Let's Go Back to the Bible

Thank God for Our Deacons!

The planning session by the elders, deacons and preachers was conducted this past weekend. We began on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and finished at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Great contributions were made by all, but I believe our deacons deserve special recognition. I thank God for the deacons at Palm Beach Lakes.

It is often the elders and preachers who are praised for the work they do, but I wonder how heaven looks at this matter. When the mother of James and John asked that her two sons might have the highest places of honor in the kingdom, Jesus gave a most remarkable answer. “Whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant” (Matt. 20:26). Jesus showed that the way to find honor in His kingdom is not by sitting in places where one might be seen. Heaven sees the road to greatness as traveling the path of service.

The word Jesus used for “servant” is from the Greek word diakonos. Even the casual reader can see that our word for deacon is simply a transliteration of the Greek letters into English letters. Jesus literally said that those who are great in the kingdom are deacons!

Think of the honor heaven gives when it looks down to the church and sees that the great ones in the kingdom are those who have become servants. Every Christian is a servant, but in His kingdom there are those who have, by the authority of Christ, been appointed deacons. This avenue of greatness runs counter to the way the world sees greatness!

I saw the servant attitude manifested again and again on Friday and Saturday. The elders gave the deacons four specific actions items which they, in their wisdom, view as things which must be done in 2009. (By the way, I can hardly wait to be part of implementing these events in the new year—you will be hearing more and more about these over the next several weeks). The deacons stepped to the front and embraced these directives from the elders. The reality is that others may get the credit, but the deacons are those who will do the work!

So the next time you see a deacon (their names and phone numbers are on the front of the bulletin), take time to let him know that you deeply appreciate the servant’s heart he is showing. Don’t forget that heaven sees them as the great ones in the kingdom. We need to give them the same honor!