Acts 6:1-7 – God’s Handiwork – Bible study

Acts 6:1-7 Gods Handiwork In tonights worship service, we complete a work that was begun a month ago when the church recognized the gifts that God had given to Brother Leroy. We complete this ordination. In our church, ordaining a deacon has four steps: 1. The church recognizes that someone is doing the work of a deacon. The Bible does not teach that a church has the ability to make a deacon. God does the making by giving to certain individuals a concern, and some abilities, and gifts. After God does the making, it is the churchs place to recognized the one has those gifts and in fact is doing the majority of the service and to merely grant to him officially the title for the work that he is already doing. That took place on Leroy Humphrey the second Wednesday of September. 2. The church then appointed a group of spiritual and ordained men to examine Bro. Leroy in the areas of his doctrine, his character, and his testimony. That council was convened by the church tonight. It was comprised of Pastor Carl Hall, Pastor Roscoe Kornegay, Deacon Joel Copeland, and GP deacons Gaston McGavock and Charles Davis. After examining Bro. Leroy, their recommendation is that the church proceed with the ordination. 3. In this third step, Leroy Humphrey will be clearly and plainly charged from the Word of God as to what God expects of him in his ministry to the church. 4. The last step will be that those who have previously gone through this ordination process, come and lay hands on Bro. Leroy, praying for him that God would empower him for the task that He has called him to. So tonight, I speak to the candidate, Leroy Humphrey, but I also speak to the church and its members to remind us all what the office of the deacon is and to remind us all that we need to be faithful to God in the tasks that He has called us to perform. I. \#Acts 6:1-7\ Cause of the Office A. The office of a deacon was created because people had needs. 1. \#1\ Widows were being neglected. a. The church began to do what the Old Testament indicated the Jewish nation was to do, to care for the widows of the church. Ex 22:22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. 23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; Isa 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. b. As the church grew and the Jews recognized the church as an entity separate from temple and Old Testament worship of God, the duty of caring for the believing widows fell completely upon the church. (1) There was no welfare. (2) There were no retirement accounts. (3) The poorer widows had nothing to depend upon but God and the church. 2. \#1\ This was a "daily" ministry as they needed food to live, firewood to cook with, water to be brought into the house, and perhaps other things that needed doing. 3. \#2\ All of this was done so that the widows might have a table set for them as indicated by the phrase "serve tables." B. As for as the preachers, they could either study the Word and tend to the unusual needs of the people or they could spend all of their time caring for the growing numbers of widows in the church, but they could not do both. Acts 6:2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. C. So an office or a position was created to look after the widows, primarily making certain they had food to eat. D. By the time Paul wrote to Timothy, those who filled that positions were officially called deacons. 1. The word is only used in the Bible as an official capacity five times, 4 times in 1Tim 3 and once in Philippians. 2. However, the Greek word which is translated into that title is used 61 times in the New Testament. a. It is the Greek word dee-ak-on-as. b. It means a servant, an attendant, a waiter, someone who tends to the table and the menial tasks that need to be done. E. So both in text of creation and in the meaning of the word, the office of a deacon is one who serves. 1. This is and always has been the primary function of the office. 2. In time, the office was expanded to look after the needs of more people. Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 3. This is not to say that deacons are the only ones that should be doing this. a. This is the ministry of the whole church, including the pastor. b. However, the deacons have the lead and the primary responsibility in this. F. In the process of time, the role of the deacons in some churches seems to have shifted from being a servant to being an administrator, directing the affairs of the church and in some church, even directing the pastor. 1. I understand how this came to be. I see it as the pastors fault and not the deacons. 2. Many pastors began to jump from church to church, leaving the church without a stable form of leadership. 3. Deacons, attending the church in the communities where they lived, were able to give a more stable hand to the church. a. No doubt, they began to stand in for the pastor when the churches were without pastors. b. As pastors began to spend less time at a church, the need for stability became greater and the deacons just keep what should have been at the most a temporary role. c. But again, if pastors were shepherding their flocks instead of seeking a greener field, the problem would not have never gotten to the place it is. 4. But hear this church and deacons, the role of the deacon is not to be the administrator of the church. a. That is the role of the pastor. b. If the church is without a pastor and the deacons need to step into guide the church on a temporary basis, they must also be sure to step out of that role when a pastor is called. c. God is not in the habit of creating beings with two heads. When you see a being with two heads, you can rest assured it is not normal but abnormal. II. Notice the credentials of the office. Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. A. Three are given in this text. If you want to be a godly deacon, seek to have all three. 1. Be honest a. It makes sense that those who will be taking care of the business of others must have a pure heart. b. The church is not a place where its servants are supposed to profit. c. It is a place where its servants are to serve others and by doing so, serve Christ. 2. To be full of the Holy Ghost a. The church is Gods business. b. We cannot run one like an earthly business for other business are designed to make a profit. c. The church was designed to be profitable to others. d. The only One who tell a church what it should do is God and God does not appear when summoned. (1) If you want to talk to God, you must keep Him with you. (2) So for the Green Pond Baptist Church to be lead properly, we must all be filled with God. 3. To be full of wisdom. a. If you are filled with the Holy Ghost, you will be filled with wisdom. b. If you get God, you get all of His gifts and abilities. B. Paul added to this list in 1Timothy 3, perhaps because he saw the church needed more specifics in the selection of these servants. 1. You must be a man of right in character. 1Tim 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. a. Grave – Able to be serious when needed. b. Not doubletongued – Saying the same things to everybody. c. Not given to much wine – We prefer a teetotaler. d. Not greedy e. Pure in conscience – Only you know the secrets of your heart. If you are secretly bound by a sin, find the deliverance needed to be free. 2. You must be right in the church. 1Tim 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. a. The Bible requires you to be proved and blameless. b. That means experienced in the things of God without fault. (1) But you should have been saved long enough to have left a trail of your walk behind you. (2) Your path thus far should clearly show that you are following Jesus. 3. You must be right in your personal life. 1Tim 3:11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. a. The office of a deacon is not just the office of the man. (1) To some extent, it is the office of the mans family. (2) Again, no one looks for perfection, If we did, the church would be empty. (3) What God seeks is see the right direction. b. Married to one wife. c. Ordering the children in your home well. d. Your wife must likewise be right. (1) Grave – Also able to be serious. (2) Not a slanderer. (3) Sober – Able to see things as they are. (4) Faithful – To the Lord, to her husband and family, to the local church. 4. You must be right in goals. 1Tim 3:13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. a. Both the deacon and the deacons wife should understand that this office offers them great reward in heaven. b. I believe God gave this truth as an incentive. God wants the deacon and wife to want a great reward. c. Wanting that reward will motivate them to serve much for little now, knowing that Gods accounts will be settled once we arrive home. III. Listen to the charge. If you understand these Scriptures, then you should understand these charges. A. Understand why the church sees in you a deacon. 1. The church is not calling you to be a deacon because they see in you a great leader. a. Although that might also be the case, that is not what the office of deacon is about. b. If you ever find that you needed to lead in the church and you feel God wants you to do so, then do but never confuse that duty with this office. (1) They are not the same. (2) And having the gifts of one does not mean you will automatically be good at the other. c. If, when the church is without a pastor, you must step into leadership, do so; but as soon as the church calls a pastor, quit leading and start supporting the churchs pastor. (1) If you even find that you cannot support your pastor, then you either have the wrong pastor or you are in the wrong church. (2) It will never be a deacons job to lead the pastor. (3) It may behoove you to pray for your pastor, to offer advice to your pastor, to even rebuke your pastor as the Scripture teaches, but it will never be your job to lead your pastor. (4) If you feel your pastor needs leading, then you need to take whatever steps are necessary to correct that situation; not because you are a deacon, but because you are Christian and part of a local New Testament church. 2. Neither is the church calling you to be a deacon because they see in you to be a great Bible teacher or preacher, although that might also be the case. It is not what the office of a deacon is about. 3. The Green Pond Baptist Church is calling you to be their deacon because they see in you a great heart. a. A heart that cares for people. b. A heart that loves people. c. A heart that they need to help care for the people, especially for the people that cannot take care of themselves: specifically, the Christian widows, the Christians orphans, and the Christian poor. d. As perhaps the pastor might be consider the head for the local church, the deacons are its heart. e. A church needs to love people and while the pastor this pastormight be busy thinking about what needs to be done, the church needs a heart that starts loving even before the mind has decided what needs to be done. f. Together these two office may complete the church for the body needs both a head and a heart. g. That is why there is an office in the church called deacon. h. You are officially the arms, the legs, and the hands of this church to help take care of its weakest members. B. To do this, you must keep yourself pure and filled with Christ and His Spirit. C. This is not an office from which you can easily resign. 1. God gave you the heart. 2. The church has only recognized that you have the heart. 3. You cant give a heart back. So as far as I can see in the Bible, this will be your job until you are no longer able to do it or until you no longer qualify to do it. If you heed these three thoughts, I believe God will make of you a great servant for Himself and His church.