Take your Bibles, if you would. Turn to Acts chapter six. While you are doing that, I'm gonna move these chairs. And you may ask, why am I putting two chairs in the middle? Well, that is for deacons that will be ordained at the conclusion of the service this morning.

So just ignore the two empty chairs at the moment, but I need them there here in a few minutes. They will have people in them in just a little bit. But Acts chapter six is is where we are at the moment. Servants and deacons, we will read verses one through seven together. Acts chapter six, in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

Then the 12 called the multitude, the disciples under them and said, it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven, men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom who we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word. And the pleasing and the same pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith in the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, the Canaan, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch, whom they set before the apostles, and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them, and the word of God increased.

The number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. We're gonna come back to that passage, but if you would, take your Bibles and turn over to first Timothy chapter three. First Timothy chapter three. I'll give you a moment to get over there. First Timothy chapter three.

And we're going to begin reading in verse eight of first Timothy chapter three. These two passages are about the same subject, and the subject would be deacons as it is as they are given a title here. Those that were chosen to serve in Acts chapter six. Okay? First Timothy chapter three verse eight.

Likewise, must the deacons be grave, not double tongue, not given too much wine, nor greedy or a filthy lucre. Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conference and let these also first be proved, then let them use the office of a deacon being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderous, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children in their own house as well, for they that have used the office of deacon will purchase to themselves a good degree and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Dear heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your many blessings, for the opportunity, the great blessing and privilege that it is to be here together today to worship you, to honor you. And that indeed is our purpose this morning. We pray that Christ Jesus would be exalted. And we pray as we exalt the savior that we, your servants, might be challenged in your service today. That we might be challenged to be faithful for that is what you require.

That we just be faithful to our Lord who is faithful to us. Thank you, Lord, for all the precious promises of your your word and the opportunity to serve you in this place today together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So what is a deacon?

It uses the term or the title deacon in first Timothy chapter three. What are deacons? Well, they are servants of God and the church, not specifically rulers or governors of it, but servants of God and the church. In Acts chapter six, it makes that quite clear. These men were not chosen to rule the church.

They were chosen to serve the church and to serve the apostles in a area where there was a great need that was taking up a great deal of the apostles' time that was causing some dissension in the church and these men were chosen to help with that particular need. Let's look at Acts chapter six again once more, and we'll go through some things here as we read through it just so you understand what is going on. In those days, that would be after the day of Pentecost, the days of the early church, the number of disciples was multiplied. In other words, there were a lot of people being saved in Jerusalem. This is where this church primarily was.

There arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews. These Grecians were were living among the Jews, in many cases were Jewish proselytes, but they in many cases, some of them were of Jewish heritage, but they were of a Hellenistic, a Greek background or Greek culture. And those two groups did not always meld together well. In Jerusalem, the Jews that were more Jewish in their heritage and background didn't always get along with those who were proselytes or those who were more Hellenistic or Greek in their cultural background. And so there began to be a bit of a division and dissension within the body of Christ among those who had come to know Christ as savior, obviously.

And one accused the other of neglecting those of their group that were in need, widows and orphans and such. And so the apostles were busy praying, preaching, reading, teaching these things. And but these these were real needs in the church. You see, these Jews or Jewish proselytes or Hellenistic Jews who had come to know Christ as savior had been part of a community that was based around a synagogue. The synagogue was the place where the Jews went together together to read the word, to teach, and to to worship the Lord on a weekly basis.

When these Jews trusted Christ and became believers, they were no longer welcome in the what? In the synagogue so much. They had been they were cast out. They were separated from some of the help that the synagogue provided, particularly those orphans, widows, and others that had needs. So, therefore, the church had to take up the responsibility to care for the needs of its own members.

And there was an increasing number of people getting saved. That is a wonderful problem to have. But as there were many getting saved, there were also more needs that needed to be met within the church. And there just weren't enough hands with the apostles for them to take time to study, pray, preach, and also try to make sure that every person in the church got their needs met. Okay?

And so this was the issue. There was a bit of a real need here. The grumbling was not entirely, just imagined or or drummed up. And so, rather than getting mad at people for having a little dissension or or wanting their needs met, they thought there must be a better solution to this. And so this is what they did.

Verse two, the 12 called the multitude of disciples unto them and said, it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the holy ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer in the ministry of the word. So, the church chose, voted on, brought before the apostles in this particular case, seven men. There isn't anything particularly special about seven though seven is often used in the Bible as number of completion but not every church has seven deacons and sometimes you don't have seven that you can appoint to this, but they brought seven men before them who they believed were worthy and trustworthy and capable.

And later on in first Timothy three, as Paul gave qualifications for, were qualified to minister in particularly the temporal needs of the church. Okay? To make sure the finances were being dealt with properly, the money that came in went out to those who had needs so forth and so on and ministered in different ways to the people particularly the temporal needs of the church. So, these seven were chosen. They were then set before the apostles when they had prayed.

They laid their hands on them. They were as such ordained, appointed as the first deacons of the church in Jerusalem and as a result, the church grew. Not because the deacons were out there preaching, but because the deacons were taking care of the other needs so that the apostles could be out there preaching and evangelizing the lost. And so this is what is happening in Acts chapter six. So back to what is a deacon.

K? A deacon is a servant. The word translated in first Timothy three as deacon clearly describe describes one chosen to a specific ministry as we read here in Acts chapter six within the church. But it is otherwise the word that's translated deacon is otherwise translated servant or minister. Diakonos is the word in Greek.

Diakonos. Now, if you take the os off the end, you have diacon or as we pronounce it in English, what? Deacon. Okay? But in most places in scripture, that word is used.

It's not translated deacon because deacon actually isn't a translation. It's what's called a transliteration. They just took the Greek letters and they wrote them in English letters. So, you have deacon. In most cases, that word, deacon or deacon which means to serve is translated servant or minister in most cases and it's used actually quite frequently in the New Testament.

I'm going to read just momentarily from Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10 and verse 42. I'm going to read just a few verses from there. Mark 10 verse 42. Jesus called them to him and saith unto them.

Who's to them? His disciples. Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them. And their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you.

But whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister, diakonos or servant. And whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be what? Servant, diakonos, of all. For even the son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister or to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Same words there used by our Lord Jesus Christ explaining to his disciples as they were arguing about who was going to be have the highest position, who was gonna be the greatest of the apostles, and Jesus said, you should be arguing about who is going to be the servant of all rather than who is going to be in charge, who is going to be the servant, who is going to have the greatest ministry of service in the kingdom and to the Lord and to one another.

It is clear that every member of the church is called to service. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you're a believer in Christ, you are called to service in the household of faith. To serve the Lord and to serve one another, particularly in the church. This isn't limited to deacons. Okay?

This is for every believer in Christ. We are all called to be servants. Our Lord and savior does not need leaders, teachers. Our our no, it's been. Our Lord and savior does need leaders, teachers, pastors, deacons, and many other servants in the church.

He does not need rulers in the manner of the world, being those who revel in the pursuit of power over others for the sake of their own gain. Even the primary title for the primary leader of the church is pastor. Pastor means what? Anybody know? Shepherd.

Shepherd. That's what the term pastor means. It means shepherd. What does a shepherd do? A shepherd does not rule the sheep.

A shepherd serves the sheep. The shepherd is there to protect the sheep, to help guide the sheep, to provide for the sheep, to guard the sheep, at times to carry the sheep, to mend the sheep. The shepherd is there to serve the number one shepherd and to serve the sheep. So even the highest office in the church is is a servant, not a lord as such. The disciples were a little bit confused on that issue and so Christ had to kind of set them straight.

Get their eyes focused on being servants as the Lord Jesus Christ who didn't come to rule but came to what? To serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Christ Jesus served me on the cross of Calvary when he died there for my sins. He served the people around him as he taught them the good news of the gospel, as he healed their diseases, as he encouraged and he helped them. He served them And we are to serve one another in the church as members of the family of God.

Not the way of the world, but the way of the Lord. There should not be politics within the church. It has no place. It's not about getting your way or getting attention or praise or money or power but in serving others. And there are many servants in the church, many who do not have officers or titles and yet are just as vital to the mission of the church from those who pull weeds in the flower beds, to those who drive vans to pick up kids, to those who watch children in the nursery, in the back room back there this morning while we're in here, As those who are prayer warriors and spend much time on their knees in secret praying for one another, there are many servants in the church with many different roles of ministry who are all important to the Lord.

So don't for a moment think, well, I'm not a deacon. I don't have a place of service. And don't for one moment think that somehow your ministry is less vital or important to the Lord as the ministry of the one standing in the pulpit or the deacons that we will ordain this morning. For we are all important. Eve, remember, as Paul uses the metaphor of the body is what?

Is vital. From this finger to my feet, to my eyes, to my ears, to the internal organs that you cannot see, they all serve an important function and so does every member of the body of Christ, the servants of the Lord. God placed you here to serve one another in the mission of the gospel and each one whether they be the foot or hand or eye are placed in the body as God has ordained to edify one another. As such, deacons are church ministers who would embody or should embody these characteristics for others to see, appreciate, and follow. While they may be involved in helping the pastor in varying ways to shepherd the church, their purpose is one of service as should be the pursuit of every believer in Christ, to serve one another as Christ served and even today serves us.

They are ministers ministering for the Lord, meeting the needs of his people. Serving the people of the church and taking care primarily the temporal needs, but not exclusively so. For instance, the needs of the widows mentioned here in Acts chapter six. Their ministry relieved apostles of the church of certain burdens which enabled them to further their ministry of teaching and preaching and praying. Their ministry helped to quail murmurings and division in the church as should deacons of today being also a great help to the apostles and to their pastors.

I I have had wonderful deacons to minister with in this place that love the Lord, that had the same goals for our ministry, to glorify the Lord, That has made my ministry more full and of a greater blessing to me and to others, my family, our church, and I thank the Lord for them. Their ministry, the deacons we read of in Acts chapter six grew as they grew in the faith and service to the Lord. Some took on further ministry in other areas such as Stephen and Philip. Not all the deacons are listed as becoming evangelists or preachers. That was not their primary purpose in being chosen as deacons.

Their qualifications, it lists three here in Acts chapter six. They're expounded upon a little bit in first Timothy three. In Acts chapter six, Paul the apostles saw sorry, asked them to choose out men of honest report, full of the holy ghost, and wisdom. Men is not anthropos in Acts six or in first Timothy three. You say, what is anthropos?

Anthropos is the word for mankind. It's the word for human being. And most of the time in your Bible, when you see man, most often that is not the Greek word, which is gender specific, but it is the word, which means people in general. Jesus Christ didn't die for the sins of men, as in male people. He died for the sins of mankind, as in both men and women.

But here in the passage, in both of these, it uses the gender specific word on air. Men that are blameless or of honest report, in other words, with integrity, having no conspicuous or ongoing moral failings, Adultery, sexual promiscuously, dishonesty, thievery, violence, maliciousness, drunkenness, greed, some of those are mentioned in first Timothy chapter three, are not particularly things that if they are known, makes one blameless in the eyes of others. If we are going to minister to others, there should not be a litany of terrible sins that are obvious to the eyes of others. There should not be a litany of terrible sins at all. But we should be people that others can look up to.

We should be those that others can look up to as an example and follow. Thus, the term blameless. Does it mean perfect or sinless? The answer is no because no one is perfect and sinless but who? But the Lord Jesus Christ.

He alone is perfect and sinless. I wish pastors and deacons and church members were perfect and sinless, but none of us are. But praise the Lord, we have a perfect and sinless savior who is conforming us day by day more into his image. And as those who serve and lead the church, it is important that we have a character of integrity that can be looked up to by others in the church so that they can look up to us, but also that they can trust in us to be a help to them. Full of the Holy Ghost, demonstrating increasing spiritual maturity and consistent walk with the Lord.

Living principled lives by the word of God, the love of Christ, the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Men full of the Holy Ghost. Spirit led that can be recognized by others. Also demonstrating godly wisdom. Godly wisdom.

Godly decision making ability, understanding, sensitivity, but yet not wearing their emotions on their what? On their sleeve. It takes understanding and wisdom and not taking things too personally to be a good servant to others. Because sometimes those you serve are not always going to appreciate what you do, and that's okay. Because there's one in heaven who does.

And you're not always going to make the right decision in every case because you're human. But God does require and ask that they be those who demonstrate wisdom because, well, wisdom is a good characteristic to have among leaders, is it not? Godly wisdom. And then they are to be as it would seem here in Acts chapter six. They were brought before the church.

The apostles laid their hands on them. This is often sometimes called ordination. Some churches, they vote on their deacons and they become deacons and that's all there is to it. But but I think it's best in this case to follow through with what the example that's set here in scripture and actually ordained our deacons. Is there any great significance and difference between that or not having that?

I don't know that there is, but it's when you can be as close to scripture, you should be close to scripture and do as the scripture does. So, we, the word ordained basically means to appoint or to order, to establish. These deacons who were ordained in the first church in Jerusalem were chosen by the church. They were brought to the disciples by the church. They were chosen by the church.

They're appointed to the task by the apostles. The apostles were the ones that asked that these men be chosen and brought before them to serve in this particular task that they needed. And then they were ordained by the apostles who laid their hands on them and prayed over them. The action of laying their hands on them and praying for them was an acknowledgment of God's call to these men by the leading of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the apostles acknowledged that they believe these men to be called by the Lord.

And it is an acknowledgment of that. Number two, it signified the blessing of the Lord upon them and their ministry. It signified. Okay? It was just it was a sign.

Okay? It was symbolic of a blessing from the Lord upon them in their ministry. It conveyed a partnership in and a responsibility for the ministry. Okay? When you get baptized up here and you get dunked in water, does it save you?

No. You can get dunked and dunked and dunked and dunked. It's not going to save you. You can get dunked by any person. You can dunk yourself.

You can have me dunk you a 100 times. It is not going to save you. We are only saved by grace through faith in who? Jesus Christ. So baptism is a sign.

It is a sign of obedience to the Lord in following him and believers' baptism. It is a step of obedience as a child of God. It is a declaration that one has already been what? Already been saved. Okay?

It is symbolic as is the Lord's Supper, as is ordination. It is it is symbolic. There's no reason to think that the laying on of hands imparted spiritual power, wisdom, or grace to the recipient as though it came from the person ordaining them. That is not the prerogative of me or the other deacons that will come up this morning. That is the Lord's prerogative to call and to place somebody in a particular area of ministry.

We are just acknowledging God's call as we believe it is and his blessing and our partnership together in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no power emanating from our hands. Okay? Only from by the grace of God through the Holy Spirit that he has given to not just pastors or deacons, but to everyone, every believer and servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. This we will do momentarily.

But first, I would like for us to sing a hymn of invitation together. Let's let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day and this opportunity to honor you, to honor those that you have called into various ministries in the body of the church. Lord, we thank you for those that you have given us here to minister with us together in the ministry. For the souls that have been saved through the ministry of this church.

For the savior that has been magnified through the years by the ministry of this church and the privilege to appoint and ordain two deacons this morning to help us with certain aspects of the ministry of the church. We thank you but Lord, we pray Lord as we consider their commitment and love and service for you this morning that we would also consider our own. And Lord, if there be one here that hasn't received the Lord Jesus, I pray even as we consider other important things this morning, there's nothing more important than a soul who needs Jesus Christ. And Lord, if there be one here today that is yet to receive what you did for them on the cross of Calvary, I pray that they would today as we give this hymn of invitation. And I pray, Lord, that we, your servants, might respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our life.

To be challenged in what area of service, Lord, you would have for us. In our home, our community, our place of work, and yes, in the body of Christ even in the ministry of the church, Lord, today. In Jesus precious name, we do pray. Amen.