Over the past several weeks we have been doing an in-depth study on the Holy Spirit and we are presently looking at the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the church for the profit of all. We have looked at gifted men that God has given to the church spoken of in Ephesians chapter 4. We then moved to I Corinthians chapter 12 and we have completed the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to the church in that portion of Scripture. And we now are going to be concluding our section on the gifts of the Holy Spirit by looking at the gifts that Paul spoke of in Romans chapter 12.
So if you would, please turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 12, and lets begin reading in verse 4. We read "For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering..." Romans 12:4-7a.
And so our focus in this study is the gift of ministry or the gift of helps. Now it probably is not as spectacular in our minds as the gifts of healings, miracles, speaking in tongues and some of those more outward gifts as we think of them. But these gifts are just as important and they are just as needed in the body of Christ. Now in saying that, what is a minister? A good question that leaves many people confused today, even those who are ministers! The New Testament uses three different Greek words that are translated into minister or a similar English word. And we are going to look at them starting with the word that Paul used here in Romans 12:7, to help us understand what this gift is all about. And keep in mind, all three of these words will encompass what we are speaking of here today.
"MINISTRY" IN THE GREEK
1. DIAKONOS
This Greek word, DIAKONOS, means servant and we have translated it into our English word "deacon". And a deacon was someone who took care of the physical aspects of the church. This is the word that Paul used here in Romans 12:7 and it is also called the gift of helps, as Paul said in I Corinthians 12:28. This is not a profession but it truly is a calling, and I believe it goes far beyond the idea of a deacon, as we think of it today. We should think of this gift as the laying down of our life to serve or minister to others. Going that extra mile. Thus, we can translate this verse in Romans 12:7 like this: "or service, let us use it in our serving."
As you serve people you don’t drive them like cattle, lording over them, but you led them by example as a shepherd leds his sheep. In Matthew 23:11 Jesus said "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant." It doesn’t matter what position you may have in the church or in life, you are a servant. And as Mark 9:35 says very clearly, "And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’" We are to be a servant of all, that means those we may not like, or those that may not like us, or even those that are mean and nasty to us. A servant doesn’t get to pick and choose who he is going to serve, and neither should we. We are to be servants of all!
Also, we don’t or shouldn’t lord over people, trying to control them, for that is what the cults do. They exercise mind control and do it very effectively. Thus, a minister is nothing more than a servant of the people, giving himself to help others. This Greek word, DIAKONOS, is the most used word for "ministry" or "minister" in the New Testament.
2. LEITOURGOS
This Greek word, LEITOURGOS, speaks of a wealthy person who has given himself freely to public service. He, in a sense, is a volunteer who has given himself to serve the community at his own expense. He works for the people, volunteering his time, you might say.
We see this word used in Philippians 2:25, as Epaphroditus gave himself to the service of Paul. We read "Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need." Also, Paul said this, using this same Greek word in Romans chapter 15, beginning in verse 15. We read "Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:15-16. In other words Paul gave his life to the service of Jesus Christ, serving the Gospel to those who were lost, and in this service to man, God was being worshiped.
Now the church has picked up on this and we use this to describe or denote a public worship service. They call it the Liturgy. The dictionary defines Liturgy as "prescribed forms or ritual for public worship in any of various Christian churches." And what has been done out of this idea is the priest or minister has been placed above the common people. He is the one who can communicate with God for he has a direct line, while we don’t, is the idea. And when that occurs you will see man worshiping man instead of God. There is nothing wrong with respecting a persons position, but we must remember that the best of men are men at best! And more importantly God does not want us worshiping any man, He does not want us to worship any of the saints, He does not want us to worship any of the angels, He does not want us to worship even Mary!
Now that may be shocking to some of you, but hear me out on this. In Revelation chapter 19 John is given a vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb, and it is an overwhelming experience and we read in verse 10 of Revelation chapter 19, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!...’" Not to difficult to miss the point here! Also, in Revelation chapter 22, as John has just seen the culmination of human history, the establishment of the kingdom age, the creation of a new heaven and a new earth in the eternal state, we read beginning in verse 8 "Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, ‘See. that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’" Revelation 22:8-9.
You see, the only one we are to worship is God, and yet in the church today we see an establishment of a hierarchy that is there to control the people, and this hierarchy are the only ones who can read and understand the Scriptures. That is totally wrong. Jesus died to set us free from spiritual hierarchy. In the Old Testament it was the priest who could intercede before God for the people and only the High priest could enter the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, and only once a year, on the day of Atonement, after a long ceremonial cleansing that he went through. He was, in a sense, the mediator between God and man.
And as Christ paid the penalty for our sins and died on the cross of Calvary, crying out "It is finished." or "Paid in full", the veil in the temple that separated man from God, was torn from top to bottom. This veil has been estimated at being some 18 inches thick, and thus, no man could have torn it, but God alone, who opened the way to His throne, His presence, through Jesus Christ. It is as Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." We can not do that outside of Christ!
Thus, we don’t need anyone to come before God for us, because we all have access to the Father through Jesus Christ. In Fact, Jesus, in John 14:6 said "...‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’" And yet, in the church today we have ministers that are lording over the people, standing in the way of God, being a mediator between God and man, when Jesus is our mediator!
In Revelation 2:6 as Jesus was writing to the churches in Asia Minor, we read "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." What are the deeds of the Nicolaitans, for Jesus says He hated them. The word "Nicolaitans" comes from two Greek words, NIKAO, meaning "to conquer" and LAOS, meaning "the people". Thus, the word means "to conquer or lord over the people". And they are considered the forerunners to the clerical hierarchy that was superimposed upon the laity while robbing them of their spiritual freedom. That was the very thing that Jesus died for!
In I Peter 3:18 we read "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit." And now we have separated God by another mediator, man, even though Paul said in I Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus."
And as much as Jesus commended the Ephesian church for coming against the deeds of the Nicolaitans, by the time we get to the church in Pergamos, which means "mixed marriage", we read in Revelation 2:15 "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." And now, the very thing that Jesus hates, has been incorporated into the church, and it continues on today!
Ministry is not about special treatment, its about serving! Our example is Jesus, the creator of heaven and earth, God, who said in Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Jesus literally gave His life a ransom for us, He was the ultimate example of being a servant. And He asks us to follow in His footsteps, not necessarily dying, but to give of ourselves daily, ministering to others.
The other thing we need to remember is that being a minister, being a servant, being a slave, doesn’t make you a super saint, as some would like to think. In James 5:17 we are told that "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours..." Even Elijah had a nature like ours, he was human! But, as you minister to others I will say this, God does hold you to a higher standard than the people because you are leading the people. In fact, James 3:1 says "Brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." In other words, those that are speaking for God better live what they teach, your life should match up to your words!
And so, the idea here with this Greek word, LEITOURGOS, is no matter where you are, you are a servant, volunteering to serve others at your own expense.
3. HYPERETES
This Greek word, HYPERETES, means "under rower" or "galley slave". They were the ones who were located on the lowest level of the ship and yet they did the majority of the work. You see, without their efforts the ship would remain motionless or it would be tossed all over the place by the waves, not moving in the direction they needed to go. But the under rowers would propel the ship forward, helping it to reach its destination and yet they were the ones not seen and they were, of course, not thought of as being important, they were slaves!
When you look at the ministry, that is a good definition. It may not be pretty, it may even be smelly, and the work is tremendous, but you are propelling God’s church through this world, helping them to see Jesus more clearly, to help them reach Jesus. In Acts chapter 26, as Paul is speaking before king Agrippa of his conversion experience, of sharing Jesus with him, he said beginning in verse 16 "But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." Acts 26:1-18. That word "minister" in verse 16 is the Greek word HYPERETES, or under rower. Paul was a galley slave for Christ!
We do need to remember that this too is a gift of God. It is a calling that God has placed upon your heart and has enabled you to do. Listen to what Paul said in I Corinthians 15:9-10. We read "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
Paul saw himself as the chief of sinners, which would not look good on an earthly resume. He was persecuting the people he now wanted to serve. Another negative point on an earthly resume. And yet Paul saw the hand of God upon his life and as God placed the desire, Paul stepped out in faith, and by the grace of God he was placed in the ministry.
And when God placed this upon Paul’s heart, what did he want to do? SERVE! Paul was not looking for recognition. He was not looking for any praise from man. He served quietly and effectively which had a powerful impact upon the people he came in contact with. Paul served with no strings attached, he was not looking for anything special from anyone. That is the heart of a servant. Some today will serve like the ministry is some kind of investment that they will collect in due time. Wrong heart. You serve because you are a servant.
Jesus, in Luke chapter 17, is speaking on obeying His words, on being a servant. And He said beginning in verse 7, "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’" Luke 17:7-10. Our rewards are not going to be received on this earth, even though we are blessed abundantly. Our rewards await us when the Lord returns for His church, His bride. We are servants, all of us, and some have the supernatural gift of being a servant.
And you can tell those whom God calls to this ministry because even during the difficult times, as down as they may be, there is a fire burning in them to speak the things of God, to share Christ, to serve the people. Jeremiah was a man called by God to speak of the coming judgment, which the people didn’t want to hear. They wanted to hear the false prophets for they were talking about peace and prosperity instead of the truth. And Jeremiah was beaten and worn out. And we read in Jeremiah 20:9 "Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not." When God places that desire upon your heart, you can’t stop serving!
On the other hand, some are not called but enter into a ministry for the reward, challenge, glory, fulfillment and-so-on. It is more of a profession to them than a calling, and it is seen in their attitude and actions. They want to get out what they can from the ministry, when the ministry is giving of yourself. It is hard work. It is a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week ministry. And thus, the reality is you won’t be able to do this out of human effort because eventually you will get burned out.
In saying that, lets look at several verses that deal with this calling to help us understand what this is all about.
A CALL TO MINISTRY?
1. EPHESIANS 3:7 - DIAKONOS
Again, this was not according to man, but by the gift of God’s grace. Because it was of God, God gave him the power to do the work. Too often people wonder how they can become a minister. We don’t make ministers, God does and as He raises them up all we can do is recognize what God is doing in their life.
2. ACTS 4:13
The religious leaders were the ones who were schooled in the Law of God, the Scriptures, and yet they saw something different in Peter and John. Yes, they were fishermen, uneducated and untrained men, and yet they spoke the Scriptures with boldness. How can that be? They recognized that Peter and John had been with Jesus! We must remember that when the Lord calls us He also will equip us. Sometimes that means going to Bible School and sometimes it doesn’t!
3. COLOSSIANS 4:17 - DIAKONIA
Whatever ministry that God has placed you in, give it your all, do your best. That is all God asks of us, to fulfill the ministry He has called us to.
4. I TIMOTHY 1:12 - DIAKONIA
We don’t appoint people into a ministry, God raises them up and we can only recognize what God has done in their life. The Lord puts people in ministry.
5. I PETER 4:10-11 - DIAKONEO
These are not natural abilities or talents that a person has. God is the one who raises the person up, gives them the ability to do the work. Thus, God gets the glory, not man!
Jesus, of course, is our ultimate example of a minister. In John chapter 13, the night before His crucifixion, Jesus and his men had gathered together to share in the Passover meal. Now we have a picture in our minds of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of "The Last Super" that is not accurate. They did not sit at tables but they reclined on low couches. And in those days they wore open sandaled shoes, and with all the dust, their feet would get very dirty.
And so, as guest arrived at someone’s home the lowest servant would come and wash their feet and dry them. You did not want to sit next to someone at the table with stinky feet! But here, in the upper room, there was no servant, and no one was stepping forward to take this lowly job. The disciples were arguing who was going to be greatest in the kingdom, not a slave in the kingdom, so they were not going to stoop down and do this. They were not thinking of serving anyone, let alone washing anyone’s feet!
And so God, the creator of heaven and earth, girds Himself with a towel, gets the water, and begins to wash the disciples feet. And I’m sure that things grew quickly silent in the room at that time. No one was talking about being prime minister in the kingdom at this point! And as Jesus finished teaching them by example, He now was going to teach with words. In John 13:13-17 we read "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."
Jesus, who has taught them by example, now tells them to go out and do the same to others, be a servant. And the exciting thing to me is there is a blessing in that, a blessing when we serve. There is joy in our hearts as we reach out to others. The world is trying to find happiness and joy in being self-centered. And since they can’t find it, they go to therapy, self-help groups, books, and they still can’t seem to find it. The reason is simple. That kind of joy, that kind of fulfillment is not found in self-centeredness but other-centeredness! Jesus said in John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."
In John chapter 4 Jesus encounters a woman by Jacob’s well in Samaria, while His disciples are out looking for food. And beginning in verse 13 we read "Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’" John 4:13-14. Jesus is telling this woman that she will never fill that void that is in her life with worldly things, only a relationship with God will satisfy her completely. He is the only one that will satisfy our hunger and our thirst!
Now keep in mind that Jesus was hungry, He was thirsty, He was tired at this point. And now His disciples returned and we read beginning in verse 31 "In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’" John 4:31-34.
Notice that Jesus found satisfaction, joy, rest, fulfillment in doing the work of God. His hunger was satisfied. You see, you can’t minister without getting something back in return. It comes as you give yourself away!
Now Jesus taught by example and now He was going to teach by words, showing them how this applies to their lives. And we read in verse 35 "Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"
Understand what is going on here. It is not harvest time yet, there is still four months to go until the harvest. Some say that this was a proverb that Jesus was speaking of, others say it was a literal time till the harvest, don’t miss the point through all the rationalizing. Whatever was growing in the fields, it was tall, but not ready to harvest yet. And as the woman of Samaria went to get the men of the city, they now were coming through the fields, and as they walked their heads were seen above these crops. And Jesus is saying that it is harvest time now, the people are coming, there is your work, be a servant and fulfill the work of God that your joy may be full!
Yes, not everyone is a pastor, but we are all servants, and many people in the body of Christ, not just pastors, are given the gift of ministry or helps. Think of it this way. In the human body, when you cut yourself, you have white blood cells that come rushing to the site to prevent any infection from setting in. You also have clotting factors that come to prevent you from bleeding to death. And in their effort to come to help, some will lose their life to preserve the body.
The same is true in the body of Christ. In times of need the body gathers around to help a person in need. In fact, they are just waiting to help out, to get that call so they can rush into service. And when this gift is in operation in the body of Christ, it truly is beautiful, it moves the church forward. D. L. Moody once said: "I would rather get 10 men to do the work than do the work of 10 men!" We are the body of Christ working together for the betterment of all and the gift of ministry or helps is important for a healthy church.
Let me leave you with these thoughts from Paul in I Corinthians chapter 12, beginning in verse 14, "For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually." I Corinthians 12:14-27.