THE BLESSINGS OF SERVING AS A DEACON
Part 4
It takes time and energy to serve as a deacon in the Lord’s kingdom. The word means “servant,” and it takes time to serve. Some men refuse to become deacons because they do not want the responsibility. Others will serve as deacons if they can do so without meeting the qualifications found in first Timothy three. It is not uncommon for men to express the desire to be an elder but rarely do you find a brother who will come to the elders and say, “My goal is to be able to serve as a deacon in this congregation.” However, there are tremendous blessings to being a deacon.
One of the blessings of being a deacon is that you are fulfilling a need. In Acts six there was a problem. The Grecian’s widows were being neglected and they went to the Apostles. The Apostles told them to select seven men to fulfill this need, which they did (Acts 6:1-7). A need was fulfilled. There are many needs in a congregation which can be filled by those men who serve as deacons.
A second blessing of being a deacon is the opportunity for development. Remember the Apostle wrote, “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 3:13). As a deacon one learns how to carry out a task assigned by the elders. The things a man learns as a deacon equips him to serve as an elder in the future.
A third blessing is that the church grows as a result of a good work being accomplished. After the Apostles had the church to select seven men to carry out the designated task, the scriptures record, “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). Many times the work of the church is hindered because the elders end up being deacons and do not have time to give to the ministry of the word and to prayer.
Men need to be challenged to study the qualifications and determine to become a deacon in the Lord’s church.