And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. The process of preparing a good agenda demands thought and prayer. For website questions or corrections, please contact us at [emailprotected]. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. The Scriptures teach us that all things should be done in an orderly manner (1 Corinthians 14:40). We humbly implore you to dwell among us with the Spirit of discretion. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God? Their family lives prove that they apply the truth of Scripture in all areas of their lives. Reset our agendas, as we sit in Your presence. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 1. Give me a humble heart when my work goes unnoticed. 10 And let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. Give [them] a humble heart when [their] work goes unnoticed. God, make me brave. We love your comments! In Christ, Kendall. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. Id like to think of these as a few of the disciplines of good meetings. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. Praise You for this event, and Your purpose for it. Make me a humble servant, a role model, and a friend to all who call on Your name. The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Help us to share Your word and Your truth with all who enter our presence. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. For example, the Bible is the authority for Baptist faith and practice. Diaconal Ministries of Canada (DMC) has created a set of 12 devotions, designed specifically for deacon meetings, based on the charge to the deacons. 1. Salem Media Group. The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. It will involve you in followup on decisions from the last meeting, and it will help you to think about what you can do ahead of time to help insure that the next meeting is a good one. There are two offices necessary to the church: pastors and deacons. In every situation we ponder in our daily lives, let the Holy Spirit translate Your commands. Help all of the teachers to be able Deacons from generations past are cheering you on from the sidelines of glory. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. Set us free from comparison in order to work together efficiently. Proverbs 3:5-6 3. Devotions and prayers suggested for daily meditation and prayer Lectionary readings Lectionary readings provide a disciplined way to read through the Bible. I am Your servant and will go wherever You lead me. But test everything; hold fast what is good. The men seek God's mind, heart, and guidance. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. Prayer should be biblically informed. Leading Others to God Prayer Light in the Darkness, keep my heart pure, let me do all that I can to lead others to You. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. While planning any church meeting, you need to think of all the details about what will interest the church members that will make them attend the meeting without any confusion. The greatest among you shall be your servant. If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. So they gave a dinner for him there. Make us both blameless in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. 7 And the word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. His point here is that deacons are to have an upright character which is an example to people in the church. Help us plant seeds of hope and faith in eternal life with You. When you are a pastor or administrator, you need to plan the meeting just like any other event where your group can focus on resolving important issues. Create in us an everlasting determination to grow Your kingdom that produces good fruit. Proverbs 24:10 4. Deacons Meeting Use chat feature below to be counted and heard. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. Meetings are a way to strengthen ties within a group of staff whether it is a work or religious place; in any of them, its members share and open their minds and hearts to learn about others and also know a little more about others oneself. Call that person before the meeting and say, Harv, I want to give you a heads up that were going to be talking about the budget item for a new keyboard. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. But in Romans 16:1, Phoebe, a woman, is also called a diakonos. Every deacon They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Here is a beautiful prayer to use in closing your time together. Couples Guidance Prayer Righteous Savior, bless my role as a deacon in the church and bless my wife in her support of the work I do in Your name. August 2022 - The Priority of Prayer. Thank you for helping us uphold the Community Guidelines to make this an encouraging and respectful community for everyone. This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. He oversees the staff, deacons, and all Faith Church ministries. I trust in You. Connect to The Network and add your own question, blog, resource, or job. But this is your time. I am so blessed to have Your mercy, grace, and love. H Fences must be erected, must be guarded, and must be constantly repaired. L He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? Romans 16:1: A Female Deacon (Deaconess) In Acts 6:3, the apostles appoint seven male deacons: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Im not going to list prayer as a way to improve meetings, because we all know that. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money" (1 Timothy 3:8). And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. July 2022 - Honoring God with Our Giving. 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. God let this meeting be productive and, as should be the case in all areas of our lives, help us to keep You at the forefront of our minds as we do the work set before us. Bless this meeting today, all those present, as well as the lives of those we will encounter afterward. b. Give [them] a generous spirit when [they are] tired but needed. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. I will cross raging waters and walk through burning flames and not be afraid because You are with me through it all. Not double-tongued (v. 8): Those who are double-tongued say one thing to certain people but then say something . I need to be able to reach over and take Your hand at a moments notice. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. E Give me peace of mind in obedience and service. Let us marvel at your good gifts and your wise provision. You have ordained the service of deacons for your church, in order that the needy members may receive the necessary support. Only You know what lies ahead. Let us examine a final passage of Scripture regarding deacons. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae. They help to respect peoples time, their ideas, their willingness to serve. You are God's field, God's building. Deacon Pearson read Isaiah 55:9-12. Key Bible Passages on Pastors and Deacons. II. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.. Bible verses related to Deacon Duties from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance. Now coming to what the Bible has to say, it has no firm rules on a church meeting. In Jesus name, I pray. But Martha was distracted with much serving. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? Discover the top Bible verses about Deacons from the Old and New Testaments. 1 Timothy 3:13 Here Paul explains the function of the deacon, and two things will result when the service of a deacon is done correctly. 1 Timothy 3:1-13 - 1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The agenda will show WHAT is coming up, AND, even more important, WHAT the group is being asked to do about it. Steer our intentions to align with Your righteous will. Compiled by The BibleStudyTools Staff And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. c. How would you describe their relationship? Grant me grace as I age so I may share your wisdom. You are free to use any of our devotions. 2023 Christian Reformed Church in North America. Forgive us for our pride. Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Thank You for allowing service to Your Church to be the mission of our lives. Having a time of devotions and prayer at your deacon's meetings is meant to facilitate a sharing of the living Word. Required fields . Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed! and no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. 2.6 Short Morning Devotions for Couples. Help me to devote my life to best supporting the elders of the church and the congregation. Amen. TopicalBible The Network is a collection of content posted by members of our online community. 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It can really help to put time for personal talk and informal exchange on the agenda - first. Have you had experience with any of these ideas? The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. You have ordained the service of deacons for your church, in order that the needy members may receive the necessary support. It's been said that a lot of churches are run by strong willed deacons wives:) According to scripture, churches are to be run by elders, of which the pastor is one .