“Deacons –The Original Pattern”

“And in those days, when the number of he disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them, and said, it is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.   Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.  And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people” (Acts 6:1-8).

      We will start out taking under consideration the three primary “qualities” of the man chosen to fill the office of deacon; starting with the first one, which is that a deacon must be a man of an “honest report.” The Greek word that is translated in the KJV as “honest report” is the Greek word “martureo,” (mar-too-reh'-o) which means to be a witness. This is where we get our English word “martyr.” As we search the scriptures, we find that this word is used no less than twenty-five times in the New Testament meaning “to bear witness.” In Hebrews 11:2, we find that “the elders obtained a good report,” meaning that people who knew them spoke of their good and upright qualities. In the very same chapter we find that these were those who had “obtained a good report though faith,” (Heb. 11:39). The word literally means, “To affirm that someone has seen or heard or experienced something that good in quality or manner.”

            No matter what a man may say about himself, if people outside of the church cannot or will not say good things about him, he may not be a good candidate for a deacon. A man’s character ought to be blameless so as to not bring about harm to the Church of Christ.  The general opinion of him and his character should be at least favorable concerning his personal conduct, not only at and around the church membership, who respect or admire him, but above and beyond what are the facts of his conduct outside of the church? Not hearsay, but facts. For example, if he has a proven record of not paying his debts, or is known to frequent places that are of ill reputation. This would without a doubt bring dishonor to Christ and His church.

            I want to add here that there may be times when it is right to defy public opinion, especially when it is from those who hate our Lord and would falsely defame His name and His servants.  That’s the very reason that Paul tells us in 1st Timothy 3:10, “let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.”

Second, a deacon must be “full of the Holy Ghost.” The word “full” occurs many times in the scriptures.  Stephen was a “man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.”  He gave his life to the cause of the gospel of Christ (Acts 6:59-60).  Luke tells us that Jesus was “full of the Holy Ghost” (Luke 4:1).  John tells that the Word of God was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  In addition, Barnabas was “full of the Holy Ghost and of faith” (Acts 11:24).

What does it mean to be full of the Holy Ghost? Does it mean a spiritual quantity like one part faith and two parts Holy Ghost? Or does it refer to a spiritual quality? Yes and as I said before this most certainly must refer to a “quality” and not a “qualification,” a quality as in their character and sincere zeal for the cause of Christ and His church. The word “full” is the Greek word “pleres” (play'-race), which means, “to be covered in every part, thoroughly permeated with, complete and lacking nothing.” This refers to his whole being; his wholeheartedness, his total and complete dedication to Christ and His Kingdom Church.

            No man ought to be considered, much less be placed within the office of deacon who is not growing in his spiritual and personal outlook. A man without a stable and mature spiritual outlook would quickly become a curse and not a blessing to the church where he is expected to serve, and as has been the case from time to time a deadly foe to the advancement of the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour. There can be much harm and despair that come to those who carelessly move to select and place a man who is without this important quality.

The men who are called to the office must be men who are first and foremost spiritual men. Their focus must be to “seek first the Kingdom of God’ (the Church) ‘and His’ (Jesus Christ) ‘righteousness,” as it is in keeping with the Lord’s commandment in Matthew 6:33. This must be firmly established from the start; real and true spirituality is to be found first, not in words, but in a personal and living relationship between the man being considered and the Holy Ghost, of which can be clearly viewed in his walk and manner of life.

Third, a deacon must be full of “wisdom.” The English word “wisdom” comes from the Greek word “sophia” (sof-ee'-ah), and it refers to a wisdom that comes from God Himself, of whom James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). We find this expression no less than fifty-one times in the New Testament.  Luke tells us that the child Jesus that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus Christ is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). This wisdom has a twofold meaning, first, and primarily it refers to that which can only be borne in a relationship with God the Holy Ghost. Secondly, it refers to that one who is wise to the way and manner of the world and its corruption. He understands the words of the Apostle Paul when He tells the church at Galatia, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump,” (Gal. 5:9). 

It’s only in this relationship with God that men are able to make wise choices, and that’s because they are wisely led. I will add here that learned men are not necessarily wise men. What is required in a deacon is “wisdom” of a highest spiritual order.

                                                                             Elder Thomas McDonald

A Giant Prophecy

            One of the most recognizable stories in the Old Testament tells of the lad who slayed the giant Goliath. All Israel feared before the huge Philistine and only young David was brave enough to step forward without armor, place his trust in the Lord, and, armed with only a sling and five smooth stones face the giant for the armies of Israel.

            The giant fell at the faith of the young sheepherder with the speed of one stone.  And that’s all most people will admit to know about the story.

          1Sa 17:40 - :54 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling [was] in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.  And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield [went] before him.

And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was [but] a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.  And the Philistine said unto David, [Am] I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

            Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.  

            And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang [it], and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but [there was] no sword in the hand of David.

            But after the giant falls, the future king does something strange. 

            Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.  And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.  And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

            The chasing was over, but now David has a special mission.  He is going to Jerusalem – unfriendly territory - carrying the head of the giant.  Let’s put this trip into perspective. David had no business in Jerusalem, for he himself would rule from Hebron for the first seven years of his reign. 2Sa 2:11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.  (Jerusalem had not been conquered yet.) He left his armour in his tent, so he wasn’t on a military mission.  Perhaps he was following the instruction of inspiration.

            He could have had no other purpose at that age to travel to Jerusalem except to fulfill a mission related to the head of the giant.  We don’t know for certain what David did in Jerusalem, but we can draw some conclusions by what we read.  The head of the giant has no value or use to David, unless he intends to put it on pike and start trouble.  And as it is a head – that is, still with flesh and hair and parts, we must assume it won’t last in its present state for long.  Third, we never hear mention of it again, so David must have disposed of it in Jerusalem.  We conclude he buried it on the Lord’s instructions, else wise, he could have just thrown it away anywhere.

            That wasn’t to be David’s last encounter with giants. 

          Jos 13:12 All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.

          Jos 15:8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same [is] Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of Hinnom westward, which [is] at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

          1Ch 20:4-8 And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, [that was] of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.  And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff [was] like a weaver's beam.  And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of [great] stature, whose fingers and toes [were] four and twenty, six [on each hand], and six [on each foot]: and he also was the son of the giant But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.  These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

            This may be the last of the race of giants in the land, for indeed, they are never mentioned again in Israel’s history, thanks to the sword of David. 

            Remember this prophetic warning to Satan?

          Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

            What possible reason could we have to bring Satan into this?  From the time of the prophetic statement above until David’s final slaying of the giants, Satan has not appeared in scripture. David lived and reigned about 1000 years before Christ.  If we take the order of Scriptures from Genesis chronologically, that puts the timing of this appearance nearly 3000 years after the garden.  Regardless, this is Satan’s first mention by name since the fall of Adam.  How interesting that soon after the last of the giants is eliminated. Satan appears. What about that event was so significant to provoke his wrath?

            There are many opinions about how this race of giants came to be, and we won’t entertain that here, but regardless of what you think about their origin, here’s an indisputable fact:  Their demise brought on the ire of Satan, and it was targeted against the very man who took the race off the face of the earth.

          1Ch 20:8 These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

          1Ch 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

            Numbering, in and of itself is not a violation of God’s law.  Indeed, in 2nd Samuel 24:1 we read: "And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah."   Improper numbering, however, is a violation.  The Lord gives instructions in Exodus on how to properly number.

Exd 30:11 - 16  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when [thou] numberest them.  This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel [is] twenty gerahs:) an half shekel [shall be] the offering of the LORD.  Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.  The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when [they] give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.  And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.      

Atonement money.  Because numbering implies ownership, there must be something to point to the true owner.  A token showing those numbered stand in need of a ransom for their souls; something that points to a savior and salvation.  David sinned by not following the instructions of the Lord in how to number and in not taking the atonement money.  He knew better, for he had properly numbered Israel before.  Satan stood up against David and provoked him to number Israel.  This was Satan’s rage and revenge against David.  But what would make him so angry?  David found himself in great disfavor with the Lord for the way in which he had numbered Israel, but he had also handed Satan a tremendous defeat.  

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.                                  

If – and we must speculate here- if the giants had a kinship of some description to Satan, if they belonged somehow to Satan, then the elimination of their kind would be a crushing blow.  But the prophecy quoted in Genesis belongs to Christ.  

Fast forward now, to the day of the crucifixion.   The place described thusly in the New Testament by three writers:     

Mat 27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,  

Mar 15:22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.  

  Jhn 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called [the place] of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:                                                             

A well known site – the place of a skull.  Singular.  I wonder how such a location came to earn its name?  Goliath of Goth.  Some claim the hill has the appearance of a skull.  I say, here a little, there a little.                                                                              

David, a figure of Christ, brought the victory over the physical race of giants.  Christ brought the final victory over the entire spiritual reign. Did David fulfill a prophetic mission when he carried the skull to Jerusalem?  Did he bury it at the place now known as Golgotha?  Can you see the feet of Christ on the cross standing over the head of the serpent?  What giants are left in your life?  We can count on the Lord to crush them.     

                                                                                   Brother Royce Ellis

Notes on Matthew

Chapter 2 Part 6

Fulfillment of Prophecies 

            Throughout the gospels we see several Old Testament Prophecies fulfilled.  In Chapter 2 there are at least five Old Testament prophecies fulfilled:

            1.  2:5 "And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."

Micah 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

            2.  2:15 "And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son."

Hos. 11:1 "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt."

            3.  2:17 "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."

Jere. 1:15 "Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not."

            4.  2:23 "And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."  This was spoken by the Old Testament prophets, but was not written by the Old Testament prophets, but revealed to us here.

            5.  2:1 "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem."

Ps. 68:29 "Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee."

Ps. 72:10 "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts."

                                                                           Elder Vernon Johnson