Read with Me
1 Timothy 3:8-10 (HCSB)
Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And they must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons.
Listen with Me
The deacons Paul is talking about here are helpers and facilitators of ministry in the church. The Old Covenant models of deacons are the Levites who served in the tabernacle, and later in the temple. The Levites facilitated and assisted in the works of the temple under the leadership and authority of the priests, the Old Covenant patterns for overseers or leaders in the church.
The New Testament pattern for deacons, or those who serve in ministry under the direction of the overseers, are the seven men chosen to oversee the food distribution, which freed up the leaders, the apostles, to focus their efforts on prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:1-6).
Notice that, even though these were “service” positions as opposed to leadership positions, the criteria for those filling them were still stringent. That’s because these men were not serving in an organization or social service agency, but in God’s Church. Thus, their work, however menial it might seem to outsiders, was the Lord’s work, done specifically to further the growth of His kingdom.
So, those chosen had to be full of wisdom and full of the Holy Spirit. And this was determined not just by their profession, but by their lives and the testimony of others who knew them well. This informed Paul’s criteria, that those wanting to serve in ministry had to be worthy of respect, sincere (living the same life outside the Church as they appeared to live inside it), not addicted to alcohol, and not greedy for monetary gain.
They also had to be men who knew and lived by the scriptural standards of morality, as well as the truth as it was presented in the Scriptures. And again, this was not to be determined by their own testimony, but by testing, rigorous examination of not only the person’s beliefs, but of their character and behavior. The work of God’s kingdom was and is too vital to be entrusted into the hands of a “warm body”, no matter how willing that body might be.
Pray with Me
Father, I know many congregations who have a need for workers and few members to select from. So, it can often seem expedient to plug anyone in to those positions who is willing, even though they don’t meet these requirements (at least until someone more fitting can be found). But those people are not able to work in Your power, no matter how many prayers are said asking for Your blessing on their ministry, because they are not living according to Your requirements. So, the best they can do is to accomplish what can be done in mere human strength. The worst they can do is to have a strong influence in the wrong direction because of the authority they have been given. Help me to choose those who work in my own congregation wisely, and with these criteria in mind, understanding that there is far more at stake than it might seem. And, Lord, if there are too few among my people who meet these criteria, help me to realize the real cause of that, and to focus more on helping the people in my congregation to grow and mature in You, so that they will be able to serve and serve well in the future. Amen.