A Biblical Look at Deacons

[Mark H. Stevens, Th.D]

Apostles chose men they called “Deacons” which is translated “Servant-Ministers”, these men where responsible for the physical aspects of the ministry while the Apostles devoted themselves to prayer and preaching the Word of God. Two of the Deacons were responsible for an explosion of spiritual growth for the Early Church. Philip was a Deacon, but he also was anointed to be an Evangelist. Today we would consider Deacon and Evangelist two separate offices or ministries, but the Word makes no such distinction. There are many people in the Body of Christ anointed to function in one of the five-fold ministries and they may NEVER be ordained or recognized by man (The Local Church). I find that too many of our churches are filled with people that are NOT allowed to function in their office because of control freaks in the pulpits called PASTORS!
Phillip was led by the Holy Ghost to minister to the Ethiopian Eunuch, which led to the Gospel being spread in Africa. Philip led by the Spirit went to Samaria and preached JESUS. Devils were cast out and people healed by a DEACON! Imagine in some of our churches today if a Deacon decided to go off and minister without first checking with his pastor? Even if he did check in with the pastor, many of our pastor would tell the Deacon, wait until he got a ministers license or ordination papers, or they would accuse the Deacon of being overzealous or out of line for trying to be a minister. Well I have news for you Pastors…Deacons ARE ministers! When I was a Deacon I was only 22 years old, I was also called to be an Evangelist. I went out on the streets on Song Tan City, South Korea and witnessed and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had brothers try and tell me I should get the Pastors OK before I did this, well what they didn’t know was I DID! He didn’t think it was safe! SAFE?!?! Since when is ministry, true ministry ever SAFE! I went out by myself initially, until the Lord saved my roommate and we both would go out and win souls. I was a Deacon and my roommate was a new convert. Many souls came to the Lord because we were obedient to the Lord.
Now I am NOT advocating rebellion, but as Peter said in Acts, “I must obey God NOT man!” Too many of our Pastors refuse to see the need for outreach and evangelism in the church, they think if they “have church”, folks will come. Jesus said GO in the hedges and highways and COMPELL men to come to HIM! You can’t compel ANYONE from a pulpit or a pew!
Phillip only called for assistance when he realized the new converts needed a pastor, Pastors and Evangelist have to work hand in hand, and they need each other like a center needs a good point guard. Remember Magic Johnson? Someone asked him why was he was as successful as a player, he said I utilized my Big Man and I got the whole team involved! Magic and Kareem were like a well oiled machine, Magic never thought about himself first but the team first, that means self sacrifice and sharing the glory. Too often immature and insecure pastors don’t want to do either! Pastors are like point guards in that they have to see the big picture and include EVERYBODY in order to secure VICTORY!
Acts 6:1 "And in those days, when
the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of
the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected
in the daily ministration."

We see, here, the church growing to a large number. As long as
the church was small and they each were greatly needed, they were all
pulling in one direction. They were working for a common cause. Now
that the number has gotten so large, there is murmuring. Some of the
Greeks think the Hebrew widows are being cared for better than the
Greeks. It seems that the early church was very concerned about the
needs of widows. Many times widows lived in the church and prayed for
the church. In I Timothy 5:9, Paul tells them to not take a widow
under 60 years.

Acts 6:2 "Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples
[unto them], and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word
of God, and serve tables."

These twelve disciples who seemed to be the leaders of all the
rest are explaining that they should not be encumbered by trying to
see to the needs of all of these widows. The man or woman of God
ministering has enough to do staying in the Word of God and bringing
spiritual guidance to the people. Some one else should see to the
financial responsibilities of the church. If they have to stop and
see to the physical needs of the people, they will not be able to care
for their spiritual needs.

Acts 6:3 "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."

Seven, as we have said before, means spiritually complete. We see
that these seven were to be men who were very close to God. They must
be wise men to take care of the finances of the body of Christ. They
must be honest and of good report. This is one of the Scriptures used
when churches choose seven deacons to raise the finances of the
church. Many people want to be a deacon of the church until they
learn that the deacons are really responsible for the financial needs
of the church.

Acts 6:4 "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to
the ministry of the word."

The twelve apostles were not to be bothered with anything, except
the spiritual needs of the people. Perhaps, that is one of the
problems in churches today. We have made business men out of our
ministers. They learn as much about the way to raise money, to have a
bus ministry, and to satisfy the I.R.S. as they do about the Word of
God. They really should not be burdened with all of these
administration duties. It takes too much of their time away from
prayer and study of the Word.
Acts 6:5 "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:"

Of these seven, of course, Stephen was the most known to us. These
men were above reproach. They were men of high character. These men
would be fair in all their dealings. Some believe that many of these
were Hellenist (Greek Jews), but I believe they were a cross section
of men of God, so that each one would be representing their own group.
Proselyte means a new comer. In Hebrew, it meant stranger. Philip
and Stephen are really the only two out of the list that the Bible
tells us anything else about. These are like many deeply sincere
people in the church today who really work in the background and do
not feel the need to be recognized by others.

[Anna]

Bro Mark, what am I to stop? Telling the truth, and supporting it with scriptures and historical
documentation?

I am speaking to all of you in love, which is the basis of all of the Biblical commandments. By them we gain instructions on how to love our Creator and our fellow man. There is an account of men in Matt. 7, who were cast away from Messiah for eternity, due to their rejection of YHWH's laws. I'm sure they wished someone had shared with them that the law was not nailed to the cross, is this your position?

Please also define a Judaizer? That word is not even found in the Bible!

It is likely that your definition of Judaizer will classify your Messiah who was a Jew, as a Judaizer, since He kept His father's commandments and admonished others to do so too.....

The ONLY lifestyle I am promoting is the one EXEMPLIFIED by the one who died for me in whose steps I walk.
It boggles my mind, that most Christians believe that our Savior came to show us how not to live, since they don't live as He did keeping His Father's commandments....

Then NT ends with a blessing for keeping YHWH's commandments,
Rev. 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Rev. 22:15 says, "But outside are the dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie."

You admitted that you are aware of the paganisms of Rome that have entered the church. If you have become comfortable with them, them, and continue to assemble where they are practiced without strongly admonishing them to repent, and if they don't listen, finding a congregation that is teaching the "whole council of YHWH, then you are an accomplice in their sin/idolatry, and are loving (not hating) their practice of the Roman lies, and the judgement of Rev. 22:15, may come upon you.

In your assembly, the deacons, which is the title of this blog, and elders should be contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. If your congregational leaders aren't following the scriptures in this regard, and if you aren't pointing them to Biblical truths, why are you still there?

The New Covenant you will undoubtedly say is a Judaizing covenant as it is made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, and the laws thereof are the Torah (H8451).

If I am wrong in anything I have stated, please show me where with scriptural documentation.

[Mark H. Stevens, Th.D]

Anna STOP it please, all of us here love the Lord and I know you do to....but this is divisive and not cool, it is OK if you want to adhere to practice Messianic Judaism more power to you, I agree that Romes influence intruduced some pagan practices....BUT Galatians shows me that the Judeaizers also tainted the doctrine of grace and the move of the spirit. So do me a favor stop stalking fellow believers in Christ and let's at least agree that Jesus/Yeshua is OUR Lord! Love you sis....take a deep breath and enjoy Jesus/Yeshua!

[Anna]

Leigh, if you don't accept what I have presented from my own personal study and research, prove me wrong....

[Anna]

The organizational structure of the "Early Messianic Assembly" was patterned after the Synagogue. After all the disciples and earlyest believers were Hebrews, and that was the ONLY type of organizational structure with which they were familiar.

Our Messiah never told them to "leave worshipping in either the Temple of the Synagogue", evidenced as we find them worshipping in both throughout the Book of Acts.

Case in point, in Hebrews 10:25, the word for "assemble" is rooted in the word synagogue:

Heb. 10:25
"Let us not give up meeting (G1997 epi-synagōgē) together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

What the author of Hebrews is saying, "don't quit going to the synagogue".

Another text is: James 2:2
"For if there come unto your assembly (G4864 synagōgē) a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment"

Here in James 2, the word is plainly "your synagogue" but was translated into "assembly" undoubtedly due to the anti Hebraic position of the Bible translators.

The following article will give some insights on the structure of the Apostolic assemblies of the First Century:

~~~~~~~~~
On the Organizational Structure of the Church

Since the Hebrew Christians were not completely removed from Jerusalem until well into the second century, for its first one hundred years, the Church remained very much a part of first-century Judaism, and its leaders stayed involved in many Jewish affairs. There was no immediate split from the synagogue, as evidenced by Jesus' warning that some synagogues would punish His followers for preaching a different brand of Judaism ( Matthew 10:17). We know that this scourging by synagogue leaders was not an abnormal part of normative Judaism since it is mentioned a number of times in early rabbinical literature.(7)

The structure of the local synagogues was carried over directly into the structure of the early Church. A president, ***deacons***, a precentor (song leader), and teachers can all be found in both the synagogue and the early Church. We know from early sources that there were between 394 and 480 synagogues in Jerusalem during the first century, one being located within the precincts of the Temple itself.(8) This is undoubtedly why the early pattern of the Church had its origins in the Jewish synagogue. Note the following similarities between the ancient synagogue and the early Church.

The principle leader of a synagogue was the nasi or president. In the Christian congregation, the leaders were still called president rather than pastor, as late as A.D. 150, by such non-Jewish writers as Justin Martyr.(9) In the synagogue structure, three of these leaders would join together to form a tribunal for judging cases concerning money, theft, immorality, admission of proselytes, laying on of hands, and a host of other things mentioned in the Sanhedrin section of the Mishnah.

These men were known as the "rulers of the synagogue" because they took on the chief care of things, a title mentioned several times in the teachings of Jesus (Mark 5:22 and Luke 8:41). This practice was still in use among the Gentile congregations at Corinth under the apostleship of Paul, where he spoke of the court within the congregation (1 Corinthians 6:1-2).

The nasi was the administrator of the synagogue, and we know that James, the half-brother of Jesus, was the nasi of the early Church at Jerusalem. Early documents such as the Didache suggest that the churches in Asia Minor and Greece treated the Church at Jerusalem with much the same authority as the synagogues did the Sanhedrin.(10) (11)

There also was a public minister of the synagogue called a chazen who prayed, preached behind a wooden pulpit, and took care of the general oversight of the reading of the Law and other congregational duties. He did not read the Law, but stood by the one who did, to correct and oversee, ensuring that it was done properly. He selected seven readers each week who were well-educated in the Hebrew Scriptures. The group consisted of one priest, one Levite, and five regular Israelites (Luke 4:16). The terms overseer of the congregation, angel of the church, and minister of the synagogue all referred to this position.(12)

There were also three men known as almoners or parnasin who cared for the poor and distributed alms and were expected to be scholars of the Scriptures. Since they were also known as gabbay tzedikah, it may be from this function that we get the modern term deacon. Some scholars hold that it was from these seven, the president, the ruler, the overseer, the chazen, and the three parnas, that the idea of selecting "seven good men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" came about (Acts 6:3). These men were appointed over the business affairs of the Church so the apostles would not have to be distracted from their study of the Scriptures and prayer.

In Jewish literature the question is asked, "Who is a scholar worthy of being appointed Parnas?" The answer is "He who is asked about a law from any source, and is able to give an answer."(13) In modern times the Jews use this term to refer to a lay person, who is also called an elder.

Another function in the ancient synagogue was the shaliach, or announcer. From this position we get the term apostle, meaning one who is sent forth to announce the gospel, a role equivalent to that of our modern missionaries. There was also the maggid, a migratory evangelist of the first century who spoke to various congregations, and the batlanim, a scholarly teacher who was either independently wealthy or on some type of support so he would be available to provide the congregation with accurate academics and answers. There had to be at least ten batlanim in every congregation of one hundred and twenty members. There was even a tradition that a synagogue service could not commence without ten men present.(14) Jesus may have been referring to this tradition when He said, "Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).

Next, there was the zakin, a word meaning "old," more in the since of maturity than age. This person provided counsel to the people and was similar to a modern-day pastor or elder. In Judaism, those who had reached the age of forty were considered to have attained understanding, and those who were over fifty were considered worthy to counsel the younger people.(15) The rabbi was a prophet after the manner of the post-exilic prophets of Judaism. He carried the responsibility of reading and preaching the Word and exhorting and edifying the people (1 Corinthians 14:3). There was also the interpreter, known as the meturganim. This was a person skilled in languages who stood by the one reading the Law or teaching in a Bet Midrash (a house of study) to interpret into the lingua franca of that day the Hebrew that was being spoken. The use of an interpreter goes back to the time of Ezra, when the interpreter was said to have added the meaning. The Talmud gives many details of the interpreter's duties in the synagogue.(16) It is from this concept that we understand Jesus' words, "What you hear in the ear, preach upon the housetops" (Matthew 10:27). This phrase was easily understood by those who were familiar with the system of study in the Bet Midrash, where the teacher would literally speak the message in the interpreter's ear, who would then shout it out to others, both inside the classroom and out.