Your love for God is greatly determined by your generosity to give when people around you are in desperate need of something. Giving is not just limited to financial support (although it is essential part of your service), but it also extends to your time and spiritual support. God instituted Church to be the primary avenue in which we exercise generosity not just in terms of money, but also in terms of committing our lives (time & talents) for the growth of the church. Church is a community which reveals our love for God and our understanding of His generosity in the way we conduct ourselves with people.
There are many practical aspects of church ministry like finances, hospitality, venue set up, event organisation, church retreats etc. Teaching elders and ruling elders may not have the bandwidth to look into these matters as they’re primarily called to disciple people, to counsel, to encourage and pray with the congregation at every stage of life. So this is where the bible brings deacons into the picture to handle administrative tasks in order to make the elders’ work easier. In this passage we learn about deacons and what character qualities they ought to have.
We live in a culture that despises singleness once a person crosses a certain age. Person’s worth is measured by marriage, and marriage is often seen as the only remedy for singleness. But in Christianity, God never bestows value or declares a person’s worth based on their marital status. God bestows his value and worth on people simply because of His undying love for them. In this passage, we learn how God bestows his value on singles in the church and what he expects of them.
In our Indian culture, to correct a leader or provide a constructive feedback to a Pastor in the church is considered offensive, and sadly many leaders in our churches are allowed to hold an unquestionable authority. In other words, people often treat Pastors like God. In this passage, the apostle Paul reminds us to not idolize pastors, leaders and deacons of the church because they cannot give life or growth to anybody, only God can!
