Book: 1 Timothy

Elder and Deacon Commissioning

In this special message on a day of elder and deacon commissioning, Pastor Joe Babij explains the biblical basis, qualifications, and function of the two offices of the church: elder and deacon.

Full Transcript:

This morning, we’re going to do something a little bit different in our service. It comes time in a church where we have to do what the Lord says to do in the Word of God. Covid kind of put us off on making this plan, but we want to do it before the end of the year. That’s really the commissioning of our deacons and also the licensing of our Associate Pastor.

I want to let you know that when I first came here 38 years ago, pretty much the small group of people we had did not have an understanding of church government and how it should function, and how it should work. Most people would just have the understanding that a single pastor did everything. In July of about 1987, the first two years I spent here, I spent on evangelism and just teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse. And then finding out what I need to prioritize.

What happened is that I began to say: “Well, you know, people don’t really understand a biblical form of church government.” And what I mean by that is a Biblical eldership, a plurality of elders in the church, and a plurality of deacons in the church, and what they actually do.

I began to preach on that. If a person first hears about it from the Word of God, it usually will be the first time they ever heard it. If they did hear it, or they heard bits and pieces of it, they still didn’t understand how it all functioned in the church and what deacons or elders are supposed to do. A lot of churches just have deacons doing everything, and then they have one preaching pastor.

No passage suggests in any place in the Word of God that there should be one person—there’s always a plurality. Now, there may be one person initially when they start a church, but eventually, as that church grows and matures, deacons and elders will be put in place.

The passage that I want to really focus on this Lord’s Day will focus on elders and deacons. I’ll use many passages, and I’ll put some things on the screen so that you don’t have to turn to every one of them.

There are only two offices in the church. That is the office of elder and the office of deacon. And in light of the teaching of scripture, the duty of the church is to appoint elders and deacons. I bring really this responsibility before you of our church and those who are visiting and supporting those who are involved in this service today.

As a gathered body at Calvary Community Church, we need to ordain our elders and deacons. We’ve done this formally at least three times, and this would be the fourth time. There is a scripture that comes to mind, and that is in Titus 1, that we did not read, but in verses four and five, which I’ve highlighted there, says,

⁴To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. ⁵For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you.

The Church was given the mandate right in the beginning of the birth of the Church, that the Church would have leaders that would take care of the Church spiritually and make sure the mercy ministries of the Church were taking place.

There are three words that sometimes people get mixed up in their minds when they’re reading scripture. These three words are really focused on one person. That one person and their different functions and responsibilities within the Church.

The first one is the word elder. That’s the Greek word ‘Presbuteros.’ This word emphasizes who the man is, the character of his heart, and life. An elder also includes someone who is older. He has an increasing level of spiritual maturity and is full of the Spirit and wisdom.

The second word is bishop or overseer. We get the Greek word ‘Episkopos.’ Epi means over, and the second part of that, skopos, would be that of someone who has a guardianship and who guards over other people. The word really emphasizes what he does, his function.

Then there is a third word that is used, and that is the word pastor. Maybe the most common one that we understand. But it’s the word shepherd. Poimen is the Greek word. The word emphasizes his attitude, how he feels toward his sheep and who has been entrusted to him. And a shepherd is really one who takes of a community of believers, including guiding and caring for, and looking after with emphasis on the governing aspects of his administrative rules.

There are several passages of scripture in Acts that brings all these words together. It is the passage in Acts 20:17, which is on the screen. It says this, in verse 17,

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. ¹⁸And when they had come to him, he said to them…

²⁸“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood”

Those three words coming together really focus in on the one person and the many responsibilities the elder would have in the church. It’s not three different things. It’s the one person with his different functions.

Now there are two areas that I would like to bring to your attention that the Bible actually emphasizes. We read the passage of scripture this morning, in the eldership, the character and the qualities of church elders. In other words, God’s looking for a few good men. You know, I think the Marine Corps robbed that. Right? That’s why when you read through this passage of scripture, you find that’s exactly what He is doing. He’s looking for a few good men.

These are all of the things. I just want to mention them briefly through the passage from Titus and also from 1 Timothy 3. It says, number one, if any man is above reproach (Titus 1:6). That means somebody who can’t really be criticized. Or, in other words, blameless or unpeachable. This is a controlling characteristic, that any accusation leveled against this particular person cannot really take any footing against him. He’s a man above reproach and lives a dignified life.

Also, he is the husband of one wife. That he’s a one-woman man. The Bible stresses that. Thirdly, that he has children who believe. Now, here in Timothy and Titus, it could also mean children that are faithful, not necessarily that they have believed in Christ yet. But they’re faithful to their father’s rule in the home. That is a rule in which he is directing and guiding them and leading them. His children are not some that are involved in reckless living or just senseless deeds and just recklessness about their life. His children are under his authority, and they are obeying him, in other words.

Then, he’s not accused of dispensation or rebellion. Here he is one who is really not a partier or a rebel, but he is one who, being God’s steward, takes seriously the task that God gives to him as not only a father but also one who wants to manage his home and the sacred trust that God gives to him. He’s also someone who is not self-willed nor arrogant. Meaning he doesn’t seek his own will as a priority, but he seeks God’s will in the Word of God and is willing to hear sound and wise reasoning and make decisions based on a balanced thought. That’s the kind of person he is.

He is also not quick-tempered. He’s slow to anger. And he knows that the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God, as the Epistle of James tells us. He walks not in the flesh but in the Spirit. He’s not a perfect man, but he’s a man who’s heading in a direction and stepping in a way that God is pleased with him.

Also, he’s not addicted to wine. He doesn’t habitually drink too much. He’s not a drunkard, in other words. Of course, this means that an office of the church doesn’t have to be a teetotaler. He may be a responsible user of alcohol, but he must not be controlled by any substance at all, whether it be alcohol or any kind of drugs, whether it’s prescription or otherwise. He is to be a man who has that kind of stamina that he can say no to things and know when to use them and when not to.

He’s also not pugnacious. He’s not a violent brawler. He doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder. He’s also not fond of sordid gain, meaning that he’s not greedy about profit or about material things. He doesn’t set his heart on the accumulation of things in this world. He has a good grasp of the biblical view of money, and he gives generously and sacrificially.

He’s also hospitable. He has an open hand toward people to help them. He also loves what is good, that he has an open heart toward people, and he wants to help those who come his way.

He’s also self-controlled. That means he knows his strengths, and he knows his weakness and endeavors to bring them under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, he holds fast to the faithful Word, which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict. He has a growing knowledge of the Word of God, and he knows what his gifts and abilities are. And of course, he wants to put them into practice in God’s church.

The elder is continually growing and maturing in all of these characteristics. It doesn’t mean that he’s arrived at them, it just means that he’s growing in them. They’re recognizable in his life.

That is the character. God is looking for character. He’s not looking for degrees. He’s not looking for somebody who could just do everything correctly. He’s looking for people who have a heart and a character about them. They live that way in public and in private. They’re the same, and they know that they’re under the watchful eye of God. See, that’s the kind of man God is looking for to be an elder.

A second thing is that when we consider elders, we’re considering their function too. That the office of an elder, bishop, or pastor came from the Jewish element of society and stood for the wise aged. Somebody who has dignity. Someone who has respect.

One of the analogies given in scripture to understand the oversight that an elder has in his functioning in the church is an analogy of a shepherd who is in the field watching the sheep. Where do we get that from? We get that right from Acts 20:28, where it says,

²⁸Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

In other words, God’s giving the people that he saved and died for over to the care of these men. He’s given that responsibility to them. It is a responsibility that we have to really take seriously. So, a shepherd, then, is responsible for the total welfare of a sheep. He is to guard them from savage wolves or false teachers, especially warning them when he, the elder, is not present to watch over them.

In other words, teaching them so that they have the teaching. And when they do hear something that is incorrect or wrong or something that could lead them astray, they automatically know because they were taught it. Like the Apostle Paul says in Acts 20:29-30, he says,

²⁹I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

And here is the most frightening thing. It says,

³⁰and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples from them.

We’re to warn people that. That’s why it’s so important to know who your elders are and know who your deacons are. So, the elders and deacons together, as they are functioning in the church, you can know who to go to if you don’t really have the answer to a particular teaching you heard.

A second thing that we see in the function of an elder is that an elder functions as a governor in the assembly, ruling over the flock. See, God has given elders a sphere of rule. The extent of his rule is in his own household and all who come under the sphere of his rule in the local church. This is why passages like this one bears out the authority of the pastoral office, using politically incorrect words such as obey and submit. These are biblical terms.

It says there, in Hebrews 13:17,

Obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

That’s a heavy thing for an elder to know that they’re to give an account to God for the people they’ve shepherded. It says,

Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

In other words, we are working together, maturing together, to strengthen God’s church so the work can get done. This governorship is also in his home. The Bible says wives are to submit. Like it says in Ephesians 5:22,

²²Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

²⁴But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be subject to their husbands in everything.

In other words, Christ is the elder’s example that Christ’s rule over the church is a considerate, faithful, gracious, and tender rule. So the elders, the pastors, are to have this rule also in their home and in the church. So, he is to rule his wife lovingly, and the wife who submits to the rule of Christ in the home, when that both comes together, it becomes a beautiful picture of what God intended, as the husband lovingly rules in his home with a fair and a firm and affectionate rule towards his wife and towards his children.

Of course, the Bible also says that his children ought to submit. Where it tells us in the Word of God in 1 Timothy 3:4, it says,

He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity.

Children are to obey him with proper respect. The mark of a submissive child is: “I will do what pleases my father.”

A man with that character and a man with this calling will live that way in his home. It’s a given to him. He wants to do it because he wants to please the Lord Himself, for the Bible says, children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right to do.

Then, of course, the church, his flock, is to submit. I already read the passage in Hebrews. You are to submit to the elders there as we bring them before you, that these men have the character, this is their function, we’ve recognized that, and then finally, in the end, we’ll lay hands on them as the Bible tells us to do and present them to you as the leaders of this church.

Then, there is a third area that an elder functions in. That is the area as a teacher. This is what really sets them apart from deacons. Here it says, in the passage, that an elder or an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach (1 Timothy 3:2b; Titus 1:9). There it is there.

An elder is responsible for feeding his flock by declaring to them the whole purpose of God, the whole counsel of God. Acts 20:27, where Paul says to the church,

For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.

All elders are to have the aptitude to teach, and some are given over to this responsibility in a full-time basis, some are not, but all elders should be able to teach. He needs to continue to grow in his God-given gift to teach the assembly. Some are going to be teaching more in private or one-on-one settings or a Sunday School setting. Some are going to be preaching and teaching. Some are going to be doing evangelism.

They must be apt to teach. That means one who is both able and willing to communicate to others the knowledge which God has given him so that he is fit to teach and ready to take all the opportunities given to him to be able to communicate and instruct in the things of the kingdom of God and the things that God wants us to know.

Of course, God may give a greater measure of a gift to a particular man, as it says in Corinthians. And some He may give a lesser measure, but nonetheless, God will give a measure of a gift to a man where he’s able to teach the word of God to people.

Some of the minimum requirements for elders is that he must have a character growing in sync with scripture. He must have a grasp of the basic content and doctrine of the Holy Word of God. And a biblical elder must stick to the Word of God and not his own opinion or notions. He must give them the Word of God because the truth does not change. It never changes.

He must have a proven ability to clearly communicate that particular truth. As it says in 2 Timothy 2:2 and 15, it says,

²The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

¹⁵Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

In other words, men, you may not be a man this morning who is going to be up here and getting commissioned or ordained, but it should be the goal that you have as a man, whether you ever become an elder in the church, to have these characteristics. To have this kind of attitude toward the things of God.

In this short life we live, do you know what we need today? In our feminized society, we need men. We need men who are going to be men. And they know they’re men and no one is going to tell them otherwise. And they live as men of God.

See, those are the powerful influences in society. Those are the ones who hedge against all of the garbage that’s coming our way every day. Every time you turn on your TV, you look at this and that; it’s all being feminized. All of the roles are being confused and fuzzy. Nobody knows who they are anymore.

No. We need to know who we are. The church is one place where men ought to be men and women ought to be women. Amen? I need a big amen on that one.

That leads me to the diaconate. This is a different office in the church, but it’s the same thing. God is looking for character in deacons. These men are called. They’re selected from out of the congregation, and of course, they are then tested. These men, like it says in the book of Acts, who do we look for? We look for men who have a good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, and whom we may put in charge of tasks in the church (Acts 6:3). That’s who these men are.

If you notice on the screen, following Timothy and the Titus passages, first of all, these are men who are worthy of respect. That means they have men who are befitting good behavior, implying a dignity and respect about them. Men that you want to give respect and honor to because they have a good character and they are serious about their Christian faith.

Secondly, they’re sincere. That means that they’re genuine. Again, no accusation can be leveled against them and stick. Also, they are not to be indulging in much wine, the same thing as elders. They are responsible users of anything that can control them or have any kind of control over their flesh or mind. They are in control of that.

They also are not pursuing dishonest gain. That means pertaining to shamefully being greedy for material gain or profit. He’s a man who does not have his heart set on the accumulation of material things. He has a good grasp, again, of the biblical view of money. He also gives generously and sacrificially.

Then notice that he’s not double-tongued. That’s pertaining to contradictory behavior based upon the pretense or hypocrisy, double tongue, two-faced. In other words, he does not speak out of both sides of his mouth different things to one person and a different thing to another person. He is straight with his words. He shoots from the hip, and he’s clear about what he stands for.

The character quality is really not limited to one’s speech, it’s also limited to one’s behavior. His verbal message matches his living. They both go together. He doesn’t do one thing in his actions and one thing in his speech. He does the same thing. He’s the same person all of the time.

Also, he must hold the truths of the faith with a clear conscience. That means he has a genuine faith and pure faith. He believes God’s Word. He has a firm grasp on sound doctrine. Don’t ever think that deacons are not to grow in doctrine. They are to be doctrinal, right? Because they’re going to be doing counseling with people. If they’re going to be coming alongside people, they need to know the Word of God to be able to use the Word of God to counsel people. They believe and have a firm grasp of sound doctrine. They have a firm grasp of how to live sound doctrine in their daily lives.

Also, it says in Timothy that their men but first be tested. And then, if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. Tested means they are proven to be faithful in serving the Lord. All of the men that are coming up here in just a few minutes are men that have proved themselves in the church. They have been faithful to the things they already know in the Word of God and who they are as a man.

Also, a deacon must be the husband of one wife. That means he’s a one-woman-man. He is absolutely above reproach concerning his marital relationship.

Then, of course, deacons must manage his children and his household well. That means that he’s a good household manager. He guides, directs, and leads them. He has faithful children; not accused of riotous living or rebellion.

Lastly, it says there that those who have served well gain an excellent standing and a great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. In other words, they have a heavenly reward connected to their faithful office. So, a smile of Jesus when deacons have functioned in their office well, that’s what it’s saying there.

Considering that, the Bible also says something else. That there’s a biblical character quality for the wives of the deacons. The wives of the elders and the deacons. It says in scripture that women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things (1 Timothy 3:11). So, I believe the scripture teaches that these are the wives of their elders and deacons. Why? Because an elder and a deacon is going to be involved with ministering the people on all kinds of levels, with all kinds of problems, and all kinds of information they’re going to have about people. And they can’t be talking about it with other people.

They both have to be on the same page when it comes to that. They cannot be gossips, right? And they must be dignified just like their husbands. They have a character about them. They’re temperate and faithful in all things. As a woman, they are faithful in all things. Remember, the man holds the office, but the woman is to be qualified as the wife of that man holding the office because she’s ministering alongside him. But she does not hold the office.

In our church, Yiyin Ho, Sherrian Crumbley, Ema Capoccia, and Jayne Babij are elder’s wives. Then our deacon wives are Rebecca Fantuzzo, Natalie Gussis, Noel Riccardi, Naomi Van-Treuren, and Juliana Dagnall.

There’s a special thanks that I have for Ermanno and Shae, who were ministering with us for quite some time and served well. They’re stepping aside for now. So, we want to thank them for their service to our church and the influence and blessing they’ve been in people’s lives. Also, thankful for all of those who held the office in the past, and now you’re not holding or functioning in that office right now for different reasons.

That is what we have going on in our church. Considering all of that, there’s also the function of deacons. There are two functions of a deacon.

The first one is that of a minister of relief to the elders. Deacons are to make sure the task of the church stays primary. What is the task of the church? We see in this passage of scripture, especially in verse number four, it says, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. So they are to pick out deacons from the congregation of people who are of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, who will be in charge of tasks so that the elders, in this case, the apostles, can devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word of God.

We are here reminded that the church’s primary task is prayer and preaching. First, let me say that the preaching and teaching of the Word of God and prayer are and should always be the primary business of the church. Everything else is secondary.

The practical care for the needy is important, yes, but it is not the first priority. It does come in a close second, or better, in conjunction with carrying out the primary tasks. The mercy task is always presented and needs attention, and this is where the diaconate comes in. That’s where they become vital.

Where the Bible says in Acts, when the disciples were increasing in number, and then they had to feed the Hellenistic Jews and the native Hebrews, then the deacons were formed to take care of that task so that it would not pull the Apostles away from the task of the preaching of the Word of God and prayer.

They are to relieve the elders so that they might devote their time to the Word of God and prayer. That’s what part of their job is, to relieve the shepherds.

The church has been given the responsibility of ministering to the needy, and ultimately it is the eldership that must give an account for a given congregations’ participation in the ministry of mercy. In other words, are they calling out deacons from the congregation so those needs can be taken care of properly?

That means that these two particular things in the Word of God must make sure the two priorities stay priorities. That’s their primary function. It’s too burdensome to do both, and that’s why I believe the Lord has given two offices. The ministry of the Word and the mercy ministry are both weighty tasks in the church. God has ordained the diaconate to be the administrative body that sees the mercy needs in the congregation so as to relieve the shepherds of the congregation of this activity so that they may devote themselves to the Word of God and prayer.

As they do that, they also serve and care for the table of the pastors. They also serve and care for the table of the Lord. They’re the ones who are preparing the Lord’s table every first Sunday of the month. They are making sure things are being ordered, done, and set up. They are preparing candidates for baptism like we’re going to see this morning.

Also, they are preparing the properties of the church, making sure that everything is used so the teaching ministry can go on. That means classrooms, nurseries, building, and grounds are all included, but that’s not the primary thing. Many times, the focus has been that a deacon is somebody who takes care of the building and grounds only. That’s only part of what they do. Of course, they make sure that they’re handling the money that they’re responsible for in a responsible way.

The second function is that the deacons function as a minister of relief for the needy. To relieve the needy of the burden of their physical impoverishment, poverty, misery. The needy people need relief. It says in Galatians 6:10,

We have also learned that we are to do good to all men, especially to those of the household of faith.

In this passage of scripture, it gives us a priority. The church and the needs of the church come first. If someone comes from outside the church, and we’re able to provide for them too, then we should. What I mean by that is that as they serve and care for the table of the poor, it is the duty of the deacons to be aware of those in the assembly with monetary and physical needs. Those who need help with their daily sustenance. The true widows of the church, the orphans of the church, children who do not have fathers to oversee them and be a male figure to them. Also, people who have lost jobs who suddenly become poor of health. We’re to provide, as elders and deacons, the basic needs. Food, clothing, and shelter. Those are the basic needs that we all have.

In Acts 6, we can glean along with the distinction and offices of elders and deacons, and along with the priority in the church of helping the poor, it seems most certain that the deacon’s job is to support and relieve the elders so that the people of God may be served in spheres outside the elder’s primary task which are clearly seen in Acts 6:4,

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

It was Alexander Strauch who wrote a book on deacons, which I use in our training. He said this: As long as the deacons of the church enable the shepherds of the church to carry out their primary duties, and as long as the deacons minister to the congregation’s welfare needs, they are doing their job.

We’re really given the real reason for the appointing of these deacons in Acts, where it says, whatever tasks the elders assign them, in order to relieve the elders from getting involved in activities that would hinder them from accomplishing their tasks, that’s what the deacon’s primary tasks do. Prayer and preaching, the two go hand-in-hand, and the deacons are the key to making sure they stay hand-in-hand.

That means that once we get to that point, these men need to be commissioned. They need to be ordained. And the Word of God does tell us that we ought to do that. You may say, what is commissioning? What is ordination in this sense?

Ordination is really simply a confirmation by the church of a man’s call to serve in the office of elder and/or the office of deacon. Ordination by Calvary Community Church constitutes a formal recognition of one’s call to the Christian ministry, his biblical qualification, and his preparation for service.

Also, the Bible tells us that once we do that, we are to lay hands on them. In scripture, what is that? The New Testament indicates that the elders/deacons were formally installed into the office before the congregation by the ‘laying on of hands and prayer.’ The ceremony is a public appointment to the office of elder and the office of deacon in which fellow elders, and oftentimes the remaining deacons, by the laying on of hands on the individuals. That communicates to the church our approval, blessing, prayers, recognition, and fellowship that we are all to have together as we do the work of God.

It tells us in scripture, and these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them (Acts 6:6). All the official gifts within the community come from Christ. The laying on of hands was a commissioning service to affirm the choice of these individuals for a particular task.

We’re to look out in the future in the congregation to see who else is coming up. Who else is giving us the sense that they have the character to be a deacon or an elder? Who else is coming up in the congregation who has the ability in character and teaching to be an elder? We should be looking for that all the time. Once we get them, we bring them before the church, and we lay our hands on them. That, in a sense, is ordination.

I thank the Lord for the men that have given evidence of this particular calling and are ready. I believe that it’s a high privilege to ordain and commission men to the church as deacons and elders. Also, this morning, we will be licensing Pastor Dave Capoccia as our fellow elder in the Gospel ministry because he has given evidence of God’s call upon him.

Again, it’s also my high privilege to ordain and commission Bruce Wyder, Erik Van-Treuren, Joseph P. Riccardi, and Caleb Dagnall as our newest deacons. These men have worked and served in our ministry for some time.

During the testing period, it became clear to me and to the congregation that these men have exhibited the gifts and faithfulness needed to fulfill the church offices of elder and deacon. They have shown their faithfulness to the Lord, His Word, and to His people.

December 18, 2022
Godliness: No Pain, No Gain

In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia begins a mini-series on the disciplines of grace, that is, the positive spiritual activities that should characterize the lives of believers as believers pursue Christ. Pastor Dave starts with an overview of the topic of spiritual discipline from 1 Timothy 4:7-8. In these verses, Paul exhorts you to discipline yourself for godliness according to God’s word so that you may experience eternal life. This exhortation comes via two commands followed by two reasons to obey the commands:

1. Follow God’s Word, Not Man’s Myths (v. 7a)
2. Discipline Yourself for Godliness (v. 7b)
3. Other Pursuits Bring Limited Benefit (v. 8a)
4. Godliness Brings Unlimited Benefit (v. 8b)

Full Transcript:

Have you ever wanted to be physically fit? Lose weight, gain muscle, lower your cholesterol? I think as we get older, we want that more and more. If you haven’t felt that way yet, you will. There are substantial benefits to physical fitness. You become healthier in body and mind. It helps protect you from illness, injury, even feelings of hopelessness. You increase your strength and flexibility. You become more able to accomplish tasks for yourself or for other people. You also might make yourself look more attractive.

But how does one become physically fit? We would like the answer to be with no pain and no effort. I’ll just do nothing and magically become and stay fit. Or I’ll just drink this super smoothie and my body will take care of the rest. Or I’ll go on a five-minute walk once every two weeks, and surely that’ll do the trick. Of course, you know, none of these are true.

How do you actually become fit? Well, with discipline, with the painful training which you enforce on yourself or others enforce on you, like a personal trainer. To become fit, you must exercise, often and under increasing difficulty. You must also eat rightly, staying away from certain foods and from too much food in general. You must also practice self-denial. You must work out even when you don’t feel like it. You must say no to certain foods even when you really crave them. And you must give up various enjoyments and comforts for the sake of reaching your goal.

Now, we face a similar situation when it comes to getting spiritually fit. When it comes to growing in holiness, to knowing and becoming more like our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Like with physical fitness, we would like to think that godliness will just happen automatically with no or minimal effort. I’ll just sit back and let God do it all. After all, He’s sovereign. Or I’ll just pray once in a while for the fruits of the Spirit and surely God will just zap them into my heart. Or I’ll attend church, but I’ll make no real effort to serve, fellowship, or even pay attention to the preached word. And surely that will still be okay, right?

But this is not what the Bible teaches us about spiritual growth. According to God’s Word, how do we actually grow in holiness? Well, it’s just like physical fitness. It is by discipline, but by spiritual discipline. That is the hard spiritual training that you choose for yourself and that God also chooses for you. As we read earlier from Hebrews, God brings into our lives trials, difficulties that are part of our training. But we also choose training for ourselves. As with physical fitness, you must, if you want to progress spiritually, you must exercise. You must devote yourselves to the kinds of activities that strengthen your relationship with Christ. You must abstain from the activities that weaken your spirit and encourage you to follow the flesh. And above all, you must practice self-denial. By faith, pushing past flesh-driven feelings and the allurements of the world, the flesh, and Satan, for the reward that comes from and is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now I’ve sought to express what I’ve just shared with you a little more succinctly in the title for the message today. When it comes to godliness, the reality is no pain, no gain. Brethren, here’s the truth for you. When it comes to godliness, no pain, no gain. Now don’t misunderstand this painful effort that I’m talking about, this hard training. It is not some way for you to work for salvation or earn God’s favor. Nor is this the kind of striving that can be done by mere human willpower. Yet, understand that your will, even your strenuous effort, is involved. It is involved as God himself works in you to sanctify you. My brethren, if you want to experience greater joy and blessing in the Lord, if you want to see increasing victory over sin, if you want to become a more useful servant to the kingdom of Christ, then you must discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. You must discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. You must do this, and you can do this, by the empowering grace of Jesus.

Now what does this godliness through discipline look like? Okay, I’m hearing these concepts. What does it look like practically? Well, practically, it looks like devotion to what the theologians call the spiritual disciplines, or even the disciplines of grace. And what are these? These are just simple yet critical activities like Bible study, prayer, fellowship with the saints, and even evangelism. Over the next several messages, I’d like to explore those different activities, what they are, why they’re so essential, how we should do them, and we’ll use the scriptures to teach us about that. But before we get there, I want to just overview the how and why of spiritual discipline using the passage before us today, 1 Timothy 4:7-8. If you haven’t yet, please take your Bibles and turn to that passage, 1 Timothy 4:7-8. This is the classic text on spiritual discipline.

As you’re getting there, let me set the context of these verses briefly. In the letter of 1 Timothy, Paul writes to his young friend in ministry partner, Timothy, instructing him and encouraging him to deal with false teachers at the church of Ephesus and to restore the church into godly order. More specifically, in chapter 4 of 1 Timothy, Paul contrasts the unfaithful minister in the first five verses with the faithful minister in the rest of the verses of the chapter. And he exhorts Timothy to continue and to be the latter. Now, we’re focusing only on verses 7 to 8 today, but I’m going to read verses 6 to 16 just so you get the context. Let’s hear what the Spirit says in 1 Timothy 4:6-16:

In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

Now just reading through that whole section, one of the main ideas you might have noticed is the importance of both doctrine and conduct. Multiple times Paul exhorts Timothy to pay attention to what he teaches and how he lives. This of course applies most directly to a minister of God but also applies to all Christians, for notice, he is called to be an example to the church, to the flock. This applies to us too. It is not enough for a faithful minister or a faithful Christian to have only one of these and not the other. You cannot live a sound life without sound doctrine, nor can you content yourself with right belief and not right behavior.

In this passage, verses 6 to 16, Paul presents Timothy with several exhortations regarding what it means to be a faithful minister of Christ. But we’re only going to focus on what Paul says in verses 7 to 8. And here’s the main idea of those verses. In 1 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul exhorts you to discipline yourself for godliness according to God’s Word so that you may experience eternal life. Paul exhorts you and me that we will discipline ourselves for godliness according to God’s Word so that we may experience eternal life.

Now, the main idea of these verses is presented to us in a relatively straightforward manner. We see two commands from God’s Apostle and then two reasons to obey those commands. So those two commands and the two reasons, they will make up the four points of my sermon outline today. We’ll start with the first command as it appears in the beginning of verse 7. That command is, number one, follow God’s Word, not man’s myths. Number one, follow God’s Word, not man’s myths. If we ought to discipline ourselves for godliness and experience eternal life, it must be according to what God actually said, not man’s mere ideas or myths. Look at the beginning of verse 7:

But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women.

You may notice that verse 7 begins with a contrasting transition word – but. This command that Paul gives here has to do with the opposite of what Paul just said. Well, what did Paul just say? Let’s go back. Look at verse 6,

In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.

In verse 6, Paul encourages Timothy to teach what Paul writes in this book as an outgrowth of what Paul already sees in Timothy’s life. Timothy, I can see your soul has been nourished by, or we could say trained up in, the right words. And those right words would be the true gospel, sound doctrine according to what God has actually said in the Bible. You have come to know and follow these right words in your life, Timothy, so now teach these same right words to others as I’ve instructed you. Coming now to the beginning of verse 7 again, we get the flip side of the same exhortation. Have nothing to do with, or reject worldly fables.

Now, the phrase worldly fables is interesting. It could be translated a few ways – godless tales, pointless legends, worthless myths. That first word, the adjective there, in the Greek has the idea of being public or common, which means it either is not valuable or it just belongs to the world, which is why you have the sense of both worthless and worldly. The second word is the Greek word muthos, from which we get the English word myth. A myth is a fanciful story, a fictional account of something that happened in the past to explain the present. Paul is telling Timothy here, you have done well to follow God’s reliable Word, continue in that both in your life and in your teaching. But this man-made stuff, these fancy stories and reports that are not based in reality, have nothing to do with those. They are worldly, they are worthless, they do not offer anything that’s really going to help you or others in true spiritual life.

Paul also gives another description of these myths. He says they are fit only for old women. Now, this phrase is not a dig against the elderly, against women or against elderly women. It would not have been understood that way by the original audience. They are not like so many Americans today, very quick to take offense. They were not politically so concerned about political correctness back then. This is just an idiom, this is just a phrase, it’s just an expression for something that is only fit to be believed by the silliest, most out of touch or gullible people. We actually still have the expression in English today in a different form, old wives tales. That’s just an old wives tale. So Paul is telling Timothy here, no matter how impressive a certain teaching sounds, no matter how holy the application of that teaching appears to be, if what it’s based on amounts to an old wives tale, then reject it. Have nothing to do with it. Give it no ear or consideration. It is only worldly. It is ultimately worthless. It will not lead to true godliness. Instead, Christian, follow God’s word, just as you’ve been doing, not man’s myths.

Paul surely had in mind the, in this most direct application, the myths and ridiculous Bible interpretations offered by false teachers in Ephesus. They were somehow spiritualizing even the genealogies of the Old Testament to have some sort of secret word from God. This teaching did not come from God, it came from their own minds. So Paul is saying, don’t have anything to do with that. There was nothing truly useful to glean from such teaching. What about today? There’s still plenty in our world right now that people offer as means to growth in godliness that is actually worthless and based on nothing better than an old wives tale. Many, for instance, would still teach that some kind of extreme asceticism will make you godly. Isolate yourself as a monk or hermit. Wear uncomfortable clothes. Beat yourself. Deny yourself pork or all meat. These suggestions, these commands, these ideas, they’re not based off of the Bible. These come from man’s own mind and his traditions. Or others will suggest, based on supposed new revelation from God and from misinterpretations of the Bible, that you can find great growth in godliness if you practice what they call listening prayer. God speaking audibly to you and granting you visions as you pray. Or you can grow in godliness if you speak in the uncontrolled babble that they call tongues. Or if you allow yourself to be slain in the spirit, forcibly pushed down to the ground by some minister of God, there’s the gateway to spirituality. Again, these do not actually come from God’s word, yet they are offered as sources of and evidence of godliness.

Or still others today will teach that you can grow in godliness if you apply the latest recommendations of psychology and psychiatry. You need to learn to love yourself. You need to improve your self-esteem if you’re going to be godly. You need to deal with that anger or lust problem by finding some regular vent. That will be healthy for you. Or cure your anxiety by sending electric shocks into your brain. Such is touted as true wisdom today. The findings of rigorous scientific study. And Christians have tried to integrate these as keys to spiritual growth.

Yet, what are these worldly ideas and techniques based on, really? Mere myths that contradict what the Bible says. We’re not going to find true spiritual value in any of man’s myths. Paul says well in another place, Colossians 2:23,

These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Our Lord calls us to grow in godliness. And we should want to do so. But true spiritual growth only happens when based on God’s Word, not man’s ideas, his myths. Therefore, follow God’s Word, not man’s myths. That’s the first command to Timothy and the first command to us.

The second command follows quickly after the first, and we see it in the second part of verse 7. It really flows out from it. The second command, number two, discipline yourself for godliness. Where does a strong foundation in and a commitment to the life found in God’s Word lead us? To discipline ourselves for godliness, which is exactly what we read in the second part of verse 7. Look there,

On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.

You can notice that this second command also begins with a contrasting phrase. We just had a contrast, and now we immediately get another one. And there’s a point in this second contrast that you don’t want to miss. What’s that point? That the life that follows man’s myths does not lead to true discipline that points at godliness, whereas a life that follows God’s word does. Don’t follow man’s myths, Paul says, but discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness instead. That’s the way to godliness.

Now notice the word discipline here. I’ve used that word a lot already in this sermon, so let’s find out what the biblical term is, at least as used here. The term discipline is a form of the Greek verb gymnazo, which is, yes, where we get our words, gymnasium and gymnastics, same root. Gymnazo means to exercise, to train, or to undergo discipline. It’s an athletic term. So when you hear this command here to discipline yourself, you should be thinking of the training or the discipline of an athlete. Now, is the training of an athlete easy or difficult? It’s difficult. Why? Why would anyone voluntarily endure difficult training? Well, because of what it produces. For an athlete, it’s so they can improve in the competition, they can qualify for the games, they can ultimately win and receive the prize. Difficult training is worth it.

Now, in Paul’s day, the Greeks were still really into sports and athletics. I mean, today, we have the Olympics, right? Where did that come from? The Greeks in classical times. Now, for the ancient Olympics, before an athlete could qualify, even to compete, much less win, he had to voluntarily undergo 10 months of what they called responsible training. It had to be at least 10 months. And during that training, many athletes often trained under coaches. Just like today, the coaches were usually past victors in the games. And the most sought-after coaches, apparently, were the ones who were known to be the strictest, the most rigorous, the most painful to train under. Why? I mean, wouldn’t you want a trainer who would make it nice for you, go easy on you? No, because harder training usually means better training, more growth, and a more substantial chance to win.

Now, today, training for the Olympics is not very different. One primer I encountered about going to the Olympics notes that an athlete who really wants to compete and win in the Olympics must be training 24 hours a day. Not that they literally spend 24 hours in the gym, but that everything they do throughout their days must fit the goal of getting strong, getting skilled, getting prepared for the competition. So that includes, yes, working out. That includes practicing with the coach, but it also includes your eating, your relaxing, your resting, your sleeping. It all has to fit with that one goal.

So that helps us understand a little more of what Paul is commanding Timothy here and commanding us. We are exhorted, we are commanded to commit to hard training, to discipline, to the exercising of ourselves like athletes. We do have a coach of sorts who is committed to training us. That is the Lord, as we read from Hebrews 12. But even apart from the Lord’s special training and discipline, we are to discipline ourselves. We put together our own training regimen that will help us reach our goal, not based on our ideas, but according to the Word of God.

But what is this goal towards which we must train? What is the aim of our invested time, our training? Well, notice the last part of verse 7, last phrase, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. The word for godliness is the Greek word eusebio. Godliness is a fine translation of the word. It could also be translated, and I’ll share this with you so you get a more full picture of it in your mind, devoutness, piety, or even awe-filled respect. Discipline yourself for the purpose of piety or awe-filled respect. Hmm, do those concepts remind you of any fundamental truth expressed in the Old Testament? Awe-filled respect? Maybe what’s called the fear of the Lord, the fear of Yahweh. And you know what’s interesting? This word eusebio is actually used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in certain places for the word fear, even the fear of the Lord. It’s really the same idea, the same concept. And of course, when we talk about the fear of the Lord in the Bible, we’re not talking about mere terror at God’s power, His holiness, or His judgment, though there is an element of that. The fear of the Lord is what eusebio means. It is that right regard for God based on who He actually is. It is that awe-filled respect, that affectionate reverence, that capturing of the heart by God and His greatness that leads not only to our worship, but also our obedience.

It is with this aim that Paul exhorts us to discipline ourselves like athletes. Train yourselves hard in true devotion to God, in that godly regard, looking towards that godly regard that begins in the heart and flows out into how you live. You’re to train yourselves for that. Exercise, suffer pain, practice self-denial, so that you may grow in godliness.

Now, there is an encouragement implied in this command. I don’t know if you’re noticing it. The encouragement is if we will discipline ourselves this way, discipline ourselves according to God’s word, we will indeed grow in godliness. You want to grow in love for God and obedience to Him? Here’s a method that actually works. But there’s also an implied warning in this command, isn’t there? Without disciplining yourself, without applying true effort, time, perseverance, will you grow in godliness? Hardly, if at all.

Brethren, salvation is all of God. That is clear from the Bible. And sanctification is all of God. That is also clear from the Bible. No one may boast. Anything good we have received, it comes from God. Yet it is also true that when it comes to progressive sanctification, to your practical growth in godliness, you will not grow unless you actually discipline yourself.

So the question for you and for me to ask ourselves before we move on in our analysis of this text is, what are you doing to discipline yourself for godliness? This is the call. Are you doing it? And what are you doing as part of it? What does your training regimen look like? Do you have one? Have you ever taken a time to consider, this is the way I want to promote godliness, cultivate my relationship with the Lord? Or are you proceeding forward with no plan at all? Oh, you know, a little this, a little that, now and then if I feel like it. If I get more time, I’ll get around to spiritual growth, I guess. Do you have a bare minimum approach when it comes to spiritual training? Okay, coach, show me what’s the least I can do and still qualify for the games. Is that your approach to spiritual life? Either in your mind or just practically, that’s the way it manifests? Because if it is, you know what you’re going to experience? You know what the result will be? You’re going to suffer repeated and serious defeats. When you get in the boxing ring, you’re going to get knocked flat. Or when you charge into the race, you’re quickly going to find yourself vomiting on the sidelines. If you’re a Christian, you cannot afford a bare minimum approach to godliness. Your soul cannot afford it. Your marriage cannot afford it. Your family cannot afford it. And your church cannot afford it. You’re going to get out what you put in. Like an athlete who truly wants to win the games, instead of asking how little you can get away with, you should be asking how much you can take on without overexerting or injuring yourself. A great parallel passage, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:25,

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

Do you see the picture? This is a picture of total commitment, all-out effort – train like you intend to win a fiercely competitive race. Because if you don’t train like that, you won’t win. Now, it’s possible for us all to win together, but only if we’re actually willing to do the discipline, to train. Is that what your life looks like right now? Or do you need to change?

Well, naturally, the question that arises when facing the prospect of difficult training is, is it worth it? If I’m really going to go all in on this spiritual discipline thing, if I’m really going to set aside sin and all that easily entangles, if I’m really going to focus 24/7 on godliness, I’m going to orient my whole life towards that end, I need to know what the prize is. What’s the payoff?

So now we look at the two reasons Paul gives for obeying those first two commands. The first reason appears in the first part of verse 8. Point number 3 in our sermon outline – other pursuits bring limited benefit. There are other goals that you may devote yourself to in life besides godliness and the discipline that promotes godliness. But these other pursuits, they can only bring you at best limited benefit. First part of verse 8,

For bodily discipline is only of little profit.

Now this statement is pretty readily understandable, isn’t it? If we want to compare bodily discipline, physical fitness, with spiritual discipline or spiritual fitness, well, we can see that bodily discipline is profitable but only a little bit. I mean, we did list some of the benefits of bodily discipline at the beginning of the message today. Better health, increased ability, improved appearance. But these can only go so far, can’t they? You cannot make yourself, even by extreme physical discipline, you cannot make yourself impervious to injury, disease, or death. There will still be tasks beyond your physical ability, and you cannot ultimately make yourself beautiful or handsome. And even if you could do some of these things, how long would the benefits last? You’re going to get older. These things will all fade as you age. Or a simple accident could take away all your work and even your life. Bodily discipline is profitable but only a little.

And we can broaden this principle to include any other aim or anything else that you might discipline yourself for in the world. Maybe you’re a disciplined gamer. You’ve poured many hours into virtual worlds. You are skilled at it. Or you’re a disciplined sports watcher. You’ve memorized all the players, all the stats, going back for years. Or you’re a disciplined worker at your job. Or you’re very disciplined about how you save and spend money. Or you’re very disciplined when it comes to what you choose to eat or not to eat. You’re like a dieting expert. Whatever it is, you no doubt experience some benefit, some pleasure, some satisfaction as a result of your pursuit. But how much? It’s fundamentally limited, isn’t it? Whatever gain you get out of your investor’s effort, even your pain, it’s fundamentally limited. Satisfaction soon fades. Your possessions that you gain as a result of your discipline, they soon lose their value. Your recognition from others soon turns to indifference. Of course, I’m not saying, and the Scriptures are not saying, that taking care of your body is bad, or that having a hobby or a certain area of established discipline is worthless, something to be avoided. No. But these, they do not function well as an ultimate aim, an ultimate pursuit. If you can only truly discipline yourself for one aim in life, anything besides spiritual discipline, without discipline oriented towards godliness, it brings only limited benefit. It is not worth your going all in for it.

But what about godliness? Look at the last part of verse 8. Second reason, final point of our outline,

But godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

We have another contrast set up by Paul here. Bodily discipline, really any other pursuit in life, it’s only limited at best, but godliness is profitable for all, for everything. It brings you full and lasting benefit, true profit. How so? Because of the promise that is embedded in godliness, which, notice Paul says, is both for the present life and the life to come. Not just something you have to wait for and suffer through right now. No, you experience it now too. You want benefit? You want blessing, both now and forever? Then pursue godliness, Paul says, like an athlete, and you will see that promise realized.

What kind of benefit are we talking about here? I think there might be a temptation to read these verses with a prosperity gospel mindset. If I pursue godliness, then God will bless me with everything I want. I’ll be blessed materially. He’ll remove all trouble from my life. Now it is true, according to the Old Testament and Proverbs especially, that there often is a circumstantial aspect to the blessing you receive when you pursue godliness. Proverbs talk about that those who walk in the fear of God, they often do find increased wealth. They do find honor. They do find deliverance from trouble. But not always. And never are their lives trouble-free. Because after all, like we said, we do have a heavenly trainer, don’t we? And He is a good trainer, even a good Father, who is committed to using painful trials to bring about godliness in us. As one of the Psalms says, Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all. You will experience trials. You will have difficulties in this life, but the Lord will help you through. So this cannot be. Prosperity gospel is not what Paul has in mind, or we could just go further on in 1 Timothy to see that. If you just skip over, look over at 1 Timothy 6, Paul clarifies another difference between the false teachers that arose up in Ephesus and true teachers. False teachers are inherently materialistic. Saying specifically at the end of verse 5, They suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Verse 6,

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.

Oh yes, your life will be blessed, surely you will be blessed if you walk in godliness, but not necessarily with material rewards, but with a contentment that is okay whatever their material rewards are not. The blessing, the benefit promised to one who diligently pursues godliness is not ultimately circumstantial, but it is in a treasure that transcends circumstances, goes beyond them. And what is that treasure? I think the best way to answer it is this way. It’s eternal life. It is the abundant, never-ending full life that belongs to those who know Jesus. And that life is epitomized in Jesus Himself. He says the essence of eternal life is actually knowing Him and God through Him.

And actually there is this idea reflected just in the context. If you look back at 1 Timothy 4:10, Paul says, for this we labor and strive. Those are hard words, right? Labor, strive. Because we have fixed our hope on the living God, the God of life, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. We discipline ourselves. We go all out. We even agonize in our toil and struggle for godliness. And why? Because we are looking to the assured hope that we have in the only Savior and life giver. We know that if we will pursue the living God in this way, we will find and experience His life and His salvation, in an increasing way.

I think also of Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes. Matthew 5 records, Matthew 5:6,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Just two verses later, Matthew 5:8,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Let’s hear more from Paul. Paul in Philippians 3:13-14,

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

True life and treasure is in God. And he says, if I keep pressing on towards him, I know I will experience it. Paul again, going back to that parallel passage in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27,

Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

We could add many other scriptures, but the message of the Bible is clear. If you want to experience life, true life, abundant life, eternal life, it only comes by walking in the fear of Yahweh, even by voluntary discipline oriented toward godliness. Yes, training like an athlete to cultivate a relationship with Christ is worth it because you gain Christ, who gives eternal life and is eternal life in Himself.

But what if this is the way you choose not to live? What if, when you do your own calculation of what you will have to give up for what you will gain, and you say, I don’t think disciplining myself for the reward of Christ is worth it. I’m just going to phone it in. Do you know what will be the ultimate outcome if you take that attitude and maintain that attitude? I’m afraid I have to tell you. According to the scriptures, the result of that is you will not experience eternal life. You will not be saved, neither now nor in eternity. Because after all, you noticed in that last reference I just read to you, how Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9 that he disciplines himself so that he would not be disqualified. What does it mean to be disqualified? Certainly, yes, that could refer to a loss of ministry, but if you just read on in 1 Corinthians 10, you will hear about a group of people, a whole bunch of would-be followers of God who ended up disqualified. Namely, the first generation that came out of Egypt in the Exodus, who were always grumbling, always idolatrous, always doubting God and following after the flesh, and God utterly rejected them. And He killed them in the wilderness. They were disqualified.

Even here at the end of our chapter in 1 Timothy 4, notice verse 16, Paul says to Timothy that only by persevering faithfulness will Timothy ensure salvation both for himself and for those who hear him. You want to be saved, Timothy? You want those you minister to to be saved? Then stay faithful. Persevere. You say, what? Timothy is going to lose his salvation? No. Scriptures are clear that God doesn’t lose anyone whom he saves. But the Scriptures are also clear that anyone who is saved is someone who perseveres, even in godliness, even in the spiritual discipline aimed at godliness.

Brethren, you must listen. Your choice about whether you will take, whether you will pursue the discipline of godliness, it says a lot about what’s going on in your heart, what you really value, whether you really belong to Christ. Those who do know Christ are eager to follow Him and please Him. But those who don’t care that much, they are those that Jesus will disown on the last day with those terrible words, I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. You didn’t care about godliness, which just showed you never knew Me. There’s no real category of carnal Christians, according to the Bible. You either are earnest to please Christ or you do not know Him at all. Yes, Christians can and do stumble in the race of faith. They can sit out for a time, but they don’t stay out. They don’t give up the race. They don’t throw in the towel. They don’t turn away from the training. They may need help to get back in the race, as we all do, but they love Christ too much to give up on Him and to give up on the pursuit of Him.

Now, each one of us are at various places in our race of Christian maturity. None of us are perfect or wholly mature yet. But what is our direction? What is our aim? What is our characteristic lifestyle? Is it the pursuit of Christ? Is it discipline and that affectionate fear of His holiness? If it is, then Paul says, such a one is saved and has life both now and forever. So you’ve got to ask yourselves, is that you? Is that you this morning? Do you feel that way in your heart? Is it evident in your life? Have you essentially gone to Jesus and said, Lord, I am disciplining myself for You because You are my treasure. Lord, I know You discipline me and it’s painful, but I welcome that because it means I get You. And Lord Jesus, I’m going to be diligent about this. I’m going to search. I’m going to plan. I’m going to think about how I can cultivate a deeper relationship with You because You are life. Is that what your heart testifies? If not, then today is the day to repent and realize what it really means to be a Christian. To be a Christian is a radical calling. I think we sometimes forget that. It’s like, as we heard today, becoming an athlete.

So we’ve heard this morning the call of our Lord through His apostle to spiritual discipline. When it comes to godliness, there truly is no gain without pain. But what a gain there is – life and salvation forever in Jesus, experienced now, later to be experienced in full. In light of such gain, what is the pain? It is, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, this momentary light affliction is laying up for us a weight of glory too wonderful to be comprehended. God exhorts you. God exhorts us today to discipline ourselves for godliness according to His word so that we may experience that eternal life.

So what practical changes can you make in your life right now to make this a reality? You can actually grow in godliness, pursue the Lord, know him even more, and manifest that in the way you live your life. You can make practical changes. And you know where they start? Well, that’s really what we’re going to talk about next time. One area in which this discipline, this purposeful pursuit of godliness, must manifest itself is in devotion to the Word of God. The learning, the studying, the meditating on, the memorizing of, all those things related to the Bible. We’ll talk about that next time.

Let’s close in prayer. Lord God, I thank You for this word. It is a reorienting Word. It’s very easy for us to get distracted. We live in a relatively comfortable place in the world, and we can forget about the radical call You’ve placed on our lives and also Your radical worth that makes that call so worthy to be answered. Lord Jesus, our life does not consist in these things we see around us, our jobs, our hobbies, our whatever it is. Life is in You. And God, if we really want to experience life, then we will discipline ourselves. God, this is not something we can do on our own. The only reason that we can pursue this is because You said, I will enable you to do it. I will empower you. I will encourage you by My word and by My promises. You tell us, God, we can have a grace-fueled discipline. So God, we ask for that. We ask for Your extended grace to us so that we can do exactly what You’ve called us to do. Jesus, make us godly. Make us more into Your image. Father, sanctify us. We know that will involve some pain, but the reward of it will be worth it. Lord, let that be the subtle conviction of our hearts and let us as a church not only pursue godliness individually but help one another pursue godliness even in the exercise of our gifts. In Jesus’ name, amen.

March 7, 2022
Ordination of Elder and Deacon Candidates

In this special sermon, Pastor Babij explains the biblical foundation for a plurality of elders and deacons in the church and clarifies that these are the only two scripturally based church offices. Pastor Babij delineates the biblical qualifications for elders and deacons, their respective spheres of responsibility, and the necessary character of their wives. Pastor Babij concludes with an exhortation for Christians to give their elders and deacons the scripturally mandated submission.

Full Transcript:

This morning is a bit of a historical event before us because we are going to look at ordaining our elders and deacons, so we’re going to be looking at several passages of Scripture. Some people may not even know where these things are in Scripture or they never may have realized that the church ought to be doing this.

When I first came to Calvary some 34 years ago, there was really no clear doctrine here. There were just a few people. I begin to do evangelism and we got to see people get saved, and really understand what the Gospel was and what real conversion was. Then, I realized that in the mind set of most of the people was that just a single pastor and deacon made all the decisions.

In July 1987, I started preaching on eldership. Some people never even heard the word elder before, and I began to preach on eldership and the role of deacons and where they fit. We wanted to move from an unbiblical form of a single elder and as a single deacon to a more Biblical form where there is a plurality of elders, which is shared ministry and leadership.

In Scripture, no passage suggests that any church, no matter how small or large, only had one elder or one deacon because of the weight and vastness of the work. It’s important for men to be coming up, who are going to be qualified Scripturally, to be able to fulfill these rolls.

On this Lord’s Day, the passages of Scripture will focus in on elders and deacons. There are only two offices given to the church in light of the teaching of Scripture and the duty of the church to ordain elders, and I’ll describe what ordination is a little later on.

I bring this responsibility before you, as the gathered body of believers at Calvary Community Church, that we need to ordain our elders and deacons. So far, this has been the third time we have ordained elders and deacons. The first time was in November 1999. It took that long for people to get what elders were. Then, in 2008, and day on February 24, 2019. Scripture says in Titus 1:4-5:

To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. ⁵For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you

It was important wherever a New Testament Church of gathering believers were, there were to be elders in that place. Whether they were sent there or whether they were raised up there in that place. It takes a while sometimes to raise up elders. There may be one-pastor church until he raises people up to take those slots.

Elder becomes a common word in Scripture, but sometimes people may get confused a little bit because there are three terms that are used in Scripture. One, it’s an elder where we get the Greek word presbuteros. This word emphasizes the man in his character, in his heart, and in his life. An elder also includes someone who is older from the Old Testament. They do have to have some age, some experience, some spiritual knowledge and growth of the word of God, and they have to have a certain level of spiritual maturity. The Bible describes them as men who are full of the spirit and wisdom.

Bishop is another word that you see in Scripture, which is epískopos in Greek. This word really has to do with him being a guardian or someone who guards over people, which emphasizes his function. The last one is a common one, which is a Pastor. In Greek, it is the term poimen, which means Shepherd, and how he feels towards the sheep, who has been entrusted to them. The shepherd is one who takes care of the community of believers including guiding, carrying, and looking after with an emphasis on the governing aspects of its administrative role.

What people don’t realize is that all these three words are talking about one person. One person with three different functions, so these are talking about the functions of the elder, the pastor, and the overseer. They’re all the same person, so they’re not three different people or three different levels. Acts 20:17-18 brings these three words together:

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. ¹⁸And when they had come to him, he said to them…

Then, Acts 20:28 says:

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

All three words are talking about the same person. They are to Shepherd those who Christ has purchased with His own blood. The Lord is entrusting the people that He died for and saved into the trust of certain men within the congregation. Meaning, the men of the congregation have to be growing at least in the character qualities of what an elder is. An elder must have character, and not just any character, but a character that is defined by the Bible.

Once you read these characteristics, you may say to yourself, as I said to myself when I first read them, I don’t know of anybody who could meet these character qualities. The standard is extremely high.

God is not looking for degrees. He’s not looking for hyper skill. He’s looking for character. He’s looking for men, their wives, and family that have integrity. That’s what He’s looking for. He does save men and their families to be qualified with these characteristics. Titus 1:6 says:

namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.

Meaning, this is kind of a controlling characteristic. They are above criticism, or they are above being blamed for something. In other words, they are unimpeachable. Any accusation that levels against a particular officer like an elder cannot have any footing in reality, so they must be a person like that.

Secondly, they would be a person who is the husband of one wife. In other words, he is a one-woman man, and absolutely above reproach concerning his marital relationship. That must be the case, especially in the days in which we live today. There’s a fuzzy definition of family, men and women identity is kind of being erased, so the church has to keep all that very clear.

One of the things we have to keep clear is that a man, if he is married, has to have a good growing marriage. Of course, he has to be above reproach in that, which leads me to the third thing of having children who believe. Meaning, he is a good household manager. The verb “believe,” in Titus, means to influence others to cause them to follow a recommended cause of action. To guide them, to direct them, and to lead them.

Basically, it doesn’t mean that his children have to be believers in Christ. You don’t know when they’re going to believe right away. It means that his children have to be faithful to his authority and be listening to his authority. They are not given over to rebellion or riotous living. They’re not senseless or reckless. They are regular kids that are growing up, and they’re learning what it means to live in a Christian home and what the Bible says about life. They’re growing in all of those particular characteristics.

The next one would be that he is someone who is not self-willed or arrogant. That means he finds out what is God’s will. He is someone who is looking at the Lord and asking for advice as to what the Bible says about things. Whatever God gives him and entrusts to him, he wants to manage it well, so he takes very he takes delight and he takes it seriously.

He is not an arrogant person. He wants to seek out the will of God, in the word of God, and is willing to hear sound and wise reasoning to make decisions based on balanced thought. Thus, he’s not self-willed. He realizes that he has to sometimes pull the information that comes from the congregation to make good decisions.

He’s not just making that on his own. He has the other elders to talk to about other issues. Sometimes elders know things that some of you will never know as far as things that are going on in the congregation or in someone’s life. They are not someone who is self-willed and says, “I know all the answers. I don’t need any of your comments or input.” Rather, he is welcoming input, comments, and wants to make the right decisions.

Then, he’s not quick-tempered. Meaning, he’s slow to get sinfully angry and he knows the anger of man, as it says in James, does not accomplish the righteousness of God. He walks not in the flesh. He desires to walk in the spirit, not the flesh, so he is in control. Thus, he is not addicted to wine. It is against a person who habitually drinks too much, who are drunkards, or who are heavy drinkers. That’s something that should never be part of his character.

It’s not necessary for officers to be teetotalers, but he is responsible with the use of any kind of alcohol. That’s not something that he would depend on. He is not controlled by any outside substance whether it be this or some kind of drug to get along or get through life. He is in control of that, he can say no to it, and is very cautious about it if he does partake.

Also, he’s not someone who is pugnacious, which means he is not violent. He’s not a brawler. He doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder. He’s not fond of sorted gain, which has to do with money pertaining to being shamefully greedy for material gain or profit. He does not have his heart set on accumulation of material things.

In other words, he has a good grasp of a Biblical view of money knowing that money is only for this side of eternity. You’re not taking it with you no matter how much you have. You are to work to have money to be able to give and supply the needs that God will allow you to supply. He gives generously and sacrificially.

Thus, he is hospitable. He is open-handed. He’s willing to be hospitable in any way he can to help somebody. He also loves what is good, which means he is open-hearted. He loves what brings good results. I believe what grieves an elder the most would be somebody who does not listen to sound, Biblical truth. Therefore, they reject it and reject their counsel when the council is coming right from the word of God.

Meaning, they are also sensible, which means upright and just. They want to live a holy life. They want to be fair. They want to be honest. They want to be reliable. This all comes under the umbrella, as the spirit of God gives self-control to them, he knows his strengths and his weaknesses and endeavors to bring them under the power of the Holy Spirit to use them for the benefit and edification of the church.

Lastly, included in 1 Titus 1:9, is that he holds fast to the faithful Word:

holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

He has a growing knowledge of God, His word, and his own gifts and abilities to teach and live out the principles of Scripture. He is continually growing in these characteristics. This is not a perfect person. This is a person that has flaws, that is still dealing with sin, yet God is developing in them these characteristics.

I believe that all men should be aspiring to these characteristics. Even if you never become an elder, these are the kind of men that not only the church needs, but that families, society, and the world needs. These are the kind of men that when bosses are looking for people, they’re looking for these kinds of people. They are not finding to many of that today, but they should be finding people that are in the church because they are realizing that these are the things that honor God. These are the things that give you influence and give you the ability to say things were people actually listen.

Secondly, I want to stress the specific functions of church elders. The first function would be that an elder function’s as a shepherd in the field watching over his flock. Acts 20:8 says:

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

He is to tend the sheep, he is to keep the sheep, and the shepherd is responsible for the welfare of the sheep. He is to guard them from wolves or false teachers. He is to expose false teaching, false philosophies, and the false way people may conclude on how to live your life. When the elder is not present for some reason, he is to be warning them what may come when he is not around. Acts 20:29 says:

I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

There are people that are going to come along and they’re going to want their own congregation. They’re going to draw people away and it could be that they’re good teachers, or they’re good or able to articulate and manipulate people very good. They have a charismatic personality that is magnetic, and people are drawn to them.

A lot of people that are head of colts could be presidents of corporations too because of their charismatic personality. They’re able to do that and manipulate people. That’s not what an elder is in the church. An elder is a humble man, who wants to take the welfare of God’s sheep and be responsible with that. Also, a shepherd’s responsible for feeding the sheep. Acts 20:27 says:

For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.

Then, a shepherd is responsible to care for them and to pray for them when they are in difficulty. Imperfectly, elders are to manage people and give oversight to people. That is one of the first functions they have.

Secondly, an elder is a governor in the assembly ruling over the flock. Here are all these three words coming together. God has given to elders a sphere of rule. The extent of his rule is his own household first, and then all who come under the sphere of his rule in the local church. That is why passages like these that I’m going to mention bear out the authority in the pastoral office with politically incorrect words such as obey and submit. For example, an elder, in his home, his wife is to submit where it tells us in Ephesians 5:22:

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

As the church is subject to Christ, so also the wife ought to be to their own husbands in everything. Christ is the elder and the husband’s example. Christ’s rule over the church is a considerate rule, it’s a faithful rule, it is a gracious rule, and a tender rule.

Thus, the elder, the pastor, and the bishop is to have the rule in his home that is like Christ’s rule over the church. He is to rule his wife lovingly, and the wife, who submits to the rule of Christ in the home, becomes a beautiful picture of what God intended. The home becomes a picture of how Christ loves the church.

His rule is fair, it is firm, and it is affectionate toward his wife and toward his children. In other words, their home is a haven. It’s a place where you have a good time, you rest, and you enjoy yourself. It is not a place where you’re walking on eggshells all the time.

Rather, it’s a fun place in the sense and it’s a good place to because he makes it that way. Also, in his home, his children are also to submit where says in 1 Timothy 3:4:

He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity

In other words, having his children in submission. If you can’t take care of the little league, which is the family, then you can’t take care of the big league, which is the church. They both go together and are connected to one another.

Once you become a Christian, you realize that the church and the family go together. They dovetail together. Thus, the mark of a submissive child is I’ll do what pleases my father, and that’s the mark of a Christian to the Lord. I’ll do whatever you want me to do Lord. I want to obey you. Ephesians 6:1-2 says:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER…

This is the one that may be difficult today for some people. His rule also is a rule that goes into the flock. In other words, the flock are to submit. Hebrews 13:17 says:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

In other words, his rule and his function to govern has to do with you too. If they have the qualifications and they have the office, which God has given them, then you’re to submit to them because they watch over your souls. They’re concerned about your eternal destiny. They are concerned about what’s going on in your life. It says to do it with joy, not with grief because that would be unprofitable not for them, but for you.

Unfortunately, dealing with people and all kinds of sinful situations doesn’t always go very well where you have to deal with a lot of grief in the ministry. It’s heavy being in the ministry and being an elder, or to be deacons that have to deal with mercy situations that don’t always go the way people expect them to go. Sometimes, you feel that you have failed them because you didn’t do it the way they thought you should. However, you did it the way that would honor God, but they were looking for something else.

Also, an elder function’s as a teacher in the assembly instructing the flock. 1 Timothy 3:2 says:

An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach

What sets an elder apart from a deacon is that he is able to teach. He is able to handle the word of God correctly. He’s able and desires to declare to them the sheep and the whole counsel of God. All elders are to have the aptitude to teach. Some are given over to this responsibility full-time, like me, and some are not. Some have jobs and are considered lay-elders. This is not necessarily a Biblical term, but they have all the responsibilities and they give as much as they can in their eldership and responsibilities towards the church.

All elders, no matter what they’re doing, are able to teach. He needs to continue to grow in his God-given gift to teach in the assembly. He is apt to teach. He is not only able to teach, but willing to communicate to others the knowledge which God has given him. He is one who is fit to teach and ready to take on the opportunities and responsibilities of giving instructions to other people from the word of God. The Bible warns us in 1 Timothy 5:22:

Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.

Don’t go laying your hands on them and saying okay, they have an office now. You must test them. You have to look at their life. You have to examine them. You have to see what’s going on both in and outside the church building, and their responsibilities on the grounds in their own home and job.

If they’re going to be four minimum requirements for elders, it would have to be something like this. Number one, he must have a character growing in-sync with Scripture. Secondly, he must have a grasp on the basic content and doctrine of the Holy Scripture like it says in Titus 1:9:

holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

A Biblical elder must stick to the word of God, and not his own opinions, notions of the world, or of some famous teacher. He must give them God’s word because truth does not change. Other things change, but truth does not. Thirdly, he must have a proven ability to clearly communicate the word of God. 2 Timothy 2:2 says:

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

2 Timothy 2:15 goes on to say:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

They have a good hermeneutic. They know how to handle the Bible. When they come to certain passages of Scripture, certain pros, and certain end-time passages, they know how to handle those and how to use them in regard to the rest of the Scripture. They are able to do that. They are able to accurately, without shame, handle the word of God so they can do the work of ministry.

This leads me to the second office and that is the diaconate, and I am going to deal with the diaconate the same way I’ve dealt with the elders because that’s the way the Bible does it. First of all, God is looking for character. He wants men who has character. In Acts 6:2-3, we see the formulation of the diaconate. There was a problem and they were called together to solve that problem:

So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³“Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

It’s not just any old person who volunteers. It’s somebody who has character. They are someone who gets put in charge of things, who have wisdom and who are being led by the spirit of God. In 1 Timothy 3:8-13, it says the qualities of a church deacon.

He is worthy of respect. It pertains to appropriate and befitting behavior and it implies a dignity and respect. There is something honorable about the man that is worthy of respect, which is their character. He has desire that people see and can observe about wanting to honor God with his life.

In 1 Timothy 3:10, they are to be sincere, which means they are to be someone who cannot be criticized. They cannot be held blamable about something or they are someone who cannot be impeached because the accusations that somebody may bring against them cannot stick. Again, deacons are not to be indulging in much wine. He must be responsible in what would control him or what can throw him off track. He is someone who is responsible with anything that has an outside influence such as alcohol or drugs.

Pertaining to honesty, he is not to be pursuing dishonest gain, shameful greed, or just wanting to have material profit. He does not set his heart on accumulated material things or wealth. He has a good grasp of a Biblical view of money and he gives generously and sacrificially.

Another one is that he’s not double-tongued. Meaning, he does not pertain to a contradictory behavior based on pretense or hypocrisy. In other words, he’s not two-faced or hypocritical. He does not speak out of both sides of his mouth different things.

His character quality is not limited to his speech, but also to his behavior. He’s consistent, he’s predictable, and you know what he’s going to do. Sometimes when people know what you are going to do, then that’s the reason why they don’t come to you. They already know what you’re going to tell them, so they go to somebody who is not going to tell them what you’re going to tell them, and they’re going to take their advice.

These are qualities that are commendable in the church. Next, they must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They’re not teachers, but they hold to the mystery of the faith with a sincere conscience. Their belief is genuine and pure. It’s the real thing. This is a real believer. This is a real genuine person. You don’t have to try to figure him out. He’s there and has a firm grasp of sound doctrine and he lives by the word that he says. That’s who he is.

Also, he is a man who is tested, proved to be faithful, and serving God. Meaning, if there is nothing against him, then let them serve as deacons. The congregation recognizes that this guy has been faithful. This guy has been doing this with praise and joy, which is someone who is ready to get into the office and serve.

Of course, he is a husband of one wife, and is above reproach concerning their marital relationship. He is someone who manages his household well. He’s a good household manager. He has faithful children who are listening to him, not given to riotous or rebellious living. On Top of all that, there is a tremendous thing that is said about a deacon in 1 Timothy 3:13:

For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

In other words, heavenly reward and a smile from Jesus when deacons have functioned in their office well. Wow, that is amazing. 1 Timothy 3:11 includes the wives. Now, I do not believe women will hold an office of deacon, but the Bible is saying that the women who will be the wives of the deacons are to be women who are dignified, who are not malicious gossips, but temperate and faithful in all things.

They’re going to be serving alongside their elder or deacon husbands, and they’re going to be privy to a lot of information about people that only they know. Thus, they’re not to be malicious gossip. They can’t be talking about what’s going on when you know that’s supposed to be kept in private. The woman has to be as qualified as the man, so he can serve in his office and she can come along side of him and serve with him.

Even though she does not hold the office, she is to be as qualified in character as he is, so the information and the things they do deal with in ministry will be dealt with in an honest and in a way where people can trust them with even personal things.

So, our elder wives are Yiyin Ho and Sherrian Crumbley, and the deacon wives are Shae Bibbo, Rebecca Fantuzzo, and Natalie Gussis. Those are the women that are coming alongside their husbands and they are aiding them, ministering with them, and lot of times if a man’s going to go somewhere and have to deal with a woman, he brings his wife with him, or another elder or deacon with him. He is never going alone to go and minister to possibly a woman, who is hurting or vulnerable, so he needs to protect himself because of what other people can say.

Also, it’s always good to take somebody else because whatever is being said can be cooperated with somebody else who heard it. Then, you can bring your facts together, write it down, log it in, and as you do that, it is much more helpful than doing something on your own. This brings the wisdom of plurality, the wisdom of more than one person doing the ministry.

Believe me, the wives in our church have been tremendous blessings to the work of the ministry and all the things that have to get done behind the scenes such as all the little details the men don’t see and will never see. The women see it, and sometimes the men need convincing – we need to do this. They come along and they finally convince us because we’re not in violation of any Scripture or any kind of principle that would be hindering, so let’s do it.

Here, the women are mentioned because they are vital to the function of the church, to the continued character of their husband, and the ministry that goes forward. We cannot do without them at all, and they are very much needed.

This brings me to the function of the deacons. The first function of a deacon is the ministry of relief to the elders. Acts 6:2-4 says:

So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³“Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. ⁴“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

That’s what becomes the focal priority of the elders. Thus, the preaching and the teaching of the word of God and prayer is should always be the primary business of the church. Everything else is secondary to that. If those things aren’t getting done, then we are putting something else in front of it, and we will end up moving Scriptural priorities to the wrong places.

The practical care for the needy is important, and that’s why we have deacons. However, it is not the first priority and it’s not the first priority of the deacons. It does come in a close second or in conjunction with carrying out the primary task. The mercy task is always present and will always be there. There will always be needs that need attention, which is where the deacons become vital.

When the Hellenistic and Hebrew women were increasing in number that’s when deacons were called in, so they can relieve the apostles. Then, the elders would be devoted to prayer in the ministry of the word and it would not be hindered. Meaning, the deacons make sure that these two priorities stay priorities as part of their job.

The twofold responsibility of an elder would be the ministry of the word, and then also the ministry of prayer. Again, the deacons are so vital to make sure that these two priorities stay priorities.

When you start ministering the people’s needs, it gets complicated, and not one person could handle all that. Even though the elders are accountable for giving that responsibility to the deacons, it is too burdensome to do the mercy and the Word ministry of the church together.

God has ordained the diaconate to be the administrative body that sees the mercy needs of the community, both the believing and unbelieving, and to give relief to the shepherds, to the pastor, and to the elders of the congregation of that activity, so that they may devote themselves to the word of God and prayer. We can never get away from that in Scripture.

Also, they serve to care for the table of the pastor’s and the elders. They are responsible to make sure that the elders are laboring indoctrinate and have the time to do that. Like that they are not so bogged down with other outside interruptions that they never seem to get to the study of the word of God and to the preaching and teaching of the word of God on regular basis.

Eventually, that gets pushed aside and other things fill in. Let’s face it, we can do a lot of good things, right? However, we have to keep God’s priorities in Scripture, which becomes very vital. The deacons are part of that balance.

Also, they are to care for the table of the Lord. Meaning, the physical needs in the gathering of the Lord’s table such as the preparation and the distribution of the visible elements. They are also preparing candidates for baptism, so we can baptize people.

The physical properties, classrooms, nurseries, buildings, grounds, repairs, and supplies are things that have to be taken care of so we can minister to the people. Parking and building expansions that may be coming in the future are things that can really pull the elders away from the responsibility we ought to be involved in. Another thing is making sure that money is handled correctly. Both the elders in the deacons are to do that responsibly.

Secondly, they are to function as a minister of relief to the needy. Part of their responsibility is to those people who needs help right. Galatians 6:10 says:

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Meaning, their responsibility has an order of priority. It’s the church that comes first and the people in the church. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that we ought not to be ministering to the needs of the unbelieving, but we are responsible to lend aid to both if we can. Sometimes, we cannot, so the church must come first.

They are to serve and care for the table of the poor. It is the duty of the deacons to be aware of those in the assembly with monetary and physical needs. Those who need help with their day’s sustenance, which could mean a loss of a job, poor health, widows, or orphans, and the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. Actually, that’s all God promised us anyway. He didn’t promise you a rose garden. He promised you food, clothing, and shelter, and I don’t think anybody is missing out on that this morning. However, they are to be aware of people that are going to have problems.

In putting it all together, based on the institution of official servants called deacons, in Acts 6, along with the distinction of the office of elder along with the priority in the church of helping people, it seems most certain that the deacons job is to support and to relieve the elders so that the people of God may be served in spheres outside the elders primary responsibility, which are clearly delineated in Acts 6:4:

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Alexander Strauch said:

As long as the deacons of the church enable the shepherds of the church to carry out their primary duties, and as long as the deacons minister to the congregation’s welfare needs, they are doing their job.

We are given the real reason for the appointing of of the seven men in Acts 6. The fundamental principle of the diaconal office is to do whatever the task the elders assigned to them in order to relieve the elders from getting involved in activities that would hinder them from accomplishing their tasks.

Prayer and preaching are the two that go hand-in-hand. Deacons are the key to make sure they stay hand-in-hand. In Acts 6, once these men were picked, then they had to be brought before the congregation for final approval, which is what we’re going to look at now.

After all of that, what is ordination. Ordination is simply a confirmation by the church of a man’s call to serve in the office of elder and/or deacon. Ordination by the Calvary Community Church constitutes formal recognition of one’s call to the Christian Ministry, his Biblical qualifications, and his preparation for service. That leads me to the next question: what is laying on of hands?

You may have never even heard of that term before. The New Testament indicates that the elder and deacons were formally installed into office before the congregation by the laying on of hands and prayer. This ceremony is a public appointment to the office of elder and office of deacon in which fellow elders, by laying on their hands or putting their hands on them, would communicate to the new elder-deacon the approval, blessing, prayers, recognition, and fellowship of the church. Acts 6:6 says:

And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

This is the official public recognition before the congregation to say these men are the men that God has given our church to be the elders, who take care of the spiritual aspects of leading the church, and these other men are the deacons, who take care of the mercy aspects of the church. Both of them are necessary to the functioning of the church the way God designed it.

The laying on of hands was a commissioning service to affirm the choice of individuals for a particular task? Although the word is not specifically used here, these seven men, in Acts 6, are thought to be the first deacons. In that passage, it says to look out from among you the people, and this includes the electing wishes of the congregation. The congregation was knowledgeable enough to pick out the men. They didn’t approve of the men, but the apostles would approve them.

Finally, they have the final say just as the elders have the final say in approving man. We may know more about somebody than you do. What happens is that they have electing wishes of the congregation, and the elders lay hands on them after a testing to show their approval. These men must be first tested then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach, which is the same with elders.

I thank the Lord for the men that God has actually given evidence of that calling and readiness. It will be a high privilege to ordain Greg Ho and Khaleef Crumbley as our elders, and then Ermanno Bibbo, Joseph Fantuzzo, and Brian Gussis as our deacons. These men have worked and served in our ministry for several years. Some for a longer period of time.

In this case, the testing period may have been longer than it should have been. Nonetheless, the longer the testing, the more confident we are to lay hands on them to say yes, these men have the character and they meet the minimum, and far beyond the minimum requirements. These are the men that God has given us. They have passed the testing.

Also, they have been tested by you. You may not know that you’ve been testing them, but you have. You’re looking out about what they do, who they are, and what they are about. They have shown me that they have been faithful to the Lord, they have been faithful to the word of God, and they have been faithful to the church and to the people. That’s a great blessing to our church.

Again, this is a historical event, so I’d like for the elders and deacons to stand. I do have some ordination vows that I will give to them, and at the end, you will respond to them.

Having repented of sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ, having been baptized, and having been made a member of the local church. Having faithfully served for many years in many capacities. Having prayed, studied, and grown in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and having aspired to the office of elder and the office of deviant. Having been approved and affirmed to that office after watchful testing and also experiential testing by the elders and by the members of the Calvary Community Church. (Now, all of these are to the elders and they don’t all apply to the deacons, but they do in some way).

Do you now promise to lead a life worthy of emulation? To joyfully watch over the souls of this flock as one who will give an account to God for each of them. To always preach with the day of God’s strict judgement for teachers in mind. To pray, believingly for the sick. To shepherd God’s flock that has been allotted to you willingly, eagerly, and seeking to model first what you asked of them.

To serve the Lord with both joy and tears. To resist every temptation to shrink back from declaring the whole Gospel weather in the privacy of one’s home or in the public square. To preach repentance and faith in Christ alone.

To willingly accept suffering should God place you in a position where obedience requires it. To value the calling and Gospel of Jesus Christ above your own. To guard the church as the blood bought possession of Jesus Christ and thus to care for her as the most valuable possession.

To stay alert at your post. Even willing to rebuke fellow elders, who preach or teach any doctrine not found in God’s word. To live as if it is more blessed to give than to receive. To carefully weigh the words of the Priest’s word in this assembly.

To willingly suffer for Jesus’ sake such as hardship, physical torture, betrayal, inconvenience, exposure, disappointment, persecution, sovereign weakening, calamities, and the daily pressure and concern for the church. (Paul went through all that, not that we’re going to go through all that).

To value the word of God over arguments one. To train yourself in godliness. To labor and strive with persistence in the work of your ministry more than any before you are giving God all the glory for any success. To address men’s lives as well as calling others. To follow your personal growth and godliness and sanctification. To keep close watch on your own life and your own doctrine.

To pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. To never quit, give up, swerve, or slack off in your effort to fulfill your ministry. Not even when you are middle-aged, tired, and suffering.

To despise the allure of riches in this world and to live for the eternal wealth of Christ’s presence in heaven. To guard the sacred deposit entrusted to your care. To teach the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that old men, old women, young men, young women, and children will understand how to adorn the Gospel of Jesus Christ with good works. To value Jesus above your wife, your children, your church, your Ministry, your knowledge, yourself, and anything else in this world.

To speak to God’s people with gentle authority. To be zealous for good works. To not be ashamed of the Gospel or the Savior regardless of the audience. To flee youthful sins and run toward being a man of God, who handles the Word of truth accurately. To correct the ungodly with gentleness, not quarrelsomeness. To preach the word of God in season and out of season. Reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with complete patience and teaching. To entrust your souls to the faithful Creator no matter the blessing, the trial, or persecution.

If in the sight of God and these witnesses you do now set your heart to make this pledge, promising that when you fail, you will seek both the forgiveness and restoration as soon as possible, then I call upon you, in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ, who is a judge of the living, the dead, and this congregation. By His appearing and His kingdom, then answer we do.

The men say we do.

Now, I’d like for you men to come up, kneel down facing the congregation, and let’s pray:

Lord Jesus, these are the men that You have given our assembly to serve as Your shepherd’s/deacons. We praise You for them. Lord, grant to them strength of body, soul, intellect, will, and affection for You and Your people. Give them insight into Your word. May it be a light unto their path and a constant passion in their heart. May they study Your word and become workmen, who do not need to be ashamed and men of the Word. May they become men of dependent prayer – men of prayer. May they be sensitive to their own sin, practice confessing it, and put it to death. Enable them, Lord, to fulfill their duties under the watchful eye of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May their lives adorn the Gospel in their homes with their wives and children, in their church with Your blood bought children, and on their jobs with the lost. May, from this day forward, these men willfully carry out their elder responsibilities with soberness, care, joy, and love so that our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified, honored, and pleased with their service. In Christ, I pray this. Amen.

These are the men that God has given us, and I try to present that this morning today in a manner that is serious and that is important for us to do. Not only now, but as other men come up. We do have two other men: Bruce Wyder and Brian Neves and his wife Michelle. They are going to be our deacon candidates that are coming up, so we are thankful that the Lord is raising up other people too, who are going to be part of our ministry.

Now, I have some questions for you. As the congregation, the members of Calvary Community Church, are you committed to obey these men and to submit to them? Remember, they are keeping watch over your souls as one who will give an account. Will you let them do this with joy and not with groaning? For that would be of no advantage to you. Are you willing to encourage and identify God’s grace in their life, especially the grace of humility? Remembering that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

Are you willing to pray for them that God would open to them the door for the word of God – to declare the mystery of Christ that they may make it clear as they ought to speak whatever ministry they’re doing? Are you willing to pray for them – that they will finish their course in the ministry that they have received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God? If so, answer we do.

Congregation answers: we do.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, because we believe that the Holy Spirit has gifted you these men to this ministry, made you the gift to this church, and trust that we have not acted in haste but in prayerful dependence on Christ. Therefore, it is my joy, as the elder of this church, to have laid hands on both the elders and deacons and called upon God himself to seal to you their ministry and their life to the glory of God. All of God’s people said: Amen. Let’s pray:

Lord, thank You for the kindness that You have shown us in not only establishing a church many years ago. Even Lord when this church was built a hundred and forty-six years ago, I don’t believe this building has been without a Gospel witness. I thank You, Lord, that it’s still continuing until this day. I pray that it will continue in this place. That the word of God would be honored, and Christ would be exalted. The glory and motive of the church would always bring glory to God, and that You would always give us men and their wives that would be qualified deacons and elders to carry out the work. We will praise You for all that You have, and we’ll do in our midst presently and in the future. I pray this in Christ’s name, Amen.

February 24, 2019
Ordination of Deacons

March 30, 2008