1. Pray. Ask the Lord to open your eyes, that you might behold wondrous things out of his Word (Ps. 119:18). 

2. Read Sunday's passage. Feel free to read it more than once, or in another translation.

3. Review the sermon outline. Try to see how the points came out of the text.

4. Answer the questions below. Focus on personal application.

5. Pray. Praise and thank the Lord, then ask him to work in mighty ways. 

Remember, we live not by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God (Dt. 8:3; Mt. 4:4).

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 

Intro: Last week, we saw that Deacons are servant-leaders who mobilize the church to meet various needs, preserve unity, and protect the Elders' priorities of prayer and preaching. That's what they do and why they do it. But who should they be? Thankfully, Paul gives Timothy some instructions in 1 Timothy 3:8–13. 

I. Deacons ought to be men or women who show themselves to be respectable in their character and conduct, real in their faith, and reliable in their duties. (v. 8–12). What is striking about this list of qualifications is how ordinary it is. In fact, we want every Chrsitian to meet these qualifications. We want to have an entire church of deacons (lower-case "d," servants of Christ in a general sense), from whom some will be chosen and appointed as Deacons (upper-case "D," officially responsible for an area of ministry). We are all "players on the field," and some are the "team captains," but no one is a spectator in the church of Christ. 

II. It's all about Jesus! We serve because he first served us. Mark 10:45 tells us that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. The word translated "serve" is the verbal form of the word deacon. If Christ has served ("deaconed") you in the Gospel, then it becomes your calling to serve ("deacon") others for Christ. He is our chief example of service, and also the means of our service, through the power of the Spirit. He's both the why and the how of our service.

III. It is an honor and a joy to serve Christ and his people as a Deacon (v. 13). There is nothing more meaningful or fulfilling than being a representative of Christ, bringing the grace of God to a person in need. All Deacons, whether informal "deacons" or official "Deacons," are priviledged to be "on the field" for this kind of ministry. 

Conclusion: Are we in the stands, looking on from a distance? Or are we on the field, in the game, serving others for Christ? Are we living as deacons, in the informal sense, and are some responding to the call to be Deacons, in the formal, servant-leader sense? To be a healthy church, we need this paradigm shift. We need all of us. And we need God's grace!

1. Deacons are respectable in their character and conduct, real in their faith, and reliable in their duties.

- Read v. 8–12 again. Do you meet the qualifications?

- If not, why not?

- Where is the Holy Spirit convicting you of a need for growth?

- What steps could you take in your daily walk with Jesus? 

- Who in our church would make a great Deacon? 

- Who could you talk to about this?

2. We serve because Christ served us in the Gospel. 

- What does it mean that Jesus served us? What did he do?

- Why must we be served by Jesus? 

- How does our union with Christ impact the list of qualifications we read earlier?

- (To ask it another way: by what power do we become respectable, real, and reliable?)

- What prevents you from thinking of yourself as a deacon (lower-case "d"), a servant of Christ? 

- What would change if you thought of yourself in this way? 

3. Serving as a Deacon gives you confidence in the faith. 

- What kinds of things tend to strip away our confidence in the faith?  

- What kinds of things build our confidence in our faith? 

- How might this be true of serving as a Deacon (a servant-leader in the church)? 

- Do you consider yourself to be "on the field" or "in the stands?"

- What is your next step of obedience? 

1. Praise God for the the self-giving, sacrificial work of Jesus Christ to graciously serve sinners through the Gospel!

2. Ask God to conform you to the image of the Son by the power of the Spirit, so that by his grace you become respectable in character and conduct, real in your faith, and reliable in your duties.

3. Ask God to show you how he wants you to serve. Does he want you to be a servant of Christ in the general sense, or does he want you to be a servant-leader (Deacon), mobilizing others to serve, preserving unity, and protecting the Elders' priorities of prayer and preaching?

4. Then ask God to help you take the first step. Ask him to help you set up a conversation with a ministry team leader, and to start serving soon. 

Thanks for reading the Bible Study Guide! I pray it helps us "continue to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Eph. 4:15).

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Tom Hansen, Senior Pastor