Acts 6 - Six Applications from the Seven Servants

Acts 6 – August 4

Here in Acts 6, we are introduced to the proto-deacons. Let me share six practical applications that we could all apply.

  1. Be a servant. Just because the deacons exist, it does not mean that you are exempt from ministering with your gifts. Just because you don’t have a title does not mean that you are not expected to care for the brothers and sisters around you. The deacons are not supposed to do all the work themselves, they are just responsible for organizing and ensuring that the work gets done. So, don’t increase their burden by being lazy. Seek to serve the body well with the gifts God has given to you. 
  2. Be available. The deacons will occasionally call on you to minister in some way. You may get a text from Ray requesting that you clean the church building on a particular weekend. You may get a phone call from Jean asking if you can visit someone in the hospital. Whenever a need arises and they call on you, please know that they have been deputized by our church to muster an army of prayer warriors and servants to the forefront of the ministry field.  
  3. Be proactive. Don’t wait for the deacons to reach out to you with ways to serve. Seek them out and ask them how you can get involved. People ask me sometimes what they can do to help, and my answer is, “I have no idea. You should ask the deacons.” Romans 12:10 Says, “Outdo one another in showing honor.” honoring a person looks like finding ways to care for them and serve them. 
  4. Be Prudent. By this I mean that you are called to be faithful to truly examine the deacon candidates. Do not just vote yes for the sake of it. Look for those who are Christlike. Truly consider the character of those you are asking to lead you. Do not nominate people if they fail to meet the standards set forth in Scripture. 
  5. Be Growing. Everyone in the church should be striving to meet the moral criteria set forth for deacons, whether they will ever be a deacon or not. The deacon’s role is to get the details and the mess of administrative details so that we can set our sights on the gospel without distraction. So, learn and grow and mature and carry your cross daily regardless of your title.
  6. Be Gospel-driven. We often talk about being gospel-centered at this church. That means that we orient all of our life around the reality of the gospel. But we must also be gospel-driven. By this I mean to say that you must be propelled to serve and pushed to love by this good news. A deacon is a servant. But there is no greater servant than Jesus Himself. He is the true prototype of one who came to give of Himself. He left the glory of heaven to experience the sufferings of earth. He left the comfort of his throne to endure the cruelty of the cross. He left the sinless city of heaven to be made sin for us. If you are in Christ, consider how He has served you. Although He has not washed your feet, He has done much more. He has washed your soul from filth much worse than dirt. Just like Lazarus, he went amongst the tombs to call you out of a grave. Jesus touched the leper and was not made unclean, but instead made the leper clean. Likewise, he has touched your soul and not been tainted with your sin, but has washed you white as snow. He has fed you with His Word. He has led you like a shepherd. He has bound up your broken heart. He has left you His own armor to wear. He has cultivated you to bear spiritual fruit. He has interceded on your behalf. He has led you through the valley of the shadow of death. He has given you spiritual gifts to use for the sake of the church. He has given you the Holy Spirit. He has united you with God the Father. What is our response to such a King that would humble Himself in this way? The only appropriate response is to be in awe of His love and worship Him with our lives. Let that be the fuel that propels your service to others.