Heeding The Call To Serve The Church

1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NIV)
¹  Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, 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.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 (NIV)
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 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.

1.     Moral Qualities Of A Deacon

·         Worthy of respect

·         Sincere

·         Not indulging in much wine

·         Not pursuing dishonest gain

·         The husband of one wife

·         Manages his children and household well

2.     Moral Qualities Of A Deacon’s Wife

1 Timothy 3:11 (NIV)
¹¹  In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

·         Worthy of respect

·         Not malicious talker

·         Temperate

·         Trustworthy in everything

3.     Spiritual Qualities Of A Deacon

Acts 6:1-7 (NIV)
¹  In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
²  So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
³  Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
⁴  and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."
⁵  This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
⁶  They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
⁷  So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

·         Full of the Holy Spirit

·         Full of wisdom

·         Full of faith

4.     The Reward Of Faithful Service

1 Timothy 3:13 (NIV)
¹³  Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)
¹²  "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything.

1 Corinthians 8:7-13 (NASB)
⁷  However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
⁸  But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.
⁹  But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
¹⁰  For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
¹¹  For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.
¹²  And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
¹³  Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.