D.A. Carson on Acts 6

See the devotional here.

Quote of interest to A Deacon’s Life:

(2) The reasoning of the Twelve is stunningly focused: “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables” (Acts 6:2). Again, they lay down some criteria and insist that they themselves will give their attention “to prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). We may not have the Twelve today, but pastors/elders/overseers have inherited this ministry of the word and prayer. That includes not only teaching others, but doing the serious study and preparation and intercession that stand behind good teaching and preaching. There will always be a hundred things to distract you. Do not be distracted from what is central.

(3) The criteria presented by the Twelve for the church to use in their choice of seven men are not managerial prowess and gifts of diplomacy. The men are to be known as full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom and faith (Acts 6:4, 5). Of course, these criteria include managerial savvy: if a person is full of the Holy Spirit, he or she will exercise care in relationships; and “wisdom” can include practical, godly skill in some defined area. But at bottom, these seven men are appointed because they are judged to be mature and godly Christians as well as gifted for the tasks assigned them.

 

Mercy Ministry by Elliot Grudem

one quick quote to pique your interest…

“Don’t simply abdicate your Christian service to the deacons.”

Read it here.

Prayer: NLMC Budget Committee (PCA BCO 9-5)

The publishing of this post coincides with the start time of our budget committee’s planning meeting for 2011.  This post is just to ask you to pray that we would faithfully and wisely distribute God’s money for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom.  Thank you for your time.

Related… PCA BCO 9-5:

9-5.    Deacons may properly be appointed by the higher courts to serve on committees, especially as treasurers. It is suitable also that they be appointed trustees of any fund held by any of the Church courts. It may also be helpful for the Church courts, when devising plans of church finance, to invite wise and consecrated deacons to their councils.

PCA BCO 9-4: “deacons of a particular church shall be organized as a Board”

Here’s the next section of chapter 9 in our denomination’s Book of Church Order:

9-4.    The deacons of a particular church shall be organized as a Board, of which the pastor shall be an advisory member. The Board shall elect a chairman and a secretary from their number and a treasurer to whom shall be entrusted the funds for the current expenses of the church. It shall meet separately at least once a quarter, and whenever requested by the Session. The Board of each church shall determine the number necessary for a quorum.
The Board shall keep a record of its proceedings, and of all funds and their distribution, and shall submit its minutes to the Session regularly, and at other times upon request of the Session.
It is desirable that the Session and the Board of Deacons meet in joint session once a quarter to confer on matters of common interest.

This section is pretty straight forward, but something for which you can easily pray.  It’s a super practical section, which we try to uphold as a diaconate.  Practicality can lead to prayer, so here are the prayer requests:

• The new year is upon us, which means the diaconate will be electing a chairman and a secretary.  The chairman runs the meetings and has massive influence upon the direction of the diaconate (and so, great influence on the congregation as well).
• The Budget Committee is responsible this year for the distribution of many of the church’s funds.  I think formulating 2011′s budget will be a tricky process which is need of much prayer.
• Pray for our joint-session deacon meetings.  So much gets decided and discussed at those times.
• Pray for our monthly diaconate meetings… that they would be fruitful and the work would get done quickly and done well.
• Pray for the new pastoral advisor, whoever he may be.

Those are the biggies.  Lots to pray for, especially if you’re a member at NLMC.

The New Testament Deacon: The Church’s Minister of Mercy (Introduction)

I started reading this book earlier in the year but never finished it.  I picked it up again and I’m enjoying it enough to go back to the beginning and give it deeper attention.  This is the start of (hopefully) an ongoing book reflection on The New Testament Deacon: The Church’s Minister of Mercy.  I’ll let you know where I agree and disagree with Strauch, and more importantly, where I need to grow in my service as a deacon to our church.  The New Testament Deacon is a four-part book with each section taking up a New Testament passage of interest to the diaconate (Acts 6, Philippians 1, 1 Timothy 3 part 1, and 1 Timothy 3 part 2 respectively).

Here’s the outline:

• Part 1: Dividing Up the Work: Word and Deed
• Chapter 1: The Shepherd’s Priorities: Word and Deed
• Chapter 2: Appointing Ministers of Mercy
• Chapter 3: Official Public Recognition
• Chapter 4: Acts 6: The Prototype for Deacons

• Part 2: A Two-Office Church: Overseers and Deacons
• Chapter 5: Overseer: Episkopoi
• Chapter 6: Deacons: Diakonoi

• Part 3: The Qualifications for Deacons
• Chapter 7: The Absolute Necessity for Character Qualifications for Deacons
• Chapter 8: Five Character Qualifications for Deacons
• Chapter 9: Qualifications Demand Examination
• Chapter 10: Qualifications for Wives Who Assist Their Deacon Husbands
• Chapter 11: Family Requirements for Deacons

• Part Four: The Importance of Deacons in the Church
• Chapter 12: The Significance and Rewards of Deacons
• Chapter 13: Agents of Christ’s Mercy

…some interesting chapter titles.  Like I said, this will be another ongoing project (as much as time permits) here at ADL.  This is what the cover looks like, and if you’re interested, you can read some reviews on it at amazon…

PCA BCO 9-3: “which is spiritual in nature”

The PCA Book of Church Order states in 9-3:

To the office of deacon, which is spiritual in nature, shall be chosen men of spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly spirit, warm sympathies, and sound judgment. (emphasis mine)

In my previous post on Chapter 9-2, I got into Acts 6.  Since this site is broadly interested in Reformed Christianity and more narrowly on the diaconate, Acts 6:1-7 could easily be an unofficial theme passage for A Deacon’s Life.  Although the word “deacon” is not mentioned in the text, there is strong reason to believe it refers to the office of sympathy.  In regards to the office of deacon, I purposely omitted discussion on one of the most significant sentences in Luke’s description of the choosing of the Seven.  Now is the time to look at it more closely, since I believe 9-3 rightly highlights this sentence.  Although this is the shortest section in Chapter 9 of the BCO, it confirms the (absolutely essential) spiritual nature of the office.  That sentence comes in Acts 6:3:

3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. (emphasis mine)

Prerequisite to being chosen was to be full of the Spirit.  Yes, they were to wait on tables, but they had to be full of the Spirit to even be granted the privilege of faithfully fulfilling these newly delegated responsibilities.  To reiterate the point, 9-3 says the office is “spiritual in nature”.

So an eight word summary of this post: The office of deacon is spiritual in nature.

I can’t read this to myself enough times.  Really.  My calling is spiritual in nature, but in case I don’t get it and to really help me grasp the weightiness of it all, I’ll rewrite it with a slight difference…

An eight word summary of my life: The office of deacon is spiritual in nature.

This is who I am; this is what defines me and to what God has called me.  And the only type of spirituality I desire to know and exude is to have the gospel so take a hold of me that with John the Baptist I can say…

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John3:30)

PCA BCO: 9-2

I struggle with this section of chapter 9 the most for multiple reasons, but mainly because the call is so encompassing and I feel far from where I need to be. 9-2 is a call to: observe, initiate, care, lead, and submit. Conversely, it’s my nature to overlook, neglect, disregard, follow, and complain. Bad combo. I don’t want to head into that direction. Rather I would hope that the qualities of a deacon would overflow out of me. Here’s the deacon’s call as outlined by the BCO:

9-2. It is the duty of the deacons to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress. It is their duty also to develop the grace of liberality in the members of the church, to devise effective methods of collecting the gifts of the people, and to distribute these gifts among the objects to which they are contributed. They shall have the care of the property of the congregation, both real and personal, and shall keep in proper repair the church edifice and other buildings belonging to the congregation. In matters of special importance affecting the property of the church, they cannot take final action without the approval of the Session and consent of the congregation.
In the discharge of their duties the deacons are under the supervision and authority of the Session. In a church in which it is impossible for any reason to secure deacons, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the ruling elders.

Observe. Our call is to keep a watchful eye on the congregation. Another prayer request here to have a clearer eye of sympathy towards everyone at NLMC.

Initiate. Our call is to respond quickly and appropriately without being told to do so. The onus falls squarely on us. Another area I’m lacking in.  I’m way too passive.

Care. Our call is to be caring in every way possible. Personally, I feel this is at the very heart of the office… to show the sympathy of Christ.

Lead. Our call is to bring the congregation with us. It truly is an office of leadership.  I need to be able to help the congregation serve alongside me.  I need to work on bridging the gap of the 20/80 (20% of the members doing 80% of the work).

Submit. Our call is to help the elders in our obedience to them. Here you have the NT reason for the office. This is probably the biggest reason why I enjoy being a deacon. It’s because I love so much what the elders are called to do for us. They are called to the ministry of prayer and the Word. Acts 6:3b-4 spells it out:

We (Elders) will turn this responsibility over to them (Deacons) ⁴ and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” (parentheses added)

That responsibility was this (Acts 6:1-2):

¹ In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.

Serving and caring. We do this so the elders can more faithfully do what they’ve been called to do. I love what they do for us which makes me want to do all the more what I’m called to do.  I do what I’m called to do so they can do what they are called to do!

Numbers. I’m adding this one (and not because it’s numbers… sorry, bad pun). 9-2 says, “In a church in which it is impossible for any reason to secure deacons, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the ruling elders.” The opposite is true at our church. We have many deacons and our elder numbers have shrunk. This is probably the clearest rebuke to me. With our numbers, we better get our work done and done well. Most importantly, our elders don’t have time to lose or the human resources to cover for us.

So much to reflect upon.

PCA BCO: 9-1

At work I constantly reread the California Framework.  These are subject specific books that lay out the standards which all kids in all California K12 public schools must be taught.  By now, I have a firm handle on all the 4th grade standards (just short of having them memorized).  But I still make myself reread them periodically to make sure I don’t miss anything.  When the CST comes around, I don’t want to get blindsided.  I need to know what my students have to be able to do so I know where to take them.

How much more true is this of me being faithful to my office?

So what’s a “PCA BCO”?  It’s the Presbyterian Church in America Book of Church Order.  This is my denomination’s document on church polity.

Chapter 9 deals with the Office of Deacon.  Section 9-1 says this:

9-1. The office of deacon is set forth in the Scriptures as ordinary and perpetual in the Church. The office is one of sympathy and service, after the example of the Lord Jesus; it expresses also the communion of saints, especially in their helping one another in time of need.

I need to show the sympathy of Christ.  I need to serve in a Christlike manner.  I need to help build the communion of saints, especially when one member of the body hurts and is in need.

I’ve read this over many times.  Whenever I reread it, I get seriously overwhelmed every single time.  This is only the first part of chapter 9, and already, I’m lacking so much.

Is the Office of Deacon Defined by the Mission of the Church?

Simple answer: yup. Why would a church’s office extend beyond the church’s work?

I’ve been wrestling with this question ever since I began deacon training. The Church has a specific mission and work. I believe that to be the proclamation of the gospel and the nurturing of God’s covenantal people in the faith. And so, I believe the deeds of the deacon should support and advance the Church’s mission and not, for example, try to transform the society in which we live or take up every social cause under the sun.

Sometimes I ask the question differently and it gets confusing for me…

To what extent did Christ show sympathy to the unbeliever? The word “limitless” always comes to mind. If the deacon is to show the sympathy of Christ, and Christ’s sympathy is limitless, then shouldn’t the deacon show limitless Christian sympathy to world?

I guess when you change the question, you get a very different answer. But at this point though, I doubt I’m asking the right question and even worse, I’m probably answering my misguided questions incorrectly. A perfect recipe for confusion.

Anyway, I always fall back to keeping a clear distinction between the common kingdom and the kingdom of God. More on this later.

From Tullian…

An open letter to deacons and elders…

Tullian Tchividjian asks these probing questions:

Do you rejoice in position, power, accomplishments, entitlement, control, degrees, knowledge, status, authority, numbers, and rank? Or do you rejoice in service, mercy, sacrifice, pastoral care, love, prayer, prudence, grace, relationships, and repentance? Are you proud or humble? Do you put others before yourself? Do you find your daily security and significance in your own accomplishments or in Christ’s accomplishment for you? Do you seek first place or last place? Do you boast on yourself or on Christ? Do you talk about yourself a lot? Are you prone to envy and do you get defensive easily? Do you weep with those who weep? Do you love people and look for opportunities to serve and shepherd them? Do you revel in self-confidence or self-sacrifice? Do you have people in your life that you confess specific instances of sin? Do the people in your life find it easy to correct you?

Lots to answer.