A must read regarding Deacons and their purpose…
Recently, or perhaps is best to say, today, Dr. Russell Moore posted an article in His blog, regarding Deacons and this question: “Is a Deacon just a Servant?”
The points he makes are clear and very good. In the Men’s Bible Study here at Grace Community Church in Bowling Green KY, we have been studying 1 Timothy and are in Timothy 3 at this point. So this should help us think even more about Deacons and who they are.
Dr. Moore answers the question in this way:
Some have asked if I believe deacons are “just to be servants,” not leaders in the congregation. Now, first of all, there’s no such thing for followers of Christ as a category of “just a servant.” Servanthood is not menial. Our Lord Jesus himself is the servant of all, and is thus Emperor of the universe.
and he adds
Beyond that, the “just a servant” question misses a key point. The question is not whether a deacon serves (the very meaning of the word, along with the biblical task assigned, makes that clear). The question is how he serves. When deacons appear in the biblical narrative, it is because the Spirit prompts the apostles to ask the congregation to choose men who meet certain qualifications. They don’t simply place a title on those who are currently serving. Instead, the Spirit mandates men who are “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3).
He elaborates more in who are the Deacons?
If deacon were simply a synomym for “servant,” then every member of the church would be a “deacon,” because every member of the church is called and gifted to serve one another (Eph 4:1-16; 1 Cor 12:4-27). Deacons serve, but as they do so they equip the rest of the Body to serve.
I would recommend for you to read his post. You can read the full post here
Worship Challenge II: The focus of our worship.
As we continue to study about worship, the more we read in the Bible about God’s authentic worship, the more I realize the challenges that are presented to us as we lead the congregation in the worshiping of our Lord through music.
Last post we talked on the importance of recognizing “Who is the real and only sacrifice that is accepted in the worship of our Lord”.
The next challenge is this: If we do not recognize that Jesus is the focus of our worship, we are not only successful in deceiving ourselves, but others as well.
Romans 1:25. Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. ESV
We need to make sure that our worship leads people to Jesus Christ because He is the only one who can reconcile those God has called to himself. Then our worship is naturally evangelistic.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6
” 5For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” ESV
As we lead people to worship our Lord the Christ, I hope and pray that He grants us the ability to understand the great privilege that its ours to participate in this ministry.
Let me encourage you to keep your eyes on the right focus, so we can all lead effectively and that we can continue to plant His good news.
CR