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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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 -