Deacon refers to a disciple, servant, or minister; an ordained lay faithful and believer of the Lord Jesus Christ. The general concept and understanding of deacon as a disciple, servant, or minister is well established in both the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible and Church history.

But the exact nature of the office is difficult to define because of changing concepts and varying practices among Church bodies through the centuries. Another problem is that the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible verses, passages associated with deacons are interpreted differently by various church groups.

About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenist made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution of their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give our food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.'

The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith. - Acts 6:1-7 -

Apparently and evidently, Stephen ( the deacon ) was the first "Christian" martyr. - Acts 6:8-15, 7:1-60, 8:1-3 - It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called "Christians." Acts 11:26 - Although these men were not called deacons at that time, the Greek word used to describe their work comes from the same Greek root word.

The Greek word diakonos from which it is taken, and in most cases diakonos is translated as 'servant' rather than 'deacon.' In the Greek world, diakonos was used to describe the work of a servant - a person who waited on tables or ministered as a religious official. When the office of deacon was established in the New Testament, Church, it may have paralleled the function of the Jewish synagogue assistant - an official who took care of the administrative needs of the assembly.

While these disciples, servants, ministers, or 'table servers' were appointed to relieve an emergency and their assignment may sound somewhat menial and unimportant or insignificant. If God's willing, these men may possessed the highest moral and spirited credentials. They are usually described as 'men of good reputation' full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. - Acts 6:3 -

As a result of the selection of these seven, harmony was restored in the congregation and the Church continued to grow in number and spirit. Thus, the later evangelistic work of two of these original "deacons" Stephen and Philip, serves as a role model for the spiritual ministry of deacons today.

Those who had escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News. One of them was Philip who went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. there were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town. - Acts 8:4-8 -

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, together with their presiding elders and deacons. We wish you the grace and peace of God our Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ. - Phil. 1:1-2 -

The work of Stephen and Philip confirmed that gifted deacons became a permanent part of Church outreach to the world very early in its history. [New Testament] So convincing were Stephen's words and miracles that they were not able to resist the wisdom and Spirit by which he spoke. While some responded in faith, Stephen's zeal for Christ Jesus stirred up powerful enemies. Undaunted by false witnesses, Stephen glorified the Lord Jesus Christ even as he was put to death for his convictions.

Philip's was also an evangelist who preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, after preaching to eager crowds in Samaria, Philip witnessed to a solitary Ethiopian in the desert and baptized him.

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, 'Be ready to set out at noon along the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.' So he set off on his journey. Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or queen, of Ethiopa, and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, 'Go up and meet that chariot.' When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' 'How can I' he replied 'unless I have someone to guide me?' So he invited Philip to get in and sit by his side. Now the passage of scripture he was reading was this:

Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter-house,
like a lamb that is dumb in front of its shearers,
like these he never opens his mouth.
He has been humiliated and has no one to defend him.
Who will ever talk about his descendants,
since his life on earth has been cut short!

The eunuch turned to Philip and said, 'Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else?' Starting, therefore, with this text of scripture Philip proceeded to explain the Good News of Jesus to him.

Further along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'Look, there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptised?' He ordered the chariot to stop, then Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water and Philip baptised him. But after they had come up out of the water again Philip was taken away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Philip found that he had reached Azotus and continued his journey proclaiming the Good News in every town as far as Caesarea. - Acts 8:26-40 -

In the early years of the Church, a difference of opinion arose about the role of deacons. Some church officials argued that no spiritual function had been assigned to deacons. But others insisted that deacons were a vital part of a church's ministry, with official duties to perform. Through the centuries deacons generally have served as assistants to the clergy in the service of the sanctuary.

In the modern Church deacons exist as a distinct lower order of the clergy in the Universal Church, and deacons are ordained laymen or laity who carry out a variety of practical and spiritual ministries that assist the Bishop or Priest. Deacons are often given administrative and financial duties, such as budgets and recommending Church programs and personnel.

Here is a saying that you can rely on: To want to be a presiding elders is to want to do a noble work. That is why the president must have an impeccable character. He must not have been married more than once, and he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher; not a heavy drinker, nor hot-tempered, but kind and peaceable. He must not be a lover for money. He must be a man who manages his own family well and brings his children up to obey him and well-behaved: how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own family have responsibility for the church of God?

He should not be a new convert, in case pride might turn his head and then he might be condemned as the devil was condemned. It is also necessary that people outside the Church should speak well of him, so that he never gets a bad reputation and falls into devil's trap.

In the same way, deacons must be respectable men whose word can be trusted, moderate in the amount of wine they drink and with no squalid greed for money. They must be conscientious believers in the mystery of the faith. They are to be examined first, and only admitted to serve as deacons if there is nothing against them. In the same way, the women must be respectable, not gossips but sober and quite reliable. deacons must not have been married more than once, and must be men who manage their children and families well. Those of them who carry out their duties well as deacons will earn a high standing for themselves and be rewarded with great assurance in their work for the faith in Christ Jesus. - 1 Tim. 3:1-13 -

I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God's family - that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed:

                                 He was made visible in the flesh,
                                 attested by the Spirit,
                                 seen by angels,
                                 proclaimed to the pagans,
                                 believed in by the world,
                                 taken up in glory. - 1 Tim. 3:15-16 -

So, all those who are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and learn and observe all the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ are citizens like all the saints, and part of God's household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on Him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord Jesus Christ; and you too, in Him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit. Amen!

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -        

When I am asked what the Church means to me, I answer it is the Temple of Life in which I am a living stone; it is the Tree of Eternal Fruit of which I am a branch; it is the Mystical Body of Christ on earth of which I am a member. The Church is, therefore, more to me than I am to myself; her life is more abundant than mine, for I live by union with her. She could live without me, for I am only a cell in her body; but I could normally live without her. I live only as a part of her, as my arm lives only as a part of my body.

So absorbing does she become that her thoughts are my thoughts; her ideals are my ideals. I consider sharing her life to be the greatest gift God has ever given to me, as I should consider losing her life the greatest evil that could befall me.

Dependence is the very essence of my creature existence, for no person is sufficient unto himself. I am not a speck in a moral void, nor a wanderer without a home, nor an isolated unit in creation. Rather, I am dependent on the God appointed destiny whereby I share my love of God with others who love God in the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ. In that Body which is the fullness of Christ do I find the spiritual environment for my spiritual life. In her I live and move and have my being. From out her seven fountains I draw the waters of everlasting life. From out her book of the Seven Seals I learn the secrets of the Lamb. From out her tabernacles I draw the Bread of Life and the wine that germinates virgins. My life is her life; my being is her being. She has my love, my service, as I myself have the entire devotion and service of my hand. She is the living organism, but I am an organ. She is the body, but I am a member. She is Life, I am the living thing. She is the Spouse of Christ, I am but a feature. She is the Vine, and I am a branch.

Abide in me, and I am in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit: For without me you can do nothing. - John 15:4-5 -

We must not think, because the fullness of our spiritual life is in the Church, that she absorbs us and leaves no room for our individual development. Just as in the natural order the individual cell has its own growth even though it dwells in the body, so in like manner the individual Christian has his own personal development even though a member of the Mystical Body.

There is only one sun to shine upon all the flowers of the world, and hence all flowers are members of the kingdom of the sun. But their mutual dependence on the sun does not prevent the sun from drawing out of each flower its own particular beauty, and its own peculiar perfume. So does the Lord Jesus Christ dwelling in the Church give life and beauty to all who receive Him, yet to each individual soul the Mystical Body gives its special life and beauty. So much so, that there is consummated under the bowers of the Church the union of the soul and its Divine Beloved, which death does not part but seals in everlasting bliss.

The body is made up of many members and countless cells - each with its own personality, though all draw upon a common life and are animated by a common soul. There is no legitimate natural twist or bent or leaning of any personality in the world that cannot find its outlet in the organism of the Church.

While living his historical life our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ did not destroy the personalities of His twelve apostles because they were one with him. Nor did He destroy the passion of a Magdalene after her conversion. He merely changed the direction of their inclinations, making them flow upward instead of downward, transforming an impetuous Simon to a daring Peter, a hating Saul into a loving Paul, a flesh-loving Magdalene into a spirit-loving Mary. Now that He has ascended into heaven and sent His Spirit into His Mystical Body the Church, He continues to draw all souls into the common life of that Body without destroying their property as a member or a cell of the Body.

The simple girl of Lisieux did not cease to be a Little Flower because she became a Carmelite in the Mystical Body of Christ. Ignatius was a soldier both before and after he became the founder of the Jesuits. ( Society of Jesus ) Louis IX was a king even though he was a subject of the king of kings. And, in like manner, each and everyone of us may continue to live our distinctly different lives in the office, in the field, at the machine, and at the university, in the humble duties of a routine world and in the lofty position as leaders of others, just as Thomas a Becket could wear the purple on the outside to please his people and the penitential chain on the inside to please himself.

There is no destruction of nature by grace, but only its elevation to another order. Tears are a common fountain for joy and sorrow. Passions, too, are common outlets for virtue and vice. It is not a different passion that makes a person a saint, from that which makes him a devil. It is the same passion going in a different direction. The Church, then, in embracing our lives within her common life does not destroy our personalities - she does not even destroy our most wicked passions. She transmutes them by the magic of her Sacraments, provides new outlets, fixes new goals, and digs new channels.

The heroes of the world are not different from the martyrs. The same natural courage which would make a man die for Caesar on a battlefield, the Church would transmute into a supernatural courage which would make that person die for the Lord Jesus Christ. The bigots are all potential missionaries, for the same zeal that makes them unwittingly serve falsehood can be elevated by the Church to make them serve Divine Truth. The great scientists are all incipient theologians, for that same curiosity, which drives them to a knowledge of secondary causes, the Church transmutes by leading them to a knowledge of the First Cause which is God. We would not say that the hero who became a saint, nor the bigot who became a missionary, nor the scientist who became a theologian, lost their personalities once incorporated into Christ's Body, any more than we lost our personalities once we became citizens of a nation.

But we would say that in their union with that common life of grace they had found the sublimation of their distinct selves. They would see, as we see, that Christ's Mystical Body is like a beautiful garden, formed by the blossoming of individual flowers each in its own beauty, but in its varied beauty blending into one harmonious, rapturous delight. Each flower of that garden has its own beauty revealed as in no other flower, yet each flower grows in beauty by contrast and by blending with the other flowers all rooted in a common soil and lighted by a common sun.

So it is in the mystical life, where the Lord Jesus Christ dwells in His Church, revealing Himself anew in each individual soul, and never in two wholly alike - here manifesting Himself in a Peter, there in a Paul, here in a Martha, there in a Mary, here in a lover of His infancy, there in a lover of His Cross, here in a rose with thorns, there in a flower without them, and yet all growing more beautiful by their fellowship with other saintly flowers because all rooted in the same Christ-life and all lighted by the same Christ-truth.

                                                             
BY  ARCHBISHOP  FULTON  J.  SHEEN  ( 1895 to 1979 )

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -

Religion is said to be on the increase. We actually overheard one woman say that this was evident from the "increased interest in opera." Apart from this rather silly justification, there is no doubt that there is more talking and writing about it. But would the situation be any different if it were said that there is an increased interest in ethics or morality? Christianity identical with a growth in moral beauty and a more profound interest in right and wrong? When others and Christianity are lined alongside one another, it appears, at first view, that the difference between them is only one of taste or degree, but not of kind, all being systems of right and wrong.

In order that religion may be discussed intelligently, it must be borne in mind that Christianity is not a natural religion. Its claims are totally different. The difference between Christianity and all other religions is like the difference between organic and inorganic. As Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ said: "He who is born of the flesh is flesh; he who is born of the Spirit is Spirit." In all other religions, human beings moves to God as the first of all movements; in Christianity, God moves to human beings and then human beings responds to that first impulse. No other religion except Christianity even makes this claim. The difference then between all natural world religions and ethical systems is the difference between seashells and crystals; the difference between them and Christianity is the difference a crystal and the living cell. The others are philosophy; Christianity is a spiritual biology.

A basic law of physics is that a body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless deflected by an outside force. The mineral in the earth remains mineral until life seizes it and transmutes it; the natural or the human man remains natural or human until a Divine Life outside of man seizes him and elevates him to a dignity which he cannot achieve of and by himself. This was the whole purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ becoming man: "I come that you may have life." Hence, through the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible there is a division of men into the living and the non-living: "You call yourselves living, but yet you are dead." This means that some have a natural life; they breathe and walk and talk and feel but, from a Divine point of view, they are lifeless; they lack that God-given life in comparison to which all else is dead.

The morality of Christianity, therefore, is not a mere crystallization of psychological, emotional and ethical norms; it is rather the possession in the soul of a Higher Life Principle called Charity or Divine Love. In the Christian order, as in the scientific, there is no spontaneous generation: Life must come from life; God-life must come from God. Hence, as the soul is the life of the body, so the God-life is the life of the soul.

There is no such thing as a man becoming more and more generous, less and less selfish, and then suddenly finding himself a partaker of the Divine Life. The seashell cannot grow and grow until it becomes an elephant. As Our Lord Jesus Christ said: "Unless you are born again... " It is important to know this in all discussions about religion, just as it is important to know the difference between chemistry and physiology.The present tendency to identify Christianity with Freud, labor unions, playing at benefits, tolerance and social service takes the heart out of the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Religion of this kind may be becoming popular even under the name of Christianity. But whether Christianity will ever be popular is another matter. I doubt it, for Our Lord Jesus Christ said: "I have taken you out of the world; therefore the world will hate you."
                                                               
                                                                           Page 1

BY  ARCHBISHOP  FULTON  J.  SHEEN  ( 1895 to 1979 )

Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless. 

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -