Why Mercy Must Stay Biblical

SPEAKER_03 0:00

If we are serving the world in both biblical wisdom and loving generosity, we must be anchored in Scripture. Mercy detached from Christ becomes mere humanism. It may relieve a symptom, but it misses the proclamation of true hope to Christ.

David Nakhla 0:19

This is David Knockley here with the OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries. Today's episode is part of a series of special episodes of the Reformed Deacon Podcast. These episodes consist of audio from the sessions presented at our fifth OPC National Diaconal Summit held in June 2026. It's our hope that you deacons who are not able to attend the summit, or those of you who missed one of the many wonderful workshops offered will benefit from this content that I think you will find to be very practical and encouraging. If you find this episode particularly encouraging, please consider sharing it with your fellow deacons. And if it's an episode that is especially suited to the work of your particular diaconate, you could consider watching the video version of the presentation together with your fellow deacons and discussing it. All of our videos can be found at opccdm.org. And now enjoy this episode of the Reformed Deacon Podcast.

Summit Context And Speaker Introduction

David Nakhla 1:16

Let me introduce you to our first speaker. This is now our fifth National Diaconal Summit, no surprise. But with one minor exception, in all the previous summits of our National Diaconal Summit, we have yet to have a deacon be one of our plenary speakers. Seems a little strange. And so it was the desire of the committee to change that this year. And we wanted one of our seasoned, long-time serving, engaged OP deacons to speak. And in my mind, it was without question who that would be. I first met Deacon Bob Keyes when he was elected to the Committee on Diet Ministries in 2009. It was David Haney who actually introduced me to Bob. Bob had been serving for years with David on the board that was overseeing the Keyes ministries in Key West, Florida. David told me you're going to love Bob. He said he has endless energy to serve. He even mows the lawn, pushing two mowers at the same time. He said, just don't give him any coffee because Bob always bubbles with energy. In walks Bob, and what's in his hand? A cup of coffee. I almost fell out of my chair. But Bob served two terms on the Committee on Diacon Mysteries, but then he decided that he really wanted to focus his energies on the area that he wanted to see the most growth, and that's on the Presbytery Diaconal Committees. As a matter of fact, I would say a lot of the development of our diaconal committees is very much due to Bob's initiative. Bob has championed the value of gathering deacons in the regional church towards serving, in particular, the ministers. And I don't know of anyone that has a greater sense of the spiritual nature of the office of deacon than Bob Keys. He has more than four decades of ministry in the same local congregation of Grace OPC in Columbus, Ohio. Bob actively mentors young men. He teaches work ethic. He teaches skills. He doesn't just tell, he shows how to do. Bob is a man who has organized his own household well. He's married to a wonderful help meet who supports and encourages him in all he does. They work as a team. And Bob has ministered to and encouraged me personally. And I'm thrilled that you all now will have the opportunity to hear from one of the OPC's Deacon of Deacons. Give it up for Deacon Bob Keys.

Sheep, Shepherds, And Butchers

SPEAKER_03 4:19

It is a privilege to be with my fellow deacons this evening to speak of a calling I have loved and enjoyed for so many years. I can tell by your presence tonight at the fifth National Diaconal Summit that you feel the same way as I do. I'm so thankful to have met so many of you over the past decades, and I look forward to meeting many of you over the next few days. It is also a particular privilege to be able to reflect together this evening on the mercy of Christ and the office of deacon through which he displays that mercy in his church. When David Nokala asked me to give this presentation at the summit, he suggested in his text to me that he wanted me to give a presentation, Just Do It. From the text, I wasn't sure if that really was to be the title of the presentation or just his demanding that I just do it. Well, David, I must apologize. My talk tonight will not be on just do it. David knows me oh so well. I like to build what's needed, fix what's broken, and move quickly to the next job. I am all about his title, just do it. But over the years I have learned that the deaconate is not simply about getting important things done, simply checking boxes. These are great personal traits for us. However, our primary focus as deacons is rather to shepherd Christ's church into the compassion of Christ. It is not merely doing acts of mercy, it is helping the church become a people shaped by a culture of mercy and compassion. My presentation this evening will highlight a specific animal most of you no longer are familiar with. Unless you go to a state fair or live in the great state of Texas, you probably have not seen these animals much in real life. Back in Bible times, these animals were raised by almost every family, and every family knew exactly how to care for them. If you're guessing, no, it's not your dogs and cats. These animals that you'll be learning about this evening are sheep. So let me ask you, is there anyone here tonight that is raised or cared for sheep? Don't be shy. Raise your hand if you've ever cared any length of time for sheep. I want to see some hands. Wow, I've got maybe 10 hands, 11 hands. Great. I thought there'd only be one or two, but I'm glad that there are some sheep people here tonight. Most people look at these this picture of sheep and assume that these sheep are warm, lovable, cuddly animals that are easily cared for. Sorry, brothers. These animals are not such lovely animals. I've got a video for you. I want to help you to, those that have never been around sheep, to better understand what they are really like. At least you'll see sheep the way I have known them.

SPEAKER_06 7:44

Here we go. Here's your video. Where is the sheep? There he is. That a sheep. Once in a once is enough.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

As a boy growing up on a farm in Ohio, I worked every summer with sheep. I helped my uncle dip them, drench them, tag them, and shear them. Let me tell you, that video is right. Sheep are not impressive creatures. They are stubborn, they stink, they're vulnerable, they're dirty, easily frightened, easily prone to wander and often get stuck face down in that ditch. If anyone tries to drive them, they resist. If anyone leaves them to themselves, they get lost. If anyone tries to pull them out of that ditch, they simply jump headlong right back into that same ditch. Sheep definitely need a shepherd. For sure, I was never a shepherd. I was simply a hired man. My job was not to love, minister, or even care for these sheep. My job was to get the work done with the sheep and get to the next farm. But every once in a while, I would meet a true shepherd. A true shepherd knows his sheep. He recognizes them and knows them by name. He protects them. He leads them from the summer scorched grass to new lush green pastures. He shelters them in the winter. He helps them during lambing season. He talks to them. And they know his voice and they respond to it. I once heard a story about a man who looked out his window and saw a stranger trying to force a few sheep into a truck. The sheep simply would not cooperate. They kept running from him and getting as far away as they could from this stranger. So the man went to the sheep farmer next door, who owned the sheep, and asked who that stranger was who was unsuccessfully loading his sheep into a truck. The farmer replied, Oh, that's just the local butcher. The sheep instinctively knew the difference. A shepherd leads. A butcher drives. A shepherd knows. A butcher just doesn't care. A shepherd protects, but a butcher destroys. That contrast helps us understand the mercy of Christ and the calling for the deacon.

Christ’s Compassion Shapes Deacons

SPEAKER_03 10:54

In Isaiah 40, Isaiah 40, the Lord says, I will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. In the Gospels, when Christ saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion. He touched the lepers, he fed the hungry, he stopped to heal the blind man, he welcomed the poor and the weak. He wept with the grieving at Lazarus' tomb. And in John 13, the Lord of Glory wrapped a towel around his waist and washed his disciples' feet. Then Christ demonstrated his infinite compassion and mercy by enduring the painful and shameful death of the cross. As our Dutch theologian Hermann Bombick reminds us, Christ continues from heaven to exercise his office in the church through the power of mercy. I put it this way: the Son of Man did not come to be deaconed unto, but to be a deacon himself. He is our great shepherd, he is also the servant of servants. Every act of true diaconal ministry must therefore be rooted to him, shaped by him, and directed back to him. Over the last 45 years, as I have served in the office of deacon, the greatest transformations in my own thinking and actions in the diaconate have been my increasing emphasis on the importance of the deacon's role in leading the body of Christ into the joy of learning servanthood through performing loving deeds of mercy and compassion. When I was ordained in the early 1980s in a new church plant in Columbus, Ohio, I did have theological training, but I had very little understanding of how to cultivate a culture of compassion and mercy inside the church. My father had served faithfully as a deacon in a Reformed and Presbyterian church as long as I could remember. I experienced his servant's heart in his faithful, selfless work. But growing up, I largely thought diaconal work meant maintaining the church building, helping with practical needs, and quietly taking care of whatever needed to be done. Those things matter. But these duties should not be our primary calling. The deacon is not only a doer of mercy, he is also the shepherd of mercy. He is called to lead, to model, encourage, and organize the church so that the compassion of Christ becomes visible and an essential part of the entire life of the growing congregation. This is an important passage. Ephesians 4 teaches that Christ gives his church officers to equip the saints for the work of service for the building up of the body of Christ. Praise God for our elders, who are shepherds in the church. They are called as ordained servants to lead the church in both word and prayer, for our spiritual oversight, and to ensure sound doctrine in both practice and life to the sheep in the church. But in a similar way, you, ordained deacons of the church, are commissioned by Christ to oversee the mercy ministry of the church for the building up of the body of Christ in love. Together, the elder and the deacon complement this living out of the gospel of Christ in both mercy and doctrine. These pairs of duties are equally necessary, mutually independent and inseparable ministries, each need to be carried out with a single purpose of building up of the body of Christ in love. This word indeed, ministry of the leadership, point the church to our Savior and His finished work as well as the furtherance of the gospel in our world.

A Shepherd Of Mercy Framework

SPEAKER_03 15:09

So tonight, brothers, I want us to consider the deacon as a shepherd of mercy in each of our three pastures of life. In our home, in our church, and in our world. Our presentation tonight will not be prescriptive, telling you exactly how to implement this shepherding ministry in your pastures of life. Each of us are so different. We have different backgrounds, we have different gifts, we have different responsibilities, and we each have different unique churches. Our worlds simply are not the same. So my presentation will be more descriptive. I will be talking tonight about things you might want to consider implementing in your own way in each of your pastures of life to develop that joy-filled culture of mercy. In your summer handouts, which were given when you arrived, I had the CDM include three long lists of ideas in each of these pastures for you to consider. These lists will give you some idea or some ideas which you could possibly implement in these in your three pastures of life that might be effective in your own situations as ordained deacons. So, brothers, glean. I love that word. That's a diaconal word. So glean from these addendums in your handouts. So our pastor, our three pastors, brothers, our home, our church, and our world. These pastors are exactly where God has placed each of us in order to care for his sheep. These are also the places where Christ calls us to cultivate that culture of compassion and mercy. I must say, our shepherding ministries are interestingly similar in each of these three pastures of life. I will focus on our attention this evening on just three important recurring duties that God has entrusted to each of us as shepherds in each of these pastures of life. The three duties, first, we must always rest on God's word while knowing that prayer really matters. Second, we must diligently model and encourage compassion and mercy in each of these pastures. And finally, we must never forget to watch God work. We will use these three diaconal duties as our primary points in each of these three pastures of life. So tonight, brothers, we have three important pastures, and we have three important diaconal duties.

The Home As Mercy Training Ground

SPEAKER_06 18:04

The first pastor is not the world we live in.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

It is not even the church we serve in. It is our own homes. Paul says in 1 Timothy 3, verse 12, let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their household well. That qualification matters. That qualification matters because the home is the first and by far the most important training ground of mercy. If mercy is absent in our homes, it will eventually ring hollow everywhere else. Almost all the diaconal qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 are the spiritual character qualities of a godly man. They include faithfulness, wisdom, self-control, dignity, soundness, and steadiness. But among them is this very important practical mark. It is that you, as a deacon, manage your household well. So the important question is why? Because a deacon, as a deacon, you must not merely talk about mercy. You must practice it where it is best known and where it is most often seen. Yes, the home is where our impatience is exposed. It is where our selfishness is hardest to hide. It is where our repentance must be real. It is where mercy is tested and tried daily. A man may appear kind and gracious in public and still be harsh at home. He may be capable, articulate, even admired in the church, and yet be selfish, controlling, or unkind under his own roof. That is why the church must take household life seriously when examining men for either the office of elder or deacon. The church does not need impressive butchers. They need gentle, caring shepherds. Remember, our first and most important focus of our diaconal lives in our homes must be to rest in God's word while knowing that prayer really matters. Mercy does not begin with activity, it begins with communion with God. Deacons must be men of both word and prayer, not merely men of energy and practical ability. If our homes are to become pastors of mercy, the atmosphere of the home must be shaped not by our voice, but by God's. So be diligent to read the Bible with your family. Pray often with your wife. Pray and teach our children to know God and to pray to Him. Pray for people in need, by name. Let your family hear you ask God for mercy, wisdom, and provision. Let them learn that your deeds are not interruptions to life with God. They are rather invitations to depend more completely on Him. The Word of God turns our eyes away from ourselves and towards our shepherd. It leads us into humility, love for the strangers around us, repentance, patience, tenderness, and forgiveness. It reminds us that we ourselves are needy sheep too. If a deacon does not draw daily strength from Christ, he will eventually treat his family as burdens rather than as souls trusted to his care. We can easily become that selfish butcher. So teach your children serving others is part of the ordinary, obedient Christian life. Help them see that they're doing their chores, showing patience, listening to others, being generous, and being hospitable to strangers are not separate from their spiritual life. They are the normal expressions of their love for Christ. So pray with them. Pray for your widows. Pray for the sick, the lonely, the grieving, the visitor, and for the struggling families in your church. Then involve them when appropriate into simple acts of service to those who need it. When my children were younger, I often took them to help me with older couples in the church who needed landscaping projects or small repair jobs. It was never only about the task. It was more about helping my children see people, pray with people, learn the joy of caring for people. Mercy ministry must always be focused on people. Children often learn mercy best, not by hearing lectures about serving, but by serving people with us. Be sure to model and encourage compassion and mercy in your home. In the home, mercy is more often caught than taught. Our families are experts at watching us. They are listening to our tone, our posture, our patience, our listening, our willingness to help, and our humility when we fail. Trust me, we all fail. So ask yourself: does your wife and children experience my tenderness? Do they see me care for them with tears of love? Do we listen before we correct? Do we gladly serve in hidden ways? Do we repent quickly? Do we make our homes feel safe? Philippians 2 tells us not merely to look out for our own interests, but also for the interest of others. The family should not experience us as a ruler demanding our own comforts. They should experience us as servants, shaped by our love for Christ. So, men, listen to your wives. They often see people's needs more quickly and more clearly than we do. Your wife is God's wise gift to you. So work together. Encourage one another. Teach the joy of serving others in mercy to your children together. Let your home become a place where mercy is normal, not occasional. Teaching your children to serve in the church will begin to prepare them to be our next leaders, servants, and future deacons in his kingdom. Every deacon must develop a ministry of mercy by looking at the needs closest to him and then meeting those needs through deeds of love and a spirit of encouragement. If your children are raised and you have grandchildren, as I do, don't think your work is complete. Spend your time teaching these young sheep the same joy of serving others. Don't miss these important opportunities. Let me warn you, though, the true character of men in their own homes is of infinite importance in the church's selection of deacon and elders. We must know the men we nominate well for church officers. We must not be satisfied with outward usefulness. Spend time getting to know the men of your church well. Observe them carefully. Know their character. Have your wife listen to their wives. Ask yourself and watch their behaviors while they are not looking and ask yourself honestly. Do they love mercy? And do they love people for the sake of Christ? Watch how they carry themselves in their own homes. In my own church, we learned this lesson painfully. Some men appeared strong and competent. They could even pray elaborate prayers. But over time in our deacon it became clear that they were harsh, abusive, careless, selfish, and destructive in their own homes and in the world. We had mistaken ability for godliness. The church can never afford to do that. And never forget to watch God work in your own family. Our God is a faithful God of sure promises for his people. Because we know his promises from his word, we can be assured that he will keep those promises and we can rest in him. So open your eyes and marvel at his provisions for supplying his rich mercy to you, your family, and the church. One of the many ways God teaches us mercy is by letting us need it and watching God provide in our own weakness. In seasons of sickness, financial strain, grief, conflict, or exhaustion, the home becomes a classroom in the compassion of Christ. We learn what it means to be cared for. We learn what it means to pray from weakness. We learn that the church is not an abstraction, but a family. Over the years, my own family has repeatedly been strengthened by the kindnesses of God's people. Meals showed up when illnesses overwhelmed us. Brothers helped with repairs when I couldn't manage them myself. Saints quietly stepped in at exactly the right time to service. Men stopped by to encourage me after my knee replacement. Our children saw these acts. They learned that God loves his people through his people. Deacons should help their families notice these mercies. Don't forget them. Rather name them, remember them. Always ask God to show you his mercies. Celebrate them. Teach your family to expect God's faithfulness. He will provide through ordinary means or surprising ones, but he will not stop being a shepherd to a sheep.

The Church As Central Pasture

SPEAKER_03 28:04

Well, the home is the first and most important pasture in our lives. But the church is the central pasture of diaconal labor. Galatians 6 10 says, So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. And also in Hebrews 10, verse 24 and 25, and let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as we see the day approaching. The church is the place where mercy should be visible, relational, ordered, and joyful. In Acts 2 and Acts 6, as you all know, we see the early church in which needs were known, burdens were shared, and care was administered without shame. That kind of life does not happen accidentally. It requires shepherding the mercy of Christ. This is what God intended to be the focus of the diaconate in the early church, as well as for our diaconus today. The results were and will be, as in the early church, exciting church growth, love and joy in the Lord, and great blessing. As in the home, so in the church. Be sure to rest in God's word and know that prayer really matters in the church. The work of shepherding is a spiritual endeavor. We are completely dependent on the Lord for both direction and blessing on all we do as deacons. Deacons must never merely become managers of problems. If we do, we will either become proud because we seem effective in our own strength, or discouraged because the needs become too great and we become overburdened. The church's mercy ministry must be rooted in dependence on Christ. Faithfulness and private prayer for our sheep will only happen when you are convinced that they can only succeed when God alone blesses. Pray, but know that God is the one who works. Without his work, nothing will work. In the fifth chapter of James, we read the prayer of the righteous person has great power. Prayers of faith give life and strength to all we do. So pray for your congregation, brothers. Pray in deacons' meetings for the needs of your sheep. Pray for those in need. Pray when you visit your sheep. Pray before decisions. Pray when the needs are large and even when the needs seem small. This responsibility belongs to us as deacons as much as to our elders and pastors. The needs in our congregation are often far more complicated than simply a lack of money. A few of the needs in our church include loneliness, chronic illness, disabilities, death, addictions, unemployment, anxiety, widowhood, suicide, mental illness, caregivers' exhaustion, strained marriages, and hidden shame. That's just to mention a few. I am sure your list is similar. If we only think in terms of budgets and expenditures, we are not truly shepherding Christ's people. We are not CEOs. We must rather walk side by side as sheep in each of our pastures of life. Sheep need our time, our care, and our compassion. Prayer keeps us from acting like saviors. It reminds us that Christ loves the sheep more than we do. He has infinite resources. He is never rushed. He is never perplexed. He is never late. I have long admired the example of George Mueller. Mueller operated a vast orphanage ministry, caring for over 10,000 orphans in Bristol, England in the mid-1800s. He never once asked for help from others. He accomplished this massive task not by being generously funded or going into debt, but solely trusting God through prayer. He did not manipulate, he did not despair. He asked God. He waited and acted faithfully and watched God provide. And God provided always exactly what he needed in the right time and often in seemingly miraculous ways. Deacons today need that same confidence in God. We should be practical, but never merely practical. We should be organized, but never, never prayerless. And when we are with the suffering, remember to pray with and for them right there. Pray God's promises from His Word. A brief, sincere prayer with a brokenhearted member can be one of the most powerful acts of mercy a deacon can offer. Don't forget, prayer matters. We must again be reminded to model and encourage compassion and mercy in our churches. Deacons do not only meet needs, they also cultivate a people who delight in serving others in their needs. This means the church must observe mercy demonstrated firsthand. Perhaps the greatest way a deacon can stir up others to deeds of mercy is by their own example in the joy of serving and ministering to others. Deacons who humbly and quietly serve others in their home, in the church, and in the world provide the sheep under them with a real sense of joy and blessings of mercy in mercy ministry. Mercy ministry becomes real and authentic, those watching within the church, when they see this kind of love for Christ. Often they too will desire to follow this kind of leadership that we can give them. In addition, be sure to visit your sheep in their homes. Wow. Get to know them. Listen and ask questions. In smaller churches, that may look one way. But in larger churches, that generally requires dividing the congregation into smaller shepherding groups. So responsibility becomes both personal and clear. In my experience, if all if your deacons, if all your deacons are responsible for all the sheep, no deacon is caring for any. Each deacon needs to be responsible for knowing the sheep under his care and in serving them in love. How do you know which each sheep needs unless you are walking humbly beside them? In doing so, each member will know that they are known and cared for by at least one deacon. In recent years, an elder and I have become more deliberate in our visitation with our own shepherding group. The response has been striking. People are grateful not because we bring grand solutions, but because we come. We listen to them. We read scriptures, we pray, and we care for them. Those relationships have built trust. And from trust grows their own excitement to participate themselves in mercy ministry. People who feel known and cared for are much more ready to serve. Several of those under my diaconal care have asked if they could serve alongside me when needs in the church come up. This is so exciting for me to find others excited about serving those around them because they know and experienced Christ's love and mercy personally. This becomes a real means of teaching the joy of mercy ministry. During these shepherding visits, consider asking your sheep some very practical questions like, How have you been cared for this year? What burdens are you carrying now that are difficult for you to handle? How would you like to serve and be served? What gifts has God given you that you can use to serve others? How can our leadership encourage your family in teaching them mercy in the home and in our church? It is important to develop a plan with your elders to encourage and support each family in your shepherding group. Knowing the sheep is the first step, as each family and each sheep are different. This means more than just knowing their names, although that would be a good start. Get to know their history, their occupations, their habits, their way of thinking, and most importantly, know and engage their children. Developing a relationship with the families enables you to know their strengths and weaknesses and enables them to serve in ways that are best suited for them individually and as a family. But, there's always buts, aren't there? But don't force service. Don't force service. Present opportunities and provide appropriate encouragement. A young girl in our congregation asked me last year if there were any members in our congregation that would appreciate a card or letter of encouragement. I quickly thanked her and sent her the names and addresses of four or five members who had were encountering sicknesses, hardships, and loneliness. This is exactly the kind of servant God uses in his church to build up the body of Christ. What a blessing and encouragement this young girl was for me as a deacon to see a young member want to be part of Mercy Ministry. Always encourage households to train their children in service. If children and young people don't learn the joy of serving others when they are young, they will be ill-equipped to think about its importance in their later Christian lives. I mean that. So encourage younger believers to start somewhere small. Pair inexperienced members with seasoned servants. Make all kinds of mercy ministry accessible: a meal, a text, a ride, a visit to a shut-in, a phone call, a small repair job for an elderly person, child care during a crisis, a conversation after worship, hospitality to a visitor. These ordinary acts become the channels of extraordinary grace.

Disaster Relief And Hospitality As Training

SPEAKER_03 38:44

Well, what about disaster relief? Encouraging your congregation to serve in disaster relief can be a real teaching tool within our churches to enable deacons to both model and share the joy of mercy ministry to everyone, but especially to young men. Young men are often anxious to serve and learn from deacons and other godly men in the church not only how to properly do tasks, but also to learn the invaluable lessons of praying with and interacting with the disaster stricken in their need. I have led four or five teams of men from our Columbus Church on relief work all over the United States over the last 20 years. Men who go to disaster relief work experience firsthand real tangible needs, and it provides great blessing to those that serve while they experience the true joy of showing gospel, love, and encouragement to those in need. So let me recount my first experience in disaster relief with you. Okay, brothers, let's try something I hope will be both fun and thought-provoking for each of you. I am going to ask you to stand as soon as you're able to identify the young man, which I took with me on my first disaster release trip. I'm sure none of you have ever met this young man, but I'm confident that you all probably have seen or seen him or seen pictures of him, heard of him seen pictures. So please stand when you know who this young man is. I'm going to give the first one who knows who this young man is and correctly identifies him a book on shepherding Christ's sheep. So there's something in this for you if you can stand first with the right person. Okay, so pay attention and participate in thinking about who this mystery young man is, okay? I hope you're all ready. Here are my clues to this young man's identity. It was August 29th, 2005. Do you remember? Yes, we were all glued to our TVs, watching as this huge hurricane called Katrina tore into the Gulf Coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana. There was no question in my mind, I knew I had to help my brothers and sisters who had been caught in this disaster. I just couldn't simply be a mere spectator. I tried to rally the OPC to send a team to serve in this disaster, but at the time we didn't have our current Committee on Diaconal Ministries or our Dave Knocolutes. So anyway, I joined up with a large PCA church in Nashville, which was heading down to their sister church in a rural town of Pickyon, Mississippi, along the Mississippi coast. That church community had been devastated by Katrina just the week before. I asked our church in Columbus if there were any men who could join me on this trip, as I wanted at least one or two other men to come along with me. I was thankful when this young man, 18 years old, who had grown up in the church in Columbus and had just graduated from high school, asked to join me. So this young man and I packed up the car with a generator, tarps, chainsaws, and other paraphernalia, and headed south to the large Nashville PCA church, who had assembled a large team of men to travel south to their sister church in Picyoon that next day. When we arrived in Pickyun, this young man and I had never seen such devastation in our lives. We were overwhelmed. Hurricanes are huge. Down trees everywhere. Houses with many shingles blown off, trees wrapped around over and around houses everywhere. Impassable roads. But what a joy for both this young man and I to help other hurting Christians and their non-Christian neighbors in our effort that week, 21 years ago. This young 18-year-old Christian man got to see blessings, the blessings of serving the most needy, the most vulnerable, those who couldn't help themselves, and many who had lost almost everything. This young man got to hear stories and the trauma each family had experienced as we served them that week. As I said earlier, Mercy Ministry is about people. This young man was able to minister hurting people through this hard work in those hot, humid conditions and see that it really made a difference.

SPEAKER_06 43:22

This changed both our lives. This young man came back to Columbus and entered the pre-med program at the Ohio State University. He graduated and went on to med school. He became a doctor. He married a woman named Rebecca, who was a doctor too. And he and Rebecca went to African. Someone wants to stand? Do you want you know? There he is.

SPEAKER_03 44:19

Who who is this man that we're talking about? Dr. Peter Stafford. Wow. You get a book. It's coming back. They went to Africa with their family to serve in a very similar way the most needy, the most vulnerable. Those who needed to know and experience the gospel lived out both in word and deed. They have served faithfully this past five years as medical missionaries in the remote and desolate country of Eastern Congo. Yes, the doctor who worked with Serge on who contracted Ebola while operating on a young woman in Eastern Congo just a few months ago. If you didn't know, Peter and his family are now in their families' homes in Columbus, resting and relaxing, praise God, from the trauma of these last months. He's well. This is just one small story on how God uses simple mercy ministry opportunities to lead Christ's church into the joy of serving others, both in the short term and in the long term. So let's move on to the topic of hospitality. This area of ministry deserves our special attention. Some of the most effective mercy ministries in a church begin by warmly receiving visitors, strangers, and aliens. Our visitors to our churches are often arrived unsure, guarded, and often severely wounded. A bulletin and a smile are simply not enough. We should help them find seats that are comfortable for them. Learn their names. Be sure to follow up with a card, a text, or an email. Introduce them to someone their age or similar occupation or close to where they live. Invite them into your home. Get them involved in a church Bible study or fellowship group, and invite them to a monthly visitors' luncheon. One of the joys in our congregation has been seeing people move from being anxious visitors to beloved members because the church did not simply greet them. It embraced them and connected them into the church and served them. Likewise, deacons need to encourage and affirm acts of service in the church. We are not feeding pride when we thoughtfully thank people. We are rather strengthening the hands of the saints. A handwritten note, a word after church, a brief acknowledgement in private. These things matter. Many hidden servants grow weary because no one seems to notice their loving acts of service. Avoid criticism, as that so easily tears down. Build others up by your warm-hearted words of affirmation. Let's all learn to encourage Christ's faithful servants by our gracious communications. We should also learn to involve the larger church body wisely in practical, Christ-centered care. Women, men, families, young adults, widows, retirees, students. The whole church has gifts. Deacons must not hoard mercy ministry. We must rather multiply it. Have a deacon who is gifted in organization work with other members to set up meal teams, hospitality groups, service days, practical help teams, and partnerships with local, faithful, gospel-based ministries. But do not stop simply at organization. Explain the why. Connect service to our Savior Jesus Christ. Always keep mercy personal, dignified, and most of all, gospel-centered. One of our most important blessings I will encourage you to consider is organizing a group of men and women who are gifted and caring and repairing things to consider helping with many of the needed maintenance tasks in your church building. Yes, exactly right. I'm sure many of your churches have both gifted men and women who would be great in cleaning, fixing, and repairing things in your church buildings. They often may be better gifted than we are to do that work. Wouldn't it be wiser to organize these gifted congregants to serve in this way, to free us up, to free you up, to foster and promote other types of mercy ministry in your churches? So often deacons think that the building is our primary ministry. Cultivating gifted and talented people within our churches to enjoy working together in these important tasks can often improve the upkeep of our church facilities and allow others to serve with their gifts God has given to them. Let's not expand, let's all expand our vision of these and other important ministries by encouraging others to serve in ways God has gifted so many of his fellow servants for God's glory. We must never forget to emphasize the importance of deacons working together with their elders and pastors. The church must see unity between word and deed, and between spiritual care and practical service. We are not operating in separate kingdoms. We are jointly serving together as one flock under one chief's shepherd. Make it a priority to get to know your elders and pastors well and begin, if you haven't already, to work closely with them in ministering to your sheep. The sheep will be blessed as they see this unity of the leadership work together for their blessing and for their growth in Christ. Remember, remember, we compliment them and they compliment us. As we do these things, we must never forget to watch God work. The church is full of providences we miss because we are often just too busy. Deacons should become students of God's quiet mercies. Listen for stories. Ask a member what God has been doing in their lives. Share appropriate testimonies of God's provision and care. And when saints hear how God has used ordinary acts of kindness, mercy becomes contagious. It stops feeling like a burden and starts feeling like a privilege. I think of a family in our congregation whose adult daughter struggled with alcoholism. The deacons were able to help with a portion of the rehabilitation costs, though our help was limited. When this young adult needed more care than it was originally anticipated, in a moment no one anticipated or expected, the owner of the rehabilitation center offered to support the needed care beyond what the family could support. That was not the specific answer we had envisioned. But it was the Lord's provision. We were reminded again that the deacons are not the ultimate source of mercy. God is. So be on the alert and humbly watch God work. Recount these stories with one another. They're powerful. Let them strengthen everyone's faith in the God who provides. Before leaving this pastor, let me add both a wise and sober word. Deacons must also learn to shepherd one another. Mercy ministry is exhausting. And I know you all know and have experienced that. Burdens accumulate, meetings multiply, family pressures intensify. If we do not care for both our fellow deacons and elders, we all can easily become unintentionally burnt out. So remember to pray for one another. Regularly ask questions about how each of your deacons and elders and pastors are doing. Watch for the real signs of burnout. These include persistent deep exhaustion, irritability and anger, fogginess of mind, numbness, and unusual discouragement for a few. Encourage rest. Encourage temporary relief from responsibilities when needed before it becomes too severe. Always guard one another. A sabbatical is not a failure. It is a sign that we are human. Rest is not laziness. We are shepherds, but we are also sheep.

Mercy In The World With Discernment

SPEAKER_03 53:20

Galatians 6.10 tells us to do good to everyone and especially to the household of faith. The church's mercy has an order, but it does not have a closed border. God shows kindness broadly in common grace, and his people should reflect that same kindness while always bearing witness to the greater mercy found in our Savior Jesus. A few months ago I asked my adult grandson why his generation were not having children. He quickly responded that it was simple mathematics. One family plus one child was less for them. Well, that philosophy is mathematically worldly accurate and obviously true in our world today. Let me put it a different way. Grammatically, in life today, it is spelled with just two simple letters.

SPEAKER_06 54:18

M, E.

SPEAKER_03 54:23

Yeah. We do live in a deeply self-absorbed age. Our culture catechizes us daily into self-interest, self-protection, self-expression, and self-indulgence. But Christ empowers us into a different-hearted people, hearts of service for our Savior. He teaches us to notice others, move towards need, and hold on to both compassionate deeds and gospel hope. So I say again to you, rest in God's word and know that prayer really matters in our world. If we are to serve in the world in both biblical wisdom and loving generosity, we must be anchored in Scripture. Mercy detached from Christ becomes mere humanism. It may relieve a symptom, but it misses the proclamation of true hope through Christ. Deacons must help the church understand that deeds of mercy adorn the gospel, but they must never replace it. Pray for your neighbors. Pray for your coworkers. Pray for the struggling person down the street. Pray for the widow, the addict, the frightened parent, the lonely international student, the unbelieving friend and the exhausted cashier and the grieving man who lost his wife to cancer. Ask God to open doors for you and your church. Ask him to teach the church to see people, not just tests. No one needs to travel across the world to begin this ministry. God places each of us exactly where he wants us to serve. The neighbors beside us, the people at work, the strangers we regularly encounter is this is our mission field. So again, to say to you, model and encourage compassion and mercy in your world. One of the most effective ways to cultivate outward-facing mercy is through ordinary relationships and practical caring help. My pastor always says to me, no one cares what you know until they know that you care. Many gospel conversations begin not with a sermon, but with a small repair job, a visit, a meal, a ride, an act of patience, a willingness to listen to someone in their pain. The Lord has opened doors for me through my practical hands-on skills. A neighbor undergoing chemotherapy needed her bed lowered and a small toilet repair job last year. While helping her, I learned that she was fearful of death. That moment became an opportunity not only to fix something broken in her home, but more importantly, also to speak of the hope of Christ, read scriptures, pray with her, and leave her with a Christian tract on the hope she could have through Christ in death. Another neighbor needed help with some porch work last year. This practical connection led, weeks later, to a deeply human moment when I found him weeping beside his dog because his dog was going to be put down that afternoon. A smaller act of service had opened the way for his willingness to allow me to pray with him and encourage him to find comfort and peace in Christ. That is often how mercy in the world works. We are not trying to force strangers into religious transactions. We are loving them as image bearers and being ready to speak of Christ when the Lord gives us opportunity. So teach your congregation to begin to listen and be attentive to those in their sphere of contacts. Have them ask themselves, who around you is vulnerable? Who's lonely? Who's overwhelmed? Who is new in your neighborhood? Who needs help that you can offer? What simple act or kind word can open up a real relationship with someone in need? Encourage members to serve others in their daily lives, not just in organized church projects. We all must be ready to minister to others with a cup of cold water, a ride, a help with yard work, a listening ear, a Bible to give out, an invitation to church, even a prayer on the sidebook. These are not simple things in the hands of God. They are true, gospel opening opportunities. At the same time, teach wisdom in your congregation. Not every kind of help is equally beneficial. Many needs, most needs, are complex. Some patterns of life are destructive. Deacons should help the church think with discernment and patience, along with healthy boundaries with a long view in mind. This requires wise biblical counsel with your congregants. Mercy should honor dignity. Pursue what truly helps, and avoid creating dependencies when wiser forms of support are really needed. Finally, and lastly, open your eyes and watch God work. God is always working our world around us, and we miss that so often because we are preoccupied with our own lives. Be alert. Carry Bibles with you in your car with information about your church. Listen carefully when people speak and expect to see God's unexpected providences. Listen to this one. Be ready for the Lord to change our schedule. Twice this past winter, I happened to be at our local gas station when a man who had run out of gasoline down the road came running up and asking me for help. I just happened to have a five-gallon gasoline can filled with gasoline in the back of my van. The next week, another man in the same gas station in a car next to mine didn't have any money to buy gasoline he so needed. In both cases, the immediate needs were small, but these small needs often become the doorway to larger conversations. I was able to help them both, speak about God's providences in each of their situations, give them a Bible, and invite them to our church and pray with them. I do not know all that the Lord did from these providential moments, but obviously God is and was in control. We point others to Christ and we watch God work. Deacons should teach and encourage the church to rejoice in these small evidences of grace. Not every act of mercy ends in dramatic, visible fruit. Many are simply seeds in God's garden. Many of these acts are forgotten by the world, but none, none are forgotten by Christ.

Closing Exhortation And Prayer

SPEAKER_03 1:01:39

So let me conclude. Let me close where I began. I hope you remember the sheep video. Do you remember? If you don't know sheep before tonight, you now know sheep at least a little bit better. Yes, sheep are stupid, stubborn, vulnerable, wandering animals. But then so are we. We all easily jump headlong back into that ditch that we just earlier jumped into. Our hope is not that we are naturally compassionate enough or wise enough or even strong enough for our calling. Our only hope is that we always that what and will always be that we know and trust our true shepherd. Christ has shown us perfect mercy. Christ still tends his flock. Christ still gathers lambs in his arms. Christ still leads gently. Christ still serves his sheep, and Christ still equips his church with loving, shepherd-like leadership. So each of us have been called to be Christ's under shepherds of mercy in each of our pastures of life, in our home, in our church, and in our world. We are to lead and guide our churches to see the compassion of Christ, receive the compassion of Christ, and reflect the compassion of Christ in each of their own pastures of life. So, brothers, rest on God's word. Pray often for his work in our lives and all the lives in which we touch. Guide, teach, and encourage his sheep to sacrificially serve and minister to others. Model compassion. And never forget, never forget to watch God work. May the Lord grant that this culture of mercy in each of our homes, our churches, and our world would never be rare but normal until the day when faith becomes sight and mercy gives way to glory. Let's pray. Faithful Shepherd, we thank you for the mercy you have shown us in Christ, and for our high calling as ordained servants to serve under our great shepherd and Savior Jesus Christ. Teach us to lead with patience, tenderness, humility, and repentance, and make our homes places where mercy is practiced first. Make our churches communities where compassion is both joyful and shared, and make us bold in our in our world to run towards need and point others to the hope found only in Christ. Guard us from pride and weariness and discouragement, and enable us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our chief shepherd and servant, and by your spirit make us faithful in speaking and demonstrating this truth and love to all. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Reading List And Encouraging New Deacons

SPEAKER_03 1:04:28

I have a reading list up here, and um it is what do you notice about here, men, that is different from every other reading list that you've ever seen a deacon give you? I want to hear from some I want to hear from somebody about um what they see different in this list. The shepherd leader, the shepherd leader in the home, instruments in the redeemer's hands, side by side. It doesn't mention about a deacon. Why?

SPEAKER_06 1:05:00

Why? Someone tell me.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:09

We as deacons are the chief shepherds to encourage others, walking side by side. We're instruments in the Redeemer's hands, we're shepherd leaders in our homes, we're shepherd leaders. That's who we are. That's who you are. I encourage you to look at these books. Begin to read books like this to encourage your own shepherding mercy in your own churches. May God bless you and encourage you in this work. I've got three more books to hand out. I gave one away. I got three more. I want to I want to see who is the newest ordained deacon in our group. Is there someone who has been in our, in our uh, has been ordained a deacon in left in in less than six months? Stand. Stand. Thank you. Stand.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:58

Oh, we look at these. Okay, okay, oh I again how about three months?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:10

Three months. Three months. Uh-oh, everybody's sitting down. No, we got two. How about four months?

SPEAKER_06 1:06:21

We got one. Four months.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:24

You're you're you're good. Four months. Five months. Five months? Ordain in five months? February. Well, you're keep standing. Five months. Any more? You got two? Well, I got three. Got three. One, two, three.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:36

Okay, you three get a book. Um, it's great.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:49

I I just wanted to encourage our young deacons. What a blessing to have you today. Thank you for joining the ranks of us. We appreciate your mercy and your service to to your church, and uh, I hope you grow with those books and I encourage you to walk side by side. Um, okay, David, your turn.

unknown 1:07:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:12

Good.

Q and A On Families And Teams

David Nakhla 1:07:15

First of all, before I for first of all, before I forget, did did uh Tim Lee, Tim May Lee, lose their card? Oh, he's not here. Oh. Okay. He didn't he didn't lose it then. Okay, now we're uh if we have a few minutes here for um questions or interactions with uh what you heard from Bob's talk. A few minutes here. If you have a question, you can go up to the Is there anything new that you haven't heard?

SPEAKER_03 1:07:47

Have you heard it all? I'm still learning.

David Nakhla 1:07:54

Can you go to the can you go to the mic behind you, Zach? And if it's something we already covered before you got here.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:02

Well, uh I was you have a good excuse. I was uh you were deaconing. Yeah, I was deaconing. Bob, so encouraging us to think about um encouraging our children um to participate in mercy ministry. One of the things I observed in my own heart as a deacon with kids in the house was the temptation to use them as extensions of my own drive to work um and the some of the pitfalls there. Yes. Can you talk a little bit about how to guard ourselves against the temptations that are involved in that?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:49

That is a great question. The question is, is how can we avoid the temptation of pushing our children into service that really forces them away from service? I think that's the question. And and one, I would go back to what I said, pray. Pray for your children, pray that you would see a tendency in their heart to want it. Don't, what did I say? Don't force service, didn't I? I don't force our kids to service, but teach them, train them, encourage them, bless them, minister to them, love them, and serve them. This is the way that you get your kids. You've got to first be the one to serve. They've got to see your heart of joy to serve before they, but but then pray. It's it's what I've said. And be humble. Don't but don't force service. I don't believe in that. I believe in loving, encouraging, blessing, and letting them see your joy in serving. And that should be contagious. I again, there's probably a lot more to be said about that, but I think our children know us well. If we are humble servants, they too will love to serve. And uh we pray for their hearts. I hope that helps.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:02

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:05

Can you tell us what you can make? Sure. Yeah. Uh Andy Weigel with uh New Covenant URC in Twin Falls. Um, Zach was picking me up, so we're we're here. We're all um you mentioned uh working with with other men in the church and not uh not just putting them in a in a deaconate role um because they're useful or handy. Um absolutely. Could you maybe expound or share some examples of um you know responsibilities that would be helpful and appropriate for those men that are, you know, you're you're trying to get to know their heart, you're trying to get to um see if if there would be someone that that you would um you know want to bring into the deaconate. Uh yeah, practical examples, responsibilities, that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:55

Excellent question. The question was basically how do you encourage others and get to see their hearts, get to see their hearts. I think we all should not be quick at assuming someone is a deacon simply because they're articulate or useful. Um ministries are more than the actual ministries are about mercy. There's many other mercy, uh other ministries of the church, but the way in which we do it is we walk side by side. We we we look carefully at them by walking with them. At Welch's book on that, I did a study on that last year with a group, a large group of men and women and children. Um it is it is so important we walk beside people. We get to know them, and they get to know us, and they they begin to see that joy of mercy ministry that that we have, and that's contagious. I said that. It's true. I've watched men come and learn to love mercy ministry by seeing other men love it and walk beside them. But I think we we got to observe them carefully. We got to make sure that they really have hearts of mercy and they love the Lord with all their heart, soul, strength, and might, and they really have mercy as their heart and serve others. Um until we see that, I just don't think we we don't want to we've got to guard the church and its officers. And we have made mistakes in our church, and I told you about them. But guard the church, pray, and look for the right men.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:32

Yes, brother. Uh difficult question, at least for me to ask. How do you encourage a group of deacons to deacon one another who don't see the need?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:41

Say that question again.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:43

How do you encourage a group of deacons to deacon one another who don't see the need?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:48

Great question. How do you deacon other other men who don't really see the need? And I would I would say there's a lot of things. One, I would first do what I've told you three times, pray, pray, and pray. I I I think that again the other thing is is continue to serve faithfully in true mercy ministry before them. Don't hurt them. They're men, they love the Lord, but they probably have different gifts. Use them in different ways. Look for other men that have the gift of mercy ministry and train and teach them to become ordained deacons. Um, but pray for men to raise up that truly have a heart and a ministry for others. So I appreciate your your your that you'll see it in every category, in every way. Uh but pray, serve faithfully, show them what it means to love and joy and deak and at work and uh look for other men that have the true gifts.

David Nakhla 1:14:03

Any other questions or reflection maybe on something that really struck you that Bob mentioned. Go ahead, Steven.

SPEAKER_08 1:14:13

Yes, thank you. Uh you said you went on four disaster response. Could you talk about the other three and maybe some other takeaways?

SPEAKER_03 1:14:20

Oh, I I would love to talk about them. I mean, I wish I had more time to talk about all the stories I've got after.

David Nakhla 1:14:25

We do have a limited time.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:26

Uh I love it. I um I remember um, well, one was was um out at Sandy. We we we I took a another older man, wasn't an 18-year-old, probably was a 35-year-old man, and uh we went out to Sandy, and just he and I did work with uh the a c a family there that that needed needed homework. And we just worked alongside them. Um we got to stay in their church, and um I met a lot of neat people, and what a blessing it was for the man I took. Uh he's now in in the church in Arizona in uh Scottsdale and uh in OPC Church and um serving, I think, as an elder now. He grew from that. We grew to I'm we grew from that. Um what a blessing that was. Uh, but that was about almost eight, twelve months after the hurricane. But we still there still was need. So we went. Uh another one was down in Neon. I've served a lot down in Neon, Kentucky, and uh it was close. So I took a group of five men down. We did the whole church, our presbytery did the whole church in one day, drywalled it. Think about that. Wow. I saw I all I did was screw as fast as I could screw. But uh hey, but my brother one in I think you had one in one in each hand. No, I don't think so. That was uh that was three weeks before my knee operation. So hey, but anyway, no, uh what a blessing uh to take my brothers from our church and and go and serve and and and get them to know other wonderful people from our presbytery. Um that was a wonderful presbytery experience because we had some great workers from other churches that knew how to do drywall. But wow, what a blessing. We well, we only stayed down there two and a half days because I was dead. And uh, and uh so the older guys left for back up for Columbus. But the rest of the guys stayed and did all kinds of wonderful work down there. We did it just a blessing to see how we can bless a church through their disaster. Um, another one was um um down at Key West. I went down there, I served down there 15 years, but the first time I went down there, I took a team of our from our church of four or five men that we tiled the whole first floor. It'd gotten all, you know, three inch, three a foot of water. And so uh they had the drywall out. So we just did new tile. They had carpet in. So we got that took out a week before, and we went down and we we tiled. And what a blessing that was to get that church so it didn't have problems anymore. So um, again, that was another wonderful experience of of uh teamwork and uh got to know my brothers and and our church a lot better. And uh we got a lot, we gotta pray and encourage the members there as well in the church. And I got to meet Bill Welzine, which I then spent 15 years with at Key's Evangelistic Ministry, helping encouraging as a deacon uh their their ministry. So uh, hey, things lead to things, and and uh God uses them to bless us and encourage us and strengthen us. It's not how we're burdened, we're encouraged and strengthened as we serve. Find joy in your service. Whenever I work with someone and they say, thank you, I always say the last 10 years, it's my joy. It's my joy. Learn to make joy center in your thoughts as a deacon. Don't make it burdens, make it joy. What is joy? What is joy? What is joy? Come on, help me out. It's a fruit of the spirit, it's eternal. What's happiness? Happiness is not necessarily bad, but it it is it is temporary. Joy is eternal. It's also a a fruit of the spirit, which is also eternal. And what is it paired up with? What's what's the one the one thing before it in the fruits of the spirit, which is it? Love. Love and joy. They're tied together. Why they're tied together? Because they are tied to Christ, and love brings joy as we serve and honor our Savior. So learn to joy in your work as a deacon. Don't miss it. Enjoy it. What's man's chief end?

SPEAKER_06 1:18:53

And and joy.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:57

Him forever. I said a little bit too loud.

David Nakhla 1:19:01

So I think you can see why uh why I we decided it would be good for Bob to speak at the summit here.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:08

I uh uh you you got it though. You got it, brothers. Make that first in your life. Love and joy. And and make it work.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:18

Cheyenne. Yeah, um, first of all, thank you. Super encouraged. Uh have you visited all 50 states?

SPEAKER_06 1:19:26

Um, so yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:28

So uh super encouraged by your talk. Um, but wanted to sort of talk about when you're talking about the shepherding aspect, it seems like the elder role and the deacon role can get pretty, pretty blurry at times, especially in congregation. How do you make sure and keep those separated? How do you respect a lot of those roles?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:50

That's a great question. How do we keep the the elder and the deacon role separate? I I I tried to make that somewhat clear, but I probably didn't. Um They're complementary. We are not elders, and they are not deacons. They have different roles, but we are complementary. Word and deed. I love that. Word and deed, uh doctrine and grace. Those duels, they're real. We're different. So we emphasize our differences and we serve and minister together so that we can compliment. What's the greatest commandment? What's the two greatest commandments? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself. They're two. They're not one. We're taught in the word to love the Lord. Our elders teach us that. But who teaches us to love one another with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind? The deacon should be right there in the middle of that, encouraging each of our members to serve with the gifts that God's given them, to get the joy of the Lord themselves. Joy isn't separate from the deacons, it's it's opportunities for everyone to have the joy of the Lord as they serve the church and the world and their family.

Turning Practical Help Into Evangelism

David Nakhla 1:21:10

Okay, Bob, I think we could go all night. We could. I would love it. Oh, we well let me give our one of our newest deacons here the last question.

SPEAKER_07 1:21:19

I love it. Newest deacon, great. Um so as someone who struggles a lot with evangelism, you mentioned like how uh opportunities lead to more opportunities to not just need not just satisfy physical needs, but also address spiritual needs. Um can you give some more examples or expand on like ways that you've gone from helping someone out physically to them being able to speak to them spiritually? Because I've also struggled struggled with like you give them something, you know, you help them with something. Hey, thanks. You're welcome. Bye, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:51

So I that's it. And the question is is a great question. How do we make diaconal ministries evangelistic? Truly God-focused gospel ministry. Uh it the deacons have the greatest opportunity, I believe, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ as we serve one another, as we serve the world. Opportunities are limitless. I gave you just a few. I could talk all night on the opportunities God has given me to share the gospel in different ways. Everyone's different. But just like the guy with needed gasoline, I had five gallons of gasoline in my back, on my bed. And I got to talk to him about the gospel of Jesus Christ and pray with him. I don't know what God's gonna do with that. But again, there's every opportunity you can take, whatever it is, use it not just to do the thing, but make sure you stop and pray. Deacons are taught not to pray. What was one-third of my talk about? Pray with people. It's not the deacon, the elders and the de and the pastors. It's our responsibility as much or more than anyone's.

David Nakhla 1:23:03

So, Bob, really practically, can you talk through that situation with a gallon of gas? Yeah. He needs the gas. Walk us through what did the look.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:14

I would love to walk you through that. So he comes running up and he says, I need help. And I says, What do you need? I said, He needs gasoline. Well, great, I've got some. Here it is. Take it. I didn't think I was ever going to get the gasoline can back, but he comes driving back. He only he only used half the can. I says, Why didn't you pour it all in? He didn't answer. I says, use it. By the time I used it, I went to my car, got my how many people carry Bibles in their cars to give away? I see a few heads. Every one of you deacons need a Bible or two or three in your car and put in um information about your church. Your church's cards, put them in there. And so um he stopped. I says, Do you have a Bible? There's a Bible. And do you understand what happened? For someone that you call first, have a five-gallon can of gasoline filled that gives it to you. How often does that happen? This is God. This is what God does in this situation. I'm more than happy to give it to you because God has given me everything. You go to church? Uh I says, in there is our church address and our contract. If you'd like, I'm not pushing you, come to church. And then I prayed with him. Right then, right there, I prayed that God would use this in his heart, in his life for the kingdom, for Christ. And I said, you know, the most important thing is you know that Christ is at work. And God providentially does things for reasons. Trust the Lord Jesus with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. That's my I don't know what God did, but I got to share the gospel. And God provided all the means. And again, I could tell you another hundred stories of exactly the same kind of thing each day that God provides you to serve, to share, to give, and then to bless them in Jesus Christ. Don't let diagonal service go without focusing on Christ. Do the simple things, but share your Savior and my Savior with

Final Thanks And Where To Find More

SPEAKER_03 1:25:41

them.

David Nakhla 1:25:41

Thanks so much for joining us. Special word of thanks to our producer, Trish Dugan, who works faithfully behind the scenes to bring this podcast to you. Be sure to visit our website, thereformdeacon.org, where you'll find all our episodes, program notes, and other helpful resources. And we hope you'll join us again soon for another episode of the Reform Deacon Podcast.