Christ Esteemed Servanthood / Looking at the Office of Deacon

by David Shannon

The word deacon in Greek diakonos, dee-ak'-on-os probably from an obsolete diako (to run on errands; compare 1377); an attendant, i.e. (genitive case) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specially, ):--deacon, minister, servant.

It is the same word in Greek translated �servant� in Matthew 23:11 "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.�
We all are to be servants. In Christ�s day the religious leaders seldom believed this. They believed leaders were to be served, not serve. Christ came challenging this thought. During the last Passover the apostles argued about which of them would be the greatest, reflecting the mindset of the day. Jesus called them to a higher standard of living as He said, �The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves� ( Luke 22:25-26).
Even leaders must have a servant�s heart and life if they are Christians.
However, it is true that the role of a servant does differ. There are some men who will serve as a �deacon.� Men who are to serve as deacons have certain qualifications which the Lord says �must� be met in order to fulfill the role. They are listed in First Timothy 3:8-13. Think how strange it would have sounded to the religious or even non-religious of their day to hear for the first time�an office of a servant. To many this would have been contradictory terms. Never before had serving others been esteemed so highly as when Jesus came to this earth!
The role of a deacon is to lead service. We see a parallel to this when the infant church, which was led by apostles, was asked to select seven men �whom we may appoint over this business� of providing for the daily needs of widows ( Acts 6). The apostles needed men who would be �over the business� of taking care of the widows. They surely led many other members in this good work.
Deacons at Mt. Juliet are also asked to commit to leading a ministry. They will be responsible for their ministry under the oversight of the elders. They will also be expected to involve willing members to work in their ministry. Our goal is to have every member serving their Lord through service. To do this we need many deacons leading these works. Pray that men who will be selected as deacons will successfully lead others to greater service. That is what godly leaders do.

50 Days of Prayer to create a greater humility within us!

• Deacon Selection: Some qualified Men Proposed, Other Qualified Men are Not! -Jul 29, 2001