1. 1 Peter 4:7–11 (ESV)
  2. Application

Diaconate is a gift

1 Peter 4:7–11 (ESV)

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

The first thing that we see concerning the diaconate is that the diaconate is a gift. As each has received a gift, use it… (1 Peter 4:10). Deacons are a great gift to the church of Jesus Christ. There is ministry that is left undone without a diaconate. And it is not because elders say, That work is below us. It is not because elders say, That's not my job. It is because the work of the church is divided by giftings, even within the offices, because Jesus Christ wants us to need one another. Jesus Christ wants us to serve in the way He has called us to serve. Pastors, do this. Teaching elders, do this. Ruling elders, do this. Deacons, do this. And it is not for the sake of us saying there is an order or elevation, or here is important and here is not important. It is so that the whole church may come together under this idea of serving one another and teaching one another and loving one another and being merciful to one another. And we need those on the forefront who will say, It is this way, congregation! Let's go this way!

The diaconate is a gift. The word gift in Greek is charis. We have been talking about the Holy Spirit in our afternoon worship services. It is the root word for charismatic. We see that gift. It is a gift that comes not from you as a congregation. You have not given the session a gift. The session hasn't given you a gift. [Our deacons] aren’t giving themselves as a gift. The Spirit of God is giving us a gift, that we may be better served unto the glory of Christ! We see this gift is two-ways. The deacons are given as a gift (each has received a gift), and at the same time we know that that gift is to be used as a gift. My wife loves kitchen products as gifts. She loves good kitchen products (i.e. really good knives, really good instruments). [These are] things that can be used as a gift for others and used in service for others. That is how the diaconate is. It is a gift given to us so that the gift may be used in the life of the church. [These two men] serve as a gift.1

Nathan Eshelman