Introduction – "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights…" (Jam. 1:17).
I. God invented deacons in order that the Church might really reflect the unity of the Spirit in the bond of love.
A. We see the reason for the office of the deacon in the ministry of the Lord Jesus, Jn. 13:1-20.
B. The disciples were having a heated conversation on the way to the upper room that night.
C. "What does this have to do with deacons and the reason for deacons?"
D. Christ's love can be tangibly manifest in the congregation.
E. Two-fold reason for deacons.
II. What the Office of the Deacon Is Not.
A. Deacons are not elders.
B. Deacons are not just administrators.
III. God wants men for the office of deacon who want to serve.
A. The office of deacon is emphatically an office of service in reality and specifically.
B. When men are elected to the diaconate who are approved by God, their desire is to serve the flock in the ministry of mercy.
IV. God wants men who are godly and self-controlled, qualified by their desire to serve, their faith, and their proven character.
A. Paul's list of qualifications is primarily moral.
B. The fundamental requirement for the office is godliness.
C. These requirements are not super-Christian requirements.
V. Wife or Deaconess?
A. Three interpretations: wives of deacons, female deacons, women who serve with the deacons.
B. Because a woman could not meet some of the qualifications for the office, we must discard this interpretation.
C. Because of the proximity with the previous verses and the nature of the work of the deacon, the best interpretation is that this verse is referring to the wife of the deacon.
VI. God wants men who only seek the "well done" of Jesus in their service of the Church.
A. The only reward offered to the deacon is the approval of the Lord.
B. They will have great assurance and courage and boldness and freedom.
Conclusion– Duty and love
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2014/10/deacons-blessing-from-lord-1-tim-38-13.html
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