DEACONS
Part 1
Can Just Anybody Be A Deacon?
Deacons are vital to the work of the church. Paul in writing to the church at Philippi addressed the letter to, “…All the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Phil. 1:1). Who are these “bishops and deacons?” The word “bishop” refers to the elders, so he addresses the letter to the church including the elders and deacons. Who is a deacon? According to Strong’s Concordance the word deacon comes from the Greek word, “diakonos” (dee-ak’-on-os) and means “a waiter, servant; then of any one who performs any service, an administrator.” Additional information on the word brought up an interesting meaning. Here it is, “diákonos (from 1223 /diá, “thoroughly” and konis, “dust”) – properly, “thoroughly raise up dust by moving in a hurry, and so to minister.” It seems to be saying, “Don’t waste time getting the job done.”
Deacons, as elders, are to meet certain qualifications. Paul reveals to us:
“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. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 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. 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” (1 Tim. 3:8-13).
Men, who desire to be deacons, need to study these verses and align their lives with them. What does “not doubletongued” mean? What does “not given to much wine” mean? In the next few articles we will study these qualifications.
My Dad was a deacon for many years. What a blessing it was for me to observe him as he performed his duties as a deacon.
Larry