These instructions are the second section in the category that the Apostle Paul presents: "Here is a trustworthy saying...." His first trustworthy saying addresses the overseers (elders) in Ephesus, and today we will consider the servants (deacons).
The principal that he began with for the elders: "He that set his heart to be an overseer, desires and good thing...." Now he builds further: "Deacons like wise...." (v.8). Here as in the study of elders, the text gives emphasis to the character qualities of the servant and little about the actual tasks of the office within the church. This text includes the sticky issue of whether Paul is addressing wives or women who are deaconesses in verse eleven and ends with the purpose of the office of elders and deacons, namely to gurard the standards of the Gospel.
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April 29, 2012 | John Bayles | Calling to the Servants (1 Timothy 3:8-16)
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