Servants and Stewards

tonight we're going to continue on where Pastor John left off last Sunday how many of you were here last Sunday just kind of get an idea of okay most of you are here that's that's great and so we're going to be looking at verses 8 through1 13 and that's specifically the the qualification for deacons uh last Sunday Pastor John looked at the qualification for a bishop or or a pastor or elders and so tonight we're going to look at that uh the candidate the uh the qualifications for deacons uh the Apostle Paul you know as we studied the the book of First Timothy the Apostle Paul knew that Timothy as a pastor of the Church of Ephesus is some somehow you know just a matter of time he's going to

start to need he's going to need to start identifying the leaders of the church and so he needed some kind of guidance on what kind of qualification ations he should be looking for when he identifies these uh pastors and deacons and so he wrote Our passage 1 Timothy chapter 3 specifically for for those two uh offices and I I will kind of explain a little bit later on why there are just two sets of qualifications as opposed to the rest of the Believers in our church so let's let's get to our text 1 Timothy chapter 3: 8-13 if you stand with me follow along as I read likewise must the deacons be grave not double tonged not given to much wine not greedy or filthy luer holding the mystery of the

Fate in a pure conscience and let these first be proved then let them use the office of the deacon being found blameless even so must their wives be grave not slanderers sober faithful in all things let the deacons be the husbands of one wife ruling their children in their own houses well for they have used the office of a deacon who purchased to themselves a good degree a great Bess in the faith which is in Christ Jesus father Lord thank you so much again for your holy word we thank you for allowing us the time to come together to look at the the qualifications for not just deacons but pastors and how do we use that as Believers Lord to to be a stronger church and I pray Lord tonight that

you would just eliminate all distractions and allow me to use your words to make a point that will be clear tonight in Christ's name we pray amen so our passage starts out with likewise the word likewise like a bishop a deacon has a set of qualifications or or guidelines that must be followed it helps them to to stay the path the right path that is required it is imperative though that we you and I keep in mind that Christians first of all all Christians ought to be servants when you when you accepted Christ as your lord and savior as a child of God you ought to be a servant and so understanding these set of qualifications if you will will help us as we look to these uh sets of what we need

to do as leaders of the church to help us to be better servants ourselves and that is the reason why there's only two two set of qualifications I I believe one is for the pastors and one is for the deacons what about the rest of us what are we to do well as as servants we need to be looking at these standards and to try to strive to meet them as better Christians for several reasons and I'll cover that coming up uh later so let me start off with with the Deacon the term Deacon the Greek word used in the original text of scripture defines a deacon as a servant someone who serves God and others and as I was studying that and I I started to think about all the deacons in our church most of them

I shouldn't say most all of them are Serv vs but there are some churches that I noticed in the past maybe still going on now that the deacons of the church they see themselves as not servants but those who are in Authority you report to me I decide what's going to happen that's the wrong thinking when he comes to deacons even with pastors we are all servants and and you know the first deacons that were appointed were to be the assistance to the Apostle in a local church today deacons relieve the pastors and the Elders of the task that so that they can concentrate on on the ministry of the word prayer preaching and the spiritual oversight of the church the deacons come in they they do a great

role to allow the church Elders to do what they are tked to do primarily so I want to take a time to kind of look at the origins of deacons and you'll find that in Acts chapter 6 Acts chapter 6 if you turn there with me Acts chapter 6 verse 1-7 I'll read and we'll discuss a little bit acts 6 1-7 and 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 Administration let's stop there for a minute you know one of the things that we also face today the danger of when the church grows when there's more members there are members who will be like the widows of the grecians that

were left out so it's very important that we be mindful of that verse two then the 12 called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables wherefore Brethren look ye among you seven men of what honest report full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business as I think about that verse one word comes to mind Godly Godly men wherefore Brethren look okay I read that verse four but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word and and the saying pleased the whole multitude and they chose Stephen A Man full of faith and of Holy Ghost and Philip and procris and nicar and

Timon and permanis and Nicholas a proelite of Antioch whom they set before the apostles when they had prayed they laid their hands on them this is the impact verse 7 and the word of God increased and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and the great company of the priests were obedient to the faith the pastors and the elders were able to concentrate on the word and the praying and the preaching while the deacons did all the others as a result of that the church grew so I hope you and I can understand now the importance of deons in the church see the seven deacons in the early church helped the pastors minister to the widows and not only to the widows I can guarantee you

they did all kinds of other tasks that were needed and because of that there was an increase in the church there is something that I hope we continue to strive here at Ohana Baptist Church with the deacons so we can continue to grow and to really make sure that our members are included in everything that we do now let's look at specifically the Deacon uh the qualifications for Deacon and that's in in our verse in our passage deacons are not given the same Authority as the elders and the pastors but they still must meet certain qualifications and requirements and so we should knowe these especially the regular folks like you and I that many faithful deacons have been made Elders in the past

after they have proved themselves you most people start out as servants and then they move up to deacons and then eventually they become pastors according to if the Lord wills it so it is important for us to understand these qualifications for two reasons as I mentioned earlier first to know and so that we can be effective servants but the other thing is for those of you who may desire the office of the pastor or the office of the deacon it is very important that you understand these qualifications so that you can work towards it so let us let's let's look at the qualification or the guidelines in verse 8 it says likewise must deacons be grave not double tonged not given in much wine not

greedy of filthy lucer grave the a deacon should be worthy of respect a man of Christian character worth emulating when new Christians come in and they look at the deacons that is the standard that they want or should be looking towards it's very important that the deacons the standing deacons are here that they are grave he should take his responsibility seriously in the office of Deacon not just to fill it let me say that again when you are up for to become a deacon it's not just to fill the office but to do the duties of the deacon a deacon should not be double tonged A is a man that keeps or should be a man that keeps what he says and does not tell tows from house to house not a gooper

he does not allow or have a double standards in other words he doesn't go out and say one thing to one member and then go to another member and say the opposite they shouldn't be double tonged another one that's very sensitive is not given to much wine not giving too much wine you will find this in verse eight of our passage as well as in verse three because the pastors the elders are also subject to this standard not given to much wine see the fact that Paul advised Timothy to use wine for medical purposes in 1 Timothy chapter 5:23 indicates that the total abstinence was not demanded Ed for believers oh so I can drink wine however there is a huge difference between cultural use during bible

days with wine as opposed to today social drinking the wine then is watered down the wine today there a lot of alcohol in it okay a pastor a deacon or a believer should keep in mind Romans 14:21 and not be a cause for a brother to stumble or a sister to stumble or be offended or to become weak Romans 14:21 it is a good neither to it is it is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor anything whereby my by uh thy brother stumble it or is offended or is made weak if anything you don't want to be someone who causes your fellow brothers and sisters to stumble especially if they're already having some issues with wine or liquor best to stay away from it deacons should not be greedy of

filthy luer in our church today deacons sometimes handle the offering the money that comes in to the church sometimes times they may have money for someone a family through the benevolence fund it is important that deacons have the right kind of uh spiritual attitude towards money and the next one I think is one of the most challenging one but it is very important as well doctrinally sound you pick up in verse n it says holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience you know the word mystery means there the truth once hidden but now revealed by God do you know that the word of God is not fully revealed to those who are outside the faith I know that for a fact because I went through it

before I got saved I read the Bible it didn't mean a lot I didn't learn a l lot from it but boy when I got saved and I have the Holy Spirit when I read the word of God the Lord revealed truths that I never knew before deacons must be doctrinally sound deacons must understand Christian doctrine and Obey it with a good conscience it is not enough as I said to sit in meetings and decide to run the church without having a really good knowledge of the doctrine of the word of God they must base their decisions on the word of God and they must back up their decisions by living Godly lives you don't just know you must live live and I know I'm preaching to the choir here because most of you here I

know that you live Godly lives I'm not sure if you're aware but coming up next Sunday as part of the business meeting there will be some uh inhouse Constitution and bylaws that you need to review and and agree to some deacons in other churches not this one they know more about the church Constitution more about the the bylaws they know more about the rules of running the church board than the word of God see to Be an Effective Deacon you must know the word of God a deacon who does not know the word of God cannot manage the Affairs of the church a deacon who does not live the word of God has a defiled and has a defiled conscience can cannot manage the Church of God a church member who is

popular who successful in business who's generous in their giving giving doesn't mean that they are qualified to be deacons as well they must have the good foundation doctrinal knowledge of the word of God then next one deacons must be tested and proved in verse 10 the Bible says of our passage and let these are also first be proved and let them use the office of the deacon being found blameless most new members or new Christians they begin serving the lord through things like visitation ushering helping in Sunday school and so forth they don't just come it will be unwise for for the church to bring in a new Christian and put him right into the Deacon position they must learn they must be

proved they must be tested in order to be a servant leader a deacon in Matthew 521 the Bible says his lord said unto him Well done thy good and faithful servant thou thou has been Faithful over a few things I will make thee ruler over many things enter you in the joy of thy Lord as I read that passage it dawned on me that the Lord see he believes in promotion you do a good job he's going to give you more opportunities those of you who are who may have the desire for the office of the uh the pastor or the office of the deacon you start as a servant you do a good job and the Lord will promote you to Greater responsibilities that's true let's look at some of the leaders in the in the Bible that

did this for example Joseph did you know that J uh Joseph was a servant in Egypt for 13 years before he became the second most powerful person during his day 13 years he was serving he was a servant oh 13 years is a long time if you think that if you're thinking that 13 years is a long time let's look at Moses Moses was a servant before he became uh he he was a service he actually was taking care of his sheeps for how many years 40 years 40 years he was taking care of his sheep before the Lord called upon him Joshua Joshua was Moses's servant before he became his successor David was tending to his father's sheep before Samuel invited him to be an anointed the king of of Israel see even our

Lord Christ Jesus he came as a servant he labored as a carpenter like his dad how about Paul the great Apostle Paul did you guys know that he was a Tent Maker they had to start as servants before they became servant leaders so if you have the attitude as one of those who don't want to be a servant but you want to be a pastor or you want to be a deacon start as a servant it reminds me of a friend who kept applying he came here and he kept applying for jobs but every time he comes he he no one would hire him so finally one day I said brother what what kind of job are you applying oh I want to be a chef or assistant Chef so you know what try this watch Wasing he applied for diswashing and he

got the job you got to start as a servant deacons must be tested and proven first just as pastors and Elders a deacon should be blameless as well he doesn't mean that they must be perfect but they should be a man against whom no charge of immorality ity or holding false Doctrine can be alleged let's move on to the part that most of the ladies probably are interested in Godly homes Godly homes let's pick up in verse 11 even so must their wise be grave not slanderers sober faithful in all things let the deacons be the husbands of one wife ruling their children in their own house well see Deacon's wives they're part of the office of the deacon because the deacons must be Godly they must live a

Godly Liv but you know where Godly St uh starts in the home in the home if you're a wife of a deacon looking up here or someone who wants to be in the in the future I have to tell you that you as a wife of a deacon is equally as important as the Deacon there wise must be Christians women who are serious about their Ministry not given to gossip and faithful in all that they do and when I look down here to the ladies of ohana Baptist Church I am in awe because I see a lot of you in this category you're you're godly you're serving the lord you're you're taking your ministry seriously I look at the young wives who are just married now and and coming to this church they are as serious as they

should be there's some promise there Godly homes required for for the deacons and lastly the willingness to work the willingness to work let's pick up in verse 13 again of our passage for they that have used the office of a deacon and well purchased to themselves a good degree and a great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus a deacon I'm going to repeat again a deacon is to use the office not just fill it do the work he must be willing to serve he must be willing to obtain a good standing uh with God and the church and God will promote him and give him more and more respect among the Believers and more opportunities to serve see a faithful Deacon can be used by God to build the

church he is a spiritual boldness that makes for Effective Ministry if you're on fire for the Lord if you're on fire of his word you ought to Be an Effective leader short message but I'm going to I'm going to finish off and then I'm going to call up the standing deacons in a minute here some deacons with God's will can become elders and pastors and then some will go into full-time Ministry I've seen people coming in here serving as deacons as being servants in past members who are now in the in the field ministering who are now in the Evangelistic missions like brother Romeo today I know this because I am one of them and I say this with the most humility not to be prideful but I came to this

church not really knowing what I needed to do but I started to serve I started to serve I didn't even want to be noticed but the lord gave me the opportunities to open those doors I became a deacon recently I became a pastor these are things that I wasn't planning but these are things that I believe the Lord enables because you do the work all believers are servants but only the office of the bishop and deacons have the qualifications and so we should strive as Believers to be better Servants of God as we grow in the Lord by following these qualifications or guidelines it is the standard in which we look towards and to work towards all of our standing deacons are heavily involved in in

serving the church and next Sunday pastors is going to introduce you to the list of deacons for 2025 including some new names but I want to close with some notes about the standing deacons in particular Don Nordstrom Don is one of my go-to guys for several reasons he is what I call a true prayer War Warrior if it wasn't for his prayers I think this church my me included will not be where we are today he prays for the leaders of the church and many members of the church on a daily basis for the whole year at the end of the early part of this month he he handed me a card that noted all the dates and that's 365 days of 2024 that he prayed for me and not only that he prayed for me what he prayed

for see people like Dawn enables us to get the blessings of the Lord through prayer he also serves as the church treasurer he and his wife Connie and two sons they've been teaching the fours and five year olds for some time now my grandchildren most of them have surpassed that level and if you if you ask him who Don Nordstrom is or Connie they know during the summertime when we we have the teen camps and the youth camps they are up there getting involved if not leading facilitating if not facilitating praying and helping during the Youth Camp I go down there in the evening and I see them doing classes teaching and then afterwards prayer time and I see Don right there with them and I saw as

Connie so has their sons they were teaching some of the game in the classes there did you know that he serves as the facilitator or the director of the Faith Bible Institute class and not just last year for many many years now I went through that program I finished it Don is still doing that each Sunday evening when we are done here like we're going to do tonight we're going to get into discussion groups he's a group leader in the discussion groups as well see all of this and then some is what Don does it's what Connie does what Blake does and Caleb because they are Servants of the Lord for time's sake I'm not going to call everybody up as I as I had planned but the deacons if you can just

stand and I'll call your name out uh Mike Morton CU it's not for they don't like honor honorifics folks but I want you to know them tupu tupua you all know tupu Ricardo Grady back there rich peski I think he's in class somewhere and dendo Sao and brother I want people to know you folks because see deacons are here to serve deacons are here to help just make sure that they know the they know what you're asking them to do one lady wanted me to change her her battery in the car which I did but I was thinking man maybe I I put the wrong stuff there or took you know like make sure that we have the right skill sets okay so I invite you to be Servants of God because there are many things that you

can help with and and let me just close you close with this thought I call it the war zone the nursery they need people in the nursery last Sunday T would developed a power that can look through the concrete floor and was telling the people in the Overflow flow room to look up because he needs people in chire worship team you Canna be part of that where's Ricky Ricky can you come up here for a minute just stand right there people can see you you all know who Ricky sugimoto is right he's the head Usher besides him it's me and Pastor uh Andy that's doing the ushering you want to be a servant how about being a Usher and I know some people don't want to be doing that because it's it may be

intimidating try telling the the really nasty looking folks to move you got to do it with tact okay but we need ushers we need people to help count the offerings at the end of each Sunday we need greeters we need Sunday school teachers helpers and thank you all who have done that but it's an ongoing process as the leaders of this church the pastors and Deon deacons we know and we understand how how serious this ministry is and so we covet your prayers because it is through prayer that we can do what we can do