by Bret Capranica | May 23, 2006 | Deacons, Ecclesiology
I was too busy putting in a sprinkler system at The Capranica Villa yesterday to be able to read or post anything related to the blogosphere. So here’s what I should have posted yesterday on deacons: An Examination of Acts 6:1-6 in Regard to Deacon Ministry Objections and Answers Acts 6:1-6[1] is a passage widely discussed as to whether it has any direct or even implicit reference to the ministry of deacons. On the one hand, opponents to the view that deacon ministry is in view in this passage note that the noun diakonos is never used of the seven men chosen to assist the Apostles in the church in Jerusalem. Furthermore, some would argue that there is no indication in the book of Acts that this group of seven continued to exist in Jerusalem or even outside of Jerusalem once the initial complaint that created their need was satisfied (Acts 6:1). Also, while the book of Acts mentions elders on several occasions, the book never mentions a group of deacons. A further mark that some use to indicate that deacon ministry is not found in Acts 6 is that when the church in Antioch sent famine relief to the Jerusalem church, mention is made that it was brought to the elders of the church, not the deacons. Lastly, it is noted that neither Stephen or Philip continued in their role among the Seven of assisting the Apostles in caring for the needs of the widows in the Jerusalem church.[2] Adequate answers can be given to these objections. First, though the noun diakonos is not used in the Acts...
by Bret Capranica | May 23, 2006 | Ecclesiology, Southern Baptist Issues
A Southern Baptist History Primer Gene Bridges begins a new blog and posts some lengthy (no, not Gene) information on Landmarkism.
by Bret Capranica | May 20, 2006 | Deacons, Ecclesiology
Continuing my thoughts on deacons: Examining the Scriptures Introduction As mentioned above, the biblical material concerning New Testament deacons is limited. Two New Testament passages directly refer to an official body of deacons, namely, Philippians 1:1[1] and 1 Timothy 3:8-13. I will later propose that even though Acts 6:1-6 does not mention the Seven as an official body of deacons or assert that the ministry of deacons began with the Seven, there is ample evidence to conclude that Luke’s discussion of the Seven and their ministry relationship to the Twelve was that upon which the church eventually derived and modeled later deacon ministry. Thus, the following discussion over the next few days of the biblical content concerning deacons will begin with a brief overview of the term translated “deacon” in the New Testament, followed by specific examinations of Acts 6:1-6; Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13. The Term Translated as “Deacon” in the New Testament “Deacon” is a word that is derived from a transliteration of the Greek term diakonos, meaning “servant.” Only in two passages in the New Testament is diakonos actually translated (in most versions) as “deacon;”[2] and in each instance, the word is plural, referring to a group, rather than an individual. Among the verb, noun and adjective forms, diakonos is used over one hundred times in the New Testament. The following is a sample of what the term may refer to in the pages of the New Testament: · A Literal Servant (Matthew 20:26; 23:11; Mark 9:35; 10:43; John 2:5; 12:26) · A Metaphorical Servant Government – Romans 13:4 Christ is not a servant of...
by Bret Capranica | May 19, 2006 | Humor
Can you say you’ve had this much fun? Phil Johnson recently put up a post regarding the amazing pulpit at Grace Community Church: the headquarters of John MacArthur’s amazing pulpit ministry. It brought back many memories, especially this one, which I posted in the comment thread over at “Pulpit Live.” I think I can say this now, five years removed from membership at Grace, without getting into too much trouble. When I arrived at Grace and TMS nine years ago this month, I joined the custodial staff at the church. Little did I know of the custodial sub-culture that existed in such an esteemed environment. Anywhoo, my “baptismal introduction” (hazing) to the custodial staff was to “ride” the pulpit. Yes, that is right. I was instructed to get inside the pulpit and ‘ride her down’. Just when I was incsribing my good friend’s, and fellow custodian’s name on the wall underneath the esteemed platform, I heard a most unamusing growling sound – as if they were trying to trun the knob to let me back up and it wouldn’t work. Mind you, this was on a Saturday evening. I began to think, “What will John MacArthur do on Sunday morning when the guys in the little glass booth above the Worship Center finally raise me from my pulpit-like tomb and voila! there I am? Speaking of “Pulpit Live.” But alas, all was a joke and they finally raised me to life again. So is my fondest memory of the Grace Church pulpit. How many have the privilege of saying they have been able to ‘ride’ the pulpit’ at GCC....
by Bret Capranica | May 19, 2006 | Music
A recording was made during the T4G conference (really a ‘no, no’). “I Will Glory in My Redeemer” is the song available. Our church recently learned this one and it has become a perosnal favorite. HT: Adrian...
