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1 Timothy 3:8
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8 Likewise [hosautos] must the deacons [diakonos] be grave, [semnos] not [me] doubletongued, [dilogos] not [me] given [prosecho] to much [polus] wine, [oinos] not [me] greedy of filthy lucre; [aischrokerdes] KJV-Interlinear
8 Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, NASB
Paul now makes a transition from the elder of the church, who is the teacher or pastor as it were, to the deacons of the church, which includes virtually everyone.
When God looks for those who are to serve, He looks for those whose hearts are right. This has nothing to do with talent, ability, or social status, but with the content of their soul. And this certainly excludes those who try to do things themselves, apart from the mandates specified within the Bible.
Unfortunately this includes most Christians, because most Christians do not take up their daily study and get themselves prepared for life. They prefer to float in their emotional rationalization of what they are doing is sufficient, and nothing more is required of them.
We already saw the other day, that this amounts to smoke or air, with which they inflate themselves. Meaning, that they have nothing of substance within themselves.
Deacons, ‘diakonos,’ means one who is an attendant, a waiter, one who serves, a servant. It is taken from the role of a waiter or waitress or staff person who serves others as to their needs.
Every believer in Christ has a role to fulfill, but God uses prepared believers, not unprepared believers. God has established a mechanism for spiritual growth, and that requires you to fall in with an instructor and listen and learn everyday of your life.
You cannot do things on your own, and you cannot succeed, if you do not comply with Gods requirements, by setting up your own rules. That is a subtle form of arrogance.
Neh 9:8
8 "And Thou didst find his heart faithful before Thee, NASB
1 Sam 16:7
7 … for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." NASB
Your soul must be prepared with doctrine. That, and nothing else, is the substance for spiritual growth and success and fulfillment in your life.
Eph 4:12
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; NASB
Having concluded the requirements of teachers, Paul now begins, over the next several verses, to list five requirements for service in the Christian life – character, spiritual maturity, testing, morality, and stability. These are five of the fundamental attributes required of the qualified believer.
The believer must be ‘grave.’ The word for grave ‘semnos,’ means honorable, honest, serious. It is non-generic so it applies to all believers.
It indicates that the person has his priorities in order, that he looks to God first and not to the world, with respect to responsibility and accountability for ones thoughts and actions in life.
The deacon, the servant, must not be fickle, not flippant, must not be one who makes light of serious matters. But at the same time he is human and cannot be a stuffed shirt or humorless, either.
He must not be double-tongued, addicted to substances, and not greedy for worldly things.
Double-tongued means to be inconsistent in how one approaches life, with double standards. He must not be a hypocrite, biased, or prejudiced in any way. Therefore, the believer must be consistent in his life, fair in dealing with others, and objective in all things.
Addicted to wine, means having to rely on substances like alcohol or drugs, etc. Those things mess up the mind and lead to sin and worse, even an unstable life. The believer must be stable, and is held to a higher sense of responsibility, than others.
The believer must not use his faith to take advantage of others. He must be honest in all things, not deceitful. He must not attempt to take advantage of others, especially those to whom he is serving. And since the believer is in a role of service, then that includes his having a fair and open and honest relationship with everyone.
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