When the first church body in Jerusalem faced very practical material needs, the apostles were led by the Holy
Spirit to tell the multitude of believers to choose seven men to function as deacons. In the last lesson, we covered
three of the traits that these deacons were to embody in their service: submissiveness, a good reputation, and
a life filled with the Holy Spirit. In this lesson, we will cover the remaining traits that were considered vital
for a person truly to be an effective “servant” to God's people.
These character-trait qualities are identified as the qualities of effective service within the church, but
they are also the qualities that are most effective in serving others in order to bring them to Christ. A godly
person who simultaneously has a submissive human spirit and is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit is an extremely
effective witness for Christ. Such a person is a “model believer,” a man or woman who has a tremendous role in
the growth and development of God's kingdom, regardless of the specific function or role that person may have.
Show me a godly janitor who is submissive to those in authority over him but is also filled with God's Holy Spirit,
and I will show you a person who truly makes a lasting difference for good, both in the church and in the world
at large. Show me a senior pastor who has an “I-can-do-it-on-my-own” attitude and who is not reliant upon the Holy
Spirit, and I will show you a person who is likely in error in various areas of his personal life. His reputation,
his attitude, and his lack of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his life will eventually harm the church and be of
virtually no benefit to the world in the long run.
No matter what job you hold, in the church or in the world, you are called to be a servant who embodies the
character traits that were required of the first deacons. If you are to serve others and do so effectively, as
they were commissioned to do, then you must bear the same spiritual integrity that they manifested.
The Quality of Wisdom
The first deacons chosen by the church were to be men who were full of wisdom (Acts 6:3).
Wisdom is knowing both what God desires for a person to do and how God desires for the job to be done, and then
having the courage actually to do what is required. Stated another way: What a person does and the degree
to which his or her actions are successful in meeting God's goals is a measure of that person's wisdom.
You cannot be wise and say nothing or do nothing. How will anybody know you are wise? How will you know
you are wise? Wisdom is not simply having head knowledge. It is having application knowledge—knowing how,
when, where, and to whom to apply one's knowledge of God's purposes, plans, and commandments. Wisdom is knowledge
that is lived out, acted upon, and made useful to real-life problems, decisions, needs, and challenges.
Wisdom comes from God. It flows from the Holy Spirit to us as we rely upon the Holy Spirit for it. God doesn't
pour out His wisdom on people who don't want it or request it. At the same time, He is more than willing to pour
out His wisdom in generous portions, and without any recrimination, on those who do desire it and ask for it. If
you want more wisdom, ask God to give it to you!
Wisdom is vital for service and especially for service in the church, because without it God's answer
to human problems is not manifested. Service can be rendered solely from fleshly desires and from human levels
of intelligence and ability, but such service is limited and often ineffectual or even in error. Can you imagine
what might have happened if the early church had simply chosen the smartest men they knew, but not necessarily
the wisest men they knew? They likely would have had a catastrophe because they would have had seven highly “intelligent”
opinions about how to serve and what to do, but no consensus in the Spirit and no true unity in purpose, plan,
or result. They would have had rule by committee, rather than order established by a consensus of faith about what
the Holy Spirit was directing them to do.
• Have you ever been the victim of someone's “bright idea”—an idea that later was revealed to be out of alignment
with what the Holy Spirit desired?
Wisdom is something we need on a daily basis. It is often related very directly to a particular question, problem,
or need. Ask the Holy Spirit every morning to give you the wisdom you will need to deal with the circumstances
and situations that you will face in the coming day. As you face particular decisions, ask the Holy Spirit to guide
you. As you encounter people throughout your day, ask the Holy Spirit to direct your conversation. You can never
ask too much or too often for God's wisdom.
We must ask for wisdom in faith (James 1:6). After you have prayed for wisdom, make the decision or take the
action that you believe God has called you to do. Don't second-guess God or yourself at that point. God will reveal
to you if you have erred. The only way to grow in your ability to apply God's Word effectively is to obey what
God speaks to your heart. Keep in mind always that the Holy Spirit will never direct you to do something that is
contrary to God's Word, the Bible.
What the Word Says
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be
given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting (James 1:5–6).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits,
without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:17).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Prov. 9:10).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1 Cor. 2:4–5).
What the Word Says to Me
• What new insights do you have into the importance of wisdom to godly service?
• In what ways are you feeling challenged in your spirit?
The Quality of Vision
The deacons chosen by the early church were men who had a vision for what God desired to be done in their midst.
They were not attempting to fulfill their own desires or goals but, rather, the desires of God's heart for His
people.
True service always has an evangelistic, outward reach to it that is borne of a vision for what God desires
to do on the earth. We each are responsible for winning as many people as possible to Christ Jesus in our generation.
When we have this at the core of our desire to serve, everything that we do takes on greater meaning.
A person with a vision for the greater plans and purposes of God is a person who findings meaning and fulfillment
in even the most mundane of tasks. For example, we are not to feed people simply to feed people. We are to feed
the hungry so that with full stomachs, they might fully receive the gospel of Christ. We are not to provide clothing,
shelter, or medical help to people merely so they can be warm, comfortable, protected from the elements, and live
longer. We are to engage in these forms of service so that people might not have any practical, material, or physical
impediments that keep them from clearly hearing God's call of love, grace, and forgiveness to them. True Christian
service involves removing the obstacles that keep a person from having “ears to hear” and “eyes to see.”
Without very practical, daily service being performed by the deacons in the early church, it is very likely
that large numbers of needy Christians would have fallen away from their newfound faith. The Christian life would
simply have been too difficult for them—their needs would have loomed so large that they would not have been able
to hear with open hearts the full message of the gospel that was being presented to them by the apostles.
A vision grows in us when we ask ourselves why God has called us to help others. We see the bigger picture:
God desires to meet the needs of all people and to show His love to us in practical, tangible ways. God blesses
His people materially, practically, and physically as much as He blesses His people spiritually. So often we place
such great importance upon God's spiritual blessing—which, indeed, is the greater blessing because it is eternal—that
we neglect to give importance to God's material blessings extended to those who are lacking adequate provision
and protection, the basics necessary for life. Jesus said that He came not only to give us eternal life but an
abundant life in the here and now (John 10:10). As His servants, we are to provide service that leads both to an
abundant life on this earth and to a spiritual life that is everlasting.
One form of service is not to be replaced by the other. Rather, we are to have a vision for the greater service—leading
a person to Christ—as we engage diligently in performing the practical service of meeting daily needs.
• Have you ever encountered a person who seemed so “heavenly minded” that he or she was of little earthly
good—doing virtually nothing practical to further God's Kingdom? How did you feel?
• What new insights do you have into the importance of having a vision from God for the service you render
to others?
What the Word Says
I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel's sake,
that I may be partaker of it with you (1 Cor. 9:22–23).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the
works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him (John 10:37–38).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me;
that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as
You have loved Me (John 17:22–23).
What the Word Says to Me
The Quality of Humility
Perhaps the supreme character trait of all those manifested by the deacons in the first-century church was humility.
These men who were filled with faith and power, who had a vision for God's work to be done, and who had outstanding
reputations were asked to serve tables. They were asked to become, in effect, waiters. They were responsible
for making certain that everyone at the communal meals held by the church received enough food and that their needs
were met without prejudice or favoritism.
Many of the most important roles in the church today—the roles that keep a church functioning at peak performance
week after week—are roles similar to that of serving tables. Show me ushers, greeters, parking attendants, hospitality
hostesses, and janitors who do their work with the same spirit as that of the first deacons, and I will show you
a church that is headed for great effectiveness in the winning of souls and the building up of the body of Christ.
Humility is at the foundation of submissiveness. It is the complement character trait to wisdom—it is what keeps
the wise from becoming arrogant. Humility is a sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit; it is a hallmark among
those who have good reputations. Humility says “not my will, but Your will”; it is the trait that opens one's eyes
to the broader vision that God has for a human life.
Humility will cause a person to see every task as a “job” to be done for God, rather than as a “position” to
be filled to win the approval of men.
In serving tables, the deacons had this as their goal: “see that everybody is taken care of”—not just in this
hour, but throughout this week, and on through this month, this year, and forever. “Seeing that everybody is taken
care of” is one of the best definitions of service I have ever heard. When we serve an individual, we are actually
serving the greater body of Christ. Any form of service that we desire to render to the church as a whole we must
first render to an individual.
It is not enough that a person be fed once. A person must be fed consistently so that hunger is no longer a
part of that person's daily concern. It is not enough that a person be greeted warmly on one Sunday a year. A person
must feel welcome within the church body every time he sets foot inside the church or encounters a member of the
church. It is not enough that a person be “told” the gospel once. A person must be presented with the gospel at
all times—in every word, by every deed, and through every action that is taken on behalf of that person.
Humility calls us to see the person who needs our help, not the crowd who might shower adoration upon
us.
Pride and service are incompatible. Pride is self-seeking. Service seeks out the best for others.
Pride insists on having its own way. Service makes a way for others.
Pride demands recognition. Service works for results.
Pride fills us up with self-importance. Service empties us of self.
If we are willing to bow our knees before God, we must also be willing to get down on our knees to help others.
Humility before God must extend to our having a humble spirit before men.
• Have you ever been helped by a person with a proud spirit? By a person with a humble spirit? How did each
person make you feel? What was your response to him or her?
• What new insights do you have into the relationship between service and humility?
What the Word Says
Be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the
humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time (1 Peter 5:5–6).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
We urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and
to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves (1 Thess. 5:12–13).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:10).
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better
than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (Phil.
2:3–4).
What the Word Says to Me
• In what ways are you feeling challenged in your spirit?
The Result of Genuine Service
What was the result of the church's choosing deacons who bore these six qualities: submissiveness, good reputation,
full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, a vision for the work of God, and humility? Acts 6:7 tells us:
The word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of
the priests were obedient to the faith.
A church that is filled with people who are active in their service one to another is a church that is like
a great magnet to lost souls. The reputation of that church spreads quickly. Christ is lifted up upon the shoulders
of men and women who are kneeling to perform good service to others. He draws the lost to Himself through the extended
arms of believers.
Note that the Bible says a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. The service of the
deacons became an example to the believers. They, in turn, began to serve one another with generous, humble, submissive
spirits that were open to the Holy Spirit's wisdom and power. As the believers began to serve, the world took notice.
The entire atmosphere of Jerusalem changed. Those who were engaged in the priestly functions of the temple actually
gained heart at what they felt, saw, and heard. They began to mean what they had been doing—they began to
love God with all of their hearts, minds, and souls. Many of them began to claim Jesus as Messiah.
If you want to bring joy to the heart of your pastor today, begin to serve others in your church as if you are
serving Jesus Himself. Pour out your love to your fellow believers. Not only will your example draw unbelievers
to your church fellowship, but your pastor will be encouraged as never before. You'll see a change in the way he
preaches, teaches, and leads your congregation. Nothing warms the heart of a pastor more than to see those in his
congregation loving one another as the deacons surely loved the believers in that first-century church.
If you want to see church growth, begin with service. It flows automatically from hearts that bear the qualities
of submissiveness, godly character, wisdom, a vision for God's work, humility, and a desire to be filled to overflowing
with God's Spirit.
• In what ways are you feeling challenged to serve others as the first deacons served the church?
From Developing a Servant's Heart by Charles
Stanley. Copyright 1998 by Charles Stanley.
