SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/31/2017
10:31 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 The
Requirement
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 6:3
Message of the
verses: “3 “Therefore, brethren,
select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of
wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.”
In this section we are reading about the requirements of
the men that would be chosen for this task of leadership. I wrote in our last SD that I would quote
from John MacArthur’s commentary on his view of who this passage is speaking
about.
“The question arises as to whether these seven can be
properly viewed as the first official deacons.
They performed some functions of the later deacons, and forms of the
Greek word dikonos (deacon) are used
to describe their ministry (vv. 1-2).
Yet to view them in terms of a formal office is anachronistic (out of
date). Of the seven, only Stephen and
Philip appear elsewhere in Scripture, but they are never called deacons. Indeed,
Stephen’s later ministry was clearly that of an evangelist, as was Philip’s
(Acts 21:8). While Acts later refers to
elders (14:23; 20:17), there is no mention of deacons. That is strange, if the office of deacon
began in Acts 6. Further, all seven had
Greek names, implying that they may have been Hellenistic. It seems unlikely, however, that a permanent
order of deacons for the Jerusalem church would include no native Palestinian
Jews.
There are important principles in this passage for the
continuing life of the church. Here we
see that the congregation is to nominate certain spiritually qualified men to
serve, with the final appointment resting with those already in position as
teachers and spiritual leaders. Still,
it seems best to see the selection of these seven as the Jerusalem church’s
response to a temporary crisis. It
should be noted that the Greek word group from which our English word ‘deacon’
derives denotes service in general. Diakonos, diakoneo, and diakonia are used throughout the New Testament in a
general, nonspecific way (cf. Luke 4:39; 10:40; 17:8; 22:27; John 2:5, 9; 12:2;
Rom. 12:3-4; 15:25; 2 Cor. 8:3-4). Thus
their use in Acts 6 does not imply that the seven held the office of a
deacon. Significantly, when the church
at Antioch later sent famine relief to the Jerusalem church, no mention is made
of deacons (Acts. 11:29-30). Instead,
the relief was sent to the elders.
Stephen and Philip certainly did not continue long in this role, since
both became evangelists. And persecution
would shortly scatter the Jerusalem congregation (Acts. 8:1), ending the
ministry of the other five. God raised
them for a brief period of ministry, to handle a crisis. The continuing unity of the church shows the
effectiveness of their ministry. “
As I mentioned in our last SD it has to do with the
quality and godliness of people who are in leadership of the local church that
is important, more important than what they are called. I also mentioned that
the Lord has been using our church for 180 years and so I have to believe there
is something about it that causes Him to continue to use it to this day.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Double tongues” (1Timothy
3:8).
Today’s Bible
question: “According to Matthew 24, what
two classes of persons will show great signs and wonders in their deceptive
work?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/31/2017 10:54 AM
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