1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,129 Alright, here we are lesson number 2 00:00:02,129 --> 00:00:05,549 three in our series, "The Seven Habits of 3 00:00:05,549 --> 00:00:08,400 Highly Effective Christians, Ministers, 4 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,460 Elders and Deacons." In this third session 5 00:00:11,460 --> 00:00:13,889 we're going to deal with effective 6 00:00:13,889 --> 00:00:17,940 deacons. Let me go back to talking about 7 00:00:17,940 --> 00:00:21,029 the idea for the title that comes 8 00:00:21,029 --> 00:00:24,150 from a book entitled, "Seven Habits of 9 00:00:24,150 --> 00:00:27,300 Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. 10 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:31,439 In this book, as I mentioned before, he 11 00:00:31,439 --> 00:00:34,140 reviews 200 years of literature devoted 12 00:00:34,140 --> 00:00:36,960 to success and human development and 13 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,170 what he did was he distilled 14 00:00:40,170 --> 00:00:43,710 what he learned into 7 basic principles. 15 00:00:43,710 --> 00:00:45,870 Very popular book many years ago and 16 00:00:45,870 --> 00:00:49,620 still quite high on the bestseller list today. 17 00:00:49,620 --> 00:00:53,430 Now his conclusion was that successful 18 00:00:53,430 --> 00:00:56,190 and effective people regardless of the 19 00:00:56,190 --> 00:00:59,219 time and place they lived in shared some 20 00:00:59,219 --> 00:01:02,039 common characteristics that enabled them 21 00:01:02,039 --> 00:01:06,030 to become highly effective as artists or 22 00:01:06,030 --> 00:01:08,670 politicians, business people, teachers, so 23 00:01:08,670 --> 00:01:12,060 on and so forth; in essence he says that 24 00:01:12,060 --> 00:01:14,340 they were people who were motivated by 25 00:01:14,340 --> 00:01:18,210 principles rather than profit, people who 26 00:01:18,210 --> 00:01:20,790 worked at being something rather than 27 00:01:20,790 --> 00:01:24,900 having something. And so using Mr. Covey's 28 00:01:24,900 --> 00:01:27,570 approach I've used the Bible and 29 00:01:27,570 --> 00:01:29,759 my experience in church work to identify 30 00:01:29,759 --> 00:01:32,729 some of the characteristics that make 31 00:01:32,729 --> 00:01:36,150 for successful Christian living and 32 00:01:36,150 --> 00:01:39,329 effective ministry as elders and 33 00:01:39,329 --> 00:01:42,749 ministers and so as I said before in this session 34 00:01:42,750 --> 00:01:44,790 I'd like to close out the series with a 35 00:01:44,790 --> 00:01:47,790 lesson describing the 7 Habits of Highly 36 00:01:47,790 --> 00:01:52,799 Effective Deacons. Now the Bible doesn't 37 00:01:52,799 --> 00:01:56,040 list the qualities needed for being 38 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,130 effective as a deacon like Mr. Covey 39 00:01:59,130 --> 00:02:02,040 does in his book, but it does give us a 40 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,369 model that we can study. A man named 41 00:02:05,369 --> 00:02:08,129 Stephen was one of the first to be 42 00:02:08,129 --> 00:02:10,140 chosen by the church and appointed 43 00:02:10,140 --> 00:02:12,580 by the apostles to serve the 44 00:02:12,580 --> 00:02:16,630 Church in a special way and he therefore 45 00:02:16,630 --> 00:02:20,500 established a template for being a 46 00:02:20,500 --> 00:02:24,490 deacon, for being a servant in the church 47 00:02:24,490 --> 00:02:27,700 in the role of deacon. So in looking at 48 00:02:27,700 --> 00:02:30,190 his life we can determine the kind of 49 00:02:30,190 --> 00:02:32,980 habits necessary to become not just the 50 00:02:32,980 --> 00:02:35,800 deacon, but effective as a deacon. A lot 51 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:37,240 of times we spent a lot of time going 52 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:38,920 over the qualifications of elders, the 53 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:40,510 qualifications of deacons, and so on and 54 00:02:40,510 --> 00:02:46,690 so forth, so that these men are "qualified" to serve in 55 00:02:46,690 --> 00:02:48,610 this role, but we don't often talk about 56 00:02:48,610 --> 00:02:51,340 what they need to do to be effective and 57 00:02:51,340 --> 00:02:56,110 successful in this role. So looking at 58 00:02:56,110 --> 00:03:00,310 Stephen's life in the Bible will help us 59 00:03:00,310 --> 00:03:02,890 to determine the habits necessary to 60 00:03:02,890 --> 00:03:06,040 become effective as a deacon. Now a brief 61 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,650 portrait of Stephen is given in the book 62 00:03:08,650 --> 00:03:10,090 of Acts and I would encourage you to 63 00:03:10,090 --> 00:03:12,790 take out your Bibles to Acts chapter 6 64 00:03:12,790 --> 00:03:15,820 also more material about Stephen in 65 00:03:15,820 --> 00:03:17,980 Acts chapter 7, but I want to begin by 66 00:03:17,980 --> 00:03:20,980 reading in Acts chapter 6 beginning in 67 00:03:20,980 --> 00:03:23,980 verse 1. It says the following, "Now at 68 00:03:23,980 --> 00:03:26,470 this time while the disciples were 69 00:03:26,470 --> 00:03:29,769 increasing in number, a complaint arose 70 00:03:29,769 --> 00:03:31,690 on the part of the Hellenistic Jews 71 00:03:31,690 --> 00:03:33,820 against the native Hebrews, because their 72 00:03:33,820 --> 00:03:35,530 widows were being overlooked in the 73 00:03:35,530 --> 00:03:39,040 daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned 74 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:40,840 the congregation of the disciples and 75 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,209 said, 'It is not desirable for us to 76 00:03:43,209 --> 00:03:44,980 neglect the Word of God in order to 77 00:03:44,980 --> 00:03:48,070 serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select 78 00:03:48,070 --> 00:03:49,959 from among you seven men of good 79 00:03:49,959 --> 00:03:52,239 reputation, full of the Spirit and of 80 00:03:52,239 --> 00:03:54,850 wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this 81 00:03:54,850 --> 00:03:57,760 task. But we will devote ourselves to 82 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,650 prayer and to the ministry of the word.' 83 00:03:59,650 --> 00:04:02,380 The statement found approval with the 84 00:04:02,380 --> 00:04:04,510 whole congregation; and they chose 85 00:04:04,510 --> 00:04:11,170 Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit." 86 00:04:11,170 --> 00:04:13,299 Alright, let's just stop there just with 87 00:04:13,299 --> 00:04:15,580 Stephen, they chose others, but I just 88 00:04:15,580 --> 00:04:18,360 want to talk about Stephen for the time being. 89 00:04:18,370 --> 00:04:22,660 Now from this opening description we can 90 00:04:22,660 --> 00:04:25,900 quickly see what the very first habit 91 00:04:25,900 --> 00:04:27,820 of an effective deacon ought to be. 92 00:04:27,820 --> 00:04:32,110 Number one habit. Effective deacon. An 93 00:04:32,110 --> 00:04:34,539 effective deacon needs to be spiritually 94 00:04:34,539 --> 00:04:38,229 minded. Stephen was a man who 95 00:04:38,229 --> 00:04:41,769 believed and in whose life the Spirit was at work. 96 00:04:41,770 --> 00:04:44,410 Notice that the apostle said being full 97 00:04:44,410 --> 00:04:46,810 of the Spirit. Well, being full of the 98 00:04:46,810 --> 00:04:50,020 Spirit means that the Spirit is 99 00:04:50,020 --> 00:04:52,270 producing much fruit: love, joy, 100 00:04:52,270 --> 00:04:54,490 peace, patience... So being full of the 101 00:04:54,490 --> 00:04:58,210 Spirit means you're producing a lot of spiritual fruit, 102 00:04:58,210 --> 00:05:00,280 that's how you know you're full of the 103 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:02,949 Spirit. It also means that the Word of 104 00:05:02,949 --> 00:05:04,810 the Spirit is alive in you, 105 00:05:04,810 --> 00:05:06,550 in other words you know the word, you 106 00:05:06,550 --> 00:05:08,919 obey the word, and it is producing things 107 00:05:08,919 --> 00:05:11,620 in your life, spiritual things. 108 00:05:11,620 --> 00:05:14,260 Jesus said in John chapter 4 verse 23 109 00:05:14,260 --> 00:05:17,380 that God is looking for those who will 110 00:05:17,380 --> 00:05:21,460 worship Him, how? In spirit and in truth. 111 00:05:21,460 --> 00:05:29,400 Well, Stephen was such a man. We mistakenly think that so long as deacons 112 00:05:29,410 --> 00:05:32,650 know how to do tasks like carpentry or 113 00:05:32,650 --> 00:05:34,510 web hosting or whatever, they're 114 00:05:34,510 --> 00:05:37,030 qualified but the Bible says that the 115 00:05:37,030 --> 00:05:39,550 first criteria, the first habit, that 116 00:05:39,550 --> 00:05:41,860 should be evident in them is that they 117 00:05:41,860 --> 00:05:46,180 are spiritually minded men, men who truly 118 00:05:46,180 --> 00:05:48,729 believe, men who know and practice the 119 00:05:48,729 --> 00:05:51,099 words of Christ. Habit number two. 120 00:05:51,099 --> 00:05:53,320 Effective deacons are those who are 121 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,650 effective workers. Let's go back to 122 00:05:56,650 --> 00:05:59,700 chapter six verse 7, shall we? It says, 123 00:05:59,700 --> 00:06:01,900 "The Word of God kept on spreading; and the 124 00:06:01,900 --> 00:06:04,000 number of the disciples continued to 125 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,159 increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a 126 00:06:06,159 --> 00:06:08,020 great many of the priests were becoming 127 00:06:08,020 --> 00:06:11,349 obedient to the faith." Now I want you to 128 00:06:11,349 --> 00:06:13,630 notice that the task of feeding the poor 129 00:06:13,630 --> 00:06:17,440 widows is not mentioned again. What is 130 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:19,570 mentioned, however, is the continued 131 00:06:19,570 --> 00:06:21,729 growth of the church and along with that 132 00:06:21,729 --> 00:06:24,729 growth the probable increase in the need 133 00:06:24,729 --> 00:06:28,539 for ministry. If they had a great need to feed the widows when they 134 00:06:28,539 --> 00:06:30,310 were several thousand, you add a 135 00:06:30,310 --> 00:06:31,900 couple more thousand people, obviously 136 00:06:31,900 --> 00:06:34,330 that need will grow along with the 137 00:06:34,330 --> 00:06:37,659 growth in numbers for the church. And so, 138 00:06:37,659 --> 00:06:39,580 you read between the lines 139 00:06:39,580 --> 00:06:41,620 what you see is that once the Apostles 140 00:06:41,620 --> 00:06:43,840 gave the task over to Steven and the 141 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:46,360 others, it was taken care of without 142 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,360 further mention. This means that the 143 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,460 apostles were free to minister the Word 144 00:06:51,460 --> 00:06:54,189 and pray and shepherd the church, the 145 00:06:54,189 --> 00:06:57,009 task that they were called to. The poor 146 00:06:57,009 --> 00:06:59,979 received the food that they needed and 147 00:06:59,979 --> 00:07:02,770 the church continued to grow. 148 00:07:02,770 --> 00:07:05,439 What is important to Stephen was the 149 00:07:05,439 --> 00:07:07,750 fact that the job was done and it was 150 00:07:07,750 --> 00:07:10,060 done right, not the fact that he was now 151 00:07:10,060 --> 00:07:13,180 a deacon. You see, the task is what's 152 00:07:13,180 --> 00:07:16,599 important, not the title. Deacons are the 153 00:07:16,599 --> 00:07:18,490 ones that do a lot of the heavy lifting 154 00:07:18,490 --> 00:07:21,129 in the church, that's the point of being 155 00:07:21,129 --> 00:07:23,229 the deacon; they're the ones that do the 156 00:07:23,229 --> 00:07:24,819 heavy lifting, they're the ones that do 157 00:07:24,819 --> 00:07:28,199 the hard jobs, the dirty jobs at times. 158 00:07:28,210 --> 00:07:32,020 Deacons not only know how to serve, they 159 00:07:32,020 --> 00:07:34,180 want to serve and they are good at it 160 00:07:34,180 --> 00:07:38,500 because they have developed the habit of effective service. 161 00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:41,050 Alright, habit number three. Effective 162 00:07:41,050 --> 00:07:47,650 deacons also have the habit of submitting to leadership. 163 00:07:47,650 --> 00:07:50,500 Let's read verse 8, Chapter six. It says, 164 00:07:50,500 --> 00:07:52,300 "And Stephen, full of grace and power, was 165 00:07:52,300 --> 00:07:55,330 performing great wonders and signs among 166 00:07:55,330 --> 00:07:59,229 the people." Now although Stephen was 167 00:07:59,229 --> 00:08:01,089 already a man of great faith and 168 00:08:01,089 --> 00:08:04,779 spirituality, he did not see his role as 169 00:08:04,779 --> 00:08:07,509 one to advise or conflict with his 170 00:08:07,509 --> 00:08:10,330 leaders. He had the support of the 171 00:08:10,330 --> 00:08:13,060 congregation, but he did not use this to 172 00:08:13,060 --> 00:08:15,129 divide the church or develop a following 173 00:08:15,129 --> 00:08:18,550 or influence. Notice I read a 174 00:08:18,550 --> 00:08:21,550 passage that said that the great skills, 175 00:08:21,550 --> 00:08:24,009 the great gifts, that Stephen 176 00:08:24,009 --> 00:08:26,830 demonstrated but you know along with 177 00:08:26,830 --> 00:08:28,479 those gifts along with the powerful 178 00:08:28,479 --> 00:08:32,499 signs that were happening through him, he was not 179 00:08:32,500 --> 00:08:35,289 one to form a clique or a challenge to 180 00:08:35,289 --> 00:08:37,419 the elders, he merely did his work and 181 00:08:37,419 --> 00:08:39,940 allow God to work in him. And so 182 00:08:39,940 --> 00:08:42,940 effective deacons respect the leadership 183 00:08:42,940 --> 00:08:45,430 of other men, even though these men may 184 00:08:45,430 --> 00:08:48,399 be weak or sinful at times, their wisdom 185 00:08:48,399 --> 00:08:51,579 is demonstrated in their submission to 186 00:08:51,579 --> 00:08:55,719 God's plan. So even when he could exercise miraculous 187 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,690 powers, Stephen continued to serve and 188 00:08:58,690 --> 00:09:01,420 submit to the leadership of the Apostles. 189 00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:05,140 Another habit. Habit number four of effective 190 00:09:05,140 --> 00:09:08,680 deacons is that they continually develop 191 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:11,880 their skills. Verse 9, continue reading with me please. 192 00:09:11,890 --> 00:09:13,780 It says, "But some men from what was 193 00:09:13,780 --> 00:09:15,580 called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, 194 00:09:15,580 --> 00:09:18,460 including both Cyrenians and 195 00:09:18,460 --> 00:09:21,700 Alexandrians, and some from Cilicea and 196 00:09:21,700 --> 00:09:24,820 Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But 197 00:09:24,820 --> 00:09:26,800 they were unable to cope with the wisdom 198 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:30,880 and the Spirit with which he was speaking." 199 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:33,550 And so here we have successful, 200 00:09:33,550 --> 00:09:37,240 effective deacons are always expanding 201 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,240 their capacity to serve. Stephen, for 202 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:42,460 example, began with the task of 203 00:09:42,460 --> 00:09:45,070 benevolence and food distribution, but he 204 00:09:45,070 --> 00:09:50,800 developed and used his other gifts as well. He used his gifts to evangelize, he 205 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,980 used his wisdom to defend the faith. 206 00:09:53,980 --> 00:09:56,290 Sometimes deacons think they are 207 00:09:56,290 --> 00:09:58,750 limited and can only do one, thing but in 208 00:09:58,750 --> 00:10:00,520 order to grow, we need to follow a 209 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,890 pattern for growth which is relatively 210 00:10:02,890 --> 00:10:04,870 simple to explain. There is a pattern 211 00:10:04,870 --> 00:10:07,390 for growth, individual growth, 212 00:10:07,390 --> 00:10:11,950 individual ministry growth in the church. The pattern for personal growth in 213 00:10:11,950 --> 00:10:15,340 ministry is as follows: A) learn how to do 214 00:10:15,340 --> 00:10:19,390 the job yourself, B) teach somebody else 215 00:10:19,390 --> 00:10:24,850 to do the job and to do it well, C) you learn a new job, 216 00:10:24,850 --> 00:10:27,670 D) repeat the cycle. Very simple, very 217 00:10:27,670 --> 00:10:31,210 basic. This is how deacons grow, how they 218 00:10:31,210 --> 00:10:33,400 help the church to grow and how they 219 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,010 gain satisfaction from their work; not 220 00:10:36,010 --> 00:10:37,990 only do they do the work well, but they 221 00:10:37,990 --> 00:10:39,940 gain satisfaction from teaching others 222 00:10:39,940 --> 00:10:43,690 how to work well as well. Alright number 223 00:10:43,690 --> 00:10:46,120 5, habit number 5. Effective deacons, this 224 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:49,510 is a tough one, have learned to take 225 00:10:49,510 --> 00:10:54,100 criticism well, have learned to take 226 00:10:54,100 --> 00:10:56,200 criticism well. There's nothing that you can 227 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:57,970 do in the church, if you decide you're 228 00:10:57,970 --> 00:10:59,770 going to do something whatever it is, 229 00:10:59,770 --> 00:11:01,900 paint the wall, there will always be 230 00:11:01,900 --> 00:11:03,520 somebody who criticizes, "well you painted it 231 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,579 to white", "it's too dark" or "you missed a spot." 232 00:11:06,579 --> 00:11:08,889 Anything you do, anything you rise up to 233 00:11:08,889 --> 00:11:12,129 do, is subject to criticism. So effective 234 00:11:12,129 --> 00:11:15,069 deacons know how to take criticism well. 235 00:11:15,069 --> 00:11:17,410 I go back to chapter six, this time verse 236 00:11:17,410 --> 00:11:20,920 11 it says, "Then they secretly induced 237 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:22,749 men to say, 'We have heard him speak 238 00:11:22,749 --> 00:11:24,939 blasphemous words against Moses and 239 00:11:24,939 --> 00:11:26,769 against God.' And they stirred up the 240 00:11:26,769 --> 00:11:28,569 people, the elders and the scribes, and 241 00:11:28,569 --> 00:11:30,220 they came up to him and dragged him away 242 00:11:30,220 --> 00:11:32,439 and brought in before the Council. They 243 00:11:32,439 --> 00:11:34,269 put forward false witnesses who said, 244 00:11:34,269 --> 00:11:36,759 'This man incessantly speaks against this 245 00:11:36,759 --> 00:11:38,799 holy place and the Law; for we have heard 246 00:11:38,799 --> 00:11:41,499 him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will 247 00:11:41,499 --> 00:11:43,540 destroy this place and alter the customs 248 00:11:43,540 --> 00:11:46,119 which Moses handed down to us.' And fixing 249 00:11:46,119 --> 00:11:48,040 their gaze on him all, who were sitting 250 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:54,480 in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel." 251 00:11:54,489 --> 00:11:59,739 Well Stephen's increased ability and 252 00:11:59,739 --> 00:12:02,829 ministry made him subject to attack. 253 00:12:02,829 --> 00:12:04,389 So long as he was serving food to 254 00:12:04,389 --> 00:12:07,269 the widows, he was kind of taking 255 00:12:07,269 --> 00:12:09,429 care of a problem, but as soon as he 256 00:12:09,429 --> 00:12:13,269 developed his ministry, cultivated other aspects of his ministry, 257 00:12:13,269 --> 00:12:16,209 and began to be more effective in the 258 00:12:16,209 --> 00:12:21,040 church, he was subject to attack. 259 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:24,220 However, he was able to keep a sweet 260 00:12:24,220 --> 00:12:26,679 Christian spirit even when unjust 261 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:28,929 attacks were made against him and aren't 262 00:12:28,929 --> 00:12:31,569 these the hardest of all to suffer? 263 00:12:31,569 --> 00:12:33,369 The attacks that we don't deserve. 264 00:12:33,369 --> 00:12:35,919 Leadership of any kind is like 265 00:12:35,919 --> 00:12:38,559 that; it makes us visible, it makes us 266 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:41,739 accountable and it makes us attackable. 267 00:12:41,739 --> 00:12:45,639 Deacons, and especially their wives, need 268 00:12:45,639 --> 00:12:48,100 to understand and accept this reality. so 269 00:12:48,100 --> 00:12:50,499 So many times the deacon is attacked for 270 00:12:50,499 --> 00:12:52,209 something he's doing or something he's 271 00:12:52,209 --> 00:12:53,919 trying to get accomplished in the church 272 00:12:53,919 --> 00:12:56,079 and the one who suffers the most 273 00:12:56,079 --> 00:13:00,069 is his wife. So it's very important, you 274 00:13:00,069 --> 00:13:01,809 know, the wives of deacons, they 275 00:13:01,809 --> 00:13:05,470 also need to be able to a deal with 276 00:13:05,470 --> 00:13:09,100 criticism in a positive way. And so 277 00:13:09,100 --> 00:13:12,850 the successful effective deacon will 278 00:13:12,850 --> 00:13:15,850 be able to do his very best, be 279 00:13:15,850 --> 00:13:19,800 criticized for it, and still maintain his spiritual balance 280 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,460 and enthusiasm, because that's why deacons 281 00:13:22,460 --> 00:13:26,720 quit, they're tired of being criticized, they're tired of being 282 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:29,570 measured all the time and so they 283 00:13:29,570 --> 00:13:33,110 become discouraged and they quit, so it's very important. 284 00:13:33,110 --> 00:13:35,390 Successful effective deacons, they know 285 00:13:35,390 --> 00:13:38,780 that criticism is coming and they know how to handle it. 286 00:13:38,780 --> 00:13:40,880 So now we know that the successful 287 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:42,830 deacon will have already cultivated this 288 00:13:42,830 --> 00:13:45,140 habit of weathering criticism, 289 00:13:45,140 --> 00:13:47,840 because he will have already mastered 290 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:51,050 the next habit, even before becoming a 291 00:13:51,050 --> 00:13:54,380 deacon, and that is the number six habit 292 00:13:54,380 --> 00:13:56,420 of a highly effective deacon is that he 293 00:13:56,420 --> 00:13:59,920 has the habit of studying the Word. 294 00:13:59,920 --> 00:14:02,920 And our reference for that is chapter seven 295 00:14:02,930 --> 00:14:07,250 here we don't have time, verses 1 to 54. This is 296 00:14:07,250 --> 00:14:10,940 a very long passage that again, we're not going to read, but in it 297 00:14:10,940 --> 00:14:13,070 Stephen as he is brought before the 298 00:14:13,070 --> 00:14:15,740 religious leaders of his day is able to 299 00:14:15,740 --> 00:14:18,740 defend the faith that he has. He reviews 300 00:14:18,740 --> 00:14:21,080 the history of the Jews and God's 301 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:23,750 dealing with them. This summary 302 00:14:23,750 --> 00:14:26,000 demonstrates that Stephen knew God's 303 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:29,060 word and he knew it well. In front of his 304 00:14:29,060 --> 00:14:31,430 accusers he was able to explain what God 305 00:14:31,430 --> 00:14:34,130 really said, what God really meant in his 306 00:14:34,130 --> 00:14:39,620 word and this ability to speak and to defend the faith requires 307 00:14:39,620 --> 00:14:43,760 study, requires bible-reading. He was 308 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:46,190 strong in the scriptures and this made 309 00:14:46,190 --> 00:14:52,610 him a powerful witness when the opportunity arose. Bible study 310 00:14:52,610 --> 00:14:59,240 and service are not mutually exclusive. I served at a congregation 311 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:01,310 once where several of the deacons 312 00:15:01,310 --> 00:15:02,810 they would roam the halls during 313 00:15:02,810 --> 00:15:04,670 bible class and then hang out in the 314 00:15:04,670 --> 00:15:06,560 kitchen and have a coffee and 315 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:08,810 maybe open the door for somebody coming 316 00:15:08,810 --> 00:15:12,620 in and out of the worship service. They thought that their 317 00:15:12,620 --> 00:15:17,300 service, their deacon service, was putting the communion trays away 318 00:15:17,300 --> 00:15:20,060 and monitoring the door and they thought 319 00:15:20,060 --> 00:15:21,770 that this excused them from ever 320 00:15:21,770 --> 00:15:23,720 attending bible class or ever attending 321 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:25,490 a worship service, in other words they 322 00:15:25,490 --> 00:15:27,880 were deacons but they never heard a sermon and 323 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:31,240 never heard a Bible class. Being a deacon or 324 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:33,580 doing the work of a deacon is not some 325 00:15:33,580 --> 00:15:35,590 kind of hall pass to get you out of 326 00:15:35,590 --> 00:15:38,590 studying God's Word. As a matter of fact 327 00:15:38,590 --> 00:15:41,770 knowing the word well is what enables a 328 00:15:41,770 --> 00:15:45,730 deacon to do and serve in ways that are 329 00:15:45,730 --> 00:15:47,890 in accordance to God's will and thus 330 00:15:47,890 --> 00:15:52,930 effective. You can't be an effective deacon if you don't know God's word. 331 00:15:52,930 --> 00:15:55,600 You see, it's not just what you do or how 332 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:57,730 much you do that makes you an effective 333 00:15:57,730 --> 00:16:00,760 deacon, it's if you do it according to 334 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:04,300 the Spirit and the will of God and for this to happen 335 00:16:04,300 --> 00:16:06,860 you actually have to know His word. 336 00:16:06,860 --> 00:16:09,640 Finally effective deacons have the habit 337 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:14,000 of relying on God. Relying on God. 338 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,450 So let's go to chapter 7 in the book of 339 00:16:16,450 --> 00:16:22,570 Acts. This time flip over to verse 54, we're going to pick 340 00:16:22,570 --> 00:16:27,800 it up in verse 54. It says the following, 341 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,070 "Now when they heard this," [this is the group 342 00:16:30,070 --> 00:16:33,550 that was attacking Stephen and 343 00:16:33,550 --> 00:16:35,380 Stephen makes his defensive, very 344 00:16:35,380 --> 00:16:38,470 eloquent defense, solid in the word]. It 345 00:16:38,470 --> 00:16:40,180 says, "Now when they heard this, they were 346 00:16:40,180 --> 00:16:42,640 cut to the quick, and they began gnashing 347 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:44,950 their teeth at him. But being full of the 348 00:16:44,950 --> 00:16:46,720 Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into 349 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,180 heaven and saw the glory of God, and 350 00:16:49,180 --> 00:16:51,520 Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 351 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,490 and he said, 'Behold, I see the heavens 352 00:16:54,490 --> 00:16:57,010 open up and the Son of Man standing at 353 00:16:57,010 --> 00:16:59,350 the right hand of God.' But they cried out 354 00:16:59,350 --> 00:17:01,240 with a loud voice, and covered their ears 355 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:03,940 and rushed at him with one impulse. When 356 00:17:03,940 --> 00:17:06,220 they had driven him out of the city, they 357 00:17:06,220 --> 00:17:08,740 began stoning him; and the witnesses laid 358 00:17:08,740 --> 00:17:10,660 aside their robes at the feet of a young 359 00:17:10,660 --> 00:17:14,050 man named Saul. They went on stoning 360 00:17:14,050 --> 00:17:15,939 Stephen as he called on the Lord and 361 00:17:15,939 --> 00:17:18,850 said, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!' Then 362 00:17:18,850 --> 00:17:20,920 falling on his knees, he cried out with a 363 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:24,360 loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them!' 364 00:17:24,370 --> 00:17:30,850 Having said this, he fell asleep." Now in his worst moment, 365 00:17:30,850 --> 00:17:33,250 Stephen reveals the essential quality 366 00:17:33,250 --> 00:17:36,430 that made him an effective deacon, he 367 00:17:36,430 --> 00:17:41,059 relied totally on God. In everything he did, 368 00:17:41,059 --> 00:17:43,460 from serving food to preaching and 369 00:17:43,460 --> 00:17:45,740 debating, which led to his witness of 370 00:17:45,740 --> 00:17:47,720 faith that cost of his life, 371 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:50,990 Stephen was a man who sought after and 372 00:17:50,990 --> 00:17:54,440 depended on God for all things. We need 373 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,080 to understand that becoming a deacon has 374 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:00,980 a double-edged quality to it. Many times 375 00:18:00,980 --> 00:18:03,110 men are chosen for this role because 376 00:18:03,110 --> 00:18:04,730 well they're talented, their self 377 00:18:04,730 --> 00:18:06,559 starters, they're successful, they're good 378 00:18:06,559 --> 00:18:10,129 organizers. With time however, we find out 379 00:18:10,129 --> 00:18:12,320 that these very qualities often lead 380 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:15,710 these men to rely on themselves, to rely 381 00:18:15,710 --> 00:18:17,480 on their own skills or their own 382 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:20,659 strength. The result is that these kinds 383 00:18:20,659 --> 00:18:23,450 of men often wait until they are in deep 384 00:18:23,450 --> 00:18:25,549 trouble or over the edge before they'll 385 00:18:25,549 --> 00:18:27,860 call out to others for help or to call 386 00:18:27,860 --> 00:18:30,740 on God for help. The highly effective 387 00:18:30,740 --> 00:18:33,619 deacon is a man who puts his talents and 388 00:18:33,619 --> 00:18:36,980 abilities and resources into God's hands 389 00:18:36,980 --> 00:18:39,440 and depends wholeheartedly on the Lord 390 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,320 to direct and to support him in ministry. 391 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,440 And so whether it be planting 392 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,619 flowers or helping the poor, managing 393 00:18:48,619 --> 00:18:50,809 the budget or visiting and caring for 394 00:18:50,809 --> 00:18:52,940 the sick and the dying, all things are 395 00:18:52,940 --> 00:19:00,919 done in the strength of the Lord and for His glory. I find it amazing, 396 00:19:00,919 --> 00:19:02,809 I don't know if you kind of noticed this, 397 00:19:02,809 --> 00:19:05,720 I find it amazing that it was not an 398 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,259 apostle or a preacher or an elder who 399 00:19:09,259 --> 00:19:13,219 was first martyred for Christ, it was a deacon. 400 00:19:13,220 --> 00:19:16,190 It was a deacon and isn't it amazing 401 00:19:16,190 --> 00:19:19,669 that the death of this deacon served as 402 00:19:19,669 --> 00:19:22,369 the catalyst for an evangelistic 403 00:19:22,369 --> 00:19:24,679 thrust that eventually brought one of 404 00:19:24,679 --> 00:19:27,590 the murderers, one of his murderers, Saul 405 00:19:27,590 --> 00:19:31,070 of Tarsus to Christ. The Bible says that 406 00:19:31,070 --> 00:19:34,100 deacons who serve well, meaning who serve 407 00:19:34,100 --> 00:19:37,909 effectively, receive a high standing and 408 00:19:37,909 --> 00:19:40,700 have confidence in Jesus Christ, that's 409 00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:43,460 first Timothy chapter 3 verse 13. Well, 410 00:19:43,460 --> 00:19:47,480 Stephen's life shows that he received 411 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:50,149 both of these things. First of all he 412 00:19:50,149 --> 00:19:52,610 received honor or high standing. 413 00:19:52,610 --> 00:19:55,040 He received honor because he had the 414 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:57,350 privilege of giving up his entire life 415 00:19:57,350 --> 00:20:00,440 in one moment for the glory of Christ. 416 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:02,720 Martyrdom is a great and high privilege. 417 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,230 Not many people have this opportunity. 418 00:20:06,230 --> 00:20:09,260 And secondly, he had great confidence 419 00:20:09,260 --> 00:20:12,140 before death because God opened his eyes 420 00:20:12,140 --> 00:20:15,110 to see the kingdom of heaven, in heaven 421 00:20:15,110 --> 00:20:17,840 and the Lord Himself there at the right 422 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:20,420 hand of God and Stephen, very much like 423 00:20:20,420 --> 00:20:23,750 the Apostle Paul, saw all of this while 424 00:20:23,750 --> 00:20:26,690 he was still in his earthly body. 425 00:20:26,690 --> 00:20:30,799 Paul talks about that being caught up into the heavens to see 426 00:20:30,799 --> 00:20:33,200 and hear things right? Well Stephen in 427 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,120 the same way sees things, actually 428 00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:38,179 describes them in heaven, but he's still in 429 00:20:38,179 --> 00:20:42,890 his earthly body. Now there's no guarantee that our 430 00:20:42,890 --> 00:20:46,309 deacons will not have to face death for 431 00:20:46,309 --> 00:20:48,559 Christ's, let's hope not, 432 00:20:48,559 --> 00:20:50,450 and there's no promise that they will 433 00:20:50,450 --> 00:20:53,299 glimpse the heavenly realm while here on 434 00:20:53,299 --> 00:20:56,840 this earth, however, they do receive honor 435 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:59,330 from the Lord in His word for their 436 00:20:59,330 --> 00:21:01,610 service and they are respected by the 437 00:21:01,610 --> 00:21:04,010 church for their special leadership and 438 00:21:04,010 --> 00:21:06,650 their role in ministry. In addition to 439 00:21:06,650 --> 00:21:08,990 this they will have greater knowledge of 440 00:21:08,990 --> 00:21:11,570 an intimacy with the Lord as they grow 441 00:21:11,570 --> 00:21:14,150 to resemble him more and more through 442 00:21:14,150 --> 00:21:16,010 their service in His name. 443 00:21:16,010 --> 00:21:18,620 The more you serve in His name, the more 444 00:21:18,620 --> 00:21:21,230 like Him you become and this is a great 445 00:21:21,230 --> 00:21:24,830 reward for all those who serve as 446 00:21:24,830 --> 00:21:27,710 deacons. There is a reward for 447 00:21:27,710 --> 00:21:30,440 serving as a deacon and the wise deacon 448 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:34,700 will pursue these through effective service. 449 00:21:34,700 --> 00:21:38,419 Well, as we close out this lesson I'd 450 00:21:38,419 --> 00:21:40,940 like to take this opportunity to commend 451 00:21:40,940 --> 00:21:43,460 all the deacons everywhere for their 452 00:21:43,460 --> 00:21:46,040 good work and exhort them to press 453 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,440 forward in the search and the effort to 454 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,200 be highly effective in their ministry. 455 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,929 This can be achieved by cultivating the 456 00:21:53,929 --> 00:21:56,630 habits that I mentioned in this session. 457 00:21:56,630 --> 00:21:59,540 Let's do over again. Highly effective 458 00:21:59,540 --> 00:22:02,270 deacons have the habit of spiritual 459 00:22:02,270 --> 00:22:06,320 mindedness, conscientious service, submission to 460 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:08,990 leadership, the ongoing development of 461 00:22:08,990 --> 00:22:11,779 their skills, a humble spirit in dealing 462 00:22:11,779 --> 00:22:14,240 with criticism, and knowledge of God's 463 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:17,210 Word and an absolute trust in the Lord 464 00:22:17,210 --> 00:22:20,000 for all things. Well I hope that these 465 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,220 habits will begin to describe your 466 00:22:22,220 --> 00:22:25,940 ministry and your spirit as deacons as 467 00:22:25,940 --> 00:22:28,519 we all strive to serve the Lord with all 468 00:22:28,519 --> 00:22:30,440 of our hearts and all of our minds and 469 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:32,480 all of our strength and I pray that God 470 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,809 blesses you, those of you who've attended 471 00:22:35,809 --> 00:22:38,539 these lessons, those of you who are 472 00:22:38,539 --> 00:22:43,399 watching online or through DVD copies, so 473 00:22:43,399 --> 00:22:45,230 on and so forth. I hope that these lessons 474 00:22:45,230 --> 00:22:47,809 have been encouraging and they've helped 475 00:22:47,809 --> 00:22:50,600 give you insight into the habits of 476 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:54,440 highly successful Christians, ministers, 477 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,379 elders and deacons. God bless you we'll 478 00:22:57,379 --> 00:23:03,250 see you again another time.