Don't confuse Catholics for Catholicism! I know some Catholics who believe in Jesus. It's more of a dislike for the organized religion. And all the tradition and position stuff. Then I know some Catholics that think Mary will save them or Paul or their priest etc... Problem most of the time is Bible isn't studied. They just take some knuckle heads word for whatever is being said. Back in the day when it was state run. You weren't even allowed to read the Bible! People actually died for this. Then you had Reformation which is where you get all you prodistant denominations. My opinion: they are no better! The guys who really took the abuse from both Catholics and prodistant were the Anabaptist. Which in my opinion are the most close to correct there is and was. In today's world? Not so much! I am Baptist. But I would not belong to southern Baptist group if you paid me. And every time I here about that crazy Baptist Church here in Indiana I wanna vomit!

Bottom line is:. There is a thing called the trail of blood. From Christ till now. The cross through others who have died in His name till now. There is actually a book that outlines a lot of these folks who have died for the faith. You should read it.

Read you Bible for yourself, shuck it down to the cob, get rid of all the tradition and position stuff.

If there were just a denomination called Bible only.

That's the one I would join

Don't forget - though you may see no problem - what has God called leaders to do? Are they to live only to their convictions? I personally do not want a millstone around my neck.

Why - that is not Biblical? Think about it.

My desire is to know the Word of God in original context including Greek and Hebrew. We lose much just in English.

This is what confuses me about Catholicism! You have true believers in there! They get it! It's almost as if someone on the inside of these Catholic churches at some point actually read Bible and got saved. Then instead of vacating that church. Stayed and started preaching Christ. So you get pockets of Catholic churches who might as well be prodistant or even Baptist in some cases. Then you talk to one and it's Mary, then the other is Paul, then the other is the priest, then the other will tell you it's them, etc...

But that's because in most cases you have one of these lavender !aria types saying whatever they want from the pulpit. Then everyone below the pulpit just shakes their head in ignorance.

Why not? How is Bible only not biblical?

What if you drank alot of beer, but were a good guy, and a roofing contractor, and the church roof got messed by hail, the church had no money (yea right) and you had 40 square of shingles laying round from other jobs, could you be a deacon?

I assume if yer not a catholic or toucher of youngsters itd be a go?!

We can all be deacons.

At the time when Paul wrote to Timothy, polygamy was pretty rare, imo that scenario is not plausible. Another scenario I've heard is Paul meant to be true to the one your with, but I believe that was not what Paul meant and is backed up by other scripture. For example, Matthew 19:9 Says,"And I say to you,whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. The act of adultery would damage the Deacons testimony and therefore is disqualified.

To respond to the OP:
No a woman cannot be a deacon or hold any office in the church if the hubke clearly says that they are not to teach, and that they are to learn in silence.

1 Timothy 2:11-12
[11]Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
[12]But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

No one should drink. Drinking is a sin. (Before you get mad at me, realize I'm saying this because the Bible says it.not because I'm some holier than thou guy who never drinks. I'm a wicked sinner like the rest of us. But when I drink I am in sin)

Proverbs 20:1
[1]Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Proverbs 23:29-35
[29]Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
[30]They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
[31]Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
[32]At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
[33]Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
[34]Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
[35]They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.


Proverbs 31:4-5
[4]It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
[5]Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

The Bible says old wine and strong drink are not for "Kings" Revelation chapter 1 calls us Kings and priest

Revelation 1:5-6
[5]And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
[6]And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

So we see that the Bible is telling us that there is a difference between the saved and the unsaved. Saved folks should not drink because drinking is for those who are ready to "parish"..

Proverbs 31:6-7
[6]Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
[7]Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

As we know those we are saved will never parish..

John 3:16
[16]For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Last point is can a deacon be divorced.
First let's see what Jesus has to say about divorce and see the justification for divorce.

Matthew 19:4-9
[4]And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
[5]And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
[6]Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
[7]They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
[8]He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
[9]And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

We see that Moses gave the 12 tribes of Israel a way to be divorced because of the hardness of their Hearts.
Then we see Jesus correct this action by explaining that they Twain shall be one flesh. It would be hard for me to walk down the road cut directly in half, but I digress...
"What therefor God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." This is a clear commandment from Jesus. Jesus says in the Bible if you love me keep my commandments.

In Malachi 2 we see what the Lord thinks about divorce or "putting away" as the Bible calls it.

Malachi 2:16
[16]For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

So we see that the "hateth" putting away.
If the Lord hates it and tells you not to do it then don't do it. Would be my response.

However this doesn't answer the last point just a lead up to the conclusion.

I, Ken Smith am a wicked sinner that deserves (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman).
I drink, I have been divorced 2 times and that makes me an adulterer. The Bible says that adulterers should be out to death like murderers or sodomites.

That being said I am not trying to be a hypocrite by telling you I think you should do this because I'm so good, but rather that's what the Bible says and I am a guilty sinner.

The reason a deacon can't do all of these things is because the bishop and the deacon are the face of the church. They are the ones that the congregation who is in sin goes to to get right, to get guidance, to learn how to remove sin from their life. If the deacons are living in sin then what is there to motivate the congregation to get sin out of their life?

This doesn't mean that a deacon will.not sin for that is impossible, but these very obvious sins are something men of God who are doing the Lord's service in the church should never do.

Now if we were to compare this to modern religion then we can see that the last of the world is running rampant in the church and the kids are learning that divorce is the norm.and drinking is a part of life.

Sad.

Well he laid it out well for you!

Is what your thinking not what I answered a bit ago?

Oh, there's more than one question, my bad.
1, I understand it to say a Deacon could have a drink here or there but cannot be drunk. Personally FWIW, I don't think a Deacon should drink but the bible says he can in moderation.

2. No

3. Unless she cheated or died, you can't be a Deacon. That's my take on it.

I would agree bowhunter. I should add, if she meets the biblical standard of being a Deacons wife.

I think questions like this are to be taken seriously, but at the same time these questions are often used within the church to justify a bit of judgmentalism.

We often choose to interpret scripture in a way that fits our biases, we must be careful.

I'm not implying that anyone involved with this discussion is being judgmental, but many of us including myself have been taught be people who do have a particular ax to grind.

Sounds like maybe someone needs to bring this to there attn as a biblical correction, in a biblical way.

So, regarding my question about a single guy being a Deacon??
Permissible or not since he doesn't have one wife.

Adultery is not grounds for divorce, fornication is. See if a man's wife had not been a virgin when the marriage was consummated then that is grounds for divorce.
The punishment for adultery is death not divorce.
I guess some would quote " till death do us part"

The proper way to read the Bible is compare spiritual with spiritual, this means using the old testament to explain the new testament and vise versa.

Remember Jesus said he had come not to distroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill them.

As to the getting drunk reference think of wine tasters... When they sip a wine to taste test it they spit it out afterwards because any amount of alcohol will impair their judgment.

1 Peter 5:8
[8]Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

So having old wine as the Bible calls it or hard drink which is alcohol in any amount will impair your judgement. L
...Proverbs 31.

" A little wine for the stomachs sake" is a reference to juice. Remember the word juice is only used one time in the Bible.
And it was to keep from sounding redundant.
When I juice an orange that is new wine or fresh juice. Meaning it has not fermented and has 0% alcohol. If I let it age and allow it to ferment then it will have a growing alcohol content. Hence the difference between new and old wine.

Proverbs 23:31-32
[31]Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
[32]At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

If it's sinful to look at the wine then it must be to drink it.

There is no excuse good enough for us to sin and it be justified. We are sinners who are never justified. No matter what the world says. We all deserve (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman).

A man that has had more than one wife is not a man of one wife. So no they can't be a deacon or a bishop (pastor)

Correct a person needs to have a wife.
A bishop has to have children plural as does a deacon, Meaning more than one child.

So they can show that they rule their house well.
1 Timothy 3:5
[5](For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

Just a side note "if a man" it says women don't rule their house. That's not a biblical marriage

AMEN, brother! Keep it simple. For a God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that who so ever believeth in Him shall not die but have everlasting life!!!!!!!!!