SPEAKER_02 0:00

Deacons are to encourage souls as well as deliver bodies in a temporal sense. And he's given that peculiar care into the hands of deacons. So I think while it's not about deacons, deacons pay attention. There's a clear paradigm of their ministry, not just from Elisha, but Elisha to our Lord, the great deacon, the chief deacon, to the deacons of our churches today.

David Nakhla 0:32

Welcome to the Reformed Deacon, a casual conversation with topics specifically designed to help local Reformed Deacons. There are nearly a thousand deacons in the OPC alone, so let's take this opportunity to learn from and encourage one another. We're so glad you could join us. Let's jump into our next episode.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Welcome to another episode of the Reformed Deacon Podcast. My name is Chris Cashin, and I serve as pastor of Trinity Reformed OPC in Lanham, Maryland. I also serve on the OPC's Committee on Diaconal Ministries. With me today is Reverend Matt Holst, who is pastor of Shiloh Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Matt has served in Shiloh for just over seven years, and he was previously at Geneva OPC in Marietta, Georgia, which is now called Christ OPC, for six years. Matt has been married to Stacy for 17 years, has four sons, aged from 15 to 9 years old. He serves on the OPC's Committee for Ecumenicity and Interchurch Relations and chairs a board of a local Christian school. Matt also serves as chaplain to the Raleigh Police Department. And in his spare time, he enjoys fishing, hunting, gardening, and according to Matt, watching the world's greatest game, rugby. Amen. Welcome, Matt. Welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:59

Thank you, brother.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Thanks for being here. Today, Matt and I will be discussing a short passage of scripture from the Old Testament, 2 Kings chapter 4, 1 through 7. We should recognize this. This is one of uh the uh passages concerning Elisha. From time to time on this podcast, we want to take an in-depth look at passages like this in order to strengthen a deacon's understanding of and purpose for his office. In other words, we plan to invite some of our guests to open up scriptures which have a particular application for the work of the reformed deacon. So let me begin this afternoon just by reading. I'm going to be reading, reading from the English Standard Version, 2 Kings chapter 4, verses 1 through 7. Let's give attention to God's holy word. Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, Your servant, my husband, is dead. And you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor is come to take my two children to be his slaves. And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me, what have you in the house? And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil. Then he said, Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels, and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside. So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. As she poured, they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, There is not another. Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, Go sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest. We'll stop our reading there. Matt, would you pray for us?

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Yeah. Our God and our Father, we do bless your name as your word has revealed to us now. You are the God who provides, who protects, who cares for, and ultimately delivers his children. We bless you, we praise you, we honor your name, for you have done great things for us. We pray now that you reveal those great things in your word through our discussion. May this be to our prophet, to the prophet of the listeners. May we see great things of you, Lord, the covenant God who keeps his people. May we see your Son also, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has given uh ultimately himself for us. We thank you and praise you for him, and it's in his name we pray. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Thank you. Well, Matt, as we begin to look at this passage, uh we uh we are in the history of redemption, obviously, but could you just share some thoughts with regard to where are we in that history and certainly in the history of Israel?

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Yeah. Well, I think we're in the downward spiral of both kingdoms, um, but especially Israel. Two kings starts with uh the death of Ahab, Moab rebelling. Ahaziah falls through the lattice of his upper chamber and lies sick and sends messengers uh not to inquire of Yahweh, but to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, uh, whether I shall recover from this sickness. And I think that's just a picture of the downward spiral of apostasy uh of uh the northern kingdom, and and we we really see the fabric of kingdom life falling apart before our very eyes. And I think that's actually summed up well in the the passage you read, uh, 2 Kings 4, because we have one of the widows of Israel, one of the widows of the prophets of Israel, facing dire straits. She's been bereaved, she's facing poverty, her sons are going to be taken away into servanthood. And it's fairly obvious that that no one is caring for her, as was mandated in the law of God. And and so that that neglect of the widow, the orphan, the stranger within the gate uh really is in keeping with the general uh apostasy of the nation. Um, I mean, there's abundant texts in scripture, uh, the Old Testament scriptures about care for the widow. Um, and there's there's an equal number, especially in the prophets, of the cursing that comes on the nation because they failed to do this very thing. So I think our passage this morning is something of a microcosm of the problems that that are found in in Israel um itself at the time. So it's not a good time to be in Israel, frankly.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

That's very helpful and uh it's insightful with regard to uh what's going on in this passage. Could you tell us a little bit about who Elisha was and and where he fits in with Elijah?

SPEAKER_02 7:30

Uh yes, Elisha is is clearly the the counterpart, the younger counterpart of Elijah. He's a trainee, clearly a prophet, and one with singular devotion to Elijah. I think we can see in 2 Kings chapter 2, he knows Elijah is going to be taken up. And Elijah says, wait here, and he says, No, I'm coming with you. And then he says, wait here, and he said, No, I'm coming with you again, and again and again and again. He knew Elijah was being taken up. So did the band of prophets, the sons of the prophets. I like what he says to them in chapter two, verse three. The sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you? And he said, Yes, I know. Keep quiet. He doesn't want to hear it. There's clearly a strong bond between Elijah and Elisha. And 2 Kings 2, 9, as Elijah's going to be taken up, he says, Ask what I shall do for you before I'm taken from you. And Elisha said, Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me. And I don't think that's just Elijah's spirit. I think it's the spirit, uh, it would seem to me. And so he's asking to be blessed in the same way that his his father figure in the uh the prophethood, if you like, has been blessed with. So there's a there's a very strong bond between uh Elijah and Elisha, it seems.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

Yeah, I agree. There's another name, so to speak, in this passage. Certainly there is the widow, but she was the widow of one of the sons of the prophets. And so, as we're just trying to review who who are the players in this passage, who who were these sons of the prophets and how they connected to Elisha and his ministry?

SPEAKER_02 9:32

Yeah, so it's it's again, it's evident from 2 Kings 2 that to them has also been revealed that Elijah is going to be taken up. So, whatever state their office of prophet is at that time, it's still clear they have similar or the same revelation that Elijah has regarding Elijah. But I think I think we can go back to perhaps much earlier, 1 Samuel 10, we learn of a band of prophets with whom Saul interacted. We see reference to them there, we see reference to them in and around the section we've looked at. They appear to be prophets in the traditional sense of the idea, band of men used by God to reveal his will. Voss has an interesting note, I think, in chapter three of biblical theology on the uh the idea of the sons of the prophets. He he identifies two distinctions, perhaps from earlier prophetic roles. First, that it's become a public office in Israel. These are prophets, these are known as sons of the prophets. They they're carrying on that prophetic office fully, and it's an office associated with the establishment of the kingdom. So early days, the the prophets of Samuel and others, uh, there does seem to have been a slight change in the office of prophet. And what we also see is the number of prophets appears to have increased dramatically. I'm also wondering, and I don't know this for a fact, I have to do more research on this, but these are prophets, they reveal the will of God, but they're also doing, at least Elijah is, and we can think of perhaps others, uh, doing works of mercy. I think it's a very powerful interaction between at least Elijah and Elisha's ministries. Of course, we'll see that exemplified in our Lord, but it's not just here's a word from the Lord. Uh, there's a very powerful connection, especially in our passage today, between the prophetic office and mercy ministry. And we can come back to that in a moment. But um, yeah, I think I think that's about what I've got on the Sons of the Prophets, I think.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Again, very helpful. There's certainly bad news in this passage. You've already mentioned it. This downward spiral of Israel, uh, this neglecting of a widow, uh, death, despair, poverty, uh, all of which relates to connected to sin. Do you see any good news in this passage? Does this passage at all point us to the Lord Jesus?

SPEAKER_02 12:17

Yes, I would say that's the chief design of the passage. In fact, here we've got the help to quote the old hymn, the help of the helpless, abiding with the helpless. Oh, abide with me. And it is in the face of great sin, it's in the face of great apathy towards a needy woman. And that's really the backdrop of the passage, and the backdrop of what I think is the Christological angle. Uh, there's there's a helpless, a helpless woman, uh bereaved in poverty, about to lose her children, and the servant of the Lord comes to her and delivers her. I think it's a powerful paradigm of Christ's ministry, Christ's work for the sinner. Um, not to mention any mercy ministry principles we we might derive. Elisha here is clearly a type of of the savior in his prophetic office. And as I mentioned, I I find it very interesting the prophetic office here is tied to uh material, material matters, material grace, if you will. Uh there is a mercy ministry at the heart of this narrative in a sense. And though he's providing materially, he's it's it's clearly a spiritual ministry. Uh, I think, as I've said, that points us to our Lord Himself. As I read this, my mind was cast back to Ezekiel 34, where where we read of the the shepherds of Israel who had treated the sheep accordingly, abused them, used them for their own their own, they'd grown fat on the back of the sheep. And what does God say? He says, I will come and I will shepherd my people. And I think that's what Elisha is here. He's he's a Christ figure, he's a type of our Lord. And I think it also points as not just to, okay, well, here's a type of Christ, well, that's very nice, but the manner in which Christ is going to be revealed also. You know, our Lord is going to pay a debt, not with commodities, but with his own blood. It's not a, you know, for Elisha, this is a no-cost miracle. It doesn't cost him a thing. It's it's just a an amazing miracle, the the multiplication of oil, but it's at no loss to the to the prophet. And that's where I think when we we talk about typology, and that's how we get, I think, to mercy ministries here, is through the typology of Christ, the great deacon. But in typology, we find similarities. Well, here's Elisha, the prophet, providing, revealing the will of God through a mercy ministry. Our Lord does the same thing, but with typology, there's always differences. And the differences are as crucial as the similarities, in my opinion. It cost Elisha nothing to do this, it cost our Lord everything to deliver us, uh, to deliver us from our great need. So I think that's a powerful paradigm, uh, especially against the bleakness of 2 Kings. This is a high point in an otherwise dark picture. Um and that that really lays the ground for, I think, salvation issues for us and seeing the work of our Lord.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Again, very helpful. I I agree with you. And I want to move on, if we can, to application at this point. You've really laid the groundwork well for us. You've set the backdrop, you've given us some themes that are going on, uh, and indeed uh have pointed to Christ. Let me ask: is it appropriate for us to try to establish some mercy ministry principles from narrative passages like this and then use them in diaconal work?

SPEAKER_02 16:34

Yeah, I think absolutely, but we must do it with care. So we're looking at some commentaries on this, Lange and Shaf say uh the miraculous increase of the oil in itself is not the core and object of the prophet's act, but only the means to an end. Relief from distress is the main point, and thereby the act becomes a prophetical one. So relief from distress is the main point, and thereby the act becomes a prophetical one. So it's interesting that for them the mercy ministry aspect of it is is very much tied to the prophetical office, and uh and I like that paradigm because it's a biblical paradigm, and and it does allow us then to think of deacons. So let's be clear, this is not about deacons, this passage first and foremost. It's it's just not. And so we want to be very careful just dragging a text out of its context, both local and and metacontext, and saying, well, here's a text about deacons when it's clearly not about deacons. But in this prophetical role of Elisha, there is clearly an element of mercy ministry. I mean, if this woman were in our church, I'm hoping our deacons would be all over the situation because we see a need. We see the uh the obvious and and painful need of her. So uh it's it's a prophetical act of deliverance, and thus it chiefly points us to Christ. But we do see here two elements there's word and there's deed. There's the prophetical element of do this, widow, do this, go and gather all these different empty vessels. Uh, there's instructions, not too few, I like that. Uh, and and then she used to go and shut herself behind closed doors. So there's a clear prophetical element here. This is the will of God for you in this particular circumstance. But with that comes the removal of the immediate need through miraculous means. And and that's where I think our are I think that's where all Christians, and not just deacons, but pastors, elders, um all of us in the pew, but we might say especially our deacons ought to learn lessons uh from this. Now clearly deacons are are are set apart and ordained for this specific purpose. And and I think we need to keep word and deed ministries together here, and that's where I think deacons do very much come in. It's not accurate to say that deacons are simply ministry of deed, a ministry of mercy. That's I I don't know, I've been a deacon. Um I've served on on our presbyter's deaconal committee for some time. And I know it gets different when you get to the presbytery and then the the GA level of our committees, but I don't know a deacon uh that has ever done diaconal work when it's just deed ministry or mercy ministry. There is always a word ministry to be brought uh along with deed ministry, along with mercy ministries. And I wouldn't want us to devalue um the office of deacon um by saying, well, just look after the parking lot and people's budgets and so on and so forth. I mean, that's a preposterous uh oversimplification of the office of deacon. I think we see diaconal principles here in Elisha, and there's word and there's deed. Now we keep the prophetic office, particularly for the office of pastor, we know that. But when our Lord did good works, he didn't just go around zapping people and making them well. He spoke to them. Uh, he instructed them, he ministered to them by word and deed. And and surely that's what we see uh being brought out here. I think it's a very powerful paradigm that uh all deacons and in fact all church officers and all members of our church should should understand the deacon's task is bigger than just bailing somebody out because they can't make their bills at the end of the month or whatever the scenario might be. There are always spiritual lessons uh that deacons are to bring to bear upon the people they deal with, even if they don't give help in in terms of material assistance. And that's just true for Christians as well. I mean, if if if we had a uh a brother or sister that we could help, we wouldn't just drop some money on the table and walk out. We'd seek uh to have a ministry of encouragement to them by. By word as well as deeds. So I think this narrative shows that God has concern for body and soul. And we are to encourage souls. Deacons are to encourage souls as well as deliver bodies in a in a temporal sense. And he's given that peculiar care into the hands of deacons. So I think while it's not about deacons, deacons pay attention. There's a clear paradigm of their ministry, not just from Elisha, but Elisha to our Lord, the great deacon, the chief deacon, to the deacons of our churches today.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

I appreciate your pointing out to us that uh this is not a passage that we're going to go to when we're deacons or future deacons are in training class and we say this is this is all about deacons. So I appreciate that. And I also appreciate the fact that we can yet pull out from narrative passages like this some principles that will help us in diaconal ministries. Well, let's just, and you've given us a broad overview now of a general principle. Yeah. I'd like to drill down and maybe get into some particulars, again, noting that this was not really a passage about deacons, but can we take out of this this fact that this woman comes crying to Elisha? She must have known who he was and what position he had. What does that suggest for deacons today in a local church?

SPEAKER_02 23:34

Yeah. I think that there's a challenge in a sense that we again, this not being about deacons, we want to be really careful how we get to our deacons from this passage. Clearly, she's known, she's it, she's part of the band of the prophets. And and I don't think I want to say, well, I mean, she's clearly a covenant member. Um, she's a member of the people of God. How does this impact the deacons of our churches today? Well, you know, she she knows where to go for help, I guess is is is what what I'm I'm I'm looking at. She she she knows the resources available because she's the wife of one of the prophets. Whether they all enjoyed the same miraculous gifts that that Elisha did, I don't I don't know. Um, but she certainly knew Elisha was the one to come to. I mean, she she clearly the the passage is singling him out as an episode in the record of his ministry. Our deacons are to be visible, uh, our deacons are to be known, our deacons are to stand ready. Uh, I don't think it's pushing the text too far to to say there's a broad parallel here. Um, you know, notwithstanding that 99% of diaconal work is hymn work. And that's another conversation or another point to think on in a moment, but it it's it it's it's still true that that our deacons should be known by our congregations. Uh the people of God should know where to go. Uh, and it doesn't really matter whether they go to the wrong wrong person, and there is no wrong person in seeking for help in the church. But yeah, our deacons are to be visible, they're to be uh industrious, they're to be in the lives of the people of God as deacons. I mean, they're publicly ordained, they're publicly set apart, and that means something for their office. It's not just we've said these guys are fit to do the job. We're putting them out in front of the congregation to say, here are the deacons of Christ's church, here are the men who, if you go back to the original diaconate, are going to assume some of the roles that the apostles were originally doing. And in their wisdom and in the providence of God, those roles were set apart for this office of deacon, um, which again is something we see very much in the life of our Lord.

SPEAKER_01 26:13

Matt, uh, let me dig a little deeper and go kind of to the negative, where you've already noted that this woman wasn't being really served by the church, that she was being neglected, she wasn't being noticed. So, how can a deacon, not necessarily pushing this text too far, but how can a deacon position himself to hear and respond quickly to the to the needs of the people of the church?

SPEAKER_02 26:43

Well, I think it's worth noting that you know, mercy ministries by definition are kind of they're the equivalent, I suppose, in in the diaconal office to pastoral care counseling, perhaps even emergency care and counseling in the in the office of pastor. And in that sense, it puts mercy ministries on the front line of Christian duty. I mean, you're dealing with here in this text, we're dealing with death, bereavement, poverty, enslavement, or the children being sold off into slavery. We're not going to face that, obviously, but those are the nature uh uh the kinds of issues that deacons are going to face. And I th I think acknowledging that it's it's good to get the the deaconate uh as visible as is possible within the church. I think that can be a challenge. And I think one of the challenges is that no office in the church possesses a crystal ball or urim and thumim. Um uh we simply don't know everything that's going on. Um and and it's not a failure of office to not be aware of a particular circumstance. I I think that's worth saying because having been involved in diaconal work, and again, like the work of the deacon, the session, 95% of its hidden work, probably, uh, there's the assumption that nothing is being done because people don't see it getting done. And that can be very frustrating for the deacon. Uh, I've I've been involved in a situation like that very recently where members have come to our deacons and say, well, why aren't you doing this? Well, actually, they were doing that. And I was doing it with them. And so there are some caveats when we say how can deacons be more visible, proactive, aware. They can't do everything. Uh, they're not omniscient, nor are they omnipresent. And so sometimes they just need a tap on the shoulder and set somebody to say, are you aware of such? Now that said, um, I think there are ways that deacons can uh have their finger on the pulse of the congregation. Um things we we we we do at Shylon. I don't actually think we did it this year, but every start of year, which for us is for Sunday school year is beginning of August, um uh at least the last four or five years, our deacons have taken the first Sunday school of the year. It's a joint Sunday school, and and they are before the congregation presenting their work, uh, presenting areas of need in the congregation, uh, which the DEAC are coordinating uh the provision uh of volunteers or who works where and when. Um, and so so they're visible in a real sense, not just that they're physically visible, but they're also uh visible in the sense that they're alerting people to the work they do and to the needs of the church. So I would think churches can help themselves in a simple way as that's handing over maybe one or two Sunday schools a year, every six months or so, to their deep to the deacons and say, tell us what you need, tell us what you've been working on, and so on and so forth. We we've got a deacon's notice board. I'm not sure anyone looks at it. I think we're we might be past the age of the notice board uh from now uh compared to 15, 20 years ago, but it's an idea. The other big one that we have not yet instituted at Shiloh, though we have discussed it a number of times, is visitation of deacons with elders. Uh, so a joint team going out. I know the deacons have discussed it in more detail, and I think it's a good idea. It's a challenge in larger churches where you're the challenge is just for elders to get in the homes of every family once a year. I mean, that's our goal. We've not been successful at it, but that's our goal. Every family once a year, one or two elders, plus counsel as needed. It's a challenge to add a diaconal element to that visit. Um, in God's providence, most of our families are not in diaconal need. The Lord has blessed our church richly. Uh, the city of Raleigh is is is very busy. It's industrious, it's it's in a high-tech industry, it's that kind of area. And and adding a deacon to that rotation of sessional visitation would be a challenge. That said, um I have I have spent time with uh an individual council with one of our deacons. Been a very profitable relationship for me to work with that deacon and to hear him bring pastoral counsel in in the environment in which we were. So I think that's an idea, especially it can work in smaller churches. We don't want to cross lines of pastoral office and diaconal office, but there's a way it can work, no doubt. Another way is for deacons and elders to to be meeting, having joint meetings, I think, so that there's a ready cross-fertilization of knowledge between the two offices. You know, I think in our Dutch Reform Brethren, the consistory is made up, I believe, of the elders and the deacons. And there's there's you know, there's a distinction between them, of course, but that there's at least that one body where both offices are functioning together, distinctly, but but together. And I think that can be very helpful, so for elders then to be promoting the office of deacon. So I I I think the that the session can have an exceedingly positive effect upon the deaconate, just as the deaconate can have an exceedingly positive effect on the office of elder on the session. I can tell you now, without our deacons, we'd be a bit lost. Because they're first rate and they are constantly flagging up needs, decisions that need to be made. So it's a long answer, I think, but there are ways to make uh deacons more visible and to make deacons more aware of and responsive to the needs of the congregation.

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Those are excellent, Matt. Uh excellent suggestions and encouraging to hear that your church is is taking some of those up. So Elijah was certainly in a position to hear the woman's cry and paid immediate attention to it. And that's really what you've been talking about, being able to do that. He asks a very interesting question.

SPEAKER_02 34:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

Uh, when when she brings him, Oh, this is my problem, it's significant. He says, What shall I do for you? Yeah. He he doesn't he doesn't immediately jump into the solution. Yeah, he just asks this broad brush question, what shall I do? Would that be and again, I know this is not uh a diaconal passage, but if a deacon were in a situation similar to this, would that be an appropriate question to ask?

SPEAKER_02 34:40

Yeah, absolutely. You know, just like pastoral work, diaconal work is in a sense based on knowledge. You can't serve what you don't know. You can't deal with a problem that you don't know what the problem is, or you can't deal with a problem that the individual in need doesn't want that problem dealt with in a certain way. And we've all been in situations where there may be certain parameters placed upon the deacon or the elder uh in the moment of counsel. Well, you can do this but not this, or you can tell this person but not that person. I don't want so-and-so finding out for whatever reason. Um, and uh I think we had a situation in our church recently where there were a lot of people uh rightly trying to serve and trying to fix an issue. And the individual in question was like, This is too much. I'm getting call after call after call with a different resolution to the issue each time, and it was just overwhelming and counterproductive. So um the what shall I do for you question is is a very practical question and a very necessary question at a basic level. But I think there's also perhaps a theological backdrop behind it as well.

SPEAKER_01 36:11

I'm I'm sure uh that there was, and I'm sure that there is, but it's interesting uh that he approaches it that way, and and I'm I'm not surprised that you agree that that would be an appropriate question to ask as well. Uh Elisha moves very quickly. This is this this account just seems to uh roll on and and and very quickly in that. And the next question he asks is tell me what have you in the house? And we know the story. He calls the widow and her sons really to go out and work a little bit. Well, we're not gonna recommend the deacons to wait for a supernatural act to occur uh to solve a situation like this one. Was Elisha thinking biblically when he called the widow and her sons to to go out and actually work? Oh, for sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:06

The grace of God demands a response in us. Now we in diaconal work, there are times where that response, um the ability to respond is limited. Uh so so but but there's still always a response and a responsibility to act. You know what what what uh Elisha is telling them to do, and it's it's not a great burden, let's be honest. Um, it's go and get some vessels, bring them into the house and and fill them up with the never-ending oil. Um, so it's not like he's putting uh an ungodly burden upon upon the widow and her sons. It's a rather easy burden in that sense. But but there's a, you know, he's I I like the the specificity and the lack of specificity in what he says to her. Um, go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels, and not too few. So look, he's saying to her, get lots, but I'm not gonna tell you how many. And and there's a sense in which he he's laying out an opportunity for her to go and gather as many vessels as she wants. And she's thinking, well, why is he gathering, telling me to go and get vessels? And and not too few, so presumably a large number. Could it be that he's gonna supply something to me in all these vessels? Well, there's a matter of her faith coming into it, isn't it? Her faith. Would she go and gather, you know, a few, or would she gather as as many as she could? And therein is the the the the blessing that's poured out upon her. The more vessels she has, um, the more oil she has, the more she can dig herself in a sense, or be delivered out of that out of that um uh the situation in which she finds herself. She can pay her debts, sell the oil, and live on the rest. So I I think there's a a call in diaconal work, and deacons will know this all too well. Sometimes diaconal work is necessary because of negligence on the part of the individual. Sometimes it's just a hard providence that comes out of nowhere. Um, you know, if somebody, if somebody jumps a red light and and tolls your car, that's negligence on the part of somewhere else that might require some mercy and ministry. If you're negligent and you jump the red light, then that's your negligence. In either case, in either case, there's still actions for the individual to take. Then not just to sit back and be delivered. I guess this is where the paradigm or the parallel between the mercy ministry and and salvation does break down a little bit. In in salvation, we are that um passive individual with a passive party. It is God working in us. And yes, we we we act, we believe, we repent, but it's all God worked. And yet here, Elijah's saying, go out and do something. Uh Diathl ministries often say, you might need to change your habits, your spending habits, your your thinking habits, whatever it might be. Uh, so calling people to uh a godly responsibility can never be wrong. And that takes wisdom on the part of the deacon. Because you know, we all know there's hard situations, which they're they're gray situations, we don't they they don't fit the paradigm nicely of of the widow here, and and so it takes great wisdom and and usually collaboration on the part of deacons to get to that point. What instructions do they need? What counsel do they need? What responsibilities do they need to assume as the church comes alongside them? We don't want to live their life for them. They must do that, but can the church assist in those hard times, most certainly.

SPEAKER_01 41:33

I appreciate your uh referring to wisdom, bringing wisdom into it. Uh the deacon's role, his office must be uh filled with wisdom. And uh you just pointed that out to us. I appreciate that. Well, there seems to have been in this particular account not merely um enough of a provision, but an abundant provision uh by the hand of the Lord through his servant to go sell the oil, pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest. Can our deacons look to this passage, or or maybe some similar ones, uh, with regard to God's promise of abundant provisions as they do their work?

SPEAKER_02 42:20

Yes, I I think so. You're right, there is an abundant provision. There's the clearance of debts and um the restoration of the sons to her, and and then they can live on the the rest. That that's an abundant provision. And I I think I think all of us, uh Christians, deacons, elders, pastors, we ought never be surprised when God does abundantly great things. And so deacons diaconal work is is often not just about can we get this person back on their feet again on their budget or on their car payment or whatever it might be. It's it's it's fundamentally not about that, actually. That that's what those are the presenting causes, which might be revealing spiritual underlying struggles. Um and we know it doesn't always end well. We we we know diaconal work is often thankless, it's often invisible to the to the the great number in the church, and it sometimes involves hard people. Let's be honest. Though they be in the church, they can be they can be sometimes hard people to deal with. Um and I wouldn't want deacons to get a a jaded view of their office because of those realities. Isn't it remarkable? When we do see not just someone who sorts their budget out, but someone who grows in the grace and knowledge of Christ through deaconal interaction. The abundance that God gives through mercy ministries is at times material abundance, but mostly it's a spiritual abundance. And I think there's a spiritual abundance for the ministers of that mercy, the deacons. Though it might be a thankless task at times, uh maybe unpopular, they're doing the work of Christ. That's staggering. They're doing the work of Christ. And it's a bit of a cliche, but that itself is reward enough. But sometimes, sometimes, don't we see the abundance of God being poured out? I'm thinking of of uh Neon. I'm thinking of of our brethren there after the the flood went raging through that town, and the rebuild is is incredible. You know, money poured in from all over the OPC, not just money, people poured in as well. And there was an abundance. Yes, chairs got put back in place, yes, buildings got put back in place, but all of that was ultimately so the church could continue its work of declaring the gospel of of God. So um yes, abundance um can happen in in um in the material blessing, but I think fundamentally diaconal work is is actually geared at the spiritual needs of those individuals that they're administering the mercy of Christ to. So I I think they ought to, deacons ought to look to that. Um and that might take some time and that might be a long-term, a long-term project for them.

SPEAKER_01 46:11

It's very helpful to bring out, uh, and I don't think they're distinct, but both the material and the spiritual, with the emphasis being on the spiritual. That's very helpful. Thank you, brother. Yeah. Now, Matt, if you uh if you were training up men for the diaconate, how might you use this passage as a means of encouragement? Or if you have any other thoughts on this passage that would help a deacon in their work, could you share that with us?

SPEAKER_02 46:37

Yeah, I think um I mentioned one already. So mercy ministry is on the front line. Like I said, you've got bereavement, you've got poverty, you've got people who have been failed by the covenant people. That's what's going on here. And with that comes heavy burdens. So those who aspire to the office of deacon and those who are fulfilling the office of deacon need to just realize that there's some heavy stuff they're dealing with here. It's not just the pastors and the elders who are going to, you know, they can deal with all that kind of stuff. It doesn't work like that. You go into someone's home, uh, to help them resolve their issues, you have to get involved in the spiritual. So there's some heavy stuff involved in deaconal service. Uh, and I've already mentioned with that comes it's largely a hidden duty. Um, it's it's not at all glamorous, it's not going to make the front page of New Horizons by and large. Um, that that's neon. Neon's the front page, but there's a hundred thousand other acts of diaconal service happening at the same time as neon in local churches, none of which will ever get publicized. That said, I'd want I'd want people who are serving and who are thinking of serving to realize that what a glorious thing it is to be called into diaconal service. To serve, to serve on behalf of Christ is to enter into Christ's diaconal service in a peculiar way. To be called into that office, and it's the same for elder and it's the same for pastor in in different ways, is to be called into a peculiar union with our Lord. Now, every believer is inseparably united to Christ, but not every believer is called to minister on behalf of and in the way that Christ did. And deacons are called to do that. And if we if we turn just through the gospel pages, we'd see page after page after page, an example after example of mercy ministries enacted by our Lord as part of his messianic reign and rule commenced on earth. And our deacons get to be involved in that. They're emissaries of Christ, they're entering into the ministry of our Lord, and He's called them, He's commissioned them to that great ministry. So, given that blessedness, that glory, um, unseen by us mainly, but but glorious nonetheless, that ought to tell us how we then should do our job, our calling as deacon. We serve on behalf of Christ, and we serve as Christ served. Not just do we do the thing, the mercy ministry, but we we do it in the manner in which our Lord served. And that's a rule for all of all Christians of office or no office, that we we are to behave righteously, to do righteous things in a righteous manner. The two ought never be separated. And so that puts a double onus or burden then upon deacons. Yes, I must I must fulfill this office, but I must fulfill it in the manner in which Christ fulfilled his office. And again, that takes that takes faith. It is faith in the deacon which produces patience and kindness and gentleness and self-control and love and care, sensitivity, wisdom, uh, as they deal with someone who's in the middle of a broken situation. Or they're dealing with that that hard individual um who lacks gratitude when the church is helping them out. Um so what a great honor it is for these brothers to serve entering into Christ's ministry in that way. And because they're doing that, they must serve as as Christ Himself uh served. I I I think I think I think the deaconate is a high, high calling. You know, through the deacons we see that God has covenanted with his people, he's bound himself to his people in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's united us all to Christ by faith. And with that union comes the protection clauses of scripture. Uh going all the way back to Abraham. You know, I will curse those who curse you and I will bless those who bless you. It's what God is saying he's going to do for his people. And in a new covenant setting, uh, deacons are kind of at the forefront of that reality: protection, provision, care, uh, love of God, the love of Christ, the gentleness of Christ. You know, Matthew 14, 14, um, Jesus had compassion on the crowds. Um, he's able to sympathize with our weakness. Uh, he can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward. That's for all offices in the church, but for deacons as well. And what a great calling and what great responsibility.

SPEAKER_01 52:29

Matt, that's so encouraging. Um, you've gone way beyond 2 Kings 4, but uh that's that's exactly where we need to go. And so really thank you for taking the time to open this up to us today. It's been more than encouraging. It's been uh you've dug into the passage and brought out many things for us for deacons to think upon, to use. Uh, very appreciative. Thank you so much for being with us today. Yes, sir, my pleasure. Deacons, we hope this episode uh was and will be encouraging uh to you and your ministries and your labors for the Lord.

David Nakhla 53:03

Hello, deacons. This is David Knockla. Just wanted to give you a quick reminder that the date for delivering your completed crates for Ukraine is quickly approaching. Delivery of the crates to a local drop-off point must be made by November 21. For those of you who may not be familiar with this program, Crates for Ukraine was developed by Mission to the World, the PCA's Foreign Missions Office, enabling congregations in the states to supply much needed aid to sister churches in Ukraine for them to then distribute to those in need. During the previous iteration of Crates for Ukraine back in the spring, the OPC succeeded in providing a total of 307 crates from 72 different OP churches spread across 16 presbyteries in 24 states. For this iteration, the response has not yet reached those levels. We currently have 26 churches registered to produce a total of 95 crates. The testimonies received indicate that the supplies in these crates have quite literally saved lives and have also served as a tangible testimony of Christ's love and mercy, as these gifts are distributed with clear indication that these are coming from Christians. If you or your church haven't yet signed up, there still is time. You have until November 10th to pledge your participation by registering at CratesforUkraine.com. And again, remember that the completed crates need to be delivered to a local drop-off point by November 21. These drop-off points are scattered throughout the US, and all this information can be found at Crates4Ukraine.com. Please go there to find out more about the program, whom it's helping, and how you can get involved. If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to email us at diaconalministries at opc.org. May God truly bless this ministry of mercy. Thanks for joining us. Go to our website, thereformdeacon.org. There you will find all our episodes, program notes, and other helpful resources. And please make plans to join us again next month for another episode of the Reformed Deacon Podcast.