Deacon Ministry - The Church is Served by Qualified Deacons - Part 3

Well, if you would take your Bible turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 3. 1 Timothy chapter 3 will be in verses 8 to 13. We have covered most of those verses, so obviously we'll be covering those that we have not covered the past couple of weeks. Just have your Bible there. We'll get to those verses in a few moments. Now for six weeks we've been in a series of messages that are all about leading up to the establishment of Deacon ministry in the church and the selection of Deacons who would serve in that ministry within our church.

As a part of preparing us for that work, the last two messages I have been teaching on three aspects or three sides of Deacon ministry in our church. By now I do believe that all of us know the meaning of what it means to be a Deacon and what Deacon ministry is. The word Deacon in the scripture, Diaconos in the Greek New Testament, and the various noun and verb forms of the word seen all throughout the New Testament speak of service. Most of the time service and menial are modest jobs in the church.

In our English translations we find this translated into words and phrases like administration, cared for, minister, servant, serve, preparations, support, relief, language like that. But what are these three aspects? What are these three sides of Deacon ministry seen in the New Testament church? We have seen that the New Testament church was full of individuals who were servants. They were Deacons, not in the sense that they were in the office of the Deacon. They were Deacons in the general sense and that they served. I use this language. They deaconized. They deaconized. They served in the church.

In Romans 16.1, Phoebe was seen as a servant in the church at Sentria. She served. She deaconized there in the church. In Ephesians 6.21, in Colossians 4.7, an individual named Tychius was referred to as a faithful servant or a Deaconos in the Lord. He was a servant. He deaconized. In Colossians 2.7, Paul called a papras a faithful servant or Deaconos in the Lord. He was a servant. He deaconized in the church. These are just a few examples of believers who served. They were Deaconos, but they were not in the office of the Deacon. They were Deacons in a general sense. So that's one side of Deacon ministry in the church.

We have seen that in the New Testament church, there were those who served. They deaconized in a unique way. They were Deacons, not in the sense that they were in that office, in that position of a Deacon. Their service was and is unique in that they had the spiritual gift of service. I read these verses last week. I've referred to them more than once, obviously. Romans 12, 4-7 says, "For as in one body, we have many members." Obviously, Paul is talking about the body of Christ, the church. And the members do not all have the same function. In other words, we all function different.

So we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another. And notice, having gifts, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. In other words, these are grace gifts. Let us use them if prophecy in proportion to our faith. And notice, if service, that's the spiritual gift of service in our serving. I have quoted William McDonald here before, but it needs repeating. McDonald says, "Ministry is a very broad term meaning service for the Lord. It does not mean the office duties or functions of a clergyman is commonly used today.

The person who has the gift of ministry, we could say gift of service, has a servant heart. He or she sees opportunities to be of service and seizes them." In his commentary on Romans 12, John MacArthur says of this gift, and I'm quoting, "Service is a simple, straightforward gift that is broad in its application." That's true, broad in its application. So that's the other side of the other aspect of Deacon ministry in the church. And we have seen that in the New Testament church, there is the office of the Deacon and the service of the Deacon in that office. They serve in and through the office.

This service is unique in that the Deacon serves in and through God's design and God's given, grace-given gift of the office and the ministry of the Deacon. In Philippians 1.1, Paul recognized those in the office of the Deacon, and in so doing, he was recognizing the office and the man in the office. And in 1 Timothy 3, 8 to 13, Paul recognized the office and the one in that office by giving us the qualification that the man must meet to be considered for the office and to stay in that office and service. So that's the third side of Deacon ministry in the church.

Of course, the qualifications of the Deacon is a big part of what we've been studying for two weeks. And this morning, we will finish up our study of the qualifications of the Deacon. So take note of what we've been studying for the third week this morning. First, the fact that all members of Grace Life Church are to be Deacons in the general sense of the word. Grace Life should be comprised of nothing more than servants. Second, some in our membership are especially gifted by the Spirit for service. They truly have the spiritual gift of service. And I see that as I look across the congregation.

And then third, that some men in the church are called and appointed to the office of the Deacon, and they serve in and out of that office and position. And we have seen that the Deacons work under and alongside the elders, putting in the practice, the preaching, and the teaching ministry of the church, putting in the practice, the purpose, and the direction, and the ministries of the church. And how do we see that? What does that look like? They're serving and meeting the practical needs within the church. Now, this leads us to where we left off last week. This morning, we will finish out the qualifications for the Deacon.

And we have been examining five categories of qualifications. Let me restate those five categories of qualifications. Some of you have already written those down and you've been meditating over these things. But first, we see the qualifications that relate to personal character. Verse 8, we've covered that thoroughly. Second, we see the qualifications which relate to doctrine and faith. Verse 9, we've covered that thoroughly. Third, the qualifications which relate to service in the life of the church. We see that at the beginning of verse 10. Again, we've covered that thoroughly.

And fourth, we see the qualifications that relate to moral purity there at the end of verse 10 and verse 12. And then fifth, the qualifications that relate to the home, home life, and the witness of the home. And we'll pick up with verse 10, 11, and 12 this morning. Now, let me quickly catch us up to this fifth category. First, we have seen the qualifications pertaining to the Deacon's personal character. I've already said that's in verse 8. And these personal character qualifications are seen in four areas of the life. First, he must be a man of dignity and respect.

This means he is serious about spiritual matters and serious about spiritual service in the church. Second, he must be a man who is not double-toned. This means that he is a man of truthful, honest, and consistent speech. What he says is dependable and trustworthy. People in his family, in the church, and outside the church can depend on what he says. Third, he is also not to be addicted to wine or alcohol. This simply means he does not occupy himself with the drink, or it is not his habit. And then last, he is not prone to dishonest gain. This means he is not greedy and certainly not greedy for dishonest gain in any way.

So we learn that the Deacon and the prospective Deacon must be qualified in his personal character. And we learn that the qualifications that relate to his personal character are listed first because character always determines conduct. Write that down. Remember that church. Character always determines conduct. This reminds me of a quote that I heard years ago from A.W. Tozer. Some of you are familiar with who A.W. Tozer was, some of his writings, and some of his preaching and teaching ministry. But I heard A.W. Tozer say it like this. This is a loose quote.

He says whether you have a board of elders or a board of Deacons or a board that governs the church, he said if those men are godly men, it will work out all right. What did he get? He understood character determines conduct. Now, I don't think we should have a board. I think we should have elders like the scripture say. But A.W. Tozer knew that character determines conduct. The second, we have studied the qualifications relating to the Deacons' doctrine and faith. This simply means that the Deacon and the prospective Deacon must know, possess, and hold on to the Christian faith as seen in the scriptures.

And he must do so with a clear conscience, which means he lives out the Christian faith in his personal life and in his church and in the community uncompromisingly. And we saw how this is fleshed out in our church. Our doctrine and faith is clearly spelled out in our church statement of faith. Our church membership position and practice is clearly explained in our church membership policies and expectations. And our Grace Life Church will shows us the very basic structure and function of our church. And any Deacon will sign off, verbally agree, that they understand these things and wholeheartedly agree with them and live by them.

Then third, we have seen the qualifications that pertain to the Deacon's service in the church. Verse 10. This is simple. This means that a Deacon and a prospective Deacon must be examined, tested, and even scrutinized to see if he is worthy of the work and worthy of the office or not. And this testing is not to see if he could do the work. Let me repeat that. This testing is not to see if he could do the work. The testing is to see if he is doing the work. In many ways, the prospective Deacon should be doing lots of Deacon work already, long before he is selected to serve in the office. And this is not a one-time testing.

This is in the present tense, which tells us that the Deacon and the prospective Deacon is to be tested and proven worthy of the work and the office at all times. We worked through this with our elders last year. And what I'm pointing out is this. You as a church affirm Jared and Tommy as elders, but many of you said, "I have been watching them do elder work all along for several years." Church, that was by design. I purposely put those men in elder-like responsibilities and ministries in the church as a part of their testing.

And then you said, "Wait, I see them functioning kind of like an elder already." Well, we should see the same thing for Deacons and Deacon ministry. Fourth, we have learned the qualifications that relate to the Deacon's moral purity. Here is one of the areas of qualification for Deacons that is exactly the same with the elder. Here we have learned that this moral purity relates to two areas of the life. One is broad and the other is more specific. Simply, a Deacon must be above reproach, which means there must be no accusation against his life. There must be no cause or case of sin or wrongdoing against him.

And if he does sin, so an accusation can be made, he must be one who makes that right. And also, the Deacon must be a one-woman man, which is how verse 12 reads in the original Greek text. This simply means that he should be a man who is completely committed to his wife. He must be a man who is committed to his marriage and committed to his love and his devotion for his wife and to his wife. And remember our standard here. It's not just that we don't believe in divorce Deacon or divorced elders. Our standard here is that we expect sexual and moral purity within the men who lead.

And that is something sadly, sadly that is being attacked all across the board in our day. Now, we finally get to some new material. Verse 12, our last category fifth, the Deacon must have a qualifying home and home life. Verses 11 and 12. Let me repeat that. The Deacon must have a qualifying home and home life. Let's go to verse 11 and 12. Their wives, likewise, must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let Deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. I will pause there. We'll pick up with verse 13 in the conclusion.

Now, here we come to another area of debate. The debate or the question here is whether Paul was addressing the wives of the Deacons or another office, which would be the Deaconess or female Deacon, or if he was just referring to women in general in the church. Let me restate that. Here we come to another debate. We have another big question. The question is whether Paul was addressing the wives of Deacons here or another office, which would be the Deaconess or female Deacon here, or if Paul was just addressing women in general in the church.

Many of you are familiar with the debate surrounding the question of a man being allowed to serve as a Deacon if he's divorced, but some of you, many of you, may not even know that there is a debate here around the legitimacy of a female Deacon. If you do some study on the issue from here in verse 11, you will find that there is basically three respected positions taken here. I will go over them. First, some see verse 11 speaking of the wives of the Deacons. This would relate to the qualifications of the Deacon, meaning that if his wife does not meet the qualifications seen here in the verse, well, he is not qualified.

Second, others see verse 11 speaking to a separate office, which is similar to but different than the male Deacon. They say that verse 11 speaks to the qualifications of the female Deacon or the Deaconess. This would be an actual office in the church. And then third, there are some that see verse 11 is speaking of women in general in the church. They say this does not speak to the wives of the Deacons because there are no qualifications given for the wives of the elders. Now here is how I want to approach these verses or this verse.

Before I explain how I see the verse, I want to briefly explain the positions and why these positions are taken. But before I move any further, I want to make a very important statement. If someone differs here, we do not castigate them or call them a heretic. Very respected pastors and scholars differ here and that is okay. I believe a church can hold two different opinions here and still be a very, very healthy and acceptable church, living out their convictions here with a very clear conscience.

I believe a church can have female Deacons serving in an established office and another church can only have male Deacons and both be a healthy church, healthy churches while obeying the scriptures with the clear conscience the way they see them. Let me give you some examples. Some of you know that John MacArthur's church, of course it's not his church, he's passed on. Grace Community Church, they have female Deacons, they have the office of the Deaconess. Another respected Baptist, Mark Dever, the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in DC, they have female Deacons. I've heard them talk extensively about that ministry in their church.

But Brother John O. Sims of Shelbyville Mills Baptist Church, I heard him say this the other day, this is exactly what we need. They do not believe in the female Deacon. His position is it's not there in the scripture. But I heard Brother John O. say it like this. He said, if the circumstances of my life led me to California and I was a member of John MacArthur's church, he said, although I would disagree with this position, I would never make that known. That is a third tier issue or even a fourth tier issue. He said I'd go join that church and I'd serve and I'd submit to the leadership of that church right there.

What am I trying to show you? This isn't a first tier, second tier or even a third tier issue. Now let's examine the positions. First, the position which believes that Paul's addressing wives of the Deacons. Now those who hold to this interpretation do so by pointing to several pieces of evidence. First, they say a simple reading of these verses leads to a natural interpretation that Paul is speaking of the qualifications for Deacon's wives. Second, they point to the fact that the word in question here, verse 11, can mean wives and be true to the original language. They simply say it has better translated wives.

And again, they get this from what they call a natural reading of the verses. Third, they say that if Paul meant to address Deaconesses, he would have said so. They say that Paul would have plainly stated that this was meant to be a different office without any confusion. I certainly can see and accept this position. Second, the position which believes that Paul is addressing the female Deacon or the Deaconess. Those who hold to this position do so by pointing to several pieces of evidence as well. In the scripture, first they say this word in verse 11 should be translated women.

And they do so by saying that Paul never addressed the wives of elders. And second, they say this word likewise in verse 11 serves to separate the teaching of verse 11 from the teaching clearly aimed at male Deacons. And third, they say that Paul actually refers to a woman as a Deaconess in Romans 16.1 when Paul comments about a sister named Thebe, and he calls her a servant. They point to the fact that this can read Deacon and still be true to the original language. Now I can see how someone have that position, but personally I think it's a little bit of a stretch.

Third, the position which believes that Paul was addressing or is addressing women in the church. Now those who hold to this interpretation do so by pointing to two places in the scripture. They start with this word wives in verse 11. In the original this word can be translated either wives or women. And they say it's best to translate this here women because they say there are no qualifications given for the wives of the elders. I can see how someone have that position as well, but I'm not sure if that is a fit. So you have three positions and those who hold to those positions point to scripture now as proof of their position.

Again, I say that a church can have and believe these verses pertaining to women Deacons and they can be a healthy church. Let me restate that. I say that a church can believe these verses pertain to women Deacons and still be a healthy church. And I believe a church can take the position that these verses pertain to wives of the Deacons and they can be healthy as well. Again, we do not castigate or judge those who are different. This is not a first tier, second tier or even a third tier issue. Well, what is my position? I've already stated this before. Some of you will remember this from two years ago and I've already alluded to it.

If I must choose a position, I believe Paul was speaking of the wives of the Deacons here. I believe the English Standard Version and the King James Version got this right by translating this word in verse 11 as wives not women. I think the position makes more sense. Well, a question. Where does that leave women? If I do not believe that this pertains to a Deaconess, well, where does this leave women? Where does this leave women serving in the church? Listen church, throughout these messages on Deacon ministry, we have been seeing that we are all to be serving or deaconizing in the church and that certainly includes women.

Throughout these messages, we have learned that some have the spiritual gift of service as seen in Romans 12, 5 to 8 and that definitely includes women. So notice what this tells us. All of the women of Grace Life Church should be serving or deaconizing and the women of Grace Life who had the spiritual gift of service should be busy serving and using their spiritual gifts serving and deaconizing in the church. So notice what this tells us. No woman is left out. No woman is left out. Women certainly have the place and the opportunity to serve in the church.

Now church, look, I am blessed beyond measure when I look out over our congregation, when I show up on Sunday nights and Wednesdays, as your pastor, I see you ladies serving, serving and sometimes you are obvious models of service and what I mean by that is this. You are front and center where all can see. And church, get this. I think that if we have any legitimate need of the Deaconess, it's covered. Let me restate that. If we have any legitimate need for a Deaconess, it's covered and it's covered by two ways. Let me explain. First, our church is full of women who are deaconizing.

So we have the female Deacon covered, not necessarily in an office, but women serving. Second, when we do establish Deacon ministry and we appoint men to serve in that office, no doubt their wives will serve as well. So we will have the need for any female Deacon covered by having the wives of those male Deacons serving alongside their husbands, you see? So there will be a whole lot of serving going on and it is. It is. Now let's continue. Let me pick back up our last category fifth. The Deacon must have a qualifying home and home life.

Now here we see four specific qualifications that relate to the Deacon's home and home life and some of this really is really easy to understand because we've seen these qualifications before with the elders. First, we see that a Deacon's wife must meet certain qualifications. Here in verse 11, we see that Paul lays out four specifics that relate to the wife's personal character. Again, look at verse 11. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanders, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Notice Paul is speaking of her personal spiritual character.

Paul says that the wives of the Deacons must be dignified, which means they must be worthy of respect and they are worthy of respect because they are serious about spiritual matters. So the wives of Deacons are to be worthy of respect because they're serious about serious things and especially about serious matters. Also Paul says they must not be slanderers. The New American says they must not be malicious gossips. This means they must not be prone to slanderous speech or making false accusations against others. So the wife of the Deacon is not to be a malicious gossip or a slanderer.

Paul also says the wives of Deacons must be sober-minded, which can mean two things. First, they must not be a drinker and they must be sober-minded or serious in their thinking and judgments. So they must not be drinkers and they must be sober and they must be serious-minded in their thinking and in their judgments. And last, Paul says they must also be faithful in all things. This means they must be honest, reliable, and trustworthy in all things. So the wife of the Deacon must be reliable and faithful. So here Paul says the wife of the Deacon and the prospective Deacon must have qualifying personal character.

They must be seen as serious and respectable and not slanderous gossips. They must be serious in their judgments and they must not be a drinker and they must be reliable, trustworthy, and faithful in all things. And let me tell you, Grace Life, when it comes time to evaluate the prospective Deacon, we should and we will examine and evaluate their wives. Ask the elders. Ask the elders' wives. When Keith and I examine Tommy and Jared as potential elders to serve you, we examine their wives as well. I had, we had many great conversations with Patty and Megan, with their husbands there.

And look ladies, all the ladies of Grace Life Church should live up to the standards that we see here in verse 11. You see, these standards should be the standard. Just like all of the men of the church should live up to the standards of verse 8 to 13. Second, we see that a Deacon must be a woman, one woman man, the husband of one wife. You may say we covered this when we learned that a Deacon must have qualifying moral purity. Yes, being a one woman man does relate to moral purity, but being a one woman man also relates to the home and the home life as well. You see, that's why I come back to it.

Simply a Fideacon and a prospective Deacon is completely committed to his wife and completely committed to a love and a devotion to his wife. He will be a one woman man and he will be qualified in his home life as well as in his moral purity. Notice that moral purity in the home life go hand in hand. And anybody who tries to divide that is wrong. Third, we see that a Deacon must manage his children well. Here the English standard says managing their children. The legacy standard Bible says leading their children. And this word manage or leading is a key word. I like the word manage better.

This word manage means to set in place or to set in order and it carries with it authority to govern or authority to preside over. It also implies to care for something with great great diligence. And notice who or what is being managed with authority, with care, with great great diligence, the children of his home. But a question here. I thought that us men were to be the leaders of the home and our wives are to take care of the children while we are out working. Is that right? Yes, wives and mothers should take the central role in child rearing. Let me back up and say that again.

Yes, wives and mothers should take that central role in the home and in child rearing. But that does not mean that the husband pawns off all of the responsibilities of the care for the children to the wife. You see? So here we see that God calls the Deacon to manage his children with care, with diligence, and even with authority. So that means that the husband has a central role in managing the children in the home as the one given the authority by God. The man is to manage the children with diligence and care.

I love what William McDonald says here and I'm quoting, "This does not mean that the men must be autocratic and imperious, but it does mean that their children should be obedient and a testimony to the truth." And he also says, "The New Testament looks on failure to do this as a defect of Christian character." Let me pause here. I've known many men who were in the office of the Deacon and they did not manage their children. And that was a severe red flag. They had severe defect in their Christian character. Now an application of disqualification. I have six areas of the life that I think encapsulate this expectation, this command.

I think this takes a good stab at it. Now remember, this is about the Deacon having that authority and managing his children well with great diligence. I think that the Deacon should see that his children are evangelized well. That's where it all starts. If a man is a Deacon, if man is a prospective Deacon, he should be evangelizing his children well. Does that mean that he has the ability to make sure they're saved? No. Only the Spirit of God can save someone, but he should be evangelizing his children well. Obviously, you evangelize a five-year-old different than you do a 15-year-old.

Second, the Deacon should see that his children are trained in the Christian faith. They are trained in the Christian faith. That means he makes sure they are taught the Word of God, the truth of God, the Gospel, and what the Christian faith looks like. And look, he starts off by modeling the Christian faith. Second, the Deacon should see that his children are properly educated. You might say, "Pastor, I don't see why that's in the text." Personally, I think it's a grievous sin when people don't educate their children properly. I think it's a horrible sin.

I've been in areas of the world where Christians didn't have the ability for education for their children. I saw Christians in India literally take their children to an orphanage and leave them there because they were too poor to educate them and they had no ability to educate them, and those Christian parents were completely and totally illiterate. And sadly, I think many Christians downplay education and the importance of education. Fourth, I think the Deacon should see that his children are taught to behave properly in society. Look, it doesn't matter if they can quote scripture if they can't behave in society. Well, then they're a menace.

They're a problem. They're a bad witness. I think the Deacon should see that his children are equipped to function well in society. I've seen people raise their children in such a way that they are so Christian they can't even function in society. That's not even Christian. Sometimes Christians think that if they raise their children to function well in 1825, then that's godly. Well, actually, that's not godly. Ecclesiastes teaches us not to look backwards but to look forwards. Our children should function well in society.

Sixth, the Deacons should see that their children are trained up to impact the world for Christ, whether they move across the street or around the world. Now, obviously, they have to be born again. But the elders' children and the Deacon's children should be the ones who grow up and be the leaders for the future. Let me move on. Fourth, we see that the Deacon must manage his home well. This is at the second part of the last part of verse 12. Here we see that this responsibility to manage or to govern applies to the home too, not just the children. Again, this means to set in place or to set in order.

This management carries with it authority to govern and to preside over. But with this management, there must be great diligence and care. John MacArthur says here, and I'm quoting, "He, the Deacon, must be one who manages, presides over, has authority over his own household, everything connected with his home, not merely his wife and children, and he must do this well, intrinsically good and in excellency." Now, an application of this qualification, I have five areas of the home and home life where I see that men fail miserably at times, and men should strive to do better, and especially the Deacon.

A Deacon must be good at managing the money of the home. The Deacon must be good at managing the money of the home. Many men fail here. The Deacon must be good at managing their career and their job. They must be able to go to work, do well at work, excel at work, make up honest day's work, and be paid for that job and that career. The Deacon must be able to manage their possessions. Yes, manage their possessions. Many men get out of balance there. They want to have more and more possessions. The Deacon must manage their marriage. The Deacon must manage his wife spiritually and make sure that he manages his marriage.

And again, the Deacon must manage their children. You see, that's all about the home and the home life. They must manage the money. They must manage their career, their job. They must be able to manage their possessions. They must be able to manage their marriage and they must be able to manage their children. You see, it all ties together. So here in verses 11 to 12, we see that the Deacon and a prospective Deacon must have a qualifying home and home life. His wife must meet the clear and certain personal character qualifications, much like the elder and much like her husband.

And look at how the qualifications of the Deacon's wife and the qualifications of managing the children and all aspects of the home and home life all come together. Notice this. Warren Wiersby helps us here. He says, "It's clear that a man's ability to manage his own marriage and home indicate ability to oversee a local church." Oh, look at how heavy that is. Let me repeat that.

"It is clear that a man's ability to manage his own marriage and home indicate an ability to oversee a local church." And Wiersby cites a reference as 1 Timothy 3, 4 to 5 because Paul says that if an elder can't manage his home, he cannot manage the affairs of the church. And I'll say this. The Deacon can't manage his children. The Deacon can't manage his home. The Deacon can't manage his job, his career, his possessions, his marriage. Well, he won't make a good Deacon. And look at the stakes here, church.

If a man cannot manage his children and how so well, and he is placed into the position of leadership in the church, such as becoming a Deacon, two consequences follow. First, the management of the church will suffer because if he cannot manage his home and his home life, he cannot manage the church well. Second, he opens up the church for criticism. Yes, he opens up the church for criticism. How many Deacons, and I'm including elders, have brought criticism and shame to the church because their children, their home, and their home lives were out of order and even unruly. Some of you are thinking of names and faces. Don't blurt them out loud.

Now take a step back with me. This is bigger picture. And notice the pattern we're seeing. With an elder, with a Deacon, and with the wife of a Deacon, God starts with personal character. See it? Why? Because God knows the character determines behavior. But a question here. Should this not be the goals, the standards, what's normal for all men and women in the church? Yeah. We ought to be able to take all of this teaching here and preaching at a men's conference because this should be the standard for all the men.

We should be able to take some of these things and preach this at a ladies conference because this should be the standard for all of the men, all of the women of the church, you see? And especially the membership of Grace Life Church. I said this last time we covered this material two years ago. If you've been a Christian man or husband, say for 10 years, and this is not the norm in your home and in your life, then why not? If you've been a Christian and your wife's been a Christian for 10 years and this is not the norm in your home, then you're a mess. You need some help. You need some counsel. Now I'm not throwing you under the bus.

I'm trying to encourage you. You should do better here. But notice that Paul says one more thing about the deacon in his service in verse 13. Look at verse 13. We can overlook this, but this is good. "For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus." Here Paul shows us the results of are the rewards for the deacon who serve well or who is in faithful service. Notice Paul lists two things. The first result or reward a high standing is obtained. Here the new American says that he obtains a high standing. The English standard says he obtains a good standing.

And this high or good standing literally refers to an elevated stand or an elevated position. This truly means that the faithful deacon who serves well, they will be placed on a pedestal. He will be exalted because he has served well or he has been faithful to service. But a question, who elevates or exalts this deacon? God or man? Yes. God elevates the man and the men and the women and the church elevate the man. It is a work that God does in the man in the church. Verse Peter 5, 6 says, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you." Yes, God will exalt people.

Word and Weirsby says here, "What an encouragement to the faithful deacon. God will promote him spiritually and give him more and more respect among the saints." Which means greater opportunity for ministry. A faithful deacon has a good standing before God and man and can be used of God to build the church. He has a spiritual boldness that makes for effective ministry. And church, I want you to see, this takes time. This takes time. In 10, 15 years, this is where some of you will be. You will be in an exalted position among the body. The second reward or result, a great confidence in the faith is acquired.

Here the new American and the new English standard read the same. This speaks of a spiritual boldness. This speaks of a spiritual confidence which comes from God and is seen in how they speak and how they live the truth of God. We see this in Acts 4, 13 in the life of Peter and John. Acts 4, 13 says, "Now when they," that's the crowd, "saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished and they recognized that they had been with Jesus." John MacArthur says here, "Successful service breeds confidence and assurance." I love that.

"Successful service breeds confidence and assurance among the people served. Those who serve God well and see his power and grace operate in their lives will be emboldened for greater and greater service." And I'm telling you, church, as I look 10, 15 years down the road, I look to see that. I see that in you. A greater and a greater confidence in the faith will be given to you. So here in verse 13, we see that the deacon who serves well and he is faithful in his service over time and over the long haul.

He is elevated by God and for God in the church and among the body that he serves and he is given a spiritual boldness and confidence and assurance within the body. And I can't wait to see that in you and in us. Now I want to close real quickly by stating how we will proceed. First, I have said several times that only God can make a deacon. And I believe that when God is doing that work, that prospective deacon will aspire to the work. I just don't think God is going to birth a deacon without him having that aspiration for the work.

Second, I have said several times, especially last week, that it is our responsibility as a church to select or appoint the men that God is calling to deacon ministry. And I cited Acts 6, 1 to 7 as our example. So this is how we'll proceed. We must put this process on hold for two weeks, for two reasons. I will be out of pocket next week for the True Church Conference. So that puts me out of the pulpit next Sunday. And the next Sunday, I will be preaching at Grace Life Church of Prior Oklahoma, along with some other Anchor and Truth missionaries. I will be there ministering to that body.

And the next Sunday, I will be preaching from Acts 6, 1 to 7. And I will lay out our plan to proceed, which will basically mimic what we see in Acts 6. So until then, you pray over the men that you see. You pray over the men that you may think God is raising up. But you pray over these qualifications. You pray over their wives. You pray over these qualifications because we must, must, must sift them through these qualifications. I'll close with a little story of encouragement. This was an encouragement from me.

Last week, when I closed out the message, I said, "Be praying and be looking around." At the end of the service, I was walking down the aisle there to my left. And one of the ladies came up and said, "Pastor, I already know some men. They're on my heart. I already know some men." She was excited. See, that's the part of the word church. I'm excited. I look forward to it. So the thought of the message, Deacon ministry, the church is served by qualified deacons, part three. Let's pray and close out this part of the service.