When the New Testament gives instructions about diaconal work, it authorizes the church to give material assistance to the needy of the church and not the needy of the world in general. This is first evident in Acts 6:1–6. The seven men appointed in this story are not called “deacons,” but the work they are given—“to serve tables” in support of widows—is diaconal in nature and foreshadows the work that deacons would do. According to the instruction of the apostles, these men are chosen by the church