The Deacon
“Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.” ~Acts 6:3
This Sunday, Lord-willing, we will vote on whether to call four men to take up the office of deacon. But what is a deacon? What does he look like? Surprisingly, there are only two biblical passages that deal with the office of deacon in detail: the qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy 3 and the call of deacons in Acts 6. We will consider the latter.
Due to a dispute between the Hellenists and Hebrews about the distribution to widows, the elders were compromising spiritual care due to the distraction of physical care. So, the congregation was to pick out deacons to oversee the physical care of the congregation, in order that the elders could focus on prayer and preaching (Acts 6:4). What do we learn about would-be deacons?
SERVANTS: Diakonos literally means to serve or wait upon. Jesus, of course, is THE deacon. He is the model deacon. In fact, interestingly, He said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your diakonos . . . even as the Son of Man came not to be [diakonos] to but to [diakonos], and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28). In God’s economy, greatness is to serve/deacon, and that’s what Jesus did. He did it, for example, when He washed His disciples’ feet (John 13), or committed His mother to John’s care (John 19), and, of course, ultimately, in laying down His life. As deacons deacon, they represent THE deacon, Jesus Christ.
SPIRIT FILLED: It is true that deacons are to focus on the physical needs of God’s people (in order that both the elders and people can focus on worship unhindered), but isn’t it interesting the deacons were to be men full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3)? Why Spirit-filled? I’ll suggest just four reasons. First, because caring for both physical and spiritual needs are not mutually exclusive. Helping someone with temporal affairs will carry opportunity for spiritual care. One can just imagine, for instance, a deacon visiting an elderly woman suffering from cancer, and saying, “I’ve just popped by to help you sort through your medical bills, but I won’t pray with you or share God’s Word, because that’s for the elders.” Of course not! No wonder Stephen and Philip, both deacons, were evangelists too. Second, deacons, as officers, are under heightened spiritual attack. In order to leave the Nazis in disarray during the Battle of Stalingrad, Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsev targeted the officers. Satan likes to target the officers in Christ’s church in order to bring about an extra measure of demoralization. Deacons, like elders, therefore, have to be full of the Spirit. Third, deacons regularly deal with tithes, wills, property deeds, etc. and must be above temptation. Fourth, deacons must be dignified, transparent, temperate, ungreedy, hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience, blameless, and faithful in managing their own households well (1 Timothy 3:8-13). To be so, they must be Spirit-filled men walking closely with the Lord.
SENSIBLE: By sensible, I mean wise (Acts 6:3). The birth of the diaconate was in the context of controversial church dispute that needed wisdom. Deacons also must encounter practical issues like mercy ministry, finances, and church property. They need to be able to discern which church members need help (and how much). They need to know and be known by the congregation. They need to minister to those in need, the sick, the lonely, etc. All these things need wisdom.
I am thankful for our faithful and tireless deacons. I am also thankful for the four men who are to be presented on Sunday, all of whom are, in my opinion, servants, Spirit-filled, and sensible. Pray the Lord would direct us as we approach this extremely important vote, and pray the Lord would bless our diaconate.
Rev. Rob Dykes, Pastor of Preaching & Congregational Care