Setting the Conference in a Biblical Framework

The Purpose of the Deacons' Conference: Responding to a Call for Help

0:02 Now, by way of introduction, I have a fundamental concern that I want to address and clear up and then turn to the material that will constitute this opening devotional, which is really an attempt to set this conference in a biblical perspective. But the concern that I want to dispose of at the very outset is to respond to the question, why have we convened this deacon's conference? And the answer is quite simple. We're seeking to respond to the call for help which has come from many of you sitting here, and if not directly from you, from those in your assembly who are in the posture, of elders and overseers. It has been primarily the cry for help from the men who attend our pastor's conference that has led us to believe that there was need for a deacon's conference.

1:08 Mr. Davies and Pastor Barker have already responded to that cry for help in conducting brief half-day or one-day seminars in several churches, seeking to lay out some of the broad biblical perspectives relative to the diaconate and how it interfaces with the eldership and how a diaconate can function to the advancement of the work of God in any given area. And therefore, in the light of such a text as Proverbs 3.27, withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your power, and to respond to this call for help and direction that we had a stewardship and committed ourselves to that stewardship in terms of this particular conference. And so to state it negatively, we have not called this conference because we were looking for more work or because we feel we have all the power to do it. The answers and that we have arrived in both understanding and implementing all the biblical principles relative to the diaconate,

2:31 but because our church is a bit older and has been along the way a bit longer than a number of the emerging churches, apparently there's been a recognition that there are some things that God has taught us and enabled us to implement that would be of help to you. So basically, we have arrived in both understanding and implementing all the biblical principles relative to the diaconate, Basically, in response to the question why we're convening the Deacon's Conference, that is the beginning, middle, and end of the answer. Now then, having disposed of that matter, what I want to do is to set before you several very simple principles that I perceive in the Word of God, and I trust that as I lay them out, they will carry your consciences, that will help us to set these two days in a biblical framework. First of all, it is clear from the materials of the New Testament, and I believe all of us here would be agreed on this issue, that the Apostles gave a priority of emphasis to the establishment,

Apostolic Priority: Establishing the Eldership

3:45 of the eldership in setting in order the life, ministry, and government of the churches which came to birth under their evangelistic endeavors. In the book of Acts in particular, and in a secondary sense in the pastoral epistles and scattered throughout other New Testament epistles, we are able to glean something of what we might call, the pattern of apostolic priorities respecting the establishment of the order and life and ministry of the churches that came to birth under their evangelistic endeavors. Because the Apostles were the unique foundation stones in the permanent configuration of the new covenant community, Ephesians 2,

4:45 verse 20, it is crucial that we have a sense of what they perceived in their unique position as the divine priorities in the establishment of the churches. And in such text as Acts 14, 21 to 23, and Titus 1, 5, we have epitomizing statements with reference to the this apostolic priority of emphasis and concern with the establishment of an eldership in the newly founded churches. In Acts chapter 14, we have the record of how Paul and his companions made their way back through the cities, some of which had not treated them too kindly, but cities in which they had preached the gospel, in which the Spirit of God had made their witness effectual and had called together assemblies of Christ in those cities. And we read in verse 21 of Acts 14, And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples,

6:04 they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, confirming or strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on whom they had believed. And here I say is an epitomizing statement that as the apostles, came back through and met with these fledgling congregations, they had a dual ministry, one that focused upon the spiritual well-being of the individual believers in those assemblies, described as strengthening the souls of the disciples, and in so doing there was a dominant emphasis upon encouraging them to continue in the faith, and realistically apprising them that that continuance in the faith would be in the face of many tribulations.

7:26 So they had this concern in their so-called follow-up ministry to strengthen the individual believers, giving them a realistic assessment of what they could expect in their ongoing Christian experience in a hostile environment, and then with respect to the order and establishment of the churches, there was a priority of concern that they might leave in each place competent shepherds. These were sheep, vulnerable. They had already told them that through many tribulations they must enter the kingdom of God, that it was necessary. That it was necessary for them to continue in a path of persevering faith. And they recognized that in the purpose of God, the risen Christ would give to His church pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints unto works of service. And so there was a priority of concern that the sheep would not be left in that tragic state described in the Bible, described in the Bible, described in the Bible, described in the Bible, described in the Bible, described in Matthew chapter 9,

8:45 where we read that our Lord beheld men as sheep without a shepherd, distressed, scattered, as sheep are who have no shepherd to guide them, and therefore the apostles were concerned that these sheep would have shepherds to feed them the word of God, to guide them into the pasturage of God's own kingdom. And so there was a priority of concern given to the establishment of an eldership. Now that same perspective is reflected in Paul's letter to Titus.

9:40 As you know, Titus was sent to Crete. In order to help establish the fledgling churches in that island. And we read in verse 5, For this cause I left you in Crete, that you would set in order the things that were wanting or lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave you charge. And then he gives that, List of the requirements of both character and gift that are requisite for anyone to be recognized as an elder. But he's entirely silent with respect to the establishment of a diaconate. And we'll see why it is that in 1 Timothy chapter 3, we have not only a divinely given standard for elders, but also for deacons. But suffice it to say, this passage, clearly indicates that the apostolic priority focused upon the establishment of an eldership.

10:56 To the end that the sheep would not be shepherdless. To the end that the purpose of the risen Christ, as outlined in Ephesians 4, 11 and following, would be realized that God's assemblies would have pastors and teachers, through whose ministry, they would be brought to increased maturity, and spiritual stability, and unity. Now this pattern has been evident in the majority of our churches. Many of you represent church planting endeavors.

The Emergence of the Diaconate in Maturing Churches (Acts 6)

11:36 In other words, you come out of churches as the first generation leadership within those churches. First generation membership. God in his grace has, in recent years, caused many to seek out the old paths. And as a result of the resurgence of the discovery of those old paths, God has gathered together churches who are committed.

12:06 Many of you sitting here, formally committed in your own assembly to such older, proven doctrinal, traditional standards as the London Confession of 1689. And you have wrestled with this whole question of, how is it that God has chosen to bring the churches to greater stability and maturity? And rightly so, you have had a priority of concern for the establishment of a biblical eldership. And that issue has, been wrestled with at great length in many different ways.

12:51 And I say, reflects this apostolic priority. But now in the second place, it's also clear from the data of the New Testament, that maturing, growing churches confront the necessity for a functioning diaconate, if they are to maintain the biblical norms for the function of their eldership. Let me repeat that. It is also evident from the New Testament that maturing, growing churches confront the necessity for a functioning diaconate, if they are to maintain the biblical norms for the priorities of their eldership. And this, of course, is first seen historically in the Acts 6 passage. And for any of you who've confronted those who say that Acts 6 has no relationship to the abiding office in its more mature form that we identified as the office of a deacon,

14:11 I would commend to you the excellent treatment of the origin of the diaconate, and the fact that the diaconate in Bannerman's work, not the two-volume work of James Bannerman, but the one-volume work of Douglas Bannerman on the church, his section on the origins of the diaconate, and particularly his exposition of the Acts 6 passage, I believe is unanswerable in demonstrating that indeed the use most frequently made of this passage is a legitimate use. And here we have, at least in embryonic form, the development of the office of deacon and the establishment of a diaconate as a standing rule and purpose of Christ in his church. Now, in the interest of time, I'll not read the passage. I'll simply remind you that the setting of this was the growth and the increase of the church there in Jerusalem. And why?

15:15 Why? Why? Why? Why?

15:16 In those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, and it was this growth numerically of the church, and with that numerical growth, needs that were growing out of that growth. Here the particular needs were those of the widows, who having no social security checks coming, who having no social service system in place by the government, they were in a place of real need. And as the church sought to respond to that need, the priorities of the existing eldership, which at that time was the apostolate, the twelve apostles were there at Jerusalem and were functioning as elders. By the time we come to Acts 11, we find that there in that church, there is a body of elders emerging and in place alongside of the apostles. But at this point, the apostles are functioning as the local shepherds, as the local pastors and teachers.

16:33 Within that assembly. And what necessitated their wrestling with this whole issue that eventually becomes the diaconate, is that the divinely ordered priorities for these elders were being threatened. Notice, they say in verse 2, it is not fit, it is not pleasing, that we should forsake the word of God and serve. And so they suggest an expedient to the end, verse 4, that they might continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry or service or deaconing of the word. And the result was, verse 7, the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem. And the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem. Exceedingly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

17:43 So we see that in this crisis, there was a threatening of the divinely ordered priorities of the eldership. And that the diaconate emerged as an expedient under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order that those priorities might not be threatened. Now if we bring together the first principle that we've already articulated, that the apostles gave a priority of concern to the establishment of an eldership. And that as churches grew, it became necessary to establish a diaconate that the divinely ordered priorities of the eldership would not be undermined or threatened. I believe we can then...

Fairbairn's Explanation: Diaconate in Ephesus vs. Crete

18:36 See why, even in the pastoral epistles, we find in the directives of Paul to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 3, that he assumes that Timothy, in carrying out the will of God through apostolic directives in the church at Ephesus, would be concerned with deacons, whereas in Paul's directives to Titus, there is no mention of deacons in conjunction with the churches in Crete. And having come to my own convictions about that matter in recent days, I turn to my good friend Patrick Fairbairn and his masterful exposition of the pastoral epistles, and listen to what Fairbairn says relative to this very point. The other thing to be noticed is that while deacons are named heathens, here, that is, in 1 Timothy 3, as a class of officers familiarly known, requiring no description as to their distinctive place and duties, no mention is made of them in the epistle to Titus. Had the inverse order been adopted, the matter would have been inexplicable.

19:57 But as it is, the difference may be regarded as an evidence of genuineness and mutual love. The passage of the epistle to Titus, in fact, is a case of unprofessional interdependence. It naturally arose out of the diverse position and circumstances of the churches in the regions, respectively, of Crete and Ephesus. Crete, where Titus had been left to complete the arrangements originated by the apostles, appears to have been but recently visited by the Gospel.

20:32 And, in ecclesiastical matters, it appears to be the same. Crete, where Titus had been left to complete the arrangements originated by the apostles, appears to have been but recently visited by the Gospel. everything was as yet in a state of comparative infancy. In Christian communities so small, the simplest possible organization would be sufficient.

20:50 In most cases, indeed, all that was practicable. A beginning must be made, as elsewhere, with a few respectable elders in each assembly. And then he quotes Acts 14.23.

21:07 At Ephesus, however, and in the larger towns of Asia Minor, the churches had already grown into large communities, and inferior as well as superior officers were required, as previously in the church at Jerusalem, for the proper distribution and management of its affairs. The distinct place, therefore, assigned to deacons here is perfectly in keeping with the historical circumstances of the time. It is the only occasion on which they are formally discoursed of in St. Paul's writings, but in epistles of considerably earlier date, they are incidentally noticed as an existing order. And then he quotes Romans 12.7, 1 Corinthians 12.28, and, more specifically, Philippians 1 and verse 1.

The Diaconate in a Mature Church (Philippians 1)

22:11 And that text, of course, is a watershed text, as the apostle, sitting in his house arrest at Rome, thinks of the situation back at Philippi and envisions that congregation. What is the configuration of that congregation? Philippians 1. Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, he envisions the church as a company of saints, those who have been set apart unto God from the world, called out by the gospel, who are in vital union with Christ Jesus. He envisions what we call, what we call, a gathered church. A church comprised of true believers who are in vital union with Christ. But now notice, with the overseers and deacons.

23:22 Now that the Philippian church had developed into what we would call a larger, more useful church, with many strands of stewardship, is evident from the, the Philippian letter itself. For in that letter, Paul speaks of the unique place of the Philippian church in supporting the missionary endeavors of the apostle Paul. He mentions in chapter 4, the recent visit of Epaphroditus, with the gift that he brought from the church at Philippi, in order to supply Paul's temporal needs. So that in these materials, scanty and compared with other materials with respect to other subjects addressed in the word of God, I do believe God has given us sufficient data to see that in the maturation of the churches, as they grow numerically, and as they grow in the stewardship of gospel responsibility, there emerges a need for another class, a class of officers,

24:36 whose function will be so ordered as to preserve the integrity of the divinely revealed job description of the overseers. It is perfectly proper for an elder to do diaconal service. For our Lord Jesus, who is the chief shepherd of the flock, said, I am among you as he, he that serves. And it was he who washed the disciples' feet, who said, I came not to be deaconed, to be ministered unto, but to deacon, to minister, and to give my life a ransom for many. And while there is nothing beneath the dignity of an overseer to be involved in various diaconal ministries, yet the needs of a growing church, in terms of spiritual oversight, and the ministry of the Word of God, and prayer are such that if those priorities are undermined, there will be a weakening of the cause of God and of truth. And so Christ, in his constant nurturing and cherishing of his church,

Conclusion: The Diaconate as a Sign of Maturity and God's Blessing

25:58 wisely provided in the unfolding of the development of ministry, healing, of the churches under apostolic guidance this second permanent standing office for his churches namely the office of deacon now let me say then in conclusion as i have been privileged to see what god has done in the past 30 years in calling many back to the old paths of a more biblical understanding of the gospel and the theology of the reformation and to god-centered worship i have also seen that many like the apostle paul have had this burden to see god raise up in the assemblies competent spiritual leadership and god has been pleased to do that but as that leadership has has has given itself to its god described tasks the blessing of god has so rested upon those endeavors that there has been a proliferation of responsibilities and opportunities which if the overseers

27:17 who are to be set apart to labor in the word and in doctrine were to undertake it would undermine their distinctive god-given job description and so we should rejoice that such a conferences this has been necessary because it indicates a mach Range amongst archers a mach phones and judgment which dog eating sloat about indeed all the way and it is all and we should have no sense of guilty hi etzick enough till the hotel that we're really alright leave with the issue of the docking it there's no doubt that we're really as seriously as we earlier wrestled with the issue of eldership? I answer, we're simply following the apostolic pattern as recorded in the Word of God. But if we did not wrestle with it now, then the work of God would suffer. And so I trust, brethren, we meet, not with any great sense that this is some watershed day in human history, but with a sense of great encouragement that within the little circle of our own influence and opportunities for the cause of Christ in our generation, what we are seeing is Christ, the head of the church, who nurtures and cherishes his church,

28:42 bringing the churches to greater corporate maturity, and thereby causing us to wrestle with this subject of the church, the diaconate to the end, that Christ's glory may be more fully revealed in the churches, and that his work will go forward, and that the Word of God will increase greatly in our own day, and that there would be surprising conversions, even as we read in Acts 6 and verse 7, God's approval upon that divinely directed expedient of the initiation of the diaconate under the guidance of the apostles. Well, let's pray and ask that God will use these few thoughts that I've sought to lay out before you to give us a real sense of commitment and expectancy to the hours that we'll be privileged to spend together today, and God willing, again tomorrow.

29:45 Father, we are so thankful that we have your Word as a lamp unto our feet and a light to our pathway. And we thank you that as we have sought to wrestle with this whole question of why it is that there has been this groundswell of desire to think more deeply and thoroughly and practically concerning the deacon and the diaconate, we thank you that your Word encourages us to believe that we are being led by your Holy Spirit and that we are being guided by the Scriptures. We do pray that your blessing will rest upon all of our time together, the formal sessions, our informal interaction one with another. O Lord, grant that not one moment shall fall to the ground unused to our prophet and to the benefit of the churches we represent. Hear us, we plead, in Jesus' name. Amen.