DAILY WORD 10/15/20

12. A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well.

13. Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 3:12–13 NLT

Today’s passage echoes what we have already established both in this Book and in past Commentaries about Christian Leaders as far as their family relationships go and in addition, goes even further, to comment on the effect of the Office if properly executed.

To be considered for the Office of Deacon, or the “Servant of the Pastor”, an individual must be Serious, Straight Talking, Honest, Sober, Good with Money, Full of Integrity, Faithful, and Blameless.

However, they must also display the ability to keep their household under control as well. Paul adds another distinct wrinkle to this particular Trait. They must be “the husband of one wife.” This is to indicate a ban on polygamous relationships, perhaps to prove that the individual can be Loyal and Single-Minded.

Paul goes on to add that they must be able to manage their children as well. The entire household must be under subjection to their rule so that they will indeed remain blameless before the Church and the World.

Paul then changes his focus from the Traits and Standards that a Deacon should portray to the effect that these Traits will have if the individual in question displays them all well and executes the Office effectively.

Paul says that the work that a Deacon will put into all of these things will undoubtedly garner them the reward of Respect and as the KJV states it, “a Good Degree”. He also tells Timothy that these Traits will have a secondary effect. They will foster “Great Boldness in the Faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

So, if a candidate for the Office of Deacon maintains all of these Standards and can execute the Office effectively the net result is Respect and Boldness in the Faith, both of which can be utilized to better execute the Leadership duties that they have been assigned.

We can see the sequence of progression here as it comes to Christian Leadership. If one set of criteria are met to an acceptable degree then the next stipulations can be achieved. Once that all comes to fruition, then the final results will be success. However, one must first be accomplished before getting to the other. Again, there are no half steps in this process.

It is like Salvation itself; first, you must Repent, then be Baptized, only then can you receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. It all comes with the proper steps. This is the Lesson I take away from this Passage; everything has stages. In order to complete the Journey, you must take the Proper Steps. That includes Christian Leadership.

The Office of Pastor and Deacon complement each other as the support that one provides to the other augments the effort put in. They are Complimentary Offices, one benefiting from the other as the obligations of the Church are completed.

Have a Thought-Provoking Thursday and Stay Safe out there!

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