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[0:00] Good morning. I was asked to give a quick overview of the ordination service itself.

[0:10] ! So, having the heart of a servant makes us more like Christ, and that's a wonderful thing.

[0:38] I'm not going to get too deep into details, but I'm sure the other speakers will cover that, but back in the original days, there was too much going on in the church and they needed help doing some of the service for the families and so on.

[0:54] They picked out seven godly men to do these tasks, and it lightened the load on the leaders that they could spend more time in the ministry of the word and prayer. So it still holds today.

[1:08] We need deacons to do a lot of the tasks that lighten the load on the pastor. It's a joyful thing to serve and to help others. I'm very impressed with Chandler's heart.

[1:20] He's such a fine person. I'm glad this is happening today. I ran across a quote when I was researching this a little bit. It was evangelist D.L.

[1:31] Moody, and he said, it's better to put ten men to work than trying to do the work of ten men. And it's true. You know, the more of us that contribute and do the work of the church, the better off it will be.

[1:45] So, the ordination itself means to appoint someone to some office or a ministry. And again, we do this to follow the biblical model. A couple examples, the one that I mentioned in Acts 6 there with the originals.

[1:57] There was also in early church at Antioch. There were several men that were ministering there. And the Holy Spirit called for Paul or Saul and Barnabas out of that to come and do what he had for them to do.

[2:15] And so, it says, when they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off. And so, we see this same model over and over. And that's why we do this today. That's why we carry on this tradition with prayer and laying on of hands.

[2:28] And so, that's what will be happening for Chandler today. By laying on of hands, we're showing that we identify with him.

[2:39] We support him. And it shows unity among us as a deacon body and as Christians. So, we're going to have what we refer to as a charge.

[2:55] A charge is like imparting or assigning a duty or responsibility or kind of speaking to military like a commission to do something. So, we have three speakers to bring charges today.

[3:09] The first charge will be Pastor Joe. He's going to bring a charge to the congregation because we're all in this together. We need to all support everybody in the church, especially these new deacons.

[3:21] The second charge will be Chris Siennes who will be bringing the charge to the deacons. And when I get done speaking, by the way, if you, any ordained men in this church, if you would come up here to the front couple rows, that would be good.

[3:36] And the final charge will be to Chandler with Pastor Tom. It's good to have him with us today. So, he'll be bringing the charge to Chandler. If you would, let's have a word of prayer over the service today.

[3:49] Father in heaven, we're thankful, Lord, that you brought us here together. We thank you for all those that are taking part, Lord, and seeing this ordination service through today. Lord, we pray that you give us each one a heart of a servant, Lord, that we could do more for you.

[4:01] We ask you as a congregation and as deacons and as anybody here, Lord, that you would give us understanding of what our responsibilities are to Chandler. And as we see this ordination through, we pray that you'd bless our service today, bless our church, bless these speakers that will bring these charges to us today, and bless Chandler as he goes forward.

[4:20] And may all we do today bring glory and honor to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

[4:34] The biblical concept of ordination. And I've been told since I've been here, I've been told a couple times, you know, it's always been jokes but that I'm long-winded. So, don't worry, today I won't be.

[4:47] We'll keep it short. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point, right? So while we're here to ordain Chandler into the deacon ministry, it's important to recognize that his ordination extends beyond just him.

[5:02] The three charges that we're going to give to the congregation, the membership of the church, and to the deacons, and then also to Chandler, are not meant to be rebuke or reproof, but they're meant to be encouraging for Chandler, for the deacon body, and for you, the church.

[5:16] So as I give this charge to the congregation, I want everyone to listen closely. I hope you're encouraged by the word of God, and I hope that through this charge, you're reminded of the incredibly important role you play in the church.

[5:31] I hope that you're also encouraged to work with your deacons, to serve your deacons, and to love your deacons. This entire membership at First Baptist Church plays an important role in our deacon ministry.

[5:42] You're the ones who nominate and elect deacons. You are served by the deacons. You serve with our deacons. You're crucial to the work and the ministry that is done by our deacon body.

[5:56] And with that in mind, we're going to read from Philippians chapter 4. And for the record, I did not line this up. It just so happened to work perfectly as we're going through Philippians that this section is an amazing charge to the congregation.

[6:10] In fact, this was a charge to the congregation at Philippi from Paul. And so I'm going to basically give you exactly what he gave that church, okay? So Philippians 4, 4 through 9 says, Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any moral excellence, and if there is anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things.

[7:02] Do what you have learned and received and heard from me and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. So there are six commands to the church in Philippi in this passage.

[7:14] And so there are six specific ways I want to charge you, the congregation of First Baptist Church in Lewisburg. Number one, rejoice. Number two, yield. Number three, relax.

[7:26] Four, trust. Five, focus. And six, imitate. Church, as you pursue a deeper walk with Christ, I charge you with these things. Firstly, rejoice.

[7:37] Those who are in Christ will always have a reason to rejoice. Even when challenges arise, rejoice because you are in Christ. Rejoice that God has blessed our church with a deacon body who is committed to serving faithfully.

[7:52] Second, yield. You'll notice in the Christian Standard Bible, it says to let your graciousness be known to everyone. The idea here is that Christians should yield to the needs of others by extending grace and showing gentleness.

[8:06] Be known for your gentleness and understanding, especially toward your deacons. This will be an encouragement to them, and they'll serve you more gladly. That wasn't a joke.

[8:20] Third, relax. We live in a world filled with worry. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke to his followers about the futility of worry, and he offered a beautiful remedy.

[8:33] Jesus said to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness in Matthew 6, 33. We face real problems in life, there's no doubt. And if we let ourselves, we can get carried away with worry.

[8:46] Instead of worry, choose to place your trust in God, which brings me to my fourth charge, trust. In everything, pray. Pray earnestly and with a thankful heart.

[8:59] When worries arise, remember that God has already helped you. Cry out to him, thank him for his goodness, and bring your requests to him.

[9:11] If you seek his kingdom first, your prayers will be filled with thankfulness. The best part is that this passage isn't just saying that God wants to hear your prayers.

[9:21] He wants to answer your prayers when you're worried. He'll give you his peace to guard you. One of my favorite ways to think about deacons is that deacons are often God's agents of peace.

[9:35] Perhaps a deacon will be the answer to one of your prayers. Trust that God hears your prayers, and trust that God will give you his peace. Fifth, focus.

[9:48] Focus your eyes on the right things. Focus on the good stuff. Fill your mind with what is true, honorable, righteous, pure, lovely, and commendable.

[10:02] This is the mark of a believer in Christ Jesus. So as a church, we ought to fulfill this call. When your hearts are consumed more by Christ and his holiness and less consumed with the worries of the day, you will be a blessing to your deacons.

[10:18] And finally, imitate. Paul commanded the church in Philippi to imitate the life that they had witnessed in him. And we have the biblical record of the apostle Paul, but we don't have Paul here with us.

[10:29] We don't have the resurrected physical Jesus's body, Jesus here with us. Of course, Jesus is with us always, but he's not presently here in our presence physically.

[10:41] And we don't have those amazing examples to follow, Jesus being the perfect example. But we do have leaders in our church who live lives worth imitating, especially in our deacon body.

[10:54] The call on their lives is to live a life worth imitating. So strive to imitate the Christ-like example you see in our deacons as they seek to follow Jesus in their lives.

[11:07] And church, as you pursue these things, you will work alongside your deacons well, you'll serve them well, and you'll love them well. By working together, serving one another, and loving our deacons, we'll create a community that reflects the heart of Christ, and God will be highly honored.

[11:24] Thank you. Good morning. I'm going to be speaking to the deacons, so anybody else who is here who is not a deacon, please listen in, because I think it's important for all of us to hear that, hear this.

[11:45] Thank you, deacons, for answering the call to serve God's church here at First Baptist Lewisburg. And I want to take a few minutes to remind all of us who serve in the role what our responsibilities are, what we are charged to do.

[12:01] Before I do that, I would just like all the deacons who are serving presently or have served in the past. I know there are a few in the back back there. If you guys would just stand for a moment so your church can see who you are, because I don't know that everyone knows you.

[12:16] So if the deacons would just stand and take a look at your congregation. I know there's one or two back there who are deacons. If you would just stand for a minute, we'd appreciate that. So these are your deacons, church.

[12:31] Thank God. So please sit down. So the charges for deacons come primarily from 1 Timothy 8 through 13.

[12:43] So let me go through three of them. The first charge is that we love Jesus. We are expected to show our love for Jesus by striving every day to be more and more like him in our thoughts, in our words, and in our actions.

[13:01] As Paul says in 1 Timothy, and I believe Pastor Joe said this already, but we are to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

[13:11] We are to devote ourselves to prayer and being in the word daily. We are to help the hurting, minister to the sick, counsel those who are in need, and give them direction in their lives.

[13:27] We need to endeavor to stay spiritually strong because our role of deacons is impossible to do without the power of God. Think about Peter.

[13:39] When Peter stepped out of the boat to walk on the water, there was no way he was going to stay afloat without keeping his eyes on Jesus. And that's what we're all called to do as deacons and as followers of Christ.

[13:54] The emphasis in God's word is on what deacons are to be before it is on what deacons are to do. So we need to be who God calls us to be in order to do what he's calling us to do.

[14:09] Number two, we are also charged to love God's church. We are expected to love and cherish this church, First Baptist Church, so much that we will constantly strive to keep it healthy and keep it strong.

[14:24] We are charged with doing all we can do to keep unity within our fellowship and love for each other. Because unity in the church is still one of the foundational principles on which a healthy church can function to be a light in the dark and lost world.

[14:45] So we're called to be on watch because unity can be destroyed by an idle word of gossip, by quarreling, grumbling, and complaining.

[14:55] And as we all know, this is one of the devil's favorite tools for getting in and creating chaos and confusion and division. So we are to be on guard for that.

[15:09] We are charged with loving Jesus. We are charged with loving his church. And lastly, we are charged to love our families. The most important task we'll be given as deacons is to serve the families that were assigned to us.

[15:20] We get to know our families more than just here on Sunday, and we do our best to make sure that nobody falls through the cracks. We keep an eye on each other. And we are never to forget that the word deacon means servant.

[15:35] So we are constantly on the lookout to where we can serve God's church and serve God's people. Paul says in Galatians 5.13, through love, serve one another.

[15:49] So when we as deacons or when we as followers of Christ display God's love to a lost and dying world, here's what happens. Acts 6.7, the word of God spread and the number of disciples multiplied greatly.

[16:06] We will be a light that shines into our community for the Lord. Deacons, you are a blessing to this church and you're a blessing to God's kingdom. Thank you for your service.

[16:18] God bless you guys. I'm having a little bit of problem with the arrangement that we've got going on right now because we put the deacons right down here.

[16:37] And the new deacon we've set off to the side over here. So Chandler, I need you right down here.

[16:48] Okay? I'm charged to offer this charge to you. And so I'm going to allow the congregation and the deacons to listen in as we have a conversation.

[17:05] I'm really pleased to be here with you today. I was here when you were born. I dedicated you to the Lord with this congregation.

[17:23] I baptized you. I've seen you grow and mature, counseled with you on a couple of occasions. Know of your passion for teaching.

[17:39] And I'm just so pleased at the growth that you're demonstrating. And also mindful of the kind of challenge that is before you if you take up this mantle, this responsibility to serve as a deacon in First Baptist Church.

[18:02] Or wherever in the future you may go. You will, you know, once ordained, always ordained. Always responsible for this. I want to tell you a little bit of a story.

[18:19] I want to tell you about old brother Fred. Now, up front, old brother Fred is the poster child for what a deacon ought not be.

[18:32] Now, old brother Fred was the guy that, in my congregation that I grew up in, he pretended that he once taught Greek at Union University.

[18:45] Not true. He didn't do that. But most of the congregation didn't know that. And so they ascribed to him a sort of authority that he really did not possess, that he did not own.

[18:58] And consequently, because he was able to pretend to be a teacher of Greek, no less, he sometimes played a heavy hand in the affairs of the church, in the way that the church went about doing its work and its ministry together.

[19:22] Brother Fred, very often, especially annually, I don't know why he did this, but he always wanted to cut the pastor's salary.

[19:35] And so every year when the business meeting came up and we were voting on the budget, he would raise that question about why we're paying the pastor so much. And he would raise objections to it, and it got worse and worse and worse as the years went on.

[19:52] And finally one year he said, if you don't take my word on this matter this time, I am going to retire.

[20:04] I'm going to resign as a deacon in your church. And it just happened that there was a new guy filling the pulpit at that point. He was pretty new in the church, but he had heard about Fred.

[20:18] And he very casually said, Well, Brother Fred, in behalf of the congregation, we accept your resignation.

[20:28] And, of course, the congregation reacted, and they brought him back and all that stuff. But that's neither here nor there.

[20:39] But that moment was a seminal moment when the congregation was exposed to a reality about the nature of what it is to be a leader in the congregation and a servant in the congregation.

[20:57] On the other hand, there was old Brother Moore. I loved Brother Moore. He never was officially a deacon, but he was the guy that many people in the congregation turned to rather than Brother Fred.

[21:15] Brother Moore felt like he had been called to preach when he was a young man. And for whatever reason, he refused the call. He didn't follow through. He didn't do it.

[21:25] It was unmistakable in his mind. But he didn't do it. And he got mad at God about something later on. He said God was judging him through the death of his son.

[21:37] His son drowned in a flash flood kind of an experience. And Brother Moore was mad at God. And for years, he just dropped out of church.

[21:49] And, you know, I'm not telling the story of, you know, the poster child for a guy that would become a deacon. But later on, Brother Moore had dreams.

[22:01] And these dreams were so unrelenting. And these dreams were so unrelenting. That he was brought to his knees before God. And in his sorrow over the way that he had reacted to God and how he had sinned so against God in his repentance, he met with a wonderful grace of forgiveness, which is where all of us are.

[22:26] Amen? Amen? And having repented, he became this gentle, loving, and caring person.

[22:40] And without trying, without any kind of pretense or anything, he began to filter among the people of the congregation. And he got interested in them and what was going on with them.

[22:56] And he just loved on them. Chris likes to say that. Likes to love on people.

[23:06] And Brother Moore did that. And Brother Moore loved on me, and I remember that. The difference between these two.

[23:20] One embraced the office. I'm a deacon. I've got power. I'm the man kind of fellow.

[23:32] The other embraced the spirit of service. And I would charge you to embrace the spirit of service.

[23:45] Now, in 1 Timothy 3, verses 8 through 13, we've already heard reference to them. I want to read these. I want you to listen.

[23:56] Because these verses talk more about character than about duties. And so my charge to you is about building character rather than doing deacon stuff.

[24:13] Okay? Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect. Not hypocritical. Not drinking a lot of wine. Not greedy for money.

[24:25] Holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience, they must also be tested first. If they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. Women, too, must be worthy of respect.

[24:40] Not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. Deacons are to be one woman men. Managing their children and their own households competently.

[24:55] For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

[25:06] May God bless to our good this reading and hearing of his word as it is found in scripture. I charge you, number one, become a deacon in order to serve as a deacon.

[25:21] You've already heard, a deacon is a servant. Sometimes translated as minister. The same word is applied to the guy who stands in the pulpit and proclaims the gospel.

[25:33] He is a minister. He is a deacon kind of minister. By the way, it's applied to every person in the congregation. It's an all-purpose word that covers every aspect of every congregation.

[25:50] Every person in the congregation but comes to focus on this one guy or these guys that have been called out by a congregation and asked to serve in a special way.

[26:05] I charge you, become a deacon before you serve as a deacon. Second, I want you to serve alongside the lead pastor.

[26:20] In verse 8, you see the word likewise. Don't jump over that. It's a word that calls you back to context and not just the context of what you're reading.

[26:33] It calls you back to verses 1 through 7 that speaks to the overseers in the congregation. And the deacons and overseers were two different, distinct kinds of leaders in the congregation.

[26:57] And Pastor Joe serves as the lead overseer, the overseer in the congregation. And if you look at those qualifications for both, you'll see that they're very similar.

[27:13] Everything that's required of Pastor Joe is required of you. There's one exception. Pastor Joe is expected to be a teacher. You are not expected to be a teacher.

[27:26] You could be. Many of the deacons in the New Testament became prominent teachers in the church. But it was not a special requirement for the regular deacon body.

[27:42] I would ask you to support and encourage your pastor. And do not, do not, please do not become an adversary.

[27:55] That is a pattern that has all too often unfolded in the life of a Baptist church. And enough said about that.

[28:08] Pray for him and pray for his family. And do everything you can to lighten his load. That's what your job is. You're called to serve him as you serve the congregation.

[28:25] And he needs help. He needs a lot of help. He has more on his plate than you realize. A lot more on his plate. He's a husband. He's a father. God gave him to the church as a shepherd and teacher, says Ephesians 4.11.

[28:41] And that puts a whole load of responsibility on him. And he needs men around him. Like Moses, when he was praying over the armies fighting in the valley below.

[28:58] He would lift his hands. And when he lifted his hands, the armies would prevail. Joshua was successful in the fight below.

[29:09] But when his arms became weary and he dropped them, then the enemy prevailed. And so some guys came along and helped Moses hold his arms up.

[29:22] Simply to pray. And with the help of those around him, he was able to be more effective. Be one of the guys that holds his arms up.

[29:36] Don't abandon him. This congregation needs you to do this in his life. I would remind you, 1 Timothy 5.17 says, Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

[30:02] And I would say one thing about the word double honor. That word honor has the notion of honorarium in it.

[30:13] And in the context, you'll see that the workman is worthy of his hire. And I say, if you look at this guy as worthy of double honor, even if you cannot give it, seeing him in that light will be a plus for the congregation and will be a boon for you as well.

[30:41] Well, enough of that. Number three. Verse 8 also says, Live such a sincere and godly life as a servant that you may command the respect of your brothers and sisters.

[30:54] That is, be a man of integrity. You ought not be a double talker, verse 8 says. You ought to not drink much wine.

[31:06] You ought not be greedy. You know, those are some things that, be transparent. Be that guy. Verse 9 says something very, very important.

[31:18] It says, Hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. The mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Deacons are expected to live exemplary, live as exemplary Christians in the world.

[31:29] So if you want to know what a Christian looks like, you ought to be able to look at your deacons and know what Christians are really like. That ought to be the number one issue on your plate, to demonstrate to the world what a Christian is really like.

[31:45] And so you need to understand what the gospel is in order to believe the gospel and live it out. So I would say, study the gospel.

[31:57] And preach the gospel to yourself every day. And respond with the kind of faith that you had when you first came to Christ.

[32:08] Only this will be a maturing faith. And it's not that you're going to get converted every day. It's that you're going to grow in this relationship that you have with Christ.

[32:22] And it will become even more evident to those around you, not because you're showing off for anyone, but because you're just living the life. You're doing the real thing.

[32:34] It's the real deal in your life. Do that. And the last verse in the text that I read says that if you deacon well, and I'm being true to the text here, that word deacon well, serve well, it's the word deacon in verbal form.

[32:52] If you deacon well, deacon well so that you may gain a good standing for yourself with others, and so that you may gain great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

[33:06] So deacon well so that you have good standing with the people that you serve. And deacon well so that you have a growing sense of the presence and the power of God in your life and the work of the Holy Spirit coursing through you empowers everything you do to serve the church that has called you to this task.

[33:38] I commend to you the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ because he's the one who put you in this place through this congregation.

[33:50] And you will answer ultimately to him for what you do. One final word.

[34:02] Don't worry about how they judge you. Don't even judge yourself. Leave that with God. May God bless you.

[34:14] And may God bless First Baptist Church. And God's people said, Amen. Alright, so we are going to do a couple things here.

[34:32] I have three questions that I'm going to ask the deacons. And deacons, if you agree with what I say, affirm that by saying we do together. And then after that I'll have one question for the congregation of First Baptist.

[34:46] And if you affirm what I say, then please respond with we do. So deacons, do you believe the word of God is complete, infallible, and the only rule of faith and practice?

[34:58] We do. Do you accept the responsibility of the office of deacon with this congregation and promise to faithfully perform all the duties?

[35:08] We do. Do you promise to promote the unity and purity of this church? We do. And church, I'm going to ask you this one question. So, do you, the members of this church, acknowledge and receive these brothers as deacons?

[35:23] And do you promise to support them with respect, encouragement, and cooperation as they seek to faithfully serve the Lord and the congregation in the office of deacon?

[35:37] Amen. We're going to have time laying on of hands now. And what we'll do here is we'll have the ordained men come and lay hands on Chandler, pray over him.

[35:48] We'll kind of form a line and pass through. And then at the end of the service, when we're done, we'll have, I'll have Chandler, you're going to stay there. All right? And if you want to come through, anybody, any church member, anybody who's here wants to come through and say a word of encouragement to Chandler, that would be the time to do that after the service.

[36:05]  And so, that would be an encouragement for him. And to you ordained men.