Deacons Must Mean What They Say

# 101 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 3:8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, Next on the list for the servants of the church is to not be “double-tongued.” Of course this is true for all followers of Jesus, but it is especially important for those who would hold the office of deacon. Deacons are constantly interacting with other members of the congregation and by the very nature of their responsibilities to minister to the needy they will find themselves necessarily involved in conversation with others. This conversation is to be earmarked by consistency. You can't be saying one thing or promising something and then reneging on your promise or saying something else. The word “double-tongued” in the Greek, literally means “telling a different story.” Think about it, if your responsibility is to distribute aid to others, you need to be a man or woman of your word. Deacons exist to assist pastors and to help others experience good as they reflect the servant heart of Christ to meet their physical needs. They do a disservice to the Body if they are going to bend the truth or break a promise. Jesus said, “Let your yea be yea and your nay be nay.” With the advent of the welfare state and Social Security, the government has supplanted the church as the primary provider of necessities for the poor, and let's face it, they are not beholding to the same standards that we find in the Bible. So how do we turn this around? We do it with one needy member, one needy family, one deacon at a time. The Bible has some important things to say about caring for the poor, and there is nothing “double-tongued” about it! . Things like 1 Tim 5:8, “ But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” and, 2Th 3:10b, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” If the church would once again take on the responsibility of caring for their own, there would be no need for their members to rely on the state for their basic needs. I pray all churches would take it upon themselves to once again embrace this responsibility through the work of the single-tongued diaconate. A diaconate that seeks to meet the needs of it's members with truthful compassion.