[0:00] Take your Bibles, if you would, and go with me to the book of Acts. Do a verse you've already read so many times tonight. But I'm going to talk to the deacons here, just a few minutes, before we lay hands on them.
[0:15] I'd like first to say thank you to the parents. It was stated in the time of challenge with the young men that you can tell a man's spiritual walk often by looking at his wife.
[0:31] And that was stated very clearly and very succinctly, very well. I can also say you can tell a lot about a man and a woman, or tell a lot about their parents because of the way a man and a woman turn out.
[0:46] And I just say thank you. Thank you to Holly's family. Thank you to Andrew's family. Thank you to Zach's family. And thank you for the shoemakes who have celebrated 39 years of wonderful wedded bliss.
[1:02] Amen. Let me fix this any way I can, see if I can get out of it. I really do thank you. I believe with all my heart that what you have done has made a difference, and it's honoring God.
[1:13] The most important ministry any of us can have outside of our personal walk with God would be how we lead and direct and guide our family. So I'm very, very blessed, and thank you very much for what you've done.
[1:24] Gentlemen, I've done a lot of ordinations in my lifetime. I haven't ordained that many deacons. We have ordained more deacons here at this church than I did anywhere else in my ministry.
[1:38] And I really have never taken time to pastor a church except the first church that I was in for eight years. I thought I'd be there my entire life. I told that church that I was going to buy a grave plot and be buried in Carlsville, Georgia.
[1:54] And that was 33 years ago, 34 years ago. And I go back through there every now and then, drive by and see those little places where we started the church.
[2:04] And so I never really, all my life I've spent training young preachers. And somewhere along the way, I began to realize the need for good, godly deacons and good men that would take care of a church.
[2:17] I will be honest with you and say that in preacher language, usually deacons are not very well perceived. Because deacons, I did grow up Southern Baptist, but deacons are often the dominating force in a church.
[2:31] And they dictate over the pastor. He's a hireling. And they treat him that way. And so I guess I might have had a little bit of that in me. My dad was one of those deacons. I remember very well one Sunday afternoon when the dad came home.
[2:47] And he said deacons had met and the pastor would be finding a new church. And I remember thinking, when did he decide that? And so I kind of asked it however stammeringly a teenager could.
[3:01] And he said, well, we just told him. We give him so many months and he best be finding a new place. And I also know of deacons that have withheld tithes and offerings so they starved him out.
[3:14] I've also known pastors that were real bad words. And they have run deacons off and mistreated them. And I just praise the Lord that at vision, we haven't had that.
[3:27] And that God has blessed and there's been a sweet spirit and a sweet relationship. And so I have ordained more deacons. I was praying for you two guys. Amen. Amen.