Copyright © 2006-2008 Robert D. Hosken, M.Min., D.Min.
Can a simple comma twist and distort the whole Christian message? I am convinced it has. And the guilty culprit in this fateful plot is found in Eph. 4:11-12, which reads in the King James Version: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."1 The meaning we receive from this translation is that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers should perfect the saints, do the work of the ministry and edify the body of Christ. This places the whole burden of work on the ordained clergy, and makes the "laity" into a flock of simple sheep, passive hearers who merely receive teaching and pay tithes.
A much better translation is the English Standard Version: "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."2 Do you notice the comma is removed after "saints"? This translation tells us the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers should equip or train the saints to do the work of ministry (diakonia) in order that they, the saints, should build up the body of Christ. The task of diakonia belongs to all the saints, and through their ministry the church will be built up and grow. As we have noticed earlier, when the apostles taught the Early Church to do this, "The word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly" (Acts 6:7). The result when all Christians are doing ministry (diakonia) is rapid church growth!
This rattles our traditional paradigms of the ordained clergy doing or controlling all of the work, and the congregation actively doing little or nothing, mainly warming the pews and putting their pennies in the plate. But is our above description scriptural? Strong's Dictionaries define diakonia as follows: "attendance (as a servant, etc.); figuratively (eleemosynary) aid, (official) service (especially of the Christian teacher, or technically of the diaconate): - (ad-) minister (-ing, -tration, -try), office, relief, service (-ing),? and the definition of the noun form diakon is "Probably from diako (obsolete, to run on errands; compare G1377); an attendant, that is, (generally) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specifically a Christian teacher and pastor (technically a deacon or deaconess): - deacon, minister, servant.3
The latter definitions reflect the traditional church usage: the diaconate, a minister, pastor, teacher, deaconess or deacon. But the first definitions are servant, one who runs on errands, an attendant, a waiter at table. "Waiter" describes exactly the diakonia that the apostles created: "The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, 'It is not appropriate for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables. Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business'" (Acts 6:2-3). Thus Scripture overrules tradition on this point! This was not like today's deacons sitting in deacons' meetings once a month until late at night, deciding who to hire to mow the church lawn or repair the furnace. It was a hands-on, get-your-hands-dirty-carrying-bedpans kind of ministry!
Question:
1. What does St. Paul teach us (including the so-called "laity") in Eph. 4:11-12 about diakonia-ministry?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
All members of a local church, including the "laity", should be prepared and perfected by the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers "for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."
Because there are no longer any apostles and prophets, pastors should carry out their functions, and the laity should warm the church pews.
The entire burden of work in a local church should be on the shoulders of ordained clergy, and the "laity" - non-ordained parishoners - should be like a simple flock of sheep.
This also goes against the grain of our fallen human nature that seeks positions of honor and respect for itself. But this is exactly the issue that our Lord Jesus addressed in Mk. 10:42-45 -
"Jesus summoned them, and said to them, 'You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant (diakonos). Whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant (doulos) of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served (diakoneo), but to serve (diakoneo), and to give His life as a ransom for many.'"
If the Son of Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, came to serve (diakoneo) even by stripping down to a menial servant's loincloth and washing His disciples' feet before laying down His life, how then should we serve? We have already seen in Luke 14:13 and 21-24 that we are to minister to "the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind." And the result will be opportunities for a powerful witness to society's leaders and the common people alike: after Peter and John healed the lame man at the Temple gates, Acts 4:7 and 14 act like the bread of a sandwich with the "meat" of Peter's powerful witness right in the middle: "When they had stood them in the middle of them, they inquired, 'By what power, or in what name, have you done this?'" And "Seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it." Here is another chiasm:
A: v. 7 - "How on earth did you do that?" B: v. 8 - "Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit."
Peter preached boldly that the lame man was healed by Jesus of Nazareth, Whom they crucified, God raised from the dead, and that there is salvation in no one else: only Jesus can save them!
C: v.13 - "Seeing Peter and John's boldness, D: v.14 - "Seeing the man who was healed,
they recognized that they had been with Jesus." they couldn't say anything against it."
It is very clear that the author Luke is placing Peter's famous sermon in a frame of the astonished priests and Sadducees (A and D), and the power of the Holy Spirit Who represents Jesus after the Ascension (B and C). In other words, the high priest and other leaders asked, "Uh, how did you do that?" And after Peter's powerful preaching, seeing the formerly lame man standing before them healed, they couldn't say a thing against this message. Our good works done as diakonia are a powerful witness in themselves, and provide great opportunities for a spoken witness.
Question:
2. One more "chiasm" in Acts 4:7-14 - what are the 4 points, and what was the "meat in the sandwich"? Why is this important for our ministry?
It is extremely important to notice that in Acts 6 when the apostles spun off the function of diakonia, the church selected seven who were "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom" (v. 3). And in v. 8, we read about one of the new deacons: "Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." Here we notice that the dividing line between so-called "ordinary service" and supernatural, miraculous acts becomes blurred.
Why is that? It is because everything the first deacons did was done in the power of the Holy Spirit. When they distributed food or financial support, they accompanied it with prayer and a blessing. When we minister to the physical needs of handicapped people by massaging their crippled arms, legs or backs, or by exercising their weakened limbs, we always accompany it with prayer and calling down a spiritual blessing from God. When we do this, we see that God transforms our "ordinary service" into supernatural acts, and people are healed. Igor, who suffered a paralyzing stroke at age 45 and about whom the doctors said he would die or would never walk or talk again, began walking and talking. So we must always do diakonia in the power of the Holy Spirit and with prayer!
We find two more examples of this back-to-back in Acts 9:33-42. First, Peter heals Aeneas who had been paralyzed for eight years, and "All who lived at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord" (v. 35): rapid church growth! Then in Joppa a certain disciple, a woman named Dorcas who "was full of good works and acts of mercy" (v. 36) fell ill and died, so the other believers sent for Peter, who prayed for her and brought her back to life. Again the result was rapid church growth: "And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord" (v. 42). Another example, along with Dorcas, of a woman doing diakonia is Phoebe, who is described as "our sister, who is a servant (diakonos) of the church in Cenchrea" (Rom. 16:1).
A second point is that after the apostles created this new office of deacon, they let the deacons do the work of practical ministry, while the apostles did their preaching and teaching. This is very important: once we've gotten someone trained to do diakonia-ministry, let them do the work! Often our tendency is to attempt to control by always looking over their shoulders or stepping in to do the "complicated part." The apostles recognized when it was time to let go of some of their responsibilities, delegate them to others, and give them the blessing and authority to do the work.
Question:
3. How did the rapid growth of the Church occur in Acts 9:33-42?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
By means of preaching the Good News.
By means of healing the paralyzed man, and by means of good works and acts of charity.
The position of deacon has historically been seen as a stepping-stone to higher office: that of apostle (in the general sense, a "sent one," i.e., a missionary), evangelist, pastor or teacher. In other words, before a person could assume one of these leadership roles he must first pass through the apprenticeship of doing diakonia-ministry. Therefore we should insist today that prospective leaders first complete the "prerequisite course" of actually performing practical ministry. The tragedy of today's church is that we consider diakonia-ministry to be women's work! My wife and I have been teaching courses in missions and Social Ministry of the Church for several years in Russia, and the large majority of missions students are men, while the large majority of Social Ministry of the Church students are women. But young men who have just finished Bible college or seminary are not qualified to become missionaries, evangelists or pastors until they have become experienced in diakonia-ministry, just as Jesus' twelve disciples did, as Stephen and Philip did, and as Peter, Paul and the other apostles kept on doing even after they assumed a higher office.
In Rom. 12:7, right after the gift of prophecy and followed by the gifts of teaching, exhorting, ruling, and comforting the afflicted, we read, "or [having the gift of] service (diakonia), let us give ourselves to service (diakonia)." St. Paul makes it clear in verses 4 and 6 that not all members of the body have the same function, therefore each believer has different gifts. The gift of diakonia or practical ministry, however, is probably the most widespread gift in all its various forms. Paul similarly writes in 1 Cor. 12 that various people have various gifts, and in v.28 he writes, "God has set some in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages." God is still the "I AM" - the supernatural God Who delivered the Israelites out of slavery by signs and miracles. We believe in this same supernatural God: He hasn't grown old and retired, He still exists, He IS… able to heal and deliver today. Most of these gifts pertain to the spiritual or supernatural, but the gift of "helps" corresponds to the "ordinary service" of diakonia. Who has the gift of helps (antilepsis, relief), i.e., who can help? Just about any disciple who has two healthy arms and two healthy legs can help, so that person has the gift of helps!
Question:
4. What kind of course should there be for deacons today, before they can become pastors or evangelists?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
A course on practical ministry, in order to know how to minister.
A course on the Greek language, in order to interpret the Bible.
A course on the history of the Early Church (the first 4 centuries).
But this doesn't mean that just anyone can do diakonia, because the motivation must be Christ's example of diakonia and self-sacrifice. A few generations ago western societies, still under a strong Christian influence, decided that it would be good for society as a whole to take over from the church the functions of caring for widows, orphans, the poor, maimed, lame and blind. The churches' resources were being stretched thin, so churches abdicated this responsibility to the state. But increasing secularization of society has led to the loss of the strong Christian influence, resulting in the loss of motivation to really care about widows, orphans, the poor, maimed, lame and blind. Instead, a large percentage of people in modern society begrudge being taxed to pay for those less fortunate people. This is an example of "the law of unintended consequences" - what was originally viewed by the majority as a good idea has come to be viewed negatively, as a burden. Due to the secularization of society, the few people today who still believe it is good to care for the poor, elderly and disabled often do not have a sufficient philosophical basis for such actions. They believe it is a good thing to do good deeds, and we as Christians should encourage their actions. But we should gently point out that "doing good simply because it's good to be good" is circular logic.
Question:
5. In your opinion, should the government take care of disabled people, or should the Church carry out this social ministry? Explain your answer.
It is indeed necessary to do good, but that reason is insufficient in and of itself. The only necessary and sufficient philosophical foundation for doing good works is God's grace that has been poured out on us: Paul writes in Eph. 2:8-10 - "for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them." We are saved by God's gift of grace, not by our insufficient good works; but we are being re-created and restored into the image of Christ Jesus for the purpose of doing diakonia, good works! In Tit. 2:11 and 14 Paul writes, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men," and our blessed hope of Christ's second coming in glory motivates us to be transformed into "a people for his own possession, zealous for good works." And Paul continues this theme in Tit. 3:5 and 8 - "not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us," i.e., our good works that we do under our own power cannot save us, but "those who have believed God [must] be careful to maintain good works." All three of these passages illustrate that being good for goodness' sake is insufficient; it is not the cause of our salvation, but rather the effect of God's grace that is transforming us. The grace of God is the only necessary and sufficient cause for doing good works. All other human reasoning or ideologies fall short of providing a sufficient, enduring basis for good works.
Another way to understand this phenomenon is "the law of the third and fourth generation." In many places in the Old Testament, God promises to bless obedience "to the third and fourth generation," and to curse disobedience "to the third and fourth generation." A generation is about twenty to thirty years, so three or four generations can be anywhere from 60 to 120 years. That is the length of time it takes for a society to lose the living memory and moral guidance of godly parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who taught their descendants by word and example how to obey God's commands. A second-generation family descended from truly Christian parents may teach their children to do good deeds, and they may even occasionally attend church when it is convenient for them. So their third-generation children grow up with a vague concept of God and a shaky foundation for doing good works. But this third generation's children will have little or no motivation for doing good works, unless they repent and return to the Lord. Otherwise the consequences are egocentric behavior and moral degradation for society. Is this not what we see today, after three or four generations of secular, post-Christian society?
It is not sufficient for society to pass laws requiring good, moral behavior. Even if the state tries to legislate a minimal, baseline morality, secular society's members do not have a sufficient motivating force to obey such minimal laws. Only the Holy Spirit can motivate us sufficiently to do the good works of diakonia. St. Paul describes this accurately in 2 Cor. 3:5-8 -
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; who also made us sufficient as servants (diakonos) of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the service (diakonia) of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away: won't service (diakonia) of the Spirit be with much more glory?"
So in conclusion, the good works of diakonia can be performed by any believer, man or woman, who is filled with and motivated by the Holy Spirit to perform this ministry. It is a high and holy calling that often leads to greater areas of service, as we already noticed with Stephen, and with Philip, as you can read in Acts chapter 8 and in Acts 21:8.
Question:
6. Does grace cancel the need for doing good works?
Certainly not! Grace is the cause of our salvation, but good works are the result of our salvation.
Of course! "For by grace are we saved through faith, not of works, so that no one can boast." This means if we do good works, we are trying to save ourselves by these works.
Endnotes:
1. King James Version, op. cit.