Thinking About Deacons (Part Two)
[Our friend and frequent contributor, Thomas Overmiller, is working through a series of studies on the office of deacon. He is posting these as short studies, we are combining several posts into this post. We hope it is profitable for you. See part one here. – Editor.]
Deacons in the Church: Essential Personal Qualities
A Good Reputation (Acts 6:3)
Potential deacons must have a good reputation in both the congregation and community at large. Imagine that your church is considering a man in the church to be a new deacon. Before you ask him, you conduct spontaneous interviews, inside and outside the church, asking people for a candid opinion of this man. If he has a “good reputation,” then you would receive a lot of positive feedback about him. If not, then you would receive bad or mixed reviews instead.
A good reputation is necessary because deacons handle the financial and material matters of the church. They receive funds, manage funds, and distribute them. They must be dependable in to handling such affairs with confidentiality, impartiality, and integrity. In the church at Jerusalem, the Hellenist believers (Greek-speaking Jews) worried about favoritism towards the Hebrew-speaking widows. Therefore, it was crucial for the church choose deacons who would be impartial and trustworthy.
Full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3, 5)
Luke mentions twice that a deacon must be full of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the spiritual nature of their ministry and guarding against a merely secular approach. The word full describes a man who is permeated by the influence of the Holy Spirit, fully yielded to God’s control and leadership.
While it may seem difficult to tell whether a man is yielded to the invisible Spirit, Scripture provides at least five observable indicators. First, he shares his faith with courage (Acts 2:2, 4; 3:10; 4:8, 31; 5:3, 17, 28; 9:17; 13:9, 45, 52; 14:17; 19:29).
He also memorizes and meditates on Scripture (Col 3:16). Paul equates this quality to being filled with the Spirit in a parallel passage (Eph 5:18). This is significant, because a congregation must have confidence that the Word of God will guide a potential deacon’s actions, choices, and priorities. A man filled with the Spirit and the Word will exhibit three additional qualities.
· He praises God from the heart and sings with his church (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16).
· He exhibits a thankful spirit (Eph 5:20; Col 3:17).
· He also exhibits a humble approach to human relationships which elevates the needs of others over his own (Eph 5:21).
Full of Wisdom (Acts 6:3)
Luke teaches that a prospective deacon must be full of wisdom, which is an ability to make skillful choices. Deacons make many important choices, big and small, which require thoughtfulness, maturity, and a commitment to biblical principles and priorities.
Such wisdom is especially necessary when decisions and tasks affect human feelings, finances, and other sensitive factors. This wisdom must be more than common business expertise and common sense (Jam 3:14-16). It must be biblical in content and spiritual in nature and must not be carnal or political (Jam 3:13, 17-18). Such wisdom can be learned only through a personal study of Scripture and humble and prayerful trust in God (2 Chron 1:10; Prov 2:1-5; Jam 1:5).
Full of Faith (Acts 6:5)
Luke teaches that a prospective deacon must be full of faith. To describe a man as “permeated with faith” implies firm confidence in the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, unrelenting reliance on God and faithful obedience to Scripture. In the most evident sense, such a man would be willing to share his faith and identify with Christ, even when confronted with martyrdom like Stephen (Acts 7:54-60). Such a man is also able to make difficult but necessary choices which require confidence in God, even when an element of necessary risk is involved.
Questions to Discuss
- What does it mean to have a good reputation?
- Why is it important for a deacon to have such a reputation?
- What does it mean for a person to be “full of the Holy Spirit”?
- What are some indicators that a man is filled with the Spirit?
- What does it mean for a person to be “full of wisdom”?
- Why is this important for a deacon?
- How does a man get this wisdom?
- In your own words, describe what it means for a man to be “full of faith”?
- How does the example of Stephen show us what this means?
Deacons in the Church: More Essential Personal Qualities
As churches multiplied, the need for a more specific list of deacon qualifications developed, since the qualities portrayed in Acts 6:3-5 were admittedly vague. So, in a letter to Timothy that provided instructions for proper church protocol, Paul provided such a list. This list continues to serve as a standard set of essential testimony qualifications for deacons today, enabling congregations to recognize qualified men in an objective manner. These qualifications do not replace the initial qualities given to the church at Jerusalem, but they elucidate and expand them instead.
A Man
Men certainly qualify to hold this office (Acts 6:3; 1 Tim 3:8-9). However, some propose that women may also do so and not without warrant. For instance, Paul names a lady, Phoebe, as a “a servant of the church at Cenchrea” and uses the word that sometimes means “a deacon” (Rom 16:1). Furthermore, the word that our English translations render as the “wives” of deacons may easily be translated as “women in general” (1 Tim 3:11).
On this basis, some churches appoint both men and women as deacons. Nevertheless, it seems more probable that only men may occupy the office of deacon. They must be the “husbands of one wife” and they must “rule their children and household affairs well” (1 Tim 3:12). Moreover, if Paul intended to distinguish female deacons in 1 Timothy 3, he could have used the word for a deacon, diakonos, accompanied by a feminine article (tas), which would translate as “female deacons.” But Paul used the generic word for women and wives instead (gynaikos). So like pastors, deacons must also be men.
Reverent
This qualification suggests that a prospective deacon must be a serious-minded man who approaches life and ministry in a dignified, purposeful way. He should be neither frivolous nor aloof, but earnest and winsome in his interaction with others. His lifestyle should be worthy of respect and emulation. His worship should be wholehearted and sincere.
Not Double-Tongued
Deacons interact with people throughout a church and community, in homes and elsewhere. In doing so, they intercept many opinions and perspectives from people. Therefore, it is important that they do not say one thing to one person and another thing to someone else. They must be counted on to relay accurate information between parties and to sincerely express their own perspective. A “single-tongued” deacon strengthens the unity of a church, while a double-tongued deacon spreads discord and division.
Not Given to Much Wine
Deacons must be men who no longer give serious attention to intoxicating beverages. This principle applies to other mind-altering substances as well. Deacons must be disciplined men who think in a clear and rational way. In fact, Paul says that being governed by intoxicating drink is the direct opposite of being filled with the Spirit, which you already know is a necessary quality for deacons (Eph 5:18). This commitment to abstinence (or at least maximum restraint) guards a man’s public reputation and his ability to make sound decisions on behalf of the church (Eph 5:17).
Questions to Discuss
- What is the relationship between the qualities in Acts 6 and in 1 Timothy 3?
- Why do some people believe that men and women may be deacons?
- How does 1 Timothy 3:12 indicate that only men may be deacons?
- Describe how a reverent man conducts his life?
- What does a “double-tongued” person do? A “single-tongued” person?
- How would the influence of mind-altering substances prevent a deacon from serving well?
Thomas Overmiller is the pastor of Brookdale Baptist Church in Moorhead, MN and blogs at Shepherd Thoughts. This article first appeared at Shepherd Thoughts, used here with permission.