By: Waylon Bailey ~
Last night I had the privilege of preaching a deacon ordination service for one of the young men of our church. It was a delightful time being with him, his family, and with the body of believers at First Baptist Church.
On any occasion such as this, you often find yourself asking, “What should I say?” Sometimes I also think,“What can I say different than I’ve said so many times before?“
Last night I felt led to preach from a passage that I never would have considered a “Deacon ordination” passage. I preached from Philippians 2:1–11, a passage that gives us an understanding of who Christ is and what He did.
I spoke about three traits of effective deacons. Here’s what I said to the young deacon and to the church.
First, effective deacons have a life-Long desire to be like Jesus.
Paul encouraged the believers at Philippi to become like Jesus. He wanted them to take on the mindset and the attitude of Christ. Can you imagine the blessings for our families and our churches when we take on the mindset of Christ? The mindset of Jesus was to give up His rightful place for the good of all of us.
I believe deacons who have this life-long desire to be like Christ lead the church in the best ways possible.
Second, effective church leaders demonstrate an outward and inward humility. Philippians 2 describes how Jesus humbled Himself by caring for the needs of others over His own needs. Humility describes how we see the worth of others. Jesus saw us as His brothers and sisters. The Bible describes how we are all created in the image of God.
With this kind of humility the church will be well-led.
Finally, effective church leaders love the church and are passionate about the church’s unity and vision.
When you are led by people who desire to follow Christ and to become as He is, humbly serve others, and love the church and its Christ given mandate, the church will do well.
May you and I be those people who seek to follow Christ in all things.
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Have a great week!