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Greetings Rae,
The office of deacon is instituted in Acts 6, as follows:
Acts 6:2-6 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
These men must meet certain qualifications, and they are ordained, set apart for a specific task and duty. They are vested with the authority to carry out that task, and set aside for it in a way that non-ordained believers are not.
The high calling of the office is seen also in the qualifications listed in 1 Tim. 3, as follows:
1 Timothy 3:8-13 8 ¶ Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
The authority of the deaconate differs from that of the elder. The elder exercises spiritual oversight (authority), while the deacon exercises authority over the physical needs in the mercy ministry.
So you see the original purpose in Acts 6, the apostles needing to focus on spiritual oversight, so the office is instituted to care for the physical needs of the body.
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