Upon laying down the standards for the office of Deacon within a local church (1 Tim 3:8-12) the Apostle Paul tags a couple of promises on the end of the paragraph:
"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." 1 Tim 3:13
The deacons Paul is describing "gain a good standing...and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus" for "themselves" the text says.
Whether the "good standing" Paul refers to is how we are looked upon by others or by God is beside the point. For we all desire to be seen as respectable by other people and infinitely more so should we desire to be seen by God as worthy to be counted among His people.
The apostle is clearly talking to followers of Jesus in this passage. What legit follower of Christ in their right mind does not desire "great confidence" in their faith? It would be preposterous to think so for it would be marvelous to receive the gift of such a solid trust in the God of the universe.
May we not deprive ourselves! May we not sell ourselves short of such a wonderous blessing by chasing all sorts of other silly titles and positions. This one is God ordained and blessed of God.
So, what do deacons do? This seems to be a solid answer.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I don't care who you are...
...this is thought provoking and hopefully convicting.
"This is no time to fight murder with murder (there is no time for that). But neither is this the time for pro-lifers to slacken in their efforts from fetus fatigue. Between 1973 and 2005 American women procured an estimated 48, 589, 993 abortions. The bloodiest single-day battle in American history was at Antietam in 1862, where 23,000 Americans lost their lives. It was an mind-boggling loss of life. Now imagine another Antietam every five or six days for 32 straight years. That’s how many unborn children died from 1973 to 2005. And they died not for the abolition of slavery, nor for the preservation of the Union, but for choice." Kevin DeYoung
"This is no time to fight murder with murder (there is no time for that). But neither is this the time for pro-lifers to slacken in their efforts from fetus fatigue. Between 1973 and 2005 American women procured an estimated 48, 589, 993 abortions. The bloodiest single-day battle in American history was at Antietam in 1862, where 23,000 Americans lost their lives. It was an mind-boggling loss of life. Now imagine another Antietam every five or six days for 32 straight years. That’s how many unborn children died from 1973 to 2005. And they died not for the abolition of slavery, nor for the preservation of the Union, but for choice." Kevin DeYoung
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