Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership
Words of Faith 5-12-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Timothy 3
[8] Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. [9] They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

Paul turns our thoughts today toward those who serve in the church… the deacons. While this could be an office or an official position in church leadership, the word deacon (diakonos) means "servant" and was commonly used in the first century to describe those who waited tables.
In Acts chapter 6, the church chose and confirmed seven deacons to take care of the material needs of the poor so that the Apostles could concentrate on prayer and the ministry of the Word. It is common in Paul's writings to distinguish between the Elders (overseers) who attended to the pastoral and spiritual matters of the Body and the Deacons who attended to the material and physical matters of ministry.
In short, deacons are the folks who make things happen. We are all called to a life of servanthood, but there is a special place in the church's ministry for the deacon. Every pastor, teacher, evangelist, or missionary will attest to the enormous value of those holding up a leader's arms. It is the place of the deacon to carry out the "stuff" of ministry.
Deacons will have a gift of "helping" or "giving aid." A deacon can spot things that must be done for the ministry to occur. In every local church, there are scores of people who work each week behind the scenes to make sure that church happens. Where would the church be without these workers? These are the servants who put things together and make church happen.
I recall the days when we were in rented facilities. The diaconal nature of ministry was evident as we worked side-by-side to set up the church, wire the sound, prepare the music, haul the tables‑‑ , and then take it down each weekend. I can think of no greater joy than to work alongside such servants of God.
We should not take for granted that these are "functional" positions as if they were not of a spiritual nature. Deacons are people called to lead by doing. Deacons are people called to set aside their desires and agendas to serve others. Deacons are those who take up the towel and basin as Jesus did to wash the feet of others so that the Kingdom will be proclaimed and Christ will be glorified.
Over the next few days, we will reflect upon what it means to be a deacon, a servant of the Lord in His church, and the essential qualities if such people are to be confirmed to an office of deacon.

Lord, make me a servant. Give me the grace to lift You up. Give me the grace to lift up those around me. Show me where You would have me to serve in my Church body. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.