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8/12/2019 1990 Issue 1 - The Diaconal Ministry of the Church - Counsel of Chalcedon
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/1990-issue-1-the-diaconal-ministry-of-the-church-counsel-of-chalcedon 1/3
;
Joe Morecraft continues his
Aspects
o
Biblical Church Government
with Part VI; .
.The Diaconal Ministry
o
the hurch
·
Philippians 1:1; Acts 6:
l
The
Importance
of
the Diaconate
D
ac
ons
, along with all other
c
hurch
officers, are the g'racious
gifts
of Jesus Christ to
his
church,
Eph. 4:11,
to move her toward
unity, stability, and full maturity in
Christ,
Ep h
.
4:
12f. Without the dia
conate, the entire church suffers,
be-
cause, in a very reai sense, the diaconate
is
the health, education and welfare de
partment
of
the church.
The
socialistic
welfare state mentality in America
would
e v ~
have arisen had the church
been faithful to her diaconal responsi
bilities.
The office of deacon is based upon
the solicitude
and
love
of
Christ for his
own people
. So tender is our
Lord
's
interest
in
their ·temporal needs that he
considers
what
is
done
unto
one
of
the
least of
his brethren as done unto
him.
For he will say
to
those who · have
ministered
to
his little ones: 'I was huri- ·
·
gry
, and ye gave
me to
eat; I was
·thirsty
and
ye
gave me
to drink; I was a
stranger and
ye
took me in; naked, and
ye clothed me; I was sick,
and
ye
visited me; I was in prison and ye came
to me. ' (Directory of the Orthodox
Presbyterian
Church
for the Public
Worship of God.)
The office of deacon is setforth in
the Scriptures as ordinary and perpetual
in the church. The office is one of
s,Ympathy
and
service, after the example
of the Lord Jesus;
it
expresses cilso the
communion
of
saints, especially in ·
the
ir
keeping one another in time of
need. (The
Book
of Church Order of
the Presbyterian Church ·in America.)
Abraham
KuyPer' wrote that: a
deacon occupies an office. . . . given
him by Christ just as important as that.
·o preacher
or
as that of elder. To say
that deacons only labor in material
things ·
and
are therefore inferior to
-preachers
and
elders who
labor
in
spiritual things, is
to
adopt a false
dichotomy. . . .
The
diaconate is the
office of Christian love, and in Christ's
church the diaconate must stand along
side the eldership
and
preaching
minis-
try in order
to
exhibit the official ser
vice of divine mercy.
Again, the South African scholar and
poet, Totius, writes: The deacon needs
the congregation, but the congregation
needs
th
deacon too. l the congrega
tion has
no
love, the deacon will
not
be
able. to exhibit love. Alld conversely
too, if here is no diaconate, the congre
gation then lacks its actUal instrument
oflove.
The diaconate was established by
Christ
through
his apostles in Acts
6: lf, in
a
rowing church under
perse-
cution. When a church court, such as
the apostolate
or
presbytery, acts
and
issues declarations
and
policies in
accordance with the
word of
Christ, the
Head of
the Church, that action or de-
·
·
.·:'·1
The Counsel
of
Chalcadon • Jan.-Feb. 1990 • pag«t
cision
is
to be considered as Christ
acdpg mt i'ssuing
ord
ers. Church courts
based upan the Bible are the tribunals
of
Christ.
The Functions
of
the
Diaconate
. I1te diaconate is called
by
G<)d to
priestly, c o m p ~ s i o n t e ministry
and
service in supplying the total needs of
needy Christians.
In
Acts
6:
1;2
the
newly ordained deacons were appointed
to care for widows by serving food
and
by
serVing tables. The per
manent functions
of
the Old Testa'ment
Levites thus became the responsibility
ofthe New testament deacons; they re
ceived .and distril)uted food from believ
ers to needy believers.
The
Scottish theologian, Macpher
son, remarked: The passage in ·Acts
which records the institution of the of
fice, deacon, already
e ~ r m i . n e s
the duty
of
devolving
on
th9se who
fil l
that of
fice. They are. here described under the
general designation
of
a diaconate minis
try or service
of
tables. Undoubtedly the
idea present is that
of
tables
on
.which
food was laid, Acts 6:1f. In the church
of the early centuries, alms were com
monly brought by the Christian people
to their assembly in the shape of actual
gifts of bread
and
wine which were col
lected for immediate cUstribution among
· the poQr.
If
, however, aid
was
giv
en
in
the
form of money, Acts. 4:34; 5:5,
it
would clearly belong to the deacons
to
expend this. The deacons seemed from
the first
to
have acted under the guid
ance.
and
according to the counsel
ofthe
spiritual officebearers
of
·the church,
i.e., the apostolic preacher and/or the
elders. According to Acts 11:29-30 the
alms of the churches were carried
by
the
apostles
to
the elders
of
the congre
gations ·at Jerusalem, under
whom
the
deacons wouM act as dislributors. In a
broad and general way the functions
of
these
men
referred
to in
Acts and 6
were concerned wjth the outward affairs
of the Christian community, which in
their days happened to be the diligent
collection
and
faithful distribution of
alms
to
the poor. In other words, the
deacon
is to
be concerned with the total
material needs of
the
family members
of the congregation.
The deacons must be familiar with
the needs
of
the
c o n g r e g
~ o n so as . o
encourage all Christians
to
participate
8/12/2019 1990 Issue 1 - The Diaconal Ministry of the Church - Counsel of Chalcedon
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in the relief of those needs and to distri
bute help to those in need. This
is
priestly service. It requires that close
identification with the congregation and
that intense love for the congregation,
they serve and represent, similar to that
close identification with and sympathy
of
the Levitical priests for Israel,
Hebrews 5:1f. In this priestly role,
deacons are
not
only to receive and
distribute food in the congregation, they
are to intercede in behalf
of
the needy
with God; to provide, materially, for
the ministers of the Lord; to care for the
sanctuary and grounds, keeping them
clean and in good repair and order; to
supervise the treasury, to serve
as
door
keepers and ushers in the sanctuary; to
announce the beginning of public wor
ship; to assist in congregational wor
ship; to promote the health, education
and welfare
of
God's people; to be in
charge
of
the funeral arrangements of
Christians,
to
care for the needy in the
church, especially
of
widows, resident
aliens, underprivileged prisoners,· hos
pitalized shut-ins, etc. All
of
these
priestly functions were those
of
the
Levites in the Old Testament and the
deacons in the New Testament In fact,
in Acts 6:1, when
the
people saw the
New Testament diaconate faithfully
ministering the compassion and love
of
Christ to the needy in genuine Old
Testament priestly fashion, the word
of God kept on spreading; and the
number
of
the disciples continued
to
in
crease greatly
in
Jerusalem, and a great
many
of
the priests were becoming
obedient to the Faith, vs. 7
(F.
Nigel
Lee has written
an
excellent paper on
the priestly functions
of
the diaconate,
entitled, h£ Diaconate.
The Roots
of
the Diaconate
The office
of deacon is rooted in the
office and duty
of
all Christians to serve
one another in Christ-like fashion. It
could
be
said that the diaconate
is
the
intensification of the priestly office and
service all believers have toward God
and each other. The Bible is clear that
believers are to deacon to one another
materially and spiritually, i.e., to serve
one another and to make sure that each
other is provided for materially, spir
itually and emotionally. The deacon at
tempts to intensify that priestly concern
forneedy brethren in all the members of
Covenant Presbyterian
Church,
Cedar
Bluff,
VIrginia
congregation. He
not
only takes the
lead, instructs, and provides outlets for
diaconal service for the congregation,
but he himself is an example and model
of
what real priestly sympathy for the
brethren should be.
Our
primary example for knowing
how to deacon to one another is Jesus
Christ-- The Son of Man came
not
to
be 'deaconed' unto, but
to
'deacon', and
to give his life a ransom for many,
Mark
10:45. (The Greek word for
serve or minister in this verse is the
word
from which
we
get our word,
deacon. ) A true Christian is not con
cerned with being served, but with
serving, satisfying, fulfilling, and
ministering to other people, even to the
point
of
self-sacrifice, or the laying
down
of his own life for others, James
2:26; Psa. 72:45. Jesus said that the
test
of
greatness is how we deacon
to
one another in Matthew 20:26-28:
You know that the rulers
of
the Gen
tiles lord it over them, and their high
officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you. Instead, whoever
wants to become great among you must
be your servant and whoever wants
to
be first must e your slave.
The objective of deaconing is set
forth in Matthew 25:42-44. There
we
learn that true deaconing involves
concrete, observable service to other
people.
It
involves the practical,
down-
to-earth giving
of
food and drink, ex
tending shelter, providing clothes,
visiting the sick, loaning or giving
money to the needy, giving work to the
needy, expressing sympathy and com
passion
in
conspicuous and practical
ways, being present in times
of
crises,
etc.
George Grant has written two ex-
cellent books on deaconing in. modem
America, with its problems of unem
ployment, welfarism, poverty and
o m ~
lessness. Those books are:
Bringing in
the Sheaves: Transforming Poverty into
Productivity, and The Dispossessed:
Homelessness in America.
Hebrews 6:9-10 makes two pertinent
points concerning deaconing
to
one
another: Beloved, we are convinced
of
better things concerning you, and
things that accompany salvation. . . .
For
God
is not unjust so as to forget
your work and
the
love
which you have
shown toward
His
Name,
in
having
ministered (deaconed) and in still
ministering (deaconing)
to
the saints.
1 Deaconing is done not for the ap
plause or the thanks of men, but for the
glory
of
the
Name
of
Christ and
in
order
to
please
Him
. Deaconing
to
one
another always means extending mercy
not in our own name,
or
in the name of
our church, but in the Name
of
the Lord
Jesus Christ, whose servants we are.
We serve men in order to serve Christ.
2. Deaconing one another always
accompanies true salvation. In verse
11
we are told that each one
of
us is to
show great diligence in our deaconing
to
each other, so as
to
realize the full
assurance of hope until the end. As
surance of salvation is experienced by
us, when
we
believe the promise
of
the
gospel, when the Spirit witnesses with
our spirit,
and
when those things that
accompany salvation, such as deacon
ing, are manifested in our lives.
There is nothing base or 'unspiritual'
about deaconing to the material, phy
sical, and social needs
of
each other. In
Revelation 2:19, Jesus commends the
church at Thyatira for her increased
deaconing to one another, because He
The Counsel
o
Chalcedon • Jan.-Feb., 1990 • page 23
8/12/2019 1990 Issue 1 - The Diaconal Ministry of the Church - Counsel of Chalcedon
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considered it a highly spiritual minis- ·
try.
It can
also
be
said that deaconing
helps
the believer find his place in the
local
body
of
Christ, I Cor. 12:20ff;
and to
function in that body
by
using
his spiritual gifts for the building
up
and spiritual edification of one another,
Rom. 12:6-8.
Because
of this spiritual :role
of
the
diaconate
in
the
Body
of
Christ, deacons . ·
would do
well to
study the responsibili
ties
to one qnother
which they are
to
teach
and
·encourage Christians .
fulfill. (See
my
paper entitled, Building
up One Another in the Local Church) .
f deacons
would
be models, imple
menters,
and
stimulators in the con
gregation with reference to these
One
Another responsibilities, their minis-
tians of:
.Christian care· homes for wandering
youth_& unwed mothers .
Christian adoption agencies
Cluistian rehabilitation centers (drugs
and alcohol) - ·
. Christian family vacation resorts and
·rest homes
Christian arbitration centers (manage-
ment
and
labor)
Christian financial planning centers
Christian inissionary relief work
Christian marriage counseling centers.
Christian nursing homes
and
retire-
ment communities
Christian health centers
Christian housing projects
Christian credit unions
Christian hospitals
arid
health clinics .
As the word, oversight ;or overseer,
summarizes the work of the Elder,
so the word, service or server,
summarizes the work of the Deacon.
try
and
influence
would
make a major
contribution
toward
the Christian
Reconstruction
of
the church
and
the
society
of
America. .
The Book of
Church Order
of
the
Presbyterian
Church
in America defines
the duty
of
deacons
as
follows:
It
is
the duty
of the
deacons
to
minister
to
those
who are in
need,
to
the sick, . o
the friendless,
and
to
any
who
may
be
jn distress.· It is their duty also to
develop the
grace
of liberality in the
members of .the church,
to
devise
ef-
fective methods
of
collecting
the
gifts
of
the people
and
to distribute these
gifts among
the
objects to which they
were contributed. They shall have the
care
of the
property
of
the congregation
both real
and
personal
and
shalllceep in
repm the church edifice and other
buildings belonging to the congrega
tion."
With
his typical vision
for
the fu
ture, F. Nigel
Lee
gives the diaconate
some
long-r U)ge goals
for
diaconal
_ ministries. Many
of
these suggested
ministries, all of which fall in the
biblical domain of the diaconate, have
at ·one time or another,
to
some degree
or
another, · been carried out
by
the
Christian Church in the
past
Deacon
ing for the future should include work
ing toward
the
establishment
by
Chris-
Christi3n ecological research centers
.Christian funeral services
Christian emergency relief funds
etc., etc., etc.
The Requirements for
the Offic;e o Deacon
Acts 6:1-4 requires that a deacon
must have a good reputation, i.e., s o c i e ~
ty
must admit to his integrity and trust
worthiness. He
must be
full
of
the
Holy
Spiiit, i.e.,
he must be
producing
the fruit of the Spirit, exercising the
giftS of the Spirit, witnessing and pray
ing with the.boldness of the Spirit. He
must have an intense priestly sympathy
and
concern for the material artd s p i r ~
itual welfare of · the people of God,
which concern only God's Spirit can
give. He
must
be full of wisdom, i.e.,
he
must
not only know well the con
tent, theology, and ethics·
of
the Bible,
he must
have the ability
to
apply that
biblical knowledge practically
to
the
daily issues
of
life.
He must be
a man
who
can be put in charge
of
things,
who will take the initiative and who
will get the job done, when 'he sees
something
that
must be done. He must
have the ability
·
to recognize needs and
to distribute help wisely and carefully.
He must
have the ability
to
manage
finances
and
encourage giving •to the
The ounsel of Chalcedon • Jan.-Feb. 1990 • page 24
Lord
in the full sense
of
the word:
time,
n'loney; energy.
According to I Timothy 3:8-13, a dea
con
must
be
grave, i.e., worthy
of
re
spect
and
bonor--a noble, dignified man.
He ,
must not be
double-tongued, i.e., a
. man who
does not have a repuQ tion
of
saying
one
thing
to one
person and
something else
to
another,
or
who says
one
thing and does another.
He
·must
not be given to .much wine, but must
be
.known
for. self-discipline. He .must
not be
. greedy, which is an important
quality in a Dian handling the Lord's
money. He must hold to the mystery
of
the faith
in a
pllfe conscience, i.e., he
must
have
a
good grasp
of
and
be
thoroughly committed tQ sound dc Jc-
trine. And believing in th.at Oo< trine
makes him walk before Qod and :qten
with a tender conscience.
He
· must be
proven
and
tested,
not
rushed into of
fice,
but
given
the
opportunity to prove
himself
in
his gifts, usefulness and sym
pathy
.first. fie
must.be a faithful fami
ly
man
; because a man's home life
will
~ i t h e r commend his piety
or
betray his
lack
of
i t
Conclusion
As
. the word, oversight or overseer,
summarizes the work of the Elder, so
the wot(l, service or server, summarizes
the
wprk of
the Deacon.
It
·
is
·a phy
sical, . material work, . n
that
it is
concemed
with the
reliefof
physical and
material
needs
·arid irt syrrtpathetically
and sufficiently ptqviditig
for
needy
Christians. It is also a spiritual work in
.
hat
the aUthority of . he deacon · is
bound
up with the authority
of
Christ.
Its concern is love, in that
it
really
teaches Christians how love one
another practically
and
observably. Be
cause
of the d i a c o ~ a t e s spiritual, serv
ing,
taring
nature, ·its · proper func
tioning draws a sharp line between the
church ·
and
the world.
It
stresses the
difference between the ·two. It differs
from th charitY
of
the w c i r ~ d in that it
serves
in
the .naine
of
Christ and · is
c t u ~
by the love ·
of
Christ. The
church dispenses the
mercy of
Christ
to
Christ's people, and
to
the world Christ
made
. By caring for
the
needy un
believer a door is opened to engage in
effective evangelism. Signincantly, the
Bible tells us that of the seven deacons
chosen
by
the church
at
Jerusalem,
Stephen and
Philip were actiye also a.s
evangelists. ' . 0