THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Part 8)
The Ministerial Servants
“Ministerial servants should likewise be serious, not double-tongued, not giving themselves to a lot of wine, not greedy of dishonest gain, holding the sacred secret of the faith with a clean conscience. Also, let these be tested as to fitness first, then let them serve as ministers, as they are free from accusation. Women should likewise be serious, not slanderous, moderate in habits, faithful in all things. Let ministerial servants be husbands of one wife, presiding in a fine manner over children and their own households. For the men who minister in a fine manner are acquiring for themselves a fine standing and great freeness of speech in the faith in connection with Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 3:8–10,12,13).
The word “likewise” shows that the conditions required to be ministerial servant, are exactly the same as for the “elders”. The only difference is the teaching requirement, which is not mentioned directly. However, the expression “great freeness of speech in the faith that is in Christ Jesus”, suggests a verbal declaration or a public declaratin of his faith in Jesus Christ (“παρρησία” “parrhesia” (Strong’s Concordance G3954)). In the framework of Christian meetings, the servant ministerial may speak out, to express his faith in Christ with freeness.
The Greek word used for “ministerial servant”, is “διάκονος” (“diakonos” Strong’s Concordance (G1249)): “an attendant, i.e. (genitive case) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specially, a Christian teacher and pastor (technically, a deacon or deaconess): — deacon, minister, servant”. Concretely, the ministerial servants help the elders of the congregation. How? Their christian minister allows to the overseers to focus fully on their spiritual minister of prayer and teaching, to spiritually build the Christian congregation. More concretely, the ministerial servants are attendants for the material stewardship activities of the congregation, whether to help Christian brothers and sisters, or stewardship in relation to the building that houses the congregation, if it exists. In the book of Acts we find a situation in which this division of labor is described between the elders and the ministerial servants: “Now in those days when the disciples were increasing, the Greek-speaking Jews began complaining against the Hebrew-speaking Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called the multitude of the disciples together and said: “It is not right for us to leave the word of God to distribute food to tables. So, brothers, select for yourselves seven reputable men from among you, full of spirit and wisdom, that we may appoint them over this necessary matter; but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” What they said was pleasing to the whole multitude, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith and holy spirit, as well as Philip, Prochʹo·rus, Ni·caʹnor, Tiʹmon, Parʹme·nas, and Nic·o·laʹus, a proselyte of Antioch. They brought them to the apostles, and after praying, they laid their hands on them” (Acts 6:1–6).
This does not mean that the appointed men, in this circumstance were ministerial servants, nevertheless, they did a material assistance work to allow the apostles to focus fully in their spiritual activities (In Acts 7, if Stephen was appointed for this food distribution activity, his speech shortly before his death in martyrdom, denotes a great spiritual maturity that could have been that of a Christian overseer). What activity in the temple corresponds to the function of ministerial servant? To that of the non-priestly Levites who were serving the priesthood. The tribe of Levi, in its non-priestly part, were material stewards of the tabernacle (Numbers 1:47–53), and later of the temple (1 Kings 8:1–6). The non-priestly Levites were in the material service of the Aaronic Priesthood (Numbers 3: 9,10: “You are to give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are given ones, given to him from the Israelites. You should appoint Aaron and his sons, and they are to carry out their priestly duties, and any unauthorized person who comes near should be put to death”).
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