Deacons are servants within the local church, originating from the Greek word 'diakonos' meaning runner or minister. This role, distinct from a bond slave ('doulos'), encompasses both spiritual and, more commonly, temporal matters such as caring for widows and the poor, supplying preachers' needs, and providing relief. Deacons must meet high moral and spiritual qualifications, mirroring those of elders, including being truthful, self-controlled, and holding to the mystery of the faith. While overseers are appointed by the Holy Spirit, deacons are chosen by the congregation, serving as messengers and servants of the whole church. Those who serve well in this capacity advance in their faith and service, with even the smallest act of service promised a reward from the Lord.
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Now we're going to study deacons in the local church. Number one, definition. One, a servant or minister. Now this comes from a word in the Greek language, dioke, which means a runner. So the word servant, originally, came from this root word for a runner, probably someone who ran and carried messages. A is used of domestic servants.
In John two, the Lord Jesus performed his first miracle at a marriage, and it says that Mary, his mother, said to the servants, whatsoever he said, do you do it? literally she said to the deacons and B it is used of civil leaders Romans thirteen four where civic leaders are said to be ministers of God for your good I complimented a policeman friend of mine one time on being a minister He said, no, somebody's misinformed you.
I'm not a minister. In fact, I don't even belong to church. Well, I said, the Bible says that you're a minister. He was quite surprised, quite pleased. And that's exactly what it says. He is a minister of God. He is a servant. And see, it is used of the Lord Jesus. Romans chapter eight, where he is said to be a minister of the circumcision, servant of the Jews. And D, It is used of the servants of the Lord Jesus. Many places, John twelve and twenty-six, for instance, we find many others. In John twelve, twenty-six, he said, If any man serve me, let him follow me.
And where I am, there shall also my servant be. And finally, it is used of the servants of Satan. Second Corinthians eleven. There Satan is said to be transformed into an angel of light and the ministers of Satan into the ministers of righteousness. Number two, deacons are to be distinguished from bronze slaves. This is an entirely different word. This is the word doulos. D-O-U-L-O-S. And it means...
a bond slave. Now, all of the New Testament writers call themselves bond slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we ought to be glad to be his slaves as well as his servants. But the word deacon is really the word for servant. And number three, there are five other selective nouns used of servants. These are selective. These have to do with specific types of service and so we're not going to discuss them in this study merely that you might know that there are other words for service now section two the occupation of deacons one it may be about spiritual matters And in Acts six and four, the Apostle said, we will give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.
The word ministry of the word there is a word related to our noun deacon. Number two, usually it is about temporal matters. The use of the term deacon in spiritual things is the unusual. Usually it's temporal matters. A, the care of widows. The first deacons were so designated for this purpose. In Acts chapter six, there was complaint made by the Greek-speaking Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily ministration.
And that's why these six men of these seven and were chosen in the sixth of Acts. Now, while they're not called deacons in our King James Version, the term that's used for their service indicates that they were doing deacons' work and be the care of the poor. First Corinthians, sixteen, one to three. concerning the collection for the saints and then he goes on to say that there were certain ones who were chosen by the church to to carry this offering to the poor saints and see of the supply of preachers needs twice in Philippians Paul talks about this in Philippians two twenty five he refers to Epaphroditus as the one who was sent by the church at Philippi, and he says, He that ministered to my wants.
And D, one form of this word is translated relief in Acts eleven, twenty nine. When a prophet told them that there was going to be a drought and a famine, it says the disciples Every man, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren. So this word relief is another form of the word diakonos or deacon. And E, the work is spoken of as serving tables in Acts six and verse two.
where the Apostle said, we couldn't leave the Word of God to serve tables. So serving tables is a work for deaconing. And F references made to serving the church in Romans sixteen and one. A servant of the church. Now section three, the qualifications of deacons. The Lord is just as particular about those who take care of temporal matters for the Lord as he is about those who take care of spiritual matters.
I think there's a lesson in this for us. We have to think of spiritual things as being on one plane and temporal things being on another. And we say, now, on Sunday we do the Lord's work and the rest of the week we just do ordinary work. God doesn't separate the two. God never speaks of anything as being secular in a Christian's life. Everything in a Christian's life is service to God. We saw that when we studied about the servants, even the slaves who serve their masters and do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto man. So no work that you do is of a low grade in the eyes of God if it's done unto him.
Now these good morals, section one, section three, number one, good morals include a not double-tongued. Now, double-tongued simply means inconsistent, untruthful, as though the man had two tongues, or as sometimes we say talking out of the other corner of his mouth. I think the Indians have an expression similar to this, haven't they? They say, white man speak with forked tongue. He's saying two things. He's not truthful. He's not honest.
And greedy, not given to much wine. He's a person who's to have himself under control. And see, not greedy, a filthy lucre. He's not to do this as a job. Some friends visited us here last night and they said they're very disturbed over their association, their religious association, what they call their church. And they said we've got so many people on the payroll down there, everybody gets paid for whatever they do. The singers are paid and the organs is paid and the secretary is paid and just keeping us all broke.
Well, it wasn't God's idea because he plainly said the people who serve him are not to do so as greedy of filthy lucrative. Money taken for service that you do for God, that is so much for so much. You agree to serve for a certain amount of pay, then money becomes filthy lucrative. And D, having the pure conscience. Now, conscience is not our guide. The conscience cannot be a guide apart from the Word of God. The only way to keep the pure conscience is to constantly test your conscience by the Word of God.
And E, the word likewise indicates the same high standards as elders. After giving the standards for the elders in First Timothy three, one to seven, he begins the section of our deacons by saying, Likewise must the deacons be so-and-so. And this indicates that God sets the same high standards for them. Number two, a good family. A good life. Four words you use to describe her. Grave, not a slander, sober, and faithful.
So you see, it's just as important for a deacon to have a good life as for an elder. The word slander is literally a gossip. A woman who gossips can be a terrible hindrance to her husband if he's trying to serve the Lord in any way. And B, subject children, having their children in subjection. Number three, spiritual. And E. If you will study what is said about the original seven deacons in Acts chapter six.
By the way, there's a mistake in your outline here. Reverse these numbers. Acts three, six should be Acts six three. If you'll study Acts six, and especially the third verse, you'll see that the deacons were to be chosen as men who were who were Holy Spirit-filled men, who were good men, who were godly men. You read about it and you'll see that there was a high standard of spirituality set for them. Now, A, they were to be grave. I looked up the word grave, and I found that it means serious in purpose and respectful in conduct.
That's a pretty good standard for any Christian, isn't it? Serious in purpose and respectful in conduct. And B, holding the mystery of the faith. First Timothy three, eight and nine. Holding the mystery of the faith means that he knows what we believe. The faith, you know, is the truth which we believe, as distinguished from faith. Faith is believing. But the faith is the body of truth which we believe. And mystery is the word that is used of the things which were not revealed in the past, but are now made known to us.
The mystery of the church and so on. Now they are to hold these things. He may not be capable of teaching them, but they are to hold them. That is, they believe them and they cling to them. Now, question four, the appointment. of deacons. One, distinguished from overseers. Now we noticed in our last study that the overseers were appointed by the Holy Spirit. There's no such thing as the congregation deciding who shall be the overseers.
But number two, the deacons were chosen by the multitude of the disciple. This is stated twice in Acts six, verses two and five. Now you can see why this difference. The sheep do not choose their shepherd, but the church does choose its servants. And the deacons are not overseers, they are servants. Now they must be chosen by the congregation where they're going to serve. A.
As servants of the whole church. Romans sixteen and one again. As servants of the whole church. D. They were chosen by the brethren. Acts six and verse three. They called the brethren together and said, Look ye out among yourselves, seven men of honest report. See, they were chosen by the churches. Second Corinthians chapter eight and verse nineteen.
The apostle Paul says that certain men were chosen by the churches to travel with him to carry their offerings to Jerusalem. and D, designated as your messengers. Philippians two, verse twenty-five, Epaphroditus was said to be your messenger. And E, they may be approved by a letter. First Corinthians sixteen and three, Paul assumes whoever ye shall approve by your letters.
he shall accompany me to carry this offering that the Corinthians has gathered together and take it to the poor saints in another part of the country. I think it's pretty clear from here are four instances in Acts, in First Corinthians, and Second Corinthians, and in Philippians, where the deacons were definitely chosen by an individual church to be their messengers, to be their servants, do a job that they were assigned by the church. Now, F. Phoebe was the only sister so designated.
In Romans sixteen, one, he says, I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church at Sincrea. Now, from this, some have deduced that There may be an order of deaconesses, but this is not an order at all. These are individual servants that are chosen. If there's a job that a sister can do in the church that's consistent with her position, well, of course she can serve. There are some jobs that must be carried out by men. But it's not an order. Don't think of it as being...
elected to some kind of an order or elevated to some kind of an order or given some kind of a special guard that sets them apart that's where monks and nuns and all of this kind of thing originated they take a very simple statement in the scripture about giving people responsibility for various jobs and then out of that they build a great big thing that just isn't in Scripture at all. And finally, G, they must be chosen according to such qualifications. Now, if a group of Christians are getting together to decide who shall do the work of deacons in their company of believers, they themselves must be careful to choose only men who have the qualifications as set forth in First Timothy chapter three, the only place where these qualifications are given.
And if a man should be asked to serve in some position, and he knows that he does not have the qualifications, it may not be known to the rest of the congregation that his wife, for instance, is is a gossip or is not the right kind of a person or that his children are not subject. If he knows that he is not qualified to be a deacon, then he should ask to be excused. He should not accept the responsibility. We should be very careful to choose deacons according to these set qualifications. Now the fifth section of our study has to do with the future of deacons.
One, good service purchases a good degree. He says, those who have served well, it says in the King James Version, those who have used the office of a deacon well. That's First Timothy three and thirteen. They that have used the office of a deacon well, but used the office is really One word, served. They who have served as a servant. Or they who have deaconed as a deacon. There isn't any verb form there, but you understand that both are the same word.
Well, those who have served well as a deacon purchased to themselves a good degree. Now, this word degree doesn't mean a college degree. It doesn't mean they get a BA or something. But the word degree comes from a very simple word in the Greek language, which means a stair step. I think this is interesting. What the Lord is saying is that if the congregation has enough confidence in you to give you a responsibility in the church, then when you serve in that responsibility, and do your job well, you have gone up a step. You have taken a step in the right direction.
You have gone up a stair step. That's the word to choose. Purchase to themselves a good degree. Now, number two, advancement in the faith. And the faith means the teaching, the truth that we have. We have three examples of this. A. Stephen, one of the original seven in Acts chapter six, became a preacher and the first martyr. And you should read the rest of Acts chapter six and chapter seven, where his sermon is recorded and where his death is recorded at the end of his sermon.
Now Stephen begins as a man who was chosen by the church to serve in a local way to take care of the distribution of the funds to the poor widows. And this is what he did at first. But then right away it became apparent that Stephen was a man of deep spirituality. It says they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. And then in verse eight of the sixth chapter, it says, Stephen full of faith and power. The word faith is translated grace in the revised version.
Stephen full of grace and power did great wonders and miracles among the people. And then it says they could not resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. And finally, at the close of that chapter, it says, all that sat in the council looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. So he was a man full of light. And then he shows in his sermon that he was a man full of the scriptures because he quotes from the Old Testament repeatedly. And then at the close of the seventh chapter, it says in verse fifty-five, he being full of the Holy Ghost looked up steadfastly into heaven.
and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And when he was martyred, he prayed, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. So he was a man full of forgiveness. He developed very rapidly from just doing a menial task into becoming a capable speaker and the first martyr. Now B, Philip. Philip became an evangelist. In Acts eight, most of that chapter has to do with the story of Philip's work in Samaria. If you remember your map of the Holy Land, Jerusalem, where these men originally served, was the capital city and was the center of an area called Judea.
And then north of Judea was a section called Samaria. And then on north of that was the section where the Lord spent most of his time called Galilee, around the Sea of Galilee. So Samaria would be like our next county north of where we live. So Philip served in Jerusalem, and then he moved on north into Samaria and began to preach the gospel to the Samaritans. Now you know that the Samaritans were looked down upon and despised by the Jews because they were half-raged. then moved in there to settle up the country, and their religion was a half-breed religion, partly Judaism and partly idolatry.
But this man, seeing that these people needed the gospel, went in. Now, when you come to the twenty-first chapter of Acts, you'll find that Philip is definitely called an evangelist, and that the Christians went to the house of Philip the evangelist, and that he had four daughters who taught the word of God. Now, we know from other passages of Scripture that they did not teach in the church, but they must have taught other women or children or taught in the homes or something of this kind. So here is a man who made great advances from serving in menial tasks to becoming a well-known evangelist.
And C, you have the case of Epaphroditus. Paul's fellow laborer and fellow soldier in Philippians two. Now he was sent originally by the Philippians to carry money to Paul. But after he got there, either he was put in jail with Paul or else he stayed to help Paul because he was known as Paul's fellow laborer and Paul hated to give him up. So here is a man who began to serve and then went on to greater service. Number three, the Lord called servants great and the greatest.
In Matthew twenty-six and Matthew twenty-three and eleven, the Lord Jesus said, if you want to be great among us people, be one who serves, not one who wants to be served. Self seeks to be served and thinks itself great. But love serves and is great. J.M. Darby wrote a hundred years ago, Remember the Lord approves of humble service. And he said, I am among you as one who serves. And number four, he promised that the smallest service will be well rewarded.
In Matthew ten, in verse forty-two, he said, even if you just give a cup of cold water, you will in no wise lose your reward. I never think that any job that is given to you in the local church is beneath your dignity. Remember that our blessed Lord was here as a servant, and remember that he has personally promised to see that all service that is done out of love to himself and love to his people will be amply rewarded.