and to enhance the ministry God has established in this
place. May the Lord bless you and use you for His
glory!
