THE CAPRANICA

While the articles I have provided do not consider every question that could be raised concerning deacon ministry, I hope that what has been presented provides accurate and adequate help in determining the biblical framework from which a local church’s deacon ministry must flow.  It is not enough to simply affirm that the Bible speaks [...]

Perhaps the most debated and difficult area to interpret in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 is verse eleven and the discussion concerning whether women in general are discussed or wives. It must be noted from the beginning that there is no easy answer and church history from even its early stages has seen both views held.[1] [...]

1 Timothy 3:8-13
The final New Testament passage directly addressing the role and function of deacons is found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.  The context of the passage lists the office of deacon along with the office of overseers.  As Fee notes, “To designate these men as deacons as over against overseers does not imply that they [...]

Philippians 1:1
Objections and Answers

Outside of 1 Timothy 3, Philippians 1:1 is the only passage in the New Testament that specifically mentions an official group known as “deacons.”  MacArthur takes issues with the view that the office or position of “deacons” is spoken of in this passage, stating:
The word here could refer to officers in the [...]

The Diaconal Ministry in Acts 6:1-6
Acts 6:1-6 provides the church with an originating account for the office of deacon.  Its description is invaluable to see several aspects of diaconal ministry, especially in the issues of roles between pastors and deacons (the Twelve and the Seven), pastors and congregation (Twelve and the multitude), and deacons and [...]

Parallels Between Acts 6 and Later Deacons
Acts 6:1-6 can be seen as the demarcation of the beginning of what would eventually and officially be termed deacon ministry. First, there is a linguistic parallel. The key problem in Acts 6:1-6 is a diakonia (service) problem. The Hellenistic widows were not being served (6:1, [...]

I was too busy putting in a sprinkler system at The Capranica Villa yesterday to be able to read or post anything related to the blogosphere. So here’s what I should have posted yesterday on deacons:
An Examination of Acts 6:1-6 in Regard to Deacon Ministry
Objections and Answers
Acts 6:1-6[1] is a passage widely discussed as [...]

Continuing my thoughts on deacons:
Examining the Scriptures
Introduction
As mentioned above, the biblical material concerning New Testament deacons is limited. Two New Testament passages directly refer to an official body of deacons, namely, Philippians 1:1[1] and 1 Timothy 3:8-13. I will later propose that even though Acts 6:1-6 does not mention the Seven as an [...]

O.K. so I started posting this paper on deacons some time ago, but never finished it - just like a number of other unfulfilled blog promises I’ve made. This time I do intend to finish it out. Reading Andreas Kostenberger’s thoughts on women deacons stirred me to repost. So, without further ado [...]