So who are the table waiters? Well, what makes the table waiter good at what they do is that they make you feel welcome. They make you feel loved. They make it seem as though you being here to enjoy this meal is something that they want to be burdened with, so that you are free to do what you have come to do. And again, this is not something that is degrading those that wait on tables. It is actually elevating their gifts to the point where God's Word says that this gifting is so important that we are actually going to set it aside as its own office. It is not something that is just put down; it is something that is elevated in in the Scriptures. They wait tables as a way of showing that they love what they do.
Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.Nathan EshelmanSo this is what the apostles did. They look around the congregation, and they look to see who the Lord has gifted for this work – who is of good repute and who is of full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. And congregation, as we consider this need in our congregation for deacons among us, I would encourage you to meditate on this verse. Think about this. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? What does it mean to have a reputation that reflects service, like the deacons here? What does it mean to have wisdom? The deacons need wisdom as they apply mercy to the life of the church. We have all walked down streets where we have been asked for spare change. Wisdom says that you don't empty your pockets every time you walk. And it is the same with the diaconate as well. They must use wisdom to use the resources that you all give them unto the glory of Christ.1
3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.