[Anglican Communion 11 November 2019] Topic: Ministry Helpers
READ:Â 1 Timothy 3:8-16 (NKJV)
8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money,
9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.
11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;
15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
THE MESSAGE:
Paul, in today’s passage, sets out what is expected of a deacon and his household by the Church of God. A deacon must be temperate and blameless in character (verses 8-10). A deacon’s wife is expected to be temperate, serious, faithful, and not a slanderer (verse 11). His marriage must be monogamous and his family must be exemplary in good behaviour (verse 12). A deacon or deaconess helps pastors in their work and care for the needy in the Church (especially for the widows, the ill and the poor, according to Acts 6:2-4). This corresponds to voluntary Church workers in our contemporary time, in our Church.
Today, inasmuch as you are actively involved in Church programmes in one way or the other by your calling or gift, you have been called to serve in your local congregation or assembly as a help to your pastor. Many voluntary Church workers fail to realize that God has chosen them to function as a help to their pastors or congregation. They feel that since they are not specially commissioned or ordained, they are not valued as deacons or assistant pastors. Areas in which God raises help for pastors in the Church include: Bible Study teaching, Children Sunday School, ministering in songs, leading prayer meetings, service helpers, etc. If you have been involved in one or more areas as mentioned above, you therefore need to imbibe the character of a pastor’s helper (deacon) as described in the passage. This is because God may later decide to call you to a higher office in His vineyard, then you will not be found wanting.
PRAYER: Dear God, help me to live up to Your expectations in my life in Jesus name.
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