Deacons Ministry

THE OFFICE OF DEACON IN THE CHURCH

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

The deacons and deaconesses of Brockton Tabernacle Church are called by God as servants.

1. Acts of the Apostles Chapter 6 verses 1 to 7
2. First Epistle to Timothy Chapter 3 verses 8 to 13
3. The institution of deacons (Acts 5)
Three qualifications are mentioned:
1. A good testimony. The men and women who are called to the office of deacon or deaconess are people to whom we bear good testimony. These are “honorable people.” “But that’s not all.
2. Full of the Holy Spirit. The deacon is a spiritual person, that is, one who puts the affairs of God first and does not take lightly what God says and asks in his Word. Being full of the Holy Spirit does not mean being full,like a bottle (and therefore sealed …), but letting the Spirit shape us day after day, fill and overflow us. A spiritual Christian most certainly wants to become like him, to follow his example.
3. Full of wisdom. Those called to practical functions in the Church must be wise, indeed have a “practical” spirit! Don’t go into businesses when you know you don’t have the capacity, for example. The exercise of one’s own gifts has a place here. Not everyone is called to be Church a worship team leader, for example.

Here are the characteristics of the deacon according to 1 Timothy:

1. Respectable.
2. Away from duplicity. Duplicity is the fact of being double; someone whose attitude and speech is different depending on whom he is speaking to or when he is speaking.
3. Away from excess wine, it seemsobvious that wine is not forbidden, but reason must prevail.
4. Away from shameful gains. Any illegal activity or source of “shameful” gain is not suitable for a Christian. This includes any income derived from the abusive exploitation of the work of others and any dishonest or unethical activity.
5. Our deacons must not only know the truth but also live by that faith in all aspects of their lives.
6. BTC understands that our deacons are human; theymust do their best to live a blamelesslifestyle before God and mankind.
7. Deacons must be married to one wife. To be blameless in the marital area seems important, indeed.
8. They should run their children and their own home.