First Baptist Church Wiggins, FBC, 39577

When understanding deaconship we sort of get tunnel vision.
- We have it in our minds what we think office of deacon is…
- What they should be doing…
- What is needed in a deacon…
- We lose sight of what scripture teaches about the office.

This text does not necessarily represent the birth of the office of deacon.
- There is some disagreement that the seven men mentioned here were not named “deacons” in the text.
- Also, all the men selected had Greek names. It would seem unlikely that these would be responsible for the whole congregation.
- It is more likely that this group of men was assembled to deal with a specific problem at a specific time.

BUT what we can know for sure, since the verb form IS used of the “service” they would do, is that this is the seed that would later become the office of deacon.
And since it is the very foundation… it is a good place for us to start.

I. The Reason for the Office. 1-2,4

Imagine that General Motors opened up a factory in Wiggins. All of the sudden an influx of northerners move into the community.
- Imagine if all those people started joining the church. 6 or 8 families were joining every Sunday.

What kind tensions might arise?
- One being that the transplants might start to feel neglected.

This is precisely what happened in the church in Jerusalem.

Hellenists - Greek Speaking Jewish converts that used the Septuagint as their Bible.
Hebrews - Aramaic speaking Jews who worshipped in the synagogues where the Hebrew scrolls were used by the Rabbis.

The Hellenists were starting to outnumber the Hebrews. And there was a severe language barrier.

There was already some racial tensions under the surface that threatened to boil over any moment.
- The Hellenists felt that “their widows” had been deliberately slighted.

These folks had a conflict on their hands… and the first local church in history was about to be the first church in history to split.

But, one thing worse than a split.
- If the Apostles, upon whose doctrine was the church established, were distracted from their task of preaching and teaching the word… the growth of the church would have frozen, stagnated and become a country club.

Thus there arose a need to have some other servants step in and heal the division and ensure equity in the ministry to the widows of the church.

The church needs leaders to be leaders… and servants to be servants.
Every leader is a servant, but not every servant is meant to be a leader.
- A servent is the definition of a deacon and they are SOOO valuable to the health of the church.

The called, ordained ministerial staff's only biblical duty is to equip the saints.

This doesn’t mean that all they do is stand on a stage and preach.
- It also doesn’t mean that they do not have compassion for or care for the needs of the flock…
- It means that in EVERYTHING they do… they do it to the end that the believers are equipped for the work of ministry

You may think that the worse thing that could happen to First Baptist Church is a church split.
- That would be bad.
But not as bad as your ministerial staff growing stagnant.

If they are consistently having to deal with conflict. Consistently having to step in a do the work of the deacons. Consistently running into a brick wall as they cast a vision… they are going to burn out.

That is why we HAVE TO HAVE deacons.
- Servants who are willing to follow behind the flock and eat the dust and make sure that everyone’s physical and emotional needs are being met… while their leaders lead and teach with passion.

II. The Roster of the Office. 3, 5-6

Deacons are:
1. Men- The Apostles asked that men be chosen for this duty. This does not mean that women do not have a place in the church. This does not mean that they cannot be servants.
- For this particular job, God had equipped men. And the request was being made that they be called out by their peers.
2. Men of good repute.- That is, of good reputation. These men were going to be handling money. They were going to be dealing with politically and racially complicated situations. It needed to be someone that everyone from every generation and every background could trust.
3. Men full of the Spirit.- That is men who are believers and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. These needed to be men in which there was no doubt that their lives had been everlastingly changed and surrendered to Christ.
4. Men full of wisdom.- That is men whose life was characterized by wise decisions. If he cannot manage his own bank account, if he cannot manage his own family, if his life is in shambles as a result of a series of foolish decisions… he cannot be trusted to serve as a deacon.

These men all had Greek names so they were likely all from the part of the Hellenists.
- What humility it must have took to allow these foreigners such an awesome responsibility.

Nominate men that meet these qualifications.
- DO NOT nominate or vote for someone to “represent” you, your party or your generation.

Nominate men that everyone will trust.
Nominate men you personally know to be saved and who exhibits such evidence in their lives.
Nominate men who are proven to be wise in their handling of sensitive issues.

Any man who meets those qualifications will be a GOOD servant to the church and that is what we need.

III. The Results of the Office 7.

Picture the church on the other side of the conflict.
- The seven were serving.
- The 12 were teaching.
- The congregation was growing in the grace of God.
- The congregation was growing in number.
And all Satan’s plans were being shot down!

Think about what the church had been through.
- In Acts 2 she was born.
- In acts 4 & 5 she was attacked by persecution.
+ This had only caused the church to grow even more.
- In Acts 5 she was attacked by sin from within.
+ That sin was quickly dealt with by God and only caused the church to grow even more (5:14)

Now here she was attacked again by what could have been a devastating blow… and what happened?
- The church only grew even more.

Here you have the church that Jesus built surviving as one living organism against every dart Satan hurled.

As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus…
As long as our leaders are free to teach and set the course...
As long as we have good servants following behind, meeting internal needs...

There is no persecution, No famine, No sin, No conflict…. That can keep us from realizing our mission and goal.

Seriously pray concerning our deacon nominations.

There is beauty in the Church of Jesus Christ.

To those who might be on the outside to stop standing outside and come in.

By giving your life to Jesus you will gain eternal life, forgiveness for your sins, a relationship with God, and a whole big family of people who will love you and see you through the rest of the journey.