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TEXT: Proverbs 11:24, 22:7
SUBJECT: Studies in the Diaconate #4
This evening brings us to the fourth sermon in our study of deacons. Over the last three weeks, we have looked at them directly. We saw, for example, what deacons are, how they are chosen, and what their qualifications must be. Now, we'll look at the deacons by indirect light.
Let me begin by reminding you of what deacons are and what they do. Deacons are "agents of Christ's mercy". They show His mercy in various ways, of course, but especially by disbursing church funds to help needy saints. For proof, see Acts 6:1-7.
As "agents of Christ's mercy", deacons must spend the Lord's money in the Lord's way. He would have it spent generously, but not foolishly. These are the two lines between which all deacons must serve. Every deacon must be generous. No deacon may be foolish. If we think of the diaconate as a football team, some of the players will run to the right, some to the left, and some up the middle--but they all have to stay in bounds.
The deacon must be generous. "There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty". The inspired sage describes two rich men he has known.
One is generous--"he scatters". He lends money to the poor and supplies the destitute with alms. When a good cause needs funding, he's there to provide it. He has money, but he doesn't love it. He uses money for the good of others. This results--not in his bankruptcy--but in his "increase". The more he give away, the more he has. Why? "The blessing of the LORD makes rich" says 10:22.
The other man is stingy--"he withholds more than right". Where does it get him? "It only leads to poverty". Thomas Scott comments: "Seldom does he prosper much even in the world. For God metes out to men in their own measure; and bad crops, bad debts, expensive sickness, and a variety of similar deductions, soon amount to far more than liberal alms would have done". This is not always true. Some cheapskates prosper financially. But at a frightful cost to their souls. "Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which down men in destruction and perdition", I Timothy 6:9.
Deacons must "scatter" the Lord's money. They must be liberal in helping others financially--and happy about it. "Now concerning the ministering to the saints...let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver", I Corinthians 9:1,7.
How do we know if one will be generous in the office of a deacon? I Timothy 3:10 makes it clear: "But let these also first be proved". If a man is generous with his own money, he'll be generous with the church's money. If he's cheap with personal funds, he'll be a tightwad with church funds too.
And so, in thinking about a man for the diaconate, ask yourself: "Is he generous?" If so, put him on your list of candidates. If not, cross him off. He can be in the church, of course. But not a deacon. This office is reserved for men who feel for others and want to relieve their needs. The words--first spoken to the 70--apply to deacons as well: "Freely you have received, freely give".
The deacon must not be foolish. "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender".
The man of this passage is foolish in the spending of his money. He has borrowed so much as to have nothing left for collateral but himself. Consequently, he becomes the lender's indentured servant to work himself out of debt. Whether he's lazy, covetous, or careless, we don't know. But we do know this: he is now enslaved to his creditors.
At this point, I must say something about debt. All debt is not created equal. Three distinctions are necessary:
1.The cause of the debt. Some debts are innocent. Job, for example, lost everything through no fault of his own. How could he have foreseen or prepared for the events that wiped him out in a day? Modern examples include losing a job, catastrophic illness, natural disaster, and so on. Other debts are self-induced. I mentioned the causes before: laziness, covetousness, and carelessnes.
2.The nature of the debt. One's mortgage debt is much different than his credit card debt. The former is worth something. The latter is nearly worthless. To owe $50,000 on your house makes you a shrewd investor. To owe $50,000 on your credit card makes you a "servant to the lender".
3.The duration of the debt. To be in debt is one thing, to stay in debt is another. One may be an investment or a mistake. The other is a way of life.
And so, when I speak of a deacon not being in debt, I mean a specific kind of debt, one that is self-induced, foolish, and more-or-less permanent.
Why does this disqualify a man from the diaconate? Not because I say so. But because: If a man can't handle his own money, how can he care for church funds? To return to I Timothy 3:10, "Let these also first be proved". Do we want the church to be enslaved by debt? If not, don't elect the slaves of debt to spend its money!
This is the Lord's way of spending money: freely, not foolishly. As "agents of Christ's mercy", this is how deacons must behave financially. But where are such men? Can they be found? Yes they can be. Where? In Christ. Let us seek His provision. Will He come through?
"My God shall supply all of your needs,
according to His riches in glory
by Christ Jesus".
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