A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day, the farmer drove up and said, “Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.” Kenny replied, “Well then, just give me my money back.” The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.” Kenny said, “OK then, just unload the donkey.” The farmer asked, “What ya gonna do with him?” Kenny said, “I’m going to raffle him off.” The farmer said, “You can’t raffle off a dead donkey!” Kenny said, “Sure I can.”
A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, “Whatever happened with that dead donkey?” Kenny said, “I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $900.” The farmer asked, “Didn’t anyone complain?” Kenny replied, “Just the guy that won. So I gave him his money back.” Kenny grew up to be the deacon in charge of finance at the local Baptist Church.
If Kenny’s business practices paved the way for him to become a church deacon, you sort of have to wonder about the church! What kind of church would allow someone like Kenny to be in charge of its finances or ministries? It is sad, but many institutions and organizations do the same thing; they emphasize performance over principle. Many companies and governments are more interested in efficiency than ethics. They look for leaders who have good management skills, but not necessarily good morals.
Unfortunately, over the generations the church has not been immune to this trap either. When churches have placed a priority on people who can produce results over people who do what is right, it always leads to problems. This was one of the key problems in the Ephesian church. We have already learned in I Timothy 1:19-20, that some of the overseers/deacons did not have the type of character required to be a leader in the church. They had shipwrecked their own faith and were damaging the church by perpetuating heresy. This is why the Apostle Paul included lists of character qualifications for overseers (I Timothy 3:1-7) and deacons here.
Just as in the days of the Ephesian Church, it is vitally important for the church to choose qualified leaders. In today’s sermon, we will look at the deacon’s ministry, character, the deacon’s gender, and the deacon’s blessings.
1.) The Deacon’s Ministry (8a)
It is interesting when we read Paul’s lists of qualifications for overseers and deacons in the church—all of the emphasis is on character, and there is nothing stated about their duties. Neither list contains a job description. So, we are left with some questions like, “What is a deacon? What does a deacon do? And what is the difference between an overseer and a deacon?”
The term deacon comes from the Greek word Diako,nouj (Diakonous) which literally means “servant” or “helper.” Even though there are no job descriptions in the list of qualifications for overseers or deacons, the very definitions of these two words display differences in function. Overseers were responsible for overseeing the overall governance of the church, while the deacons were responsible for leading the various ministries of the church. Both of these terms represent bonafide offices in the church as they carried out their functions in a plurality of leadership under the headship of Jesus Christ.
We catch a glimpse of the early ministry of deacons in Acts 6 when seven spiritually mature men were selected to care for the widows in Jerusalem so that the twelve apostles could dedicate themselves to the ministries of prayer and preaching. Therefore, deacons were called to be servant leaders who helped organized, administrate, and carry out the ministries of the church.
Even today, two-thousand years later, the term “deacon” is used in many Christian denominations to describe the office of one who helps serve in the ministry of the church. Now it is true that God calls all Christians to use their spiritual gifts to serve the church, but some have specific gifts of leadership that are to be used for the position of deacon. Some people in churches today hold to the misguided notion that “we pay the pastor to do the ministry of the church.” Yes, the pastor does get paid to preach and carry out certain ministry functions, but no pastor is called to do all of the ministries alone. Deacons are called by God to come alongside the pastor and help him or her minister to the spiritual needs of the congregation and community.
In many churches today, deacons help with hospital and home visitations, care for the elderly and shut-in, help organize youth and children’s ministries, lead Bible studies, teach Sunday school classes, set up and serve communion, assist the pastor with baptisms, care for the needs of the church building, and so much more. God calls all of us to serve, but I wonder if he might be calling some of you to the ministry of a deacon!
2.) The Deacon’s Character (8b-10, 12)
Well, now that we know what a deacon is and does, let’s see what kind of character is required to be a deacon. The list of qualifications for deacons is quite similar to the list of qualifications for overseers. In verse 8, we learn that the deacon is to be “dignified”—that is someone who exhibits serious and responsible behavior. The next three items are prohibitions which elaborate on this of being dignified. “Double-tongued” means to be insincere or devious in reference to speech. It is the equivalent of the modern expression “two-faced.” Only one face is required to be a deacon!
“Addicted to much wine” means exactly what it says. If a person is addicted to alcohol or allows himself or herself to get drunk, they are prohibited from serving as deacons in the church. “Not greedy for dishonest gain” Someone who exhibits a propensity for greed or cheats to get ahead is disqualified for the ministry of a deacon. This is why Kenny (from the story that I told you earlier) should never have become a deacon in the church!
Paul also tells Timothy that a deacon “must hold to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience.” (9) “The mystery of faith” is one of Paul’s favorite ways of to describe the gospel. This is a reference to clear orthodox Christian message that Jesus Christ died as an atonement for sin and rose on the third day to bring new life. A deacon must hold firm to this doctrinal truth and never waver from it. Along with this, candidates for deacons should be tested before given office. The church should make sure that the person’s life and doctrine line up with biblical truth before he or she can become a deacon. This was necessary because the false teachers in Ephesus had turned away from the true gospel, which caused serious problems for the church.
Verse 12 continues the list of deacon qualifications. Like the list for overseers, deacons must be the husband of one wife and must manage their households well. This is not a prohibition against women or single persons; it simply means that sexual purity and relational integrity are required to serve as a deacon in the church.
This comment about marital fidelity reminds me of that one Sunday morning the Devil himself made a personal visit to the Maplewood Road Second Baptist Church. The congregation panicked and, led by their still-wet-behind-the-ears preacher, bolted for the door. All of them except for Old Deacon Jones.
Long a fixture at the Maplewood Road Second Baptist Church, Deacon Jones sat boldly in his place in the first pew, left side and on the aisle. Well the Devil slithered his way to stand over Deacon Jones. With a breath of sulfur the Devil leaned over Deacon Jones and hissed, “Aren’t you afraid of me, old man?” “Nope,” replied Deacon Jones, “I’ve been married to your sister for 60 years.”
As with the previous list for overseers, these character qualifications for deacons really set forth the standard of conduct for all Christians, but they are absolutely essential for persons in church leadership. When we look at such a list, it ought to make us take inventory of our own hearts. We ought to ask ourselves, “Am I leading a dignified life? Am I two-faced? How much alcohol do I drink? What am I willing to do to get the things I want? Have I really embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ? How am I doing in my marriage? How is my relationship with my kids?” God doesn’t call all of us to the office of deacon, but we should all strive for the character of a deacon!
3.) The Deacon’s Gender (11)
Now that we know what a deacon is and the character required for the office, let us take a look at the deacon’s gender. This is an extremely difficult verse to interpret because term translated here as “wives” is the Greek word Gunai/kaj (Gunaikas), from which we get our English word “gynecology,” can also be translated as “women.” If “wives” was meant here, there would be a possessive pronoun or definite article (as in the English Standard Version), but neither of these is present in the Greek text. Likewise, no feminine form of the Greek word for deacon existed to serve as a technical designation. This generic reference to women in the context of deacons seems to indicate that this is a reference to female deacons (or deaconesses).
Like their male counterparts, deaconesses must live dignified lives whereby they are careful with their speech, sober-minded in their judgment, and trustworthy and faithful in all things. This list of character qualifications for deaconesses highlights some of the exact character flaws that existed in the women who were causing problems in the Ephesian church.
This is another one of those controversial areas dealing with women’s roles in the church. Some Christian denominations believe this verse refers to deaconesses and therefore allow women to serve as deacons, while other denominations believe this verse refers to deacon’s wives and therefore does not allow women to serve as deacons. Linguistically, either interpretation is possible. So, whatever view you hold, I would encourage you to hold it with loosely and with grace. Personally, I believe that women can serve as deacons as long as they meet the qualifications. I have been so blessed by the ministry of many deaconesses in the churches that I have served in the past and present!
4.) The Deacon’s Blessings (13)
Well, Paul finishes this discussion of church deacons by emphasizing two blessings that come from faithful service in this office. The first blessing is good reputation in the eyes of God and the Christian community. God and people genuinely appreciate faithful service to the kingdom. The second blessing is greater confidence in the faith. This refers to a deeper relationship with God and a greater assurance of salvation. How does this work? A person who is faithfully serving Jesus Christ is less of likely to fall away from the faith than someone who is not involved in ministry.
These promises are specifically given to people who faithfully serve as deacons in the church, but the same general principle applies to all Christians who engage in consistent meaningful ministry. I hope that these promises will cause some of you to consider becoming a deacon in this church. I also hope that these promises will compel all of you to be involved in the ministry of this church. Wouldn’t you like to have a greater reputation in the church community? Wouldn’t you like to have a closer relationship with God and a greater assurance of your salvation?
As I conclude today, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have served this church as overseers and deacons. I am so grateful for your faithful service in God’s kingdom. May the Lord continually bless your life and faith!
Also, I do believe that God is currently preparing men and women to serve as overseers and deacons for the future in this church. Do you sense God preparing you for leadership in his church? Do you have the character qualifications?
And for the rest of us, God may not be calling you to serve as an elder or deacon, but he calls all of us to live dignified lives whereby we glorify him with our speech, our conduct, and our faith! If you want to gain a better reputation and a deeper relationship with God, faithfully serve his church and kingdom!