1Tim
3:1 (NIV)
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer,
{[1] Traditionally bishop; also in verse 2}he desires a noble task.
2
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife,
temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3
not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover
of money.
4
He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with
proper respect.
5
(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of
God's church?)
6
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the
same judgment as the devil.
7
He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall
into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
8
Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in
much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
9
They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
10
They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them
serve as deacons.
11
In the same way, their wives {[11] Or way, deaconesses}are to be women worthy
of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
12
A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and
his household well.
13
Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in
their faith in Christ Jesus.
Qualifications
for a Deacon or Minister of Helps:
1. –Worthy of ____________
2. -____________
3. –not indulging in ________
4. –no ___________
gain
5. –keep hold of _________
with a clear conscience
6. –must be ________
7. –if nothing is against them,
_________ them serve as deacons
8. –husband of one wife
9. –manage __________
and household well
1. –not malicious ___________
2. -______________
3. –______________
Acts
6:1 (KJS)
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 ministration.
2
Then the twelve 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.
3
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.
4
But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the
word.
5
And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full
of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus,
and Nicanor, and Timon, and
Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6
Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid [their]
hands on them.
7
And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in
Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the
faith.
Qualifications:
-________
report
-Full
of the ____________
-Full
of ____________
1. So that our Man of God can
give himself to continual __________ and ministry of the _________. (Acts 6:4)
2. Word of God __________
and disciples ___________.
(Acts 6:7)
Deacons
must ______ into the vision of the man of God in their life. The vision must be worked toward with the
same _______ as if it were his own.
Unless
there is a ____________ within to see the vision fulfilled, the
ministry of the deacon will be done half-heartedly and without __________.
By
serving our Man and Woman of God, we are doing our part in fulfilling the
vision that the Lord has given to them for this body. The vision that the Lord has for HOJC will
never be fully realized until the Body becomes _________ to see
God’s will fulfilled. Throughout
Scripture we see the will of God fulfilled through leaders called Apostles,
Prophets and __________.
If
the Lord, Himself, recognizes pastors as being the _______ of a
particular body, we must be careful to follow suit. How inappropriate for us to call common what
the Lord has set apart unto Himself to lead a particular body.
Past
Attitudes about Deacon Ministry:
Come
if and when I feel like it.
They
just want to use me to do and fix things around the church.
It’s
not a _____________ position, so I don’t have to be faithful.
I
can hold the _______ and do the smallest thing on the list to
stay current.
Present
Attitudes Required to be in Helps:
Come
regardless of how I feel because I am committed to the ________
of HOJC and to the Lord of Hosts who gave it.
I
am available to be used for any and everything that I am _______
to do.
I
recognize that true leadership is __________ and I will serve my
Man & Woman of God as well as those of HOJC to the best of my ability.
I
am not into titles; I am into serving to keep the ___________ of
God’s blessing unobstructed in my life.
This
house is not for those with a passive ____________, but an active
_____________ with the Lord.
This is shown, not only in our behavior, but also in our participation
or lack thereof in church business, ministry and functions. Your presence speaks volumes, but so does
your ___________!
Excerpts
from Pastor Manning:
HOJC CHURCH DEACON ORIENTATION
God
calls "a" leader
Abraham - Moses - Gideon - David - Peter -
Paul (etc.)
God
gives leaders to "the" leader
Joshua - Elisha
- Timothy - Silas (etc.)
Elders
and Deacons
Elder's
under Moses - Numbers 11
Elders
in the New Testament Church
The
ministry of Elders is to: Oversee and
shepherd the church (Acts 20:28)
1.The word deacon means, “ “ The first work
assigned to deacons in Acts 6 indicates a ministry of serving. They were
directed to oversee the ministry to widows so that the Apostles could give
their time to "prayer and the ministry of the word".
2.Deacons are to serve the
people of God and the ________ of the church. They serve the
elders by taking on _____________ that free the elders to make
use of their time in prayer and ministry of the word. They serve the people in
the place of elders where they are able to minister with effectiveness.
3.The office of deacon is
also a place of training for those who have the gifts to become
"elders".
Ø In I Timothy 3:13, Paul
says "For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a
good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus."
Ø Of the seven deacons chosen
in Acts 6, at least two, Steven and Phillip, become powerful preachers and evangelists.
4.The first deacons were
trained under the ministry of the Apostles (Acts 6). The qualifications for
deacons specified by the Apostles and further defined by the Apostle Paul in I
Timothy 3:8-13 are: People of excellent
character, wisdom, and full of the Holy Spirit
5.The result of the deacons
ministry in the book of Acts was: And the Word of God __________
and the number of the disciples multiplied _________..."
(Acts 6:7)
The Ideal: A TEAM FOR
MINISTRY: DEACONS AND ELDERS
Elders who are ministry people and have
Ephesians 4 ministry gifts. Elders have the respect of the church, and who are
committed to the Pastor's leadership. Elders who will work closely with the
pastor to help find the will of God and see the church move forward spiritually
as well as numerically and financially. Elders minister to the flock under the
Pastor's direction resulting in multiplied ministry.
Deacons are __________ to
the pastor and elders and to the people of the church. Deacons who are willing
to do every task in the church that they are capable of that will free the
pastor and elders to do their ministries. Deacons who know they are ____________
with the pastor and elders in seeing the church move forward for God.
As
stated above, a deacon's ministry is to serve. To serve well requires the _____________
of the Holy Spirit. Following is a list of responsibilities that deacons carry.
BE
AN EXAMPLE:
The entire congregation looks to the leadership of the church to be examples
for them to follow. We must be an example in the following ways:
WORSHIP: Are you a worshipper. Is is clear to all that you are in touch with God and are an
active worshipper.
FRIENDLINESS: Are you a friend to all or do you settle in
the same little group all the time. Do you model friendliness so that others
will follow your lead.
HOLINESS: Holiness is in the heart but flows out into
our talk, our actions, and our dress. Criticism and gossip are a contagious
cancer that will destroy the peace and joy of any church. Our dress must be
above reproach. The members will tend to dress one step below what we do.
WORK: We cannot be leaders without work. If the
elders and deacons don't exhibit a strong work example, it is not fair to ask
others to work.
1. A deacon must cease looking
at the church from a selfish individualistic view. A deacon must see the church
through the eyes of the ________. The church belongs to God and
we are only caretakers of it.
2. A deacon must also see the
church through the eyes of those he serves; an infant, an old timer, a new
convert, a young person, a single person, a child, etc.
3. Deacons must encourage
others to share their "view" of the church so as to broaden their
perspective and gain better understanding of problems that need solving.
1. One gains respect by giving _________.
Respect includes the following:
2. Listening carefully when
others talk. (Don't be thinking of what you are going to say next.)
3. Never belittle another
person's point of view. (You can introduce a completely opposite view by
saying: Have you given any thought to:___) or (From my perspective I see
this:___)
4. Recognizing that there are
many ways to look at a problem and many ways to provide a solution to a
problem. You will never see all sides of the problem or all sides of the
solution by _____________.
5. Be willing to increase your ______________
by adding the perspective of others to your own and finding better solutions
together than could be found alone.
6. Don't always rush to make
your view known before others have a chance to speak theirs.
7. Don't speak the first thing
that comes to mind. Think carefully through the matter so you can give valid
reasons to back up your perspective.
8. When the majority makes a
decision, be willing to ________ it with your full support and
help see it carried out.
9. Recognize that our
leadership is not a "________" to see who's ideas are
the best or to see who can dominate the others. Our leadership is a trust that
God has given us. We are a team that is working together to lead our church in
peaceful growth and productive ministry.
10. Realize our place of
leadership is only as great as our acts and ____________ of
servant hood.
11. Remember our rewards for
service will always be credited to us in heaven only if we do not serve for
earthly rewards.
In
order to serve well, one must be informed.
I want to take time to go over some things that some of you know, but
that all of us need to know. We are
going to review our church Vision.
Vision
of HOJC:
It
is a vision for the kingdom; not just for HOJC.
(See
attachment)